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When Only Diamonds Will Do
Society bride for the taking! The arrogant Theron dynasty have always looked down their noses at Reith Richardson - but now he's the one they need...He might have been raised on a rundown cattle station, but he's worked himself up to the top - the hard way. And if they want his wealth to save their empire they're going to have to pay. The price - Kimberley Theron, their daughter! Kim is no pampered princess - whatever Reith thinks. A diamond might have been forced onto her left hand, but the role of meek, obedient trophy wife isn't one she's prepared to play . . . .
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay Armstrong
317 books91 followersGillian Smith (alias Lindsay Armstrong) was born in South Africa. She grew up with three ambitions: to become a writer, to travel the world, and to be a game ranger. She didn't achieve the last one, but her fascination for wildlife and that special something about Africa and its big game still remains with her. When she went to work it was in travel, at an agency and an airline, and this started her on the road to seeing the world.
Lindsey met her New Zealand-born husband, who had been working in West Africa, when he was on his way home through Johannesburg. He did go home but in a matter of weeks he was back in South Africa, and six months later they were married. Three of their five children were born in South Africa. Then one in London and one in Australia, after they made the decision to emigrate from South Africa.
It wasn't until her youngest child started school that Lindsay sat down at the kitchen table determined to tackle her other ambition to stop dreaming about writing and do it! She hasn't stopped since. She's not happy unless she has a book under way, and she's discovered she can write through just about anything.
Lindsay and her husband have moved around a lot. They've trained racehorses,farmed, and lived on their boat for six months while they sailed it from the Gold Coast to the Torres Strait and back, an epic voyage! They currently live in Queensland, overlooking the water; they sold their farm, and they're looking around for another boat. She and her husband love to travel and have been back to Africa twice in the past few years. The highlight of one of their trips was a visit to the Serengeti, in Tanzania, where Lindsay did the one thing she swore she would never do: take a ride in a hot-air balloon. She was a nervous wreck as the balloon tottered upright, but will remember it as a unique experience to see the game spreading out on the Serengeti plain beneath her as the sun rose.
"They say you can take someone who was born in Africa out of the bush but you can't take the bush out of someone born there..."
Despite this passion for wildlife and Africa, Lindsay considers Australia her home now and loves the country. She travelled to Sydney to witness the closing weekend of the Olympic Games in September 2000; it made her proud to be an adopted Aussie!
Lindsey met her New Zealand-born husband, who had been working in West Africa, when he was on his way home through Johannesburg. He did go home but in a matter of weeks he was back in South Africa, and six months later they were married. Three of their five children were born in South Africa. Then one in London and one in Australia, after they made the decision to emigrate from South Africa.
It wasn't until her youngest child started school that Lindsay sat down at the kitchen table determined to tackle her other ambition to stop dreaming about writing and do it! She hasn't stopped since. She's not happy unless she has a book under way, and she's discovered she can write through just about anything.
Lindsay and her husband have moved around a lot. They've trained racehorses,farmed, and lived on their boat for six months while they sailed it from the Gold Coast to the Torres Strait and back, an epic voyage! They currently live in Queensland, overlooking the water; they sold their farm, and they're looking around for another boat. She and her husband love to travel and have been back to Africa twice in the past few years. The highlight of one of their trips was a visit to the Serengeti, in Tanzania, where Lindsay did the one thing she swore she would never do: take a ride in a hot-air balloon. She was a nervous wreck as the balloon tottered upright, but will remember it as a unique experience to see the game spreading out on the Serengeti plain beneath her as the sun rose.
"They say you can take someone who was born in Africa out of the bush but you can't take the bush out of someone born there..."
Despite this passion for wildlife and Africa, Lindsay considers Australia her home now and loves the country. She travelled to Sydney to witness the closing weekend of the Olympic Games in September 2000; it made her proud to be an adopted Aussie!
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 10, 2012
I found the hero annoying and an asshole if I'm being honest for more than seventy five percent of the book. If he existed in the real world, I'd probably end up punching him. His character really frustrated me and how he seemed so rude and oblivious to the heroines feelings and emotions. The heroine had a bit of growing up to do in the novel, so she wasn't entirely blameless either. The happy ending was nice.
February 5, 2013
The story started from Reith’s POV which seemed to endear me to him more than Kimberley, the h. She was a POW for me. It also seemed a bit dated. I couldn’t understand the fact that seeing her legs almost made him have an accident. Really? Where do they live? They quickly began dating but she doesn’t know that he attempted to buy out the family business. She didn’t even know it was in trouble. He didn’t hide his identity from her he just didn’t tell her that he had attempted to buy them out either. Kimberley seemed very scatterbrained at times too. She promised him money and then conveniently didn’t have any, but she wanted to buy some flowers **bat those lashes** and he forks over some dough. Their r/s goes on like this and then she is getting mad at him for unexplained reasons. She feels he runs hot and cold and yet she would like to jump in w/ him too. That’s another thing – not that I need bedroom scenes all the time but where were these?? This story dragged on, and on, and on, and half the time I wasn’t even sure what she was so PO’d about. At one point I thought she was some type of teacher, but I wasn’t sure how that was resolved because suddenly she is doing garden planning, house remodeling and just being an AWESOME hostess!!
Kimberley claimed that Reith had blackmailed/forced her into marriage, but again I didn’t see that. How did he blackmail her? What did he hold over her head? He offered to save her family. There was no force at all. He told her to marry him and he would save her parents from bankruptcy. The way I saw it is that they would become his family and they would accept help more easily, but she saw it as blackmail/force. She had no problem with then running through money like a dam that burst.
There seemed to be scenes missing at points throughout the story that had me feeling lost. The clichéd OW w/ a food name? That was funny. Also was he dense in her whole stance on the family estate or did she just change allegiance quickly? I just could not get in to this story.
Kimberley claimed that Reith had blackmailed/forced her into marriage, but again I didn’t see that. How did he blackmail her? What did he hold over her head? He offered to save her family. There was no force at all. He told her to marry him and he would save her parents from bankruptcy. The way I saw it is that they would become his family and they would accept help more easily, but she saw it as blackmail/force. She had no problem with then running through money like a dam that burst.
There seemed to be scenes missing at points throughout the story that had me feeling lost. The clichéd OW w/ a food name? That was funny. Also was he dense in her whole stance on the family estate or did she just change allegiance quickly? I just could not get in to this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2017
DNF at around 20%.
Too boring for me.
Boring characters, boring plot, boring conversations. And if that was not enough, the writing is awful.
Too boring for me.
Boring characters, boring plot, boring conversations. And if that was not enough, the writing is awful.
April 18, 2021
I liked this quite a bit and it flowed well. I liked the fact it was clean with fade to black. On the other hand there were massive holes in the story.
His son Darcy should have been a bigger part of the story but we hardly heard of him until the last 2 chapters.
She felt ambivalent about him, liked/loved him and terribly resented the fact he asked her to marry him as part of a business deal. I suspect had he never met her before and proposed a straightforward marry for your family she would have been angry but gotten over it, but the fact she liked him so much before made it more difficult. Several reviewers felt she was foolish for feeling angry but I can understand it. She was just as angry at her folks and herself as at him.
He had no problem assuming she was a hoity toity socialite gold-digger which would infuriate anyone.
The story worked and how author resolved an MOC into a real loving marriage felt realistic.
His son Darcy should have been a bigger part of the story but we hardly heard of him until the last 2 chapters.
She felt ambivalent about him, liked/loved him and terribly resented the fact he asked her to marry him as part of a business deal. I suspect had he never met her before and proposed a straightforward marry for your family she would have been angry but gotten over it, but the fact she liked him so much before made it more difficult. Several reviewers felt she was foolish for feeling angry but I can understand it. She was just as angry at her folks and herself as at him.
He had no problem assuming she was a hoity toity socialite gold-digger which would infuriate anyone.
The story worked and how author resolved an MOC into a real loving marriage felt realistic.
May 23, 2023
The above blurb isn't strictly accurate but it is a story in which the h, sparky heiress type Kim, does marry "from beyond the black stump" laconic hunk, Reith in order to dig her family out of a financial hole. The sparring and tension in the first few chapters changed gear a bit disconcertingly after they marry and became a bit sluggish but it picked up at the end. I am increasingly fond of the LA Hs. I love a man of few words and powerful self control who just about manages to self-protectively hide his overwhelming passionate love for a h who isn't quite sure of where she stands.
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July 19, 2021DNF
January 8, 2013
When Only Diamonds Will Do is the 70th romance novel by Australian author Lindsay Armstrong. Kimberley Theron, heiress to the Theron wine dynasty, is unaware, working as a teacher, that her family’s fortunes have reversed due to her brother Damian’s mismanagement. When Reith Richardson plays Good Samaritan to Kim on the road to Bunbury, she is unaware of his approaches to her family’s business. Raised on a lowly cattle station, Reith is a self-made man who has achieved his successful position as a rescuer of companies in trouble, through hard, honest work. He was initially prepared to accept refusal by the Theron company, but once he had spent some time with Kim, he began to think differently. His proposal to Kim means her parents will be saved from bankruptcy, but Kim wonders about a loveless marriage. Reith wonders if she will ever see him as good enough. Australian readers will enjoy the West Australian setting; the characters are very Aussie, although Armstrong’s heroines always tend to overthink things. Sweet local romance.
September 30, 2012
well.. i was a bit torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. I liked Kim. A lot. She might be a bit spoiled as a socialite, but she's not selfish. She did care about her family, and friends. Although I thought Reith was not fighter enough to have Kim, I kinda approve that he's not that stubborn and forcefull enough like any other hero in Harlequin's romance.
It's not really an earth shattering story or chemistry, but somehow I enjoyed it and had a bit comfort from it.
It's not really an earth shattering story or chemistry, but somehow I enjoyed it and had a bit comfort from it.
November 13, 2012
Very slow. Boring. Had to force myself to read to the end.
December 19, 2015
1.5 stars
August 22, 2014
1.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews