A Diamond for a Duke

By: Collette Cameron

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

A dour duke and a wistful wallflower - an impossible match until fate intervenes one enchanted night.

A dour duke....

Jules, the Sixth Duke of Dandridge disdains Society and all its trappings, preferring the country's solitude and peace. Already jaded and cynical since the woman he loved died years ago, he's become even more so since unexpectedly inheriting a dukedom's responsibilities and finding himself the target of every husband-hunting vixen in London.

A wistful wallflower....

Forever in her stunning sister's shadow, Jemmah Dament has adored Jules from afar for years - since as children they were the best of friends. She daren't dream she can win a duke's heart any more than she hopes to escape the life of servitude imposed on her by an uncaring mother. Jemmah knows full well, Jules is too far above her station. Besides, his family has already selected his perfect duchess: a poised, polished, exquisite blueblood.

But one enchanted night....

A chance encounter reunites Jules and Jemmah, resulting in a passionate interlude neither can forget. Jules realizes he wants more - much more - than Jemmah's sweet kisses or her warming his bed. He must somehow convince her to gamble on a dour duke. But can Jemmah trust a rogue promised to another? One who's sworn never to love again?

Caution: This historical regency romance contains a duke who literally thumbs his nose at society, a sweet and intelligent wallflower with a secret dream, a villainess worthy of a fairy tale, and two delightful match-making dowagers.

©2017 Wendy Herrington (P)2017 Wendy Herrington

Just okay story and perfect narration..

As much as I like Ms. Cameron’s books/novellas I’m just going to give up on her. A person will say something and then you have to go through 20 or 25 pages before someone else answers or replies. It’s just one long narrative after another. It becomes so boring waiting for more dialogue.

Of course, Jules was drop-dead gorgeous and Jemmah was NOT. God, I hate these kinds of stories. They had been friends as children and had seen each other throughout the years, including two years before, and suddenly he loved her? After their sudden meeting in the library he was like a lovesick fool and, naturally, she couldn’t figure out why he would want someone plain like her instead of her beautiful, spoiled, self-absorbed, hateful sister Adelinda.

Between Belinda, Adelinda and Jemmah’s mother, Adelinda herself, and Phryne Milbourne (what a name) Jules was always hiding from someone. And Adelinda and Phryne were exactly alike. It’s no wonder he didn’t want either of them.

Anyway, this was just a story of fluff and that was ok. There was a kiss or two but nothing else.

As to the narration: I actually paid almost $4.00 for less than 3 hours of listening just because Stevie Zimmerman was the narrator. Crazy, huh? I can’t help it. I love Ms. Zimmerman’s male voices, the difference she makes in the female voices, the young and old alike. And her emotions.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wonderful Story

A Diamond for a Duke is the retelling of a Cinderella-like story by Charles Perrault entitled Toads and Diamonds. This is a heartwarming tale of a lonely Duke and a young lady treated little better than a servant by her mother and older sister. They are childhood friends who lost touch with each other. Is it possible that these two friends could find their happily ever after with each other? Aunt Theo and Lady Lockhart, aka the fairy godmothers in this tale, think so and embark on a plan to make it happen.

This story has all the elements of a good fairy tale. There is a sweet damsel and a gallant rescuer. There are nasty villains and fairy godmothers to thwart them.

Collette Cameron has written a happy and humorous story that will put a smile on your face. Stevie Zimmerman brings this charming story to life. Her narration is a pleasure to listen to and her voices are wonderful.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

wonderful story - a must

Wow I loved this story. I haven’t laughed that hard in quite sometime. Cameron is an extremely talented writer mixing wit and wisdom. I can’t wait to read more of her books. I thought Stevie Zimmerman's performance was fantastic.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Childhood romance comes true.

Jules, the Sixth Duke of Dandridge, has had his fill of society. His preference is the countryside. He loved once at a young age and has since sworn of marriage. His uncles and aunts constantly prompt him to marry. Ton mamas throw their daughters at him.

It is at one of these overbearing events, as Jules is dashing away from a young lady that he comes upon Jemmah Dament his childhood friend and childhood confidant. They were the best of friends. Jules finds her asleep on one of the library settees. As she awakens, she also awakens Jules desires for her. Jemmah has loved Jules from afar for many years but always believing he was far to above her station.

Jemmah' meddling mother, of course, wishes for Jules to make a match with her older sister. Both her mother and sister have treated Jemmah harshly she has been neglected and ignored by them. Jules, however, thumbs his nose at society and pledges his love for her.

This is truly a Cinderella/Prince charming novel. Ms Cameron carefully developed her characters and pulls at your heart strings routing for them to make it. I enjoy this book from being to end. I would highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Love this story and the narration.

Having read several of this author's books, I think I may have found a new favorite (well, a close second anyway). This is another wonderful story. I love all the characters. Colette Cameron always provides plenty of wonderfully endearing characters, who quite often find themselves in a fix.

The story develops nicely at a good pace and holds the reader's interest. If you like historical romances, I highly recommend this one or anything by this author. They are all very good.

The narrator did a very good job, giving each character a distinct voice. For me, the narration really enhanced the story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A sweet romance

This was based on a fairytale, not unlike Cinderella. This is a sweet romance with two very likeable characters, Jules, Duke of Dandridge and Gemma. When Gemma’s father died she has been treated more like a servant than a daughter, unlike her sister Adelinda, who is pampered and spoilt. Luckily, Gemma has other relatives who look out for her. It also touches on the serious problem of how some parents treat their children. I love it when the villains get their comeuppance. The narrator gave an excellent reading, really bringing the characters to life. I received an copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. This is my honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

too much internal dialogue

Would you try another book from Collette Cameron and/or Stevie Zimmerman?

No. I have tried with this author, but I keep forgetting that she can't write dialogue. The H says something,then 10 minutes later the heroine says something else. It is very slowly paced and becomes boring. I use to think her books would be better if they were shorter, but even under 3 hours and this book is too long. The internal dialogue is so stupid that it does nothing for the character development. What a waste.

Has A Diamond for a Duke turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes. I won't be continuing with this series. I try to keep an open mind on authors, but CC is not one I plan to read again.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator is great, but even she can't make a slow uninteresting book into something worth listening to.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment. I really thought less could be more. In this case , it's just less, but at least it is wasting less time too.

Any additional comments?

Audable needs to stop offering new, but terrible books. There are back catalogues of better authors that could be worth recording.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

a sweet read

What a lovely story. A true romantic fairy tale. It was different listening to a woman narrator, she did a good job but I do normally prefer a male narrator but for this story she was perfect. Another well written story by Ms Cameron.

What a good short should be.

This is a great short story. After the long narrative in the beginning, it got right into the story. I read some reviews and was not going to buy it, but the good reviews out weigh the bad, and I was glad I jumped in. I listen to a lot of 10 -20 hour books and was just looking for something short and good. Well, I got it. I had not purchased this author books before this one, and I may purchase another longer one. I would recommend this one to new listeners to audible.

Heartwarming!

Collette has written a wonderful real life Cinderella story. I loved it and Stevie was fantastic!