Monday, January 13, 2014

Review: Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17787759-diamonds-and-deceit
Diamonds & Deceit
(At Somerton, #2)
by Leila Rasheed
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Publication Date: January 7th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781423171188
Genre: Young Adult | Historical Fiction
Source: Netgalley

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

One house, two worlds...book two in our sumptuous and enticing YA series about the servants and gentry at Somerton Court.

A house divided...

London is a whirl of balls and teas, alliances and rivalries. Rose has never felt more out of place. With the Season in full swing, she can't help but still feel a servant dressed up in diamonds and silk. Then Rose meets Alexander Ross, a young Scottish duke. Rose has heard the rumors about Ross's sordid past just like everyone else has. Yet he alone treats her as a friend. Rose knows better than to give her heart to an aristocrat with such a reputation, but it may be too late.

Ada should be happy. She is engaged to a handsome man who shares her political passions and has promised to support her education. So why does she feel hollow inside? Even if she hated Lord Fintan, she would have no choice but to go through with the marriage. Every day a new credit collector knocks on the door of their London flat, demanding payment for her cousin William's expenditures. Her father's heir seems determined to bring her family to ruin, and only a brilliant marriage can save Somerton Court and the Averleys' reputation.

Meanwhile, at Somerton, Sebastian is out of his mind with worry for his former valet Oliver, who refuses to plead innocent to the murder charges against him--for a death caused by Sebastian himself. Sebastian will do whatever he can to help the boy he loves, but his indiscretion is dangerous fodder for a reporter with sharp eyes and dishonorable intentions.

The colorful cast of the At Somerton series returns in this enthralling sequel about class and fortune, trust and betrayal, love and revenge. (Goodreads)
I had the pleasure of reading both ‘Cinders & Sapphires’ and ‘Diamonds & Deceit’ back to back, and let me tell you, I enjoyed this series immensely! These books really made me think of Downton Abbey while I was reading them. I guess you could say this is a YA version of Downton Abbey! Either way I say it, these books both make for a really great read.

The story is told from many different viewpoints; too many to even mention them all. These characters that the author created are very well written and quite a few face wide range of issues throughout the series. What I really loved while reading ‘Diamonds & Deceit’ was watching the characters grow, especially the three main sisters; Ada, Georgiana and Rose. We see Ada trying to overcome a love that would never work out, Rose coming into her new position as a lady, and especially Georgiana learning to run a household all on her own. We also watch Ada and Rose as they come out in society for their first ‘Season’. It was all so interesting to read. These three sisters were such great characters, as were many of the secondary characters. They were all excellent!

I love the setting and the time period for the story. I guess it is because I haven’t read too many books from that era, and I can see the time period is becoming very popular for books and movies now.  I find it all to be extremely fascinating! ‘Diamonds & Deceit’ ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’m assuming that there will be another book in the series. (I have yet to find information to confirm this, but I am extremely hopeful!) I would really love to dive into this world again and again with even more books.

Overall; I am completely fascinated by this series. I just can’t get enough! If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, I definitely suggest you check this series out. It’s well worth the read. Check it out and see for yourself!

Happy Reading!

Books in this series:



Cinders & Sapphires | Diamonds & Deceit




3 comments:

  1. Lovely post. Will be putting this on my to read list :)

    Xo
    Debbie

    www.debbie-hall.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  2. I liked the first book more than the second mainly because I thought Lady Ada becomes really dull in the second book. What I liked about the second book was Rose's story. For some reason I seem to find the stories of servants more compelling.

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  3. I love the writing for this series but I liked the first one's plot a lot more-I thought this was quite a bit duller and it wasn't until the very end that it perked up (WWI!)

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