Romancing the Rough Diamond Dreamspun Desires Book 90
Gay Romance
Dreamspinner Press
September 17, 2019
256
Trust is the most precious jewel of all.
When Mayfair jewelers Starsmith Stones wins the commission for a gay royal wedding, CEO Joel Sterling is recommended to the brilliant young designer Matt Barth—only to discover Matt’s the man with whom he shared an anonymous and passionate kiss on the celebration night.
Disenchanted with the commercial jewelry industry, Matt nowadays prefers muddy archaeological digs to designing. Openly resentful of Starsmith’s hostile takeover of his family’s firm, he is horrified at the realization he’ll be working with the man who engineered that deal—but the opportunity to create something fabulous and unique for the royal couple is too tempting to refuse.
Working as a team reignites the spark between Joel and Matt. But when betrayal from within Starsmith threatens both the project and Joel’s confidence, will they have built enough trust to keep their newfound love as precious as the royal jewels?
Review By Sherry Perkins
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
“There was a sudden, horrified silence. Joel heard his words, echoing in the room like small, deadly shots, all aimed at the very heart of things. It was too late to bite anything back.”—Romancing the Rough Diamond
Clare London is a prolific writer—she has at least ten novels that I found before I stopped counting. Several of those uncounted ones are series. London’s books appear to be well-received, and “Romancing the Rough Diamond” is going to be no exception to her readers.
“Romancing the Rough Diamond” is an easy read, with the requisite sexual tension and surrounding conflict between the main characters from the start. The romance was a bit formulaic and there was a good deal of exposition but truthfully, it didn’t detract from the overall read except to say that I like there to be more suspense in this type of contemporary romance.
The two men in “Romancing the Rough Diamond” are Joel and Matt. Joel is the CEO of an established and prestigious jewelers. His firm has been commissioned to design the rings and coronets for the impending marriage between the British Royal Family—a cousin to the family, and an independently wealthy opera singer. The fact this is a Royal wedding should be momentous enough but making it even moreso is that it will be the first openly gay marriage for the Royal Family.
Matt is the son of the owner of a smallish, independent jeweler known for its designs. The company is in the midst of a contentious acquisition by Joel’s firm, the contention being driven by Matt’s insistence that assurances be guaranteed to their employees before being acquired by the much larger and impersonal business.
The two men both attend an event that throws them together, neither having had met the other before. This is the kind of meeting you’ve come to expect in the romance genre, and love it, nonetheless. It’s great fun because you know what’s coming next—conflict, heartbreak and intrigue. Will they be able to re-establish trust? I’m not going to say, but if you’re like me, you find yourself rooting for them just the same.
“A 3.5-star rating about corporate acquisitions, commercial espionage, Royal weddings and the loss of trust.”