When You Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen

Juliette is one of London's most dazzling courtesans.  With the nickname Duchess of Dalliance, given to her by the Prince Regent himself, and her ice blue eyes and pale blond hair she is a vision of beauty and also of mystery.  Her protector, nicknamed the Earl of Sin, also has two more courtesans--the Marchioness of Mystery and the Countess of Charm--and together they are a force to be reckoned with.  But when Juliette witnesses a shocking murder, her life gets turned upside down when she must tell the fiance of the women murdered, the Duke of Pelham, a man she has no desire to get entangled with.  However, when circumstances force this couple to search out the truth of the murder in order to protect Juliette's life, Juliette quickly finds herself falling for Pelham.  With her own secrets to tell regarding her life, Juliette must find the strength to tell Pelham and hope that he will stand up for himself and her.

William, Duke of Pelham, goes about his life in a perfectly precise manor.  He eats at the same time every day and expects his guests to do so as well.  His pocket watch is his constant companion and he believes strongly in the structure of his life.  He has found the perfect woman to marry, not for love but because he fits his requirements, so when a courtesan tells him of her death, he knows his life is slowly falling apart.  First, this Juliette refuses to give him a last name.  Calling her by her first name is just not acceptable!  Then she disregards his set time tables and talks back to him.  It allows for some fun interactions!  But Juliette slowly uncovers the real Will underneath the Duke and starts to bring him back to life.  Having been under the control of a overbearing father, Will needs reminding that he is in charge of himself and he makes his own rules.  Even with the budding romance blooming between Will and Juliette, can Will push himself past all of his rules to make her truly his forever?

Shana Galen is one of my favorite, go-to authors for books filled with adventure, humor and passion and When You Give a Duke a Diamond fits the bill nicely!  I loved that Juliette was not what society thought her to be--she is not some silly frivolous courtesan but a woman yearning for love, family and happiness and she finds it in the most unexpected place.  The little tidbits about her past were delivered very cleverly and had me engrossed in the book to find out what would next be revealed.  I loved how she saw right through Pelham and to his heart, to Will as she, and only she, called him.  Will is your classic straight-laced, proper, by the books gentleman and Juliette comes in and turns his life right side up with hardly any trouble and it was a delight to read all their fun and later, steamy, encounters!   Will grew up with three things drilled into from his father--routine, punctuality, and dignity and the consequences were dire if they were not meet at all times.  Juliette is the perfect person to allow Will to make his life his own and one worth loving.  I would highly recommend this book for fans of romances that are a wonderful mix of passion, danger, humor, good supporting characters that will leave you anxious for their own stories and even a bit of darkness that is balanced by some wonderful love and passion.  4 1/2 stars.

Fun Quote (subject to change in final version):

Not that she wanted him for herself.  They would never suit--her being human and he a complete ass.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks via netgalley.com

The Fallen Ladies series
If You Give a Rake a Ruby   March 2013
One more book, hopefully late 2013