When You Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen (Jewels of the Ton #1)
Released: September 4, 2012
Historical Romance
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Reviewed by May 

Favorite Quote: “I would rather be a well-paid whore, sir, than an insufferable ass.” He jerked to a halt and spun around. His fists were clenched and his face red with what looked like fury. “One is a choice, and can be changed,” she continued, raising her voice so it would carry. “Whereas the other is a permanent trait of the personality. Not that you have much of one.”

The Dangerous Duke (so named because of his glares and influence) just wants to be left to his rigid schedule and proper life. He is finalizing an engagement to a lovely young lady and finds the match most advantageous as he will get a lovely property that borders his own in the settlement. In short, he has everything all sorted out.

At the opposite end of the scales we have the Duchess of Dalliance. Juliette and her two dearest friends have each been nicknamed in a similar way by Prinny – and are known as the three diamonds.

Prinny knighted Juliette, striking with her pale blonde hair and ice-blue eyes, the Duchess of Dalliance. She broke hearts with a single smile and was never visibly affected either at the commencement or conclusion of a love affair. Her dalliances were legendary, and some claimed her lovers fell into a swoon when Juliette but disrobed.

When the gossip rags claim that the Dangerous Duke has been linked to the Duchess of Dalliance it amuses Juliette – she’s never met him. It outrages the Duke, both that this courtesan has the nerve to call herself a duchess, and that he believes she has orchestrated the whole story. At his first opportunity (standing with Prinny, no less) he cuts her. Juliette does her best to engage him and set him in his place but the damage is done- the Duke has made her fall out of favor.

A series of events starting with that fateful meeting has the pair sticking together away from the reach of a murderer, and investigating the diamonds believed to have been the cause of it – and another threat to Juliette herself.  Ah, won’t these two make a splendid couple? I think so – and their story was definitely a fun one to read. I adored how Juliette doesn’t give Will any respect that he doesn’t earn – and that his status as a duke does not affect her:

“I am William Henry Charles Arthur Cavington, Viscount Southerby, Marquess of Rothingham, and sixth Duke of Pelham.”

She clapped. “Bravo! What a lovely recitation of your numerous names and titles. I think I shall call you Will.”

He started, tried to stand, and bumped his head on the roof of the carriage. “No, you most certainly will not!”

She held out her gloved hand. “Hello, Will. I’m Juliette.”

Juliette understands fully that appearances are everything with the Ton. She is a famed courtesan – yet who can actually claim to share her bed?  Oh there is speculation, and there are rumors, but can any man claim to have actually had sex with her? She and her two friends have managed to intrigue society and live as they wish thanks to their notoriety without doing most of what people believe. Of course the Duke of Pelham can’t see that – he just sees a whore that has bedded much of London.

Respect and courtesan didn’t belong in the same sentence. And why did he expect anyone to respect her when he’d shown her the worst disrespect of any of them a few moments ago?

As we get to know the Dangerous Duke of Pelham we come to understand why he’s obsessed with his watch and keeping all things to a perfect schedule. We are shown why he has turned out as he has – but also why there is hope for him and why Juliette could fall for him.

She was the only person who had ever loved him. The only person who cared about him, not his title, not his wealth.

Of course Will (as she insists on calling him) isn’t the only one in need of some love.

“I want someone who loves the farmer’s daughter and the Duchess of Dalliance and everyone I’ve been in between. And I want someone I can love, as well.”

Juliette dreams of falling in love and raising a family, and she hopes to get out of her current role of courtesan as soon as she can. Living on credit and dependent on society being intrigued by her and being in favor is wearing her thin, and she is tired. I really loved her strong personality and how she holds her head high and lets no person’s opinion of her sway her own sense of self-worth. She knows, and is comfortable with her life choices and the role she plays.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters are wonderful, and I really liked how Will was actually a sensitive and damaged man in need of serious awakening. His past was awful, and I could believe why he was living as he was and why he wouldn’t even think of changing things on his own. My one issue with him is that he never stood on his own and felt a bit stunted and immature. He feels no remorse for his murdered fiancee- and falls right into bed with Juliette. Then when he seeks to win Juliette back, he has help from someone else who tells him exactly what to do. This made me think that he needed more time and space, needed the chance to come into his own on his own instead of just turning to Juliette or an acquaintance for guidance. I didn’t believe he was ready for happy ever after.

There were some other issues that I noted with this book that I think are worth mentioning. One is that the mystery aspect of the murder and motivation was really weak at best. I never felt like the mysterious “Lucifer” was a real threat and his scenes were so brief that he didn’t make an impact. The resolution of that plot line felt like a set up for future books.

There is a lot of talk of Juliette being a slut, whore, and courtesan – and much of it comes from our hero himself. While we are shown how he grows to care for her and love her and how he comes to not care about her past or how many men she has had in her bed; he still thinks about it and it makes him never consider her as a permanent part of his life until she is gone. In fact, when the outside world intrudes on their time together – he shows no feeling or loyalty toward her. I found it hard to look past this.

Finally, it bothered me that until the epilogue Juliette never confides in Will. She never tells him the truth or explains her real role – instead she poses as the famed courtesan all the way through. This felt like a deception to me, and while I understand she wanted unconditional love and acceptance of who she is this didn’t sit right. As she is not someone who has bedded dozens of men, that isn’t who she really is. Why does she insist on pretending that she is so experienced with Will instead of just being herself?

These problems may be more of an issue to some readers than others. I found them to bother me after I had finished reading and was sitting to write this review a lot more than while I was reading the book. I credit the author’s writing skill and sparkling dialogue for enjoyment that I might not have found had another written this story. I hope to read more about the supporting characters in future books by Shana Galen.

Grade: B

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