Diamond in the Rough
by Jen Turano
Series: American Heiresses #2
Published by Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date September 3, 2019
Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance
Setting: New York Gilded Age – US – 1875 – 1900
Main Character Ages: 18-24, 25-34
Written for: Adults
Pages: 354
Synopsis:
To save her family from financial ruin, Miss Poppy Garrison accepts an unusual proposition to participate in the New York social season in exchange for her grandmother settling a family loan that has unexpectedly come due. Ill-equipped to handle the intricacies of mingling within the New York Four Hundred, Poppy becomes embroiled in one hilarious fiasco after another, doomed to suffer a grand societal failure instead of being deemed the diamond of the first water her grandmother longs for her to become.
Reginald Blackburn, second son of a duke, has been forced to travel to America to help his cousin, Charles Wynn, Earl of Lonsdale, find an American heiress to wed in order to shore up his family estate that is in desperate need of funds. Reginald himself has no interest in finding an heiress to marry, but when Poppy's grandmother asks him to give etiquette lessons to Poppy, he swiftly discovers he may be in for much more than he bargained for.
I would like to thank Bethany House Publishers, Jen Turano, Netgalley for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Also in this series: Flights of Fancy
Poppy took the New York Four Hundred by storm when her grandmother blackmailed her into coming for a Season. Unconventional, to say the least, she was constantly shocking the staid Upper Crust with her constant faux pas. I loved that she didn’t set out to brook convention. In fact, she really did try to do the right thing. Most of the time. . .
Reginald was so fun in his very proper way. As a very proper British (not English!) gentleman, he knew what was expected and was determined to ensure that his cousin, the Count, was not tricked into an undesirable marriage. And somehow found himself committing to help Poppy learn what was expected. What he didn’t expect was the need to constantly come to her rescue.
There were so many enjoyable characters. Murray, the mama’s boy. Oh, how I loved seeing him come into his own! Viola, Poppy’s grandmother. Charles, Reginald’s cousin. Beatrix, who I’m sure is going to have her own story. Even Nigel.
In between the laugh-out-loud moments were undercurrents of lessons learned. Forgiveness. Priorities. Helping the poor. That sometimes society doesn’t know best and it is okay to just what is right. There is a spiritual message here, though it is subtle.
Readers who enjoy humorous historical fiction will find Jen Turano‘s Diamond in the Rough to be a real gem.
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About Jen Turano
Jen Turano, the USA Today bestselling author of ten books and two novellas, is a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in clothing and textiles. She is a member of ACFW and lives in a suburb of Denver, Colorado.
This sounds like a very good read and the cover is Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this post. Have a Great rest of the week. God Bless you.