The Black Diamond

Andrea Kane's novel Black diamond is a nice read with a sweet heroine and a noble minded hero. Aurora Huntley is set against marrying the man her brother has chosen for her. She sneaks out to a tavern and naively believes she can get one of the sailors to put her into a compromising position without really taking intimacies with her. She is saved from certain ravishment by Julian Bencroft, the Duke of Morland. He takes her to a room more for her own protection from the patrons and they are caught kissing by her brother. She is dismayed to discover that he is an enemy of the family. The Huntley's and Bentcrofts have been feuding for generations about a black diamond worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. Julian has no interest in the money but is interested in Aurora. He marries her to protect her reputation, and to aid in his search for the diamond to settle the feud. He plans on giving the diamond to the British Government. Julian is an adventurer and I would have loved for him to be well a little more adventurous and mysterious. He was almost tame. He is brave and smart and like many of Kane's heroes, he is coolly in control of his emotions yet is not distant from the one he loves. Aurora is kind hearted but as stated earlier a bit naïve. She is also brave and ready to charge to the rescue when her family is in a crisis. These two spend most of the book looking for clues to the diamond's whereabouts and evading an assassin that has targeted Julian. The mystery is interesting but the romance is better and I liked that these two communicated their thoughts and feelings with each other.

Phew, if your going to read this book you had better turn the pages with oven mitts and keep a fire extinguisher nearby because it is HOT STUFF! At first when I started reading this book I thought the author gave away to much of the characters' background in the beginning, but I was blessedly wrong! There were many past secrets and feelings that I didn't even expect! The internal confilct is great too, (from a writers point of view now)- the hero has problems opening up because he wants to protect the heroine and he doesn't think he can because love will make him vunerable...*sigh*. Needless to say the love scenes were HOT! My only complaint was that a few cheezy moments during the love scenes, but hey, this romance! Still, you might want think twice before lendin' this book to your grandmam.

Kati reading everything: Aurora and Julian make a perfect couple. Two people who long for adventure and won't conform to what society wants are the best characters of all. As the couple search for the Black Diamond in a desperate attempt to clear up the past, this hastily married couple fall in love and learn there is more to life than an adventure. You will fall in love with temptation and whirlwind romance. Andrea is a wonderful writter who has beaten her last book by a hundred stars. I own all her books and think that this is definitly her best. Way to go Andrea!!! You've done yoursellf proud this time!! I can't wait for more of your books to come out.

Aurora Huntley has been confined to her family's estates for her safety. However, Aurora is tired of being a prisoner and her rebellious nature surfaces when Slade, her brother (and guardian), orders her to marry someone she does not love. To escape her fate, Aurora sneaks off the estate and heads towards the nearest pub. There, she bribes a man to place her in a compromising position so that when the neighbors learn of her indiscretion, no man will want her. A kind stranger agrees to assist her with her plan. However, when the couple adjoins to a nearby bedroom and embrace, passion explodes between them. So involved are the couple, they fail to register that Aurora's brother has arrived. Slade is shocked to see his sibling in the arms of the family's enemy, Julian Bencroft, the Duke of Moreland. Julian's family turned the Huntleys into the most feared name in England and the potential victims of thieves. Everyone believes that the Huntley family holds the infamous black diamond, stolen from a Moreland. Julian is nothing like his ancestors and intends to end the dispute and its alleged curse. He plans to marry Aurora and with her help find the missing black diamond so that it can be returned to its rightful owners. Aurora has all she desires: the adventure and love of a lifetime. Andrea Kane is at the top of her game in her latest historical romantic suspense, the sequel to LEGACY OF THE DIAMOND. The author knows how to grab and maintain reader's attention with a story line that is non-stop, very reminiscent of ROMANCING THE STONE. The relationship between the two lead characters add to the tale. As usual, Ms. Kane has gifted her readers with a 14-carat Regency romance that is a precious gem for anyone who reads the book. Harriet Klausner