Review & Giveaway - - The Diamond and the Duke

The Diamond and the Duke

by Christi Caldwell

All the Duke's Sins - Book 3

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: February 20, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

When a wounded soldier and self-proclaimed "beast" finds unlikely friendship with a headstrong and unconventional beauty, they quickly find themselves weaving a tale as old as time…
 
Despite a hero’s return to England from the Napoleonic Wars, Wesley Audley isolates from the ton. Deep wounds from the horrors of combat—and the despair of a broken heart—left him scarred. As he struggles to cope and resume his place in Polite Society, Wesley is quick to cut himself off from everyone…except for Ellie Balfour. 
 
Independent and strong-willed, Ellie has dreams of captaining her own husband-free life and a penchant for meddling in other’s business. She knows befriending Wesley is a risk but Ellie can’t bear to see his heartache. Nor can she seem to silence all the temptingly intimate thoughts his nearness provokes. 
 
But Ellie is yet to face a battle she can’t win—and Wesley’s heart is worth the fight. If only her campaigns ever went to plan…

PJ's Thoughts:

With each book she writes, Christi Caldwell takes me on an emotional, heart-wringing ride where love wins but the journey there is one filled with so many feelings. This one, more than most. I loved every single moment.

In Ellie and Wesley, Caldwell has created two characters who have both been changed by pain. For Wesley, it's both the visible wounds of war as well as those hidden in his mind. Ellie's wounds are not so easily seen but no less life changing, giving her the insight to help Wesley heal where all others have failed. I loved her strength, her resilience, her intrepid spirit, and the tender heart she sought to protect. I loved how she never gave up on Wesley even when he did his best to scare her away, how she loved him with all that she was but, ultimately, put his happiness ahead of her own. And then there's Wesley. Oh, how my heart ached for him...at the start. Then, of course, I just wanted to toss him off a cliff but that was all part of his journey, his healing process. Eventually, he won my heart as completely as he did Ellie's.

Both Ellie and Wesley had significant growth arcs in this book that were managed beautifully and realistically by Caldwell. I appreciated the mutual respect that slowly grew between them, the genuine affection and tender moments that evolved over time, and the gradual awakening of their deepest feelings, eventually bringing them to a point where they were finally able to put the past behind and move forward with love, joy, and trust in their hearts. How Caldwell circled back to their first meeting years earlier to tie it into the final scene of the book was heart-tugging perfection. 

This is the third book in Caldwell's All the Duke's Sins series. It stands well on its own but carries more understanding of family dynamics and emotional significance, in my opinion, if read in order. The earlier books are Along Came a Lady and Desperately Seeking a Duchess. Click the titles to read my reviews of the earlier books.

Content Warning: child abuse (off page-in the past), PTSD

Have you read Christi Caldwell?

Do you have a favorite book or series of hers?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, February 24 will receive a print copy of The Diamond the the Duke. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Thanks for Berkley Publishing for today's giveaway copy of The Diamond and the Duke.