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Diamonds Are Forever #2
His Diamond Bride
Dee Baines is sensible and plain compared to her outgoing, flirty sister. So she's amazed when pilot Mark Sellon chooses to pay attention to her!
Mark has a reputation as a risk-taking rogue who has an eye for the ladies and a thirst for adventure! But quiet, intelligent Dee offers Mark a chance to be…himself. Before he knows it, he is falling for this kind-hearted girl.
Could this unlikely couple forge a love to last a lifetime?
Mark has a reputation as a risk-taking rogue who has an eye for the ladies and a thirst for adventure! But quiet, intelligent Dee offers Mark a chance to be…himself. Before he knows it, he is falling for this kind-hearted girl.
Could this unlikely couple forge a love to last a lifetime?
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 11, 2011
4 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Gordon
693 books90 followersChristine Sparks was born in England, UK. She wanted to be a writer all her life, and began by working on a British women's magazine. As a features writer, she gained a wide variety of experience. She interviewed some of the world's most attractive and interesting men, including Warren Beatty, Richard Chamberlain, Charlton Heston, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Alec Guiness.
Single life was so enjoyable that she put marriage, and even romance, on the back burner, while she went about the world having a great time. Then, while on vacation in Venice, she met a tall, dark handsome Venetian artist, who changed all her ideas in a moment, and proposed on the second day. Three months later they were married. Her friends said a whirlwind romance would never last, but they celebrated their 25 anniversary, they are still married, still happy and in love.
After 13 years on the magazine Christine decided that it was now or never if she was ever going to write that novel. So she wrote Legacy of Fire which became a Silhouette Special Edition, followed by another, Enchantment in Venice. Then she did something crazy gave up her job. Since then she has concentrated entirely on writing romances for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette and has written over 75 books. Her settings have been European and her heroes mainly English or Italian. Christine now claims to be an expert on one particular subject. Italian men are the most romantic in the world. They are also the best cooks.
A few years ago she and her husband returned to Venice and lived there for a couple of years. This proved the perfect base for exploring the rest of Italy, and she has given many of her books Italian settings: Venice (of course), Rome, Florence, Milan, Sicily, Tuscany. She has also used the Rhine in Germany for Song of the Lorelei, for which she won her first RITA Award, in 1991. Her second RITA came in 1998, with His Brother's Child, set in Rome.
Eventually Christine Fiorotto and her husband returned to England, where they now live. She write and he paints, they have no children, but have a cat and a dog.
Single life was so enjoyable that she put marriage, and even romance, on the back burner, while she went about the world having a great time. Then, while on vacation in Venice, she met a tall, dark handsome Venetian artist, who changed all her ideas in a moment, and proposed on the second day. Three months later they were married. Her friends said a whirlwind romance would never last, but they celebrated their 25 anniversary, they are still married, still happy and in love.
After 13 years on the magazine Christine decided that it was now or never if she was ever going to write that novel. So she wrote Legacy of Fire which became a Silhouette Special Edition, followed by another, Enchantment in Venice. Then she did something crazy gave up her job. Since then she has concentrated entirely on writing romances for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette and has written over 75 books. Her settings have been European and her heroes mainly English or Italian. Christine now claims to be an expert on one particular subject. Italian men are the most romantic in the world. They are also the best cooks.
A few years ago she and her husband returned to Venice and lived there for a couple of years. This proved the perfect base for exploring the rest of Italy, and she has given many of her books Italian settings: Venice (of course), Rome, Florence, Milan, Sicily, Tuscany. She has also used the Rhine in Germany for Song of the Lorelei, for which she won her first RITA Award, in 1991. Her second RITA came in 1998, with His Brother's Child, set in Rome.
Eventually Christine Fiorotto and her husband returned to England, where they now live. She write and he paints, they have no children, but have a cat and a dog.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 5, 2022
I feel in my gut that this is a 4 or 5 star book. Lucy Gordon did a beautiful job packing in a whole lot of story in 184 pages that would take most people 300+. Therein lies my issue and my subsequent 3 star rating. I was expecting a typical harlequin. There is a build up, there is a black moment(or 2), and then there are the avowals of love. This story didn’t take that easy breezy route. There was more tragedy packed in this short book than my last 10 books combined(ok, that may be a little over dramatic), but I am not talking about lovers separated from misunderstandings, I am talking about war, deaths, disfigurement etc…
This book has a little bit of a NotebookThe Notebook feel to it(My apologies, only saw movie didn’t read book) feel to it.
The couple in this story are first mentioned in another book that was written before this one A Mistletoe Proposal I have yet to read it as it didn’t get great reviews. I picked this book up at my local thrift store and I noticed Boogenhagen gave it 5 stars, so I figured it was worth a try, plus I have read other LG books that I have enjoyed.
The book starts in 2003 at our heroine’s(Dee) and hero’s (Mark) 60th wedding anniversary. As Dee and Mark retire for the evening after all the fanfare, she looks lovingly at her sleeping husband and reminisces about their love story. So the book ends up taking place mainly during the years of 1938-1942 in London. It is a fragile time as WW2 is looming at the beginning of their love affair and is in full swing by the time they finally get married.
It’s Christmas time 1938, and 17 year old Dee is waiting for her older sister Sylvia to arrive with her newest beau. Dee’s dad Joseph owns a garage and is looking to hire another mechanic. It so happens that Sylvia’s newest beau, our hero, Mark is a mechanic and looking for a job.
Now, Sylvia is beautiful and carefree. Dee, our heroine is smart and plain. It is made clear she is plain. Not in the “oh she is actually pretty but doesn’t realize” way, like HQ sometimes does. There is not animosity between the sibs, it is just the way it is. Dee’s feelings for the devastatingly attractive charismatic H are love at first sight. However, she realizes A) It’s her sister’s boyfriend B) Her sister is gorgeous
Mark is besotted with the beautiful sister, but actually connects better with the h, Dee. He shares things with Dee that he would never share with Sylvia. He tells Dee she makes a good sister. Mark had a tough childhood, and has constructed a very good disguise to keep himself safe. He is very flirtatious and charming. But he hides his dark side which is insecure and out to prove he can be the best.
The story continues with the h and her nursing studies, the H working as a mechanic while seriously dating the sister Sylvia. Sylvia is feeling dissatisfied with the relationship as she doesn’t feel needed enough by the H. He flirts with others as is his style and then she flirts with others to get at him.
On the h’s 18th birthday, her sister leaves behind a letter. She knows the H doesn’t love her and she has run off with another man. This is a huge blow to the H’s ego(not his heart). His family history has something to do with these feelings of inadequacies. Well, the h proposes that they act like they are a couple and people will think her sister left due to this. Then the h and H are caught by the h’s mom heavily canoodling, and the H says that he and the h are engaged. The h agrees, because she has pretty much figured that he is the only one for her. He is signed up for the air force, but he is more like the reserves and hasn’t left to go anywhere yet. He is working at and lives at the base. He is able to meet up with his fiancée here and there. However, things are getting back to her about the H’s overzealous flirtatious ways, and 2/3 into the story she breaks it off with him to give him his freedom. The H is upset over the break up and neither one communicates their actual feelings for each other, and I am still not sure the H knows he loves the h either at this point. He goes to war, she goes to work at the hospital as a nurse. Over the next 2 years there seems to be tragedy after tragedy. They meet again 2 years later when he is brought to the hospital. She opens her heart to the comatose patient trying to give him the will to live on. He awakens, not remembering. Things are not smooth going at first. He goes back to working for her dad and they all live in the house together. Things ramp up between the h and H resulting in a pregnancy and they marry(there is about 20 pages left in story at this point). There is about 50 years covered in the matter of 2o pages and within these recollections more tragedies are revealed. The story ends with the granddaughter (from book 1) taking them to enjoy a honeymoon in Brighton, hoping she can find a love like theirs some day.
Ok, again this is a very well written emotional story. I do not want to ruin it for anyone, and quite frankly I want more people to read it and leave reviews so I can see their feelings on the story.
Following are going to be spoilers I left out of my main review. These spoilers will contain the tragedies and some my disappointment with the hero’s actions. So do not read these if you plan on reading the book and hate spoilers. 🛑🛑🛑 NOW!!!
Oh my, so much happened in the last 20 pages(spanning 50 years) as I said in my spoilers that is was a big reason I couldn’t do 5 stars. Had I been in another frame of mind I am pretty sure this would have gotten 4 stars. But alas, this had too many what ifs for me…
What if gorgeous sister never left? Would he had married her? What if he never showed back up in the hospital? Was he going to seek the h out after the war?
This book has a little bit of a NotebookThe Notebook feel to it(My apologies, only saw movie didn’t read book) feel to it.
The couple in this story are first mentioned in another book that was written before this one A Mistletoe Proposal I have yet to read it as it didn’t get great reviews. I picked this book up at my local thrift store and I noticed Boogenhagen gave it 5 stars, so I figured it was worth a try, plus I have read other LG books that I have enjoyed.
The book starts in 2003 at our heroine’s(Dee) and hero’s (Mark) 60th wedding anniversary. As Dee and Mark retire for the evening after all the fanfare, she looks lovingly at her sleeping husband and reminisces about their love story. So the book ends up taking place mainly during the years of 1938-1942 in London. It is a fragile time as WW2 is looming at the beginning of their love affair and is in full swing by the time they finally get married.
It’s Christmas time 1938, and 17 year old Dee is waiting for her older sister Sylvia to arrive with her newest beau. Dee’s dad Joseph owns a garage and is looking to hire another mechanic. It so happens that Sylvia’s newest beau, our hero, Mark is a mechanic and looking for a job.
Now, Sylvia is beautiful and carefree. Dee, our heroine is smart and plain. It is made clear she is plain. Not in the “oh she is actually pretty but doesn’t realize” way, like HQ sometimes does. There is not animosity between the sibs, it is just the way it is. Dee’s feelings for the devastatingly attractive charismatic H are love at first sight. However, she realizes A) It’s her sister’s boyfriend B) Her sister is gorgeous
Mark is besotted with the beautiful sister, but actually connects better with the h, Dee. He shares things with Dee that he would never share with Sylvia. He tells Dee she makes a good sister. Mark had a tough childhood, and has constructed a very good disguise to keep himself safe. He is very flirtatious and charming. But he hides his dark side which is insecure and out to prove he can be the best.
The story continues with the h and her nursing studies, the H working as a mechanic while seriously dating the sister Sylvia. Sylvia is feeling dissatisfied with the relationship as she doesn’t feel needed enough by the H. He flirts with others as is his style and then she flirts with others to get at him.
On the h’s 18th birthday, her sister leaves behind a letter. She knows the H doesn’t love her and she has run off with another man. This is a huge blow to the H’s ego(not his heart). His family history has something to do with these feelings of inadequacies. Well, the h proposes that they act like they are a couple and people will think her sister left due to this. Then the h and H are caught by the h’s mom heavily canoodling, and the H says that he and the h are engaged. The h agrees, because she has pretty much figured that he is the only one for her. He is signed up for the air force, but he is more like the reserves and hasn’t left to go anywhere yet. He is working at and lives at the base. He is able to meet up with his fiancée here and there. However, things are getting back to her about the H’s overzealous flirtatious ways, and 2/3 into the story she breaks it off with him to give him his freedom. The H is upset over the break up and neither one communicates their actual feelings for each other, and I am still not sure the H knows he loves the h either at this point. He goes to war, she goes to work at the hospital as a nurse. Over the next 2 years there seems to be tragedy after tragedy. They meet again 2 years later when he is brought to the hospital. She opens her heart to the comatose patient trying to give him the will to live on. He awakens, not remembering. Things are not smooth going at first. He goes back to working for her dad and they all live in the house together. Things ramp up between the h and H resulting in a pregnancy and they marry(there is about 20 pages left in story at this point). There is about 50 years covered in the matter of 2o pages and within these recollections more tragedies are revealed. The story ends with the granddaughter (from book 1) taking them to enjoy a honeymoon in Brighton, hoping she can find a love like theirs some day.
Ok, again this is a very well written emotional story. I do not want to ruin it for anyone, and quite frankly I want more people to read it and leave reviews so I can see their feelings on the story.
Following are going to be spoilers I left out of my main review. These spoilers will contain the tragedies and some my disappointment with the hero’s actions. So do not read these if you plan on reading the book and hate spoilers. 🛑🛑🛑 NOW!!!
Oh my, so much happened in the last 20 pages(spanning 50 years) as I said in my spoilers that is was a big reason I couldn’t do 5 stars. Had I been in another frame of mind I am pretty sure this would have gotten 4 stars. But alas, this had too many what ifs for me…
What if gorgeous sister never left? Would he had married her? What if he never showed back up in the hospital? Was he going to seek the h out after the war?
June 18, 2012
I can think of no other words to say other than I loved this book.
The novel starts in the present, but goes back in time. It's set in London at the onset of World War II. Pippa's grandparents are celebrating sixty years of marriage, and their story is told.
I personally love fictional novels set during the time of World War II. This one was different, as I've never read anything fictionwise that was set outside of the United States. Honestly, I can only rave. Lucy Gordon did a wonderful job.
Just a short synopsis: Dee meets her sister's beau, Mark. She falls for him, but he's obviously off-limits. However, fortune shines when her sister decides to run off with a married man, leaving the way, in a manner of speaking, clear for Dee. Dee and Mark become a couple, but Mark's character at this point in the book is a bit cocky and he's a little full of himself. At least, this is how I interpreted the character.
As most romances go, Dee and Mark run over a rough patch and eventually wind up to where they are when the book starts. Celebrating sixty years of marriage and remembering that awful time in the early 1940s.
I loved the story. I loved the characters even though they were, like real people, flawed. But, due to hardships and the revelations that war can bring, they discover what's most important in life.
I've been very vague in my details of the book. I do this to avoid spoilers on top of encouraging people who haven't read this book to go and read it. In my opinion, this wasn't just a romance. It was a nice look back into the past. For me, a bit of a history buff, I'd never read about what life was life for England during WWII. So it was fascinating to read about that as well as being able to read a romance as well.
The novel starts in the present, but goes back in time. It's set in London at the onset of World War II. Pippa's grandparents are celebrating sixty years of marriage, and their story is told.
I personally love fictional novels set during the time of World War II. This one was different, as I've never read anything fictionwise that was set outside of the United States. Honestly, I can only rave. Lucy Gordon did a wonderful job.
Just a short synopsis: Dee meets her sister's beau, Mark. She falls for him, but he's obviously off-limits. However, fortune shines when her sister decides to run off with a married man, leaving the way, in a manner of speaking, clear for Dee. Dee and Mark become a couple, but Mark's character at this point in the book is a bit cocky and he's a little full of himself. At least, this is how I interpreted the character.
As most romances go, Dee and Mark run over a rough patch and eventually wind up to where they are when the book starts. Celebrating sixty years of marriage and remembering that awful time in the early 1940s.
I loved the story. I loved the characters even though they were, like real people, flawed. But, due to hardships and the revelations that war can bring, they discover what's most important in life.
I've been very vague in my details of the book. I do this to avoid spoilers on top of encouraging people who haven't read this book to go and read it. In my opinion, this wasn't just a romance. It was a nice look back into the past. For me, a bit of a history buff, I'd never read about what life was life for England during WWII. So it was fascinating to read about that as well as being able to read a romance as well.
October 26, 2012
I really had mixed feelings about this book.
On one hand I liked it and I was really emotional about it, but on the other hand I had doubts, like would he even have looked at her if her attractive sister hadn't escaped or how she could have forgiven his betrayal.
Taking this into consideration it was hard for me to believe in their everlasting love, although I don't think I regret reading it.
On one hand I liked it and I was really emotional about it, but on the other hand I had doubts, like would he even have looked at her if her attractive sister hadn't escaped or how she could have forgiven his betrayal.
Taking this into consideration it was hard for me to believe in their everlasting love, although I don't think I regret reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2022
A very heart felt story , that had me in tears but hated that the Hero of the book cheats many times with other woman and might not have looked at the heroine if a number of things had not happened in his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2020
SPOILER/opinion:
Who would love to be the second option and get married with a playboy who betrayed you many times!? 🤔😒 Not me, next book please!! 🙄🙏🏽
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2017
Review by K.N.: "I loved everything about this book. The plot worked and flowed nicely and a little history worked well in it. I would recommend this book to any girl who is looking for love."
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December 24, 2014Miniseries: Diamonds Are Forever
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December 24, 2014Miniseries: Diamonds Are Forever
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June 14, 2018I couldn’t get into this book. I’ll try again later.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews