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Diamonds Are Forever #1
אבק יהלומים
אבק יהלומים - רומן מאפיה אפל מז'אנר 'מאויבים לאוהבים'.
ספר ראשון מתוך שלושה. טרילוגיית יהלומים לנצח. רומן מאפיה אפל.
גברים כמונו, אנחנו רואים דברים.
אנחנו עושים דברים, דברים שגורמים לנו לא להרגיש.
זה המחיר של כוח וכסף, של לחיות את החיים הטובים ולעמוד בראש המאפיה הצרפתית. ואז היא הגיעה, כמו פרח בר יפה שמנסה לפרוץ החוצה מתוך סדקיה של מדרכה מלוכלכת – שברירי אך עמיד, כמו משב רוח של יופי בתוך הזוהמה. היא הייתה אמורה להיות רק עוד עבודה אחת, מישהי חסרת שם שהייתי אמור לתלוש מתוך חייה ולמסור אותה לאחי, לא יותר מחיילת־משחק בתוך משחקי ההימורים של עסקי היהלומים שלנו.
לפסיכולוגיה יש תווית עבור גברים כמונו.
אנחנו נטולי אמפתיה ונטולי רגשות אשם.
אנחנו עושים דברים כדי לקבל את מה שאנחנו רוצים, דברים שגורמים לפרחים לקמול.
ספר ראשון מתוך שלושה. טרילוגיית יהלומים לנצח. רומן מאפיה אפל.
גברים כמונו, אנחנו רואים דברים.
אנחנו עושים דברים, דברים שגורמים לנו לא להרגיש.
זה המחיר של כוח וכסף, של לחיות את החיים הטובים ולעמוד בראש המאפיה הצרפתית. ואז היא הגיעה, כמו פרח בר יפה שמנסה לפרוץ החוצה מתוך סדקיה של מדרכה מלוכלכת – שברירי אך עמיד, כמו משב רוח של יופי בתוך הזוהמה. היא הייתה אמורה להיות רק עוד עבודה אחת, מישהי חסרת שם שהייתי אמור לתלוש מתוך חייה ולמסור אותה לאחי, לא יותר מחיילת־משחק בתוך משחקי ההימורים של עסקי היהלומים שלנו.
לפסיכולוגיה יש תווית עבור גברים כמונו.
אנחנו נטולי אמפתיה ונטולי רגשות אשם.
אנחנו עושים דברים כדי לקבל את מה שאנחנו רוצים, דברים שגורמים לפרחים לקמול.
264 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2020
228 people are currently reading
2161 people want to read
About the author
Charmaine Pauls
72 books1,842 followersCharmaine loves to write dark and edgy romance that will melt both your e-reader and your heart.
She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).
She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 339 reviews
January 31, 2022
2.5 stars. DNF at~79%, but I skimmed the rest. It's either I'm done with this genre, or the genre is done with me. 🌚
Be warned, this review might contain spoilers.
Maxime: locks her up in a Venetian dungeon to make her see reason
Zoe:
Me:
*the description of rats picking her flesh off follows*
*a day passes*
Maxime:
, the tetanus vaccine exists for a reason. 🥵
Let me buy you a fancy dress and take you to the opera house.
Hot night in my embrace is just what you need to heal your trauma, Zoe. 🤗
Zoe: screams, turns on, creams, grates on my nerves
Me:
Not gonna lie, the first 40% of the book kept me mildly entertained.
The audacity of this man to abduct Zoe, buy her submission (blackmailing the girl with her older brother’s death might have done the trick) and invade her dreams (find you a man who will take you on a tour of Venice and purchase the dress of your princess dreams — make sure he won't want to keep you locked up in the basement with rats as a company though)– touched me deeply.
Unfortunately, my high hopes for a decent progression of the story crashed against the rocks of reality.
Maxime and Zoe’s first late-night rendezvous (if you know what I mean) launched an irreversible cycle of, you know, the usual: fucking, licking, sucking and getting wet without fail and on time.
What events took place in the second half of the book to make you so thoroughly disappointed? – I envision you not asking. Oh, well, why don’t I tell you all about it either way.
Zoe (h), who first appeared to be a simple poor girl with big dreamful eyes and admirable aspirations, lost any trace of personality (or she had hidden her personality really well), with her bodily functions confined primarily to hormone production, with a rare interruption for processing food.
She stayed put in Maxime's big and fashionable house 24/7, reluctant guest and all, and let him satisfy her baser needs (for the sake of precision, I'll point out the obvious: she let him fuck and feed her).
Thoughts about the hero’s French mother’s hostility towards Zoe occupied more space in her mind than more urgent matters, like, for example (to back up the affirmation):
— her brother’s safety, which was used as bait by our ruthless mafia boy to ensure his captive’s compliance and lure her in submission. Concern for her brother's wellbeing would be more logical than distress caused by some random woman's childish behavior;
— ways to get out of the tricky situation (she did try one time, I can give her that).
The moment when this couple landed in France and Maxime took Zoe home, she quickly acquired the air of a trophy wife who didn’t know a single thing about anything besides staying at home and spreading her legs eagerly whenever Maxime ordered her to. Oh, well, at least she expressed the desire to learn French. That should count for something.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against trophy wives, and I don’t blame Zoe for succumbing to her captor’s will, since the sword that he had hung over her head was impressive enough.
But did watching their unsophisticated routine keep my interest? That's a no.
There was too much sex with not enough substance to the plot and their relationship development.
The primary conflict was almost brushed off and the one that remained amounted mostly to the fact that Zoe started harboring hatred for herself since she enjoyed being in her enemy’s bed too much for her own comfort. For mine, too, by the way.
This girl had no control whatsoever over her ovaries. Just imagine, a day ago fat, ugly rats were feeding off your flesh, the courtesy of your abductor (who is not even physically attractive at that), but it takes him exactly 2 minutes of sucking your nipples to get you soaking wet and ready for the rape? (I know some might not agree with the term I applied, but in my understanding, the first sex between Maxime and Zoe was consensual rape – she agreed to have sex with him so that he didn’t order his mob to kill her brother in prison). Mafia romances never cease to amaze me.
Also, to whom it may concern: almost at the very end Maxime raped her in earnest. But don’t worry, my sisters, of course, she still got to enjoy the experience. 🌚
I think Zoe’s wild bodily reactions weren’t justified. They had spent too little time together to warrant her betraying body syndrome. Maxime didn’t even have to play mind games with her (although the first chapters from his POV gave me the impression that he would take great lengths to addle the girl’s mind and fuck with her psyche. Stealing dreams didn’t go further than a few instances of basic courtship, unfortunately).
If Zoe were more resilient, and it had taken more time and effort to force her to come to terms with the captive status, the hero would have been given the opportunity to prove his manipulative nature in more subtle ways. Any dangerous mafia dude can enforce compliance by threats. There was nothing new, original or even remotely twisted in the route Maxime had chosen (note that I say this based on my very broad experience in reading mafia romance). The whole Venice adventure was too quick, it literally lasted two days, and held no impact.
I wish the author didn’t take the easiest route, but instead kept her heroine Zoe in the dark about the true intentions of her knight in shining armor for at least a couple of weeks/months/years (lmao).
Maxime’s haste to abduct her made no sense to me. He planned to use her as a means to keep her brother in check once he gets released from prison (apparently, the heroine's brother had been steadily gaining influence and power in prison to be considered a valuable future "partner" in Maxime’s family “business”). Her brother was bound to serve his sentence for a couple of years so Maxime had enough time to woo and court her properly. Making her believe in whatever fantasy he deemed beneficial to his aim wouldn’t have proved to be difficult, taking into account the fact that he was observant, charming and perceptive by nature. I mean, the guy managed to learn everything about her dreams from just one visit to her house shjshdksk (talk about the heroine’s depth).
I dare say that if firstly the book had shown a sweet progression of their relationship only to take a darker turn a bit later on, it would have turned out a much angstier book: imagine, for example, that Zoe, who is already deeply in love with Maxime, inadvertently overhears a conversation or stumbles upon evidence that hints at the fact that she has been living a happy lie all this time… (to be fair, the original scenario laid a solid foundation for delivering drama and angst too, but at the end of the day it never did)
There would have been no need to resort to the betraying body syndrome to make their relationship sound more consensual. Also, the heroine’s solitary confinement within the fancy walls of his mansion could have been substituted for a more exciting setting in which she would enjoy delusional freedom, at least until she realized that she had been put in a golden cage (we readers tend to get tired of a closed space)
As far as the writing is concerned, it wasn’t bad per se, yet I had a lot of issues with it.
One of the things that put me off at the very beginning was the Venice trip description, or lack thereof, that didn't communicate the atmosphere of the city ( I visited this city a while ago, and I still hold these memories close to my heart). The author could have written about any other city, European or American, and one wouldn’t note the difference.
The descriptions in the book were devoid of character, while the dialogues and the banter were mostly fairly good.
Zoe made a good first impression on me, but when ovaries took reign over her personality, I lost sympathy for her predicament, as well as interest in her as a person.
Maxime was one of the most tender and considerate captors (if we forget about the fucking rats shksjhdskjds) I’ve read about in a while. At the same time, he clearly possessed the kind of ruthlessness that made his mafia background believable. He had great potential.
Both Zoe and Maxime fell for each other in the span of a week.
I think Maxime’s attraction was more of a spiritual/emotional kind: he was fascinated by her dreams and the softness, kindness that had grown on the wasteland of her dire surroundings, against all odds.
Zoe in her turn was attracted mostly to his dick. Maxime didn’t flash the inner workings of his soul as much as his cock for it to be otherwise. 🙃
Anyway, Maxime's feelings developed (or did they?) a little too fast to be plausible, while their interactions lacked the tension and angst that captive romances usually provide when done right. I will go as far as saying that I didn’t notice the difference in their dynamics at the beginning and at the end.
In other words, I didn’t truly hate anything about this book, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. At some point reading the book felt like a chore. Endless rounds of sex bored me to tears. Nothing stood out and nothing was memorable to make this reading experience worthwhile.
I am not sure I care about that cliffhanger – Zoe’s suicide attempt or plan to escape (whatever) – to continue with the series. If I wanted something that had an abundance of sex with minimum plot and substance to it, I’d rather save time and go directly for porn. 🗿
.....................................................................
My second attempt to read this trilogy, pray for me while
(I blame flor for my newfound obsession with Liam Payne memes 🌚)
Be warned, this review might contain spoilers.
I want to know how someone with her fragile body and meager means survives. I want to know how her soul can crack concrete and flourish with no one’s care to shine like a daisy amidst the grime. Maybe, just maybe, if I know her secret, I’ll know how to be happy. Maybe if I can catch her spirit, I can steal her dreams and make her hope mine.
Maxime: locks her up in a Venetian dungeon to make her see reason
Zoe:
Me:
*the description of rats picking her flesh off follows*
*a day passes*
Maxime:
, the tetanus vaccine exists for a reason. 🥵Let me buy you a fancy dress and take you to the opera house.
Hot night in my embrace is just what you need to heal your trauma, Zoe. 🤗
Zoe: screams, turns on, creams, grates on my nerves
Me:
Not gonna lie, the first 40% of the book kept me mildly entertained.
The audacity of this man to abduct Zoe, buy her submission (blackmailing the girl with her older brother’s death might have done the trick) and invade her dreams (find you a man who will take you on a tour of Venice and purchase the dress of your princess dreams — make sure he won't want to keep you locked up in the basement with rats as a company though)– touched me deeply.
Unfortunately, my high hopes for a decent progression of the story crashed against the rocks of reality.
Maxime and Zoe’s first late-night rendezvous (if you know what I mean) launched an irreversible cycle of, you know, the usual: fucking, licking, sucking and getting wet without fail and on time.
What events took place in the second half of the book to make you so thoroughly disappointed? – I envision you not asking. Oh, well, why don’t I tell you all about it either way.
Zoe (h), who first appeared to be a simple poor girl with big dreamful eyes and admirable aspirations, lost any trace of personality (or she had hidden her personality really well), with her bodily functions confined primarily to hormone production, with a rare interruption for processing food.
She stayed put in Maxime's big and fashionable house 24/7, reluctant guest and all, and let him satisfy her baser needs (for the sake of precision, I'll point out the obvious: she let him fuck and feed her).
Thoughts about the hero’s French mother’s hostility towards Zoe occupied more space in her mind than more urgent matters, like, for example (to back up the affirmation):
— her brother’s safety, which was used as bait by our ruthless mafia boy to ensure his captive’s compliance and lure her in submission. Concern for her brother's wellbeing would be more logical than distress caused by some random woman's childish behavior;
— ways to get out of the tricky situation (she did try one time, I can give her that).
The moment when this couple landed in France and Maxime took Zoe home, she quickly acquired the air of a trophy wife who didn’t know a single thing about anything besides staying at home and spreading her legs eagerly whenever Maxime ordered her to. Oh, well, at least she expressed the desire to learn French. That should count for something.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against trophy wives, and I don’t blame Zoe for succumbing to her captor’s will, since the sword that he had hung over her head was impressive enough.
But did watching their unsophisticated routine keep my interest? That's a no.
There was too much sex with not enough substance to the plot and their relationship development.
The primary conflict was almost brushed off and the one that remained amounted mostly to the fact that Zoe started harboring hatred for herself since she enjoyed being in her enemy’s bed too much for her own comfort. For mine, too, by the way.
This girl had no control whatsoever over her ovaries. Just imagine, a day ago fat, ugly rats were feeding off your flesh, the courtesy of your abductor (who is not even physically attractive at that), but it takes him exactly 2 minutes of sucking your nipples to get you soaking wet and ready for the rape? (I know some might not agree with the term I applied, but in my understanding, the first sex between Maxime and Zoe was consensual rape – she agreed to have sex with him so that he didn’t order his mob to kill her brother in prison). Mafia romances never cease to amaze me.
Also, to whom it may concern: almost at the very end Maxime raped her in earnest. But don’t worry, my sisters, of course, she still got to enjoy the experience. 🌚
I think Zoe’s wild bodily reactions weren’t justified. They had spent too little time together to warrant her betraying body syndrome. Maxime didn’t even have to play mind games with her (although the first chapters from his POV gave me the impression that he would take great lengths to addle the girl’s mind and fuck with her psyche. Stealing dreams didn’t go further than a few instances of basic courtship, unfortunately).
If Zoe were more resilient, and it had taken more time and effort to force her to come to terms with the captive status, the hero would have been given the opportunity to prove his manipulative nature in more subtle ways. Any dangerous mafia dude can enforce compliance by threats. There was nothing new, original or even remotely twisted in the route Maxime had chosen (note that I say this based on my very broad experience in reading mafia romance). The whole Venice adventure was too quick, it literally lasted two days, and held no impact.
I wish the author didn’t take the easiest route, but instead kept her heroine Zoe in the dark about the true intentions of her knight in shining armor for at least a couple of weeks/months/years (lmao).
Maxime’s haste to abduct her made no sense to me. He planned to use her as a means to keep her brother in check once he gets released from prison (apparently, the heroine's brother had been steadily gaining influence and power in prison to be considered a valuable future "partner" in Maxime’s family “business”). Her brother was bound to serve his sentence for a couple of years so Maxime had enough time to woo and court her properly. Making her believe in whatever fantasy he deemed beneficial to his aim wouldn’t have proved to be difficult, taking into account the fact that he was observant, charming and perceptive by nature. I mean, the guy managed to learn everything about her dreams from just one visit to her house shjshdksk (talk about the heroine’s depth).
I dare say that if firstly the book had shown a sweet progression of their relationship only to take a darker turn a bit later on, it would have turned out a much angstier book: imagine, for example, that Zoe, who is already deeply in love with Maxime, inadvertently overhears a conversation or stumbles upon evidence that hints at the fact that she has been living a happy lie all this time… (to be fair, the original scenario laid a solid foundation for delivering drama and angst too, but at the end of the day it never did)
There would have been no need to resort to the betraying body syndrome to make their relationship sound more consensual. Also, the heroine’s solitary confinement within the fancy walls of his mansion could have been substituted for a more exciting setting in which she would enjoy delusional freedom, at least until she realized that she had been put in a golden cage (we readers tend to get tired of a closed space)
As far as the writing is concerned, it wasn’t bad per se, yet I had a lot of issues with it.
One of the things that put me off at the very beginning was the Venice trip description, or lack thereof, that didn't communicate the atmosphere of the city ( I visited this city a while ago, and I still hold these memories close to my heart). The author could have written about any other city, European or American, and one wouldn’t note the difference.
The descriptions in the book were devoid of character, while the dialogues and the banter were mostly fairly good.
Zoe made a good first impression on me, but when ovaries took reign over her personality, I lost sympathy for her predicament, as well as interest in her as a person.
Maxime was one of the most tender and considerate captors (if we forget about the fucking rats shksjhdskjds) I’ve read about in a while. At the same time, he clearly possessed the kind of ruthlessness that made his mafia background believable. He had great potential.
Both Zoe and Maxime fell for each other in the span of a week.
I think Maxime’s attraction was more of a spiritual/emotional kind: he was fascinated by her dreams and the softness, kindness that had grown on the wasteland of her dire surroundings, against all odds.
Zoe in her turn was attracted mostly to his dick. Maxime didn’t flash the inner workings of his soul as much as his cock for it to be otherwise. 🙃
Anyway, Maxime's feelings developed (or did they?) a little too fast to be plausible, while their interactions lacked the tension and angst that captive romances usually provide when done right. I will go as far as saying that I didn’t notice the difference in their dynamics at the beginning and at the end.
In other words, I didn’t truly hate anything about this book, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. At some point reading the book felt like a chore. Endless rounds of sex bored me to tears. Nothing stood out and nothing was memorable to make this reading experience worthwhile.
I am not sure I care about that cliffhanger – Zoe’s suicide attempt or plan to escape (whatever) – to continue with the series. If I wanted something that had an abundance of sex with minimum plot and substance to it, I’d rather save time and go directly for porn. 🗿
.....................................................................
My second attempt to read this trilogy, pray for me while
(I blame flor for my newfound obsession with Liam Payne memes 🌚)
May 10, 2020
Holy Mother Of Cliffy on the Sea! Charmaine has me dumbstruck. I'm equally aroused and flabbergasted at the liberties Charmaine takes in etching these characters. I've loved and hated them at various points in the book with equal fervor.
A sensational story which races towards an explosive ending like a ride on a Runaway train, where you can see the crash coming but can't close your eyes or get off. Violent & addictive, it's a pulse pounding marathon of pain & pleasure. Passionate love at war with passionate hate and you don't get to choose sides.
“Nothing we’ve shared is real,”
“The kindness isn’t real. It means nothing, which means this means nothing, too.”
“You mean nothing to me, and you never will.”
She gives a peek into a meticulously planned power playacting, that is a starter of the Diamond Trilogy. The first books sets the stage for an explosive story to come. She builds the tension from page one, violence and abuse open the plot with a bang...literally.
A girl child- Zoe Halt, victimized and scared hides in her fantasies to escape.
“One day, I’ll find a prince, and marry him, and be a princess, and live in a castle, and we’ll live happily ever after."
But as her brother Damian says- life is NOT a fairytale, the successive years teach her that harsh lesson
On her last bit of luck and pennies, she's abducted as a collateral by Damian's nemesis- Maxime Belshaw.
Her life is filled with pretty, fancy things and she pays for them by her freedom.
"Sinful things happen in the dark. Prey is hunted and monsters thrive, but vows must be honored, no matter if dreams are destroyed."
Maxime is seemingly cruel and heartless....but why did I fall in love with him then?
As the story progresses, Charmaine uncovers his personality, one layer at a time and he comes across as a man fighting war on ALL fronts. His legacy, his inheritance, his family, his industry and of course his heart. It's daunting and exhaustive battles he's engaged in and I wanted him to set down his weapon and just breathe.
"There’s more blood on my soul than on the hands of a soldier. I suppose I do scare children, and puppies, and pretty little innocent flowers, but I’m neither coward nor fool."
His numb heart Starts to show signs of life for Zoe, his "Little Flower".
She's everything pure and innocent in the book. Her radiance lighting up his life and his world.
"My own daisy, in a vase on my table. I didn’t steal it from someone’s garden. It was growing wild on the pavement, right there for the taking."
The mood shifts to aggression and vengeance in the story, the pace gets fast and slick. I fell down the rabbit hole with Zoe and kept tumbling headlong into the chaotic world of Diamond wars. It thrilled me, my senses were heightened and adrenaline rush was full on raging. At no point was I able to take my eyes off. The "Cliffy" just dropped a bomb and I legit screamed Noooooooooooooo! My hand outstretched and jaw hanging open, I was like WTF Charmaine!
How can she sit all smiling and poised and then write a cruel story like this, I'm astounded!!
I'm till shaking my head at what I've just read and you will too.
5 stars for The Cliff
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A sensational story which races towards an explosive ending like a ride on a Runaway train, where you can see the crash coming but can't close your eyes or get off. Violent & addictive, it's a pulse pounding marathon of pain & pleasure. Passionate love at war with passionate hate and you don't get to choose sides.
“Nothing we’ve shared is real,”
“The kindness isn’t real. It means nothing, which means this means nothing, too.”
“You mean nothing to me, and you never will.”
She gives a peek into a meticulously planned power playacting, that is a starter of the Diamond Trilogy. The first books sets the stage for an explosive story to come. She builds the tension from page one, violence and abuse open the plot with a bang...literally.
A girl child- Zoe Halt, victimized and scared hides in her fantasies to escape.
“One day, I’ll find a prince, and marry him, and be a princess, and live in a castle, and we’ll live happily ever after."
But as her brother Damian says- life is NOT a fairytale, the successive years teach her that harsh lesson
On her last bit of luck and pennies, she's abducted as a collateral by Damian's nemesis- Maxime Belshaw.
Her life is filled with pretty, fancy things and she pays for them by her freedom.
"Sinful things happen in the dark. Prey is hunted and monsters thrive, but vows must be honored, no matter if dreams are destroyed."
Maxime is seemingly cruel and heartless....but why did I fall in love with him then?
As the story progresses, Charmaine uncovers his personality, one layer at a time and he comes across as a man fighting war on ALL fronts. His legacy, his inheritance, his family, his industry and of course his heart. It's daunting and exhaustive battles he's engaged in and I wanted him to set down his weapon and just breathe.
"There’s more blood on my soul than on the hands of a soldier. I suppose I do scare children, and puppies, and pretty little innocent flowers, but I’m neither coward nor fool."
His numb heart Starts to show signs of life for Zoe, his "Little Flower".
She's everything pure and innocent in the book. Her radiance lighting up his life and his world.
"My own daisy, in a vase on my table. I didn’t steal it from someone’s garden. It was growing wild on the pavement, right there for the taking."
The mood shifts to aggression and vengeance in the story, the pace gets fast and slick. I fell down the rabbit hole with Zoe and kept tumbling headlong into the chaotic world of Diamond wars. It thrilled me, my senses were heightened and adrenaline rush was full on raging. At no point was I able to take my eyes off. The "Cliffy" just dropped a bomb and I legit screamed Noooooooooooooo! My hand outstretched and jaw hanging open, I was like WTF Charmaine!
How can she sit all smiling and poised and then write a cruel story like this, I'm astounded!!
I'm till shaking my head at what I've just read and you will too.
5 stars for The Cliff
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Follow me on:
BookBistroBlog@gmail.com
https://Twitter.com/BookBistro
www.instagram.com/BookBistroBlog
https://bookbistroblogger.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BookB...
May 16, 2020
This hero has my brain all twisted inside. He’s the type of anti-hero that keeps you on edge. You’re never sure what line he’s going to cross and when he does cross a line, you’re constantly wondering if there’s something else at play. At least that’s how Maxime affected me. His total possessiveness concerning the heroine, Zoe, fed my romantic heart, even as the darkness within him drove the angst up.
This is slow where action is concerned, but it’s rich in character development as the storyline is laid out and everyone involved takes their place. The relationship between Maxime and Zoe is fraught with tension that I felt in every word and action making it almost impossible to set this book aside for any reason.
This ends in a whopping cliffhanger that I knew was coming, but I was still shocked when I got to it. Thank goodness this author is planning to release the remaining two books of this trilogy rather quickly.
Dual POV
Not completely dark, but darker than what I would consider lite
Safe
Triggers
This is slow where action is concerned, but it’s rich in character development as the storyline is laid out and everyone involved takes their place. The relationship between Maxime and Zoe is fraught with tension that I felt in every word and action making it almost impossible to set this book aside for any reason.
This ends in a whopping cliffhanger that I knew was coming, but I was still shocked when I got to it. Thank goodness this author is planning to release the remaining two books of this trilogy rather quickly.
Dual POV
Not completely dark, but darker than what I would consider lite
Safe
Triggers
May 30, 2020
This is the first book in a new trilogy and set in the same world as Beauty in the Broken.
It’s a complete standalone and you don’t need to a have read the other to appreciate this.
This is set a few years before and features Damien’s younger sister Zoe.
Zoe finds herself the pawn of a powerful family and a tool used to control her brother.
Choosing the lesser of two evils she chooses to become Maxime’s mistress.
Avoiding a far worse fate than was in store for her previously.
This is not a sugar-pie romance it’s dark gritty and doesn’t hold back its punches.
Maxime himself is full of darkness his life so far has left his hands drenched in the blood and pain of his family’s enemies.
But he has never targeted an innocent before and Baulks at delivering Zoe into his sadistic family’s hands instead choosing to shield her somewhat in the only way he can.
Zoe’s life up till now has been hard from a violent and poor home she dreams of escaping and being rescued from it all by her prince.
Maxime is far from this imagined saviour but for the moment he’s all she’s got.
So yeh this was good but be prepared for some darkness as this is not a conventional love story.
I also have my own ideas of just what the Italian deal might just entail and if I’m right with where this is heading there’s gonna be a whole lot of angst coming for poor Zoe and she needs to seal up her heart tight.
This was very hot and steamy but that last intimate scene between Zoe and Maxime made me want to poke his bloody eyes out.
He may have done more damage than he can repair just to prove a point.
Then there’s that finale what a way to go out on pure brilliance and left me wanting more.
I am very much looking forward to the next instalment, this was quite a ride.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Diamonds In The Dust.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
May 19, 2020
I'm feeling a bit like I just took a couple of rounds in the ring. My boundaries were pushed, and I had to sit on this and think about how I really felt. I'm conflicted, but hopeful.
Maxime is my main cause of this conflict. He sees the treasure in Zoe, and his true aim is to protect her from a far evil than what he thinks he is. He's not exactly wrong, but his way of teaching her is why I struggled with him. Although, I can see that part inside of him that would show a different man if they were in a better world.
Maxime is like a man with two personalities. One personality is the knight in shining armor and the other is a soft nightmare. I say soft because even when he becomes the nightmare, his intention are always to protect Zoe. See? It's very conflicting. It's also the reason why I think I'm going to love this series when it's all said and done.
I'm very pleased with Zoe and how she handled an impossible situation. She's had such hard life and she is only 21. She's escapes the rough world by being a dreamer which makes people underestimate her. She's a fighter and I loved it. I want to see that fight even if the situation is helpless.
This ended on a big cliffhanger and for once I was glad to see it. I think it will be a turning point for the next book.
**This is a dark story and there will be triggers for some readers.
Maxime is my main cause of this conflict. He sees the treasure in Zoe, and his true aim is to protect her from a far evil than what he thinks he is. He's not exactly wrong, but his way of teaching her is why I struggled with him. Although, I can see that part inside of him that would show a different man if they were in a better world.
Maxime is like a man with two personalities. One personality is the knight in shining armor and the other is a soft nightmare. I say soft because even when he becomes the nightmare, his intention are always to protect Zoe. See? It's very conflicting. It's also the reason why I think I'm going to love this series when it's all said and done.
I'm very pleased with Zoe and how she handled an impossible situation. She's had such hard life and she is only 21. She's escapes the rough world by being a dreamer which makes people underestimate her. She's a fighter and I loved it. I want to see that fight even if the situation is helpless.
This ended on a big cliffhanger and for once I was glad to see it. I think it will be a turning point for the next book.
**This is a dark story and there will be triggers for some readers.
May 19, 2020
4.75*
Oh wow. I knew this ended on a cliffhanger but I didn’t expect that. Now I know why I avoid them.
The book opens with 5 year old Zoe. And her 10 year old brother Damian (Beauty in the Broken) hiding away from fighting parents.
It moves on and Zoe is now twenty-one. She’s still poor. Working in a sweatshop and dreaming of a better life.
She wants Prince Charming and what she gets is a mafia prince.
Maxim is cold, hard and desensitised. But Zoe brings something to life in him. She makes him see and feel. And he wants her. But what chance do they have. He’s kidnapped and blackmailed her. Plus he doesn’t explain so she doesn’t understand.
And that cliffhanger...wow.
Bring on the next book.
I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the author.
Oh wow. I knew this ended on a cliffhanger but I didn’t expect that. Now I know why I avoid them.
The book opens with 5 year old Zoe. And her 10 year old brother Damian (Beauty in the Broken) hiding away from fighting parents.
It moves on and Zoe is now twenty-one. She’s still poor. Working in a sweatshop and dreaming of a better life.
She wants Prince Charming and what she gets is a mafia prince.
Maxim is cold, hard and desensitised. But Zoe brings something to life in him. She makes him see and feel. And he wants her. But what chance do they have. He’s kidnapped and blackmailed her. Plus he doesn’t explain so she doesn’t understand.
And that cliffhanger...wow.
Bring on the next book.
I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the author.
July 3, 2021
I got bored out of my mind 😕
July 13, 2020
Ooohhh such a fabulous start to this series!! Hate cliffies!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a love-hate relationship with series books. Cliffhangers are never a friend. But I knew what I was getting into when I accepted this review.
I just can’t skip a Pauls romance. Even though many of her stories follow a similar story pattern, there’s always thrills and angst, hot sex, and just enough darkness to keep you on edge.
The story is no different. She is a master of blending so many different aspects into her stories. The fact that this is part of a series adds another dimension too.
This book combines mental manipulation, actions, and consequences. Steamy scenes, edgy dark, twisted actions, and a cliffhanger that is very literal in many ways.
While I hate that I have to wait for the additional stories, I cannot wait to see how this story will pivot and change. So good!
* copy received for consideration
full review - https://amidlifewife.com/diamonds-in-...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a love-hate relationship with series books. Cliffhangers are never a friend. But I knew what I was getting into when I accepted this review.
I just can’t skip a Pauls romance. Even though many of her stories follow a similar story pattern, there’s always thrills and angst, hot sex, and just enough darkness to keep you on edge.
The story is no different. She is a master of blending so many different aspects into her stories. The fact that this is part of a series adds another dimension too.
This book combines mental manipulation, actions, and consequences. Steamy scenes, edgy dark, twisted actions, and a cliffhanger that is very literal in many ways.
While I hate that I have to wait for the additional stories, I cannot wait to see how this story will pivot and change. So good!
* copy received for consideration
full review - https://amidlifewife.com/diamonds-in-...
January 31, 2023
This doesn't read like Paul's Dubious/Consent.
DNF @ 10% coz two-dimensional characters and lacked realistic build-up as well as chemistry. Yet I’m already supposed to buy that:
#1.) rich stranger H is instantly captivated by h, when he & his 2 thugs captured her as she’s about to enter her old apartment. After asking her questions about her imprisoned brother (which she replies with "f* off") and checking out her bare and decrepit apartment, he then tells her to go out to dinner with him while “reminding (her) of her place”. That was within 5 minutes of their 1st meeting.
MY RESPONSE: *eye roll*
#2. ) captive h’s character maybe scared but she's sassy strong. What can 3 armed and physically stronger men really do to her? Well, not much compared to the strength of her defensive feistiness! Her mouthing off at them should scare them off and save her and other's lives. Right?
MY RESPONSE: *eye roll*
#3.) h was finally forced to answer H's questions about her imprisoned brother in order to save her next-door neighbor who we know nothing about (except for a brief mention that he plays video games). Why was her neighbor so important to her? Was h just a compassionate and caring person? Was her neighbor a good friend of hers? There was no story, explanation, or justification for it.
MY RESPONSE: right-click on Book and then "Move to Trash"
Moving on to another Pauls book. Hoping this was just a one-off.
DNF @ 10% coz two-dimensional characters and lacked realistic build-up as well as chemistry. Yet I’m already supposed to buy that:
#1.) rich stranger H is instantly captivated by h, when he & his 2 thugs captured her as she’s about to enter her old apartment. After asking her questions about her imprisoned brother (which she replies with "f* off") and checking out her bare and decrepit apartment, he then tells her to go out to dinner with him while “reminding (her) of her place”. That was within 5 minutes of their 1st meeting.
MY RESPONSE: *eye roll*
#2. ) captive h’s character maybe scared but she's sassy strong. What can 3 armed and physically stronger men really do to her? Well, not much compared to the strength of her defensive feistiness! Her mouthing off at them should scare them off and save her and other's lives. Right?
MY RESPONSE: *eye roll*
#3.) h was finally forced to answer H's questions about her imprisoned brother in order to save her next-door neighbor who we know nothing about (except for a brief mention that he plays video games). Why was her neighbor so important to her? Was h just a compassionate and caring person? Was her neighbor a good friend of hers? There was no story, explanation, or justification for it.
MY RESPONSE: right-click on Book and then "Move to Trash"
Moving on to another Pauls book. Hoping this was just a one-off.
March 9, 2022
I wish the heroine was more assertive, however, the hero more than carried this trilogy. Love it!
April 23, 2023
4,5. This author became my favorite!
I love her books… the feeling, the commitment… the romance…
It’s totally worth the reading!🫶🏻
I love her books… the feeling, the commitment… the romance…
It’s totally worth the reading!🫶🏻
May 17, 2020
I absolutely love Charmaine Pauls' stories. They are dark and edgy and always make you feel like you're on edge, consumed by the very next page. Maxime and Zoe were quite delicious. Very sexy and addicting and yet there was an emotional undercurrent between them that could not be denied. I enjoyed this story very much!
Diamonds in the Dust was more than the usual dark kidnapping/blackmail story. Zoe Hart was the exception to Maxime Belshaw's rules. Why this strong and fierce woman triggered his protective instincts was just one of the reasons why she was embedded under his skin. She was a woman he did not expect but one he had to use as a means to an end. But when emotions get involved, his level of obsession and protectiveness reach new heights. I also loved how fierce Zoe was and how compelling their attraction was. Maxime is a little different from Pauls' previous heroes in that his heart and conscience also run free reign among his dark desires. And Zoe, while resentful and angry at Maxime, also realizes that the connection between them that can't be denied.
Overall, this story was a great start to a trilogy and I look forward to the next installment in their story. 4 stars! ~Ratula
Diamonds in the Dust was more than the usual dark kidnapping/blackmail story. Zoe Hart was the exception to Maxime Belshaw's rules. Why this strong and fierce woman triggered his protective instincts was just one of the reasons why she was embedded under his skin. She was a woman he did not expect but one he had to use as a means to an end. But when emotions get involved, his level of obsession and protectiveness reach new heights. I also loved how fierce Zoe was and how compelling their attraction was. Maxime is a little different from Pauls' previous heroes in that his heart and conscience also run free reign among his dark desires. And Zoe, while resentful and angry at Maxime, also realizes that the connection between them that can't be denied.
Overall, this story was a great start to a trilogy and I look forward to the next installment in their story. 4 stars! ~Ratula
September 27, 2020
Wow! I am actually impressed by this author.
Usually i am guilty of being envious by this knight or villian in shinning armour hero coming and raining luxuries on poor h but in this book she actually showed it's not that rose tinted reality we often read.
I loved that she didn't described the hero as someone too handsome to bear. I loved that i was actually pitying h and hated that happened to her. Otherwise usually i have this feeling of " oh lucky girl" but not here.
The whole trilogy was really good. I hope she keep writing books i love lol. Otherwise she's a hit or miss for me. ^_^
Usually i am guilty of being envious by this knight or villian in shinning armour hero coming and raining luxuries on poor h but in this book she actually showed it's not that rose tinted reality we often read.
I loved that she didn't described the hero as someone too handsome to bear. I loved that i was actually pitying h and hated that happened to her. Otherwise usually i have this feeling of " oh lucky girl" but not here.
The whole trilogy was really good. I hope she keep writing books i love lol. Otherwise she's a hit or miss for me. ^_^
May 20, 2020
I am a huge fan of this author. HUGE. I know her words. I know how she thinks. I know how she writes. I’ve read some of her books two and three times just to make sure I got every single layer she put into them.
What just happened? …. #sendhelp
HOLY BALLS, she slayed me. She vested me! I am stupefied! For a very long period of time after I finished, I sat with a blank mind. I wasn’t really thinking about the book itself; it was more like I was absorbing what I had just read. This book and what is to follow is a thing of beauty, in my opinion. I don’t think there is a better way to describe it. I’m not going to go into plot points because enough reviewers do that already so you just have to take me for my word. THIS WOMAN IS EPIC!
This is only the beginning. The story is going to change. It is going to fork. Without a doubt, I will more than likely be stupefied once again when I read the next installment, but I don’t think she can out-do what she’s written here as the beginning of this journey. We shall see…
Read Charmaine’s work. It’s not superficial reading. It almost always deals with perverse topics and the dark edges of society where the monsters live but she is really good with the words so it is exhilarating and riveting and enthralling and so well layered and developed that it will blow your mind. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. #trust
Sidebar: There is this very tiny thing I have to say because I am me and I don't know how to not say it but the cover ... Lord, who told that man it was okay to shape-shave his chest hair like that?? #twitchy
What just happened? …. #sendhelp
HOLY BALLS, she slayed me. She vested me! I am stupefied! For a very long period of time after I finished, I sat with a blank mind. I wasn’t really thinking about the book itself; it was more like I was absorbing what I had just read. This book and what is to follow is a thing of beauty, in my opinion. I don’t think there is a better way to describe it. I’m not going to go into plot points because enough reviewers do that already so you just have to take me for my word. THIS WOMAN IS EPIC!
This is only the beginning. The story is going to change. It is going to fork. Without a doubt, I will more than likely be stupefied once again when I read the next installment, but I don’t think she can out-do what she’s written here as the beginning of this journey. We shall see…
Read Charmaine’s work. It’s not superficial reading. It almost always deals with perverse topics and the dark edges of society where the monsters live but she is really good with the words so it is exhilarating and riveting and enthralling and so well layered and developed that it will blow your mind. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. #trust
Sidebar: There is this very tiny thing I have to say because I am me and I don't know how to not say it but the cover ... Lord, who told that man it was okay to shape-shave his chest hair like that?? #twitchy
September 26, 2021
Whenever I pick up a Charmaine Pauls novel, I know these truths:
-I will NOT be able to put the book down until it’s finished
-The hero will piss me off
-I wish the heroine would kick his ass
-The writing will be excellent
-The angst will physically hurt
-The steam will be HOT
Maxime (30) is the brains and psychological power behind his family business. He is intelligent, brutal, possessive, egocentric, and completely lacking in empathy. Despite his horrifically cruel behavior, there is something redeeming about him. He doesn't actively try to hurt innocents, not because he has a conscious, but because they don't fit his end goal. He is not the usual tall dark and handsome. He has survived a fire and has significant scaring on his face and upper body.
Zoe (21) is living in poverty. She sews her own clothing. She works in a factory and comes home each day exhausted. Zoe is also a dreamer. She lives in her head, and those childhood fantasies of a white knight are always at the top of her thoughts. She's very childlike, never been kissed, a blushing virgin, and incredibly naive.
Maxime kidnaps Zoe as blackmail against her older brother, who is in prison. He takes her from her home in Johannesburg, to the South of France. It's her innocence that makes him want to posses and keep her.
I desperately wanted Zoe to find a way to escape Maxime. I wanted her to undermine his manipulative ownership and take back what little power and self-esteem she still had.
There is a scene toward the end of the book that I almost couldn’t finish. Zoe so helpless and alone and it made me want to destroy Maxime. Yes, this is fiction, but it makes me wonder what it says about our moral compass when we try to pretty up rape by calling it non-con.
This is the first book I've read with
There are too many plot points, characters and brilliant pacing to even get into the heart of this story. But it will make you FEEL things. I’m so conflicted.
The cliffhanger is brilliant and brutal!
-I will NOT be able to put the book down until it’s finished
-The hero will piss me off
-I wish the heroine would kick his ass
-The writing will be excellent
-The angst will physically hurt
-The steam will be HOT
Maxime (30) is the brains and psychological power behind his family business. He is intelligent, brutal, possessive, egocentric, and completely lacking in empathy. Despite his horrifically cruel behavior, there is something redeeming about him. He doesn't actively try to hurt innocents, not because he has a conscious, but because they don't fit his end goal. He is not the usual tall dark and handsome. He has survived a fire and has significant scaring on his face and upper body.
Zoe (21) is living in poverty. She sews her own clothing. She works in a factory and comes home each day exhausted. Zoe is also a dreamer. She lives in her head, and those childhood fantasies of a white knight are always at the top of her thoughts. She's very childlike, never been kissed, a blushing virgin, and incredibly naive.
Maxime kidnaps Zoe as blackmail against her older brother, who is in prison. He takes her from her home in Johannesburg, to the South of France. It's her innocence that makes him want to posses and keep her.
I desperately wanted Zoe to find a way to escape Maxime. I wanted her to undermine his manipulative ownership and take back what little power and self-esteem she still had.
My pain shines like precious stones in the dusty bed of a river. My feelings are discarded like diamonds in the dust. Wasted.If you’ve read the Anna Zaires Twist Me series, and liked those, you will enjoy this story. Maxime and Julian are quite similar. Maxime makes Zoe crave the pleasure/pain he's trained her to enjoy. There is one interesting caveat, after he breaks her down, he has to cause himself physical pain as well. It's the only way he can feel empathy for her.
There is a scene toward the end of the book that I almost couldn’t finish. Zoe so helpless and alone and it made me want to destroy Maxime. Yes, this is fiction, but it makes me wonder what it says about our moral compass when we try to pretty up rape by calling it non-con.
This is the first book I've read with
There are too many plot points, characters and brilliant pacing to even get into the heart of this story. But it will make you FEEL things. I’m so conflicted.
The cliffhanger is brilliant and brutal!
September 29, 2023
This one surprised me. I ended up changing my rating because it's a really good book for a trope that has already been said and done.
Diamonds in the Dust
is a book that I have been wanting to read for awhile but I've been waiting for the trilogy to be complete. Yes, it's partially a mafia romance but not really. It's more along the lines of a romance where the heroine unwillingly falls in love with her kidnapper despite hating him. I love Zoe Hart so much. She is all that is pure, good, and sweet in the world but she also has a core of steel. I hate that she has been placed in this difficult situation. No one deserves happiness more than Zoe. As for Maxime, I am conflicted by his character. He is cruel and heartless at times but also incredibly sweet, possessive, and caring towards Zoe in others. He wants what is "best for her," or so he says. He is a contradiction. The fact that he calls Zoe his little flower makes me melt a little. *slaps self* Yeah, there must be something wrong with me too.
I am aware that Maxime is not a good person but he is a contradiction and keeps readers on edge. There is something redeemable about him but like I said before, he can be cruel and manipulative at times. His family is also awful and likes to play mind games. His brother Alexis might be the worst of all. There are several side characters that I am keeping an eye on in this trilogy and the other potential awful character might be Maxime's ex-lover, Francine, who happens to be his cook. Oh man. The story is closely connected to Damian's story, Beauty in the Broken. While I haven't read that book yet, I am intrigued. Maxime has decided to kidnap Zoe because he wants to essentially blackmail Damian into keeping their business in the diamond mines. It's a little bit complicated but the mysterious Italian deal makes me nervous for Zoe.
In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be quickly reading the second installment as soon as possible. That cliffhanger ending was shocking. Diamonds in the Dust was sexy, romantic at times, heartbreaking, and intriguing. My emotions were all over the place when it came to Zoe and Maxime. I both hate and love them as a couple. Part of me wants Zoe to escape and never look back. I'm afraid that things will only get worse for her.
“My own Daisy, in a vase on my table. I didn’t steal it from someone’s garden. It was growing wild on the pavement, right there for the taking.”
I am aware that Maxime is not a good person but he is a contradiction and keeps readers on edge. There is something redeemable about him but like I said before, he can be cruel and manipulative at times. His family is also awful and likes to play mind games. His brother Alexis might be the worst of all. There are several side characters that I am keeping an eye on in this trilogy and the other potential awful character might be Maxime's ex-lover, Francine, who happens to be his cook. Oh man. The story is closely connected to Damian's story, Beauty in the Broken. While I haven't read that book yet, I am intrigued. Maxime has decided to kidnap Zoe because he wants to essentially blackmail Damian into keeping their business in the diamond mines. It's a little bit complicated but the mysterious Italian deal makes me nervous for Zoe.
“My pain shines like precious stones in the dusty bed of a river. My feelings are discarded like diamonds in the dust. Wasted.”
In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be quickly reading the second installment as soon as possible. That cliffhanger ending was shocking. Diamonds in the Dust was sexy, romantic at times, heartbreaking, and intriguing. My emotions were all over the place when it came to Zoe and Maxime. I both hate and love them as a couple. Part of me wants Zoe to escape and never look back. I'm afraid that things will only get worse for her.
December 14, 2025
What happens when you kiss a frog prince and he keeps turning back into a frog?
Charmaine Pauls delivers her most complicated anti-hero and most adorable heroine to date in this very dark and twisted modern fairy tale romance. This is definitely my favourite of Charmaine’s stories so far!!
Zoe Hart is alone and destitute, her meagre seamstress salary allowing her only two tomatoes and an apple for her next meal. But the drudgery of her surroundings has not diminished her dreams of someday designing princess dresses and meeting a proverbial prince on a white stead who will carry her out of the squalor.
Instead, he arrives in an armoured black Mercedes flanked by two shady henchmen. Maxime Belshaw does indeed carry her away, but not in the love-at-first-sight fantasy that she imagined. Max is a psychopath who is waylaid by his fascination with Zoe’s inherent goodness and optimism.
So, instead of delivering Zoe to his brother as intended in his original criminal plan, Max takes on Zoe for himself and embarks on a completely different, yet equally dastardly, criminal plan. Max’s sense of right and wrong is ... non-existent. In its place is a firm but misplaced self-righteousness. When he tries to make his new “little flower” happy, he deceives, dictates, and manipulates; and when Zoe isn’t suitably appreciative of his efforts, he seems genuinely put out and reacts punitively. Poor Zoe! What happens when you kiss a frog prince and he keeps turning back into a frog? For her part, Zoe’s actions demonstrate resilience, sass, kindness and honour. I just love loving Zoe and I love hating Max!
Charmaine beautifully captures the battle of wills between one who can’t feel and one who feels deeply and relentlessly. Her storytelling is not just a sequence of intriguing events. It is a journey into the minds of two very thoroughly envisioned characters who defy type-casting. Maxime and Zoe’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are vividly conjured even as they shift and grow and re-evaluate their positions. Her words are pure poetry.
Diamonds in the Dust is Book 1 of the Diamonds are Forever Trilogy. This voluntary and sincere review is written for the ARC.
Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
Charmaine Pauls delivers her most complicated anti-hero and most adorable heroine to date in this very dark and twisted modern fairy tale romance. This is definitely my favourite of Charmaine’s stories so far!!
Zoe Hart is alone and destitute, her meagre seamstress salary allowing her only two tomatoes and an apple for her next meal. But the drudgery of her surroundings has not diminished her dreams of someday designing princess dresses and meeting a proverbial prince on a white stead who will carry her out of the squalor.
Instead, he arrives in an armoured black Mercedes flanked by two shady henchmen. Maxime Belshaw does indeed carry her away, but not in the love-at-first-sight fantasy that she imagined. Max is a psychopath who is waylaid by his fascination with Zoe’s inherent goodness and optimism.
”She’s a pretty little daisy that pushes through a crack on a dirty pavement, resilient and beautiful, surviving against the odds.”
“I want to know how she can still believe in something beautiful, in anything at all, when everything around her is dilapidated. Maybe, just maybe, if I know her secret, I’ll know how to be happy. Maybe if I can catch her spirit, I can steal her dreams and make her hope mine.”
So, instead of delivering Zoe to his brother as intended in his original criminal plan, Max takes on Zoe for himself and embarks on a completely different, yet equally dastardly, criminal plan. Max’s sense of right and wrong is ... non-existent. In its place is a firm but misplaced self-righteousness. When he tries to make his new “little flower” happy, he deceives, dictates, and manipulates; and when Zoe isn’t suitably appreciative of his efforts, he seems genuinely put out and reacts punitively. Poor Zoe! What happens when you kiss a frog prince and he keeps turning back into a frog? For her part, Zoe’s actions demonstrate resilience, sass, kindness and honour. I just love loving Zoe and I love hating Max!
Charmaine beautifully captures the battle of wills between one who can’t feel and one who feels deeply and relentlessly. Her storytelling is not just a sequence of intriguing events. It is a journey into the minds of two very thoroughly envisioned characters who defy type-casting. Maxime and Zoe’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are vividly conjured even as they shift and grow and re-evaluate their positions. Her words are pure poetry.
Diamonds in the Dust is Book 1 of the Diamonds are Forever Trilogy. This voluntary and sincere review is written for the ARC.
Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
May 9, 2020
This book is so good you won’t realise you reached the end.
This is the kind of book that I live for. Sexy, hot, mysterious, intriguing, easy to read, detailed descriptions of scenes and a story that just flows... another great read from Charmaine Pauls!
As a lover of possessive alpha hero with a gentle heart for the heroine, Charmaine is one of my go to author. Even though some of her heroes are not the typical good looking ones, she still manage to make me think passed the physical appearance. Her heroines are delicate but clever and you’ll find yourself loving them.
I’m giving this a 4 ⭐️ cause I think this can be improved more. I just notice a few of the sentences are missing some words, had the wrong spelling and one that just doesn’t make sense. Even though I can look pass through them, other’s may not.
Another thing is the hero’s appearance is not described as well as the heroine. It just says that he’s unattractive which doesn’t match the cover of the book. I don’t know if I just missed it but the only thing I know and can remember are the colour of their eyes. Only minor things but still makes a difference.
Overall, I love the book and I can’t wait to read the rest of it!
This is the kind of book that I live for. Sexy, hot, mysterious, intriguing, easy to read, detailed descriptions of scenes and a story that just flows... another great read from Charmaine Pauls!
As a lover of possessive alpha hero with a gentle heart for the heroine, Charmaine is one of my go to author. Even though some of her heroes are not the typical good looking ones, she still manage to make me think passed the physical appearance. Her heroines are delicate but clever and you’ll find yourself loving them.
I’m giving this a 4 ⭐️ cause I think this can be improved more. I just notice a few of the sentences are missing some words, had the wrong spelling and one that just doesn’t make sense. Even though I can look pass through them, other’s may not.
Another thing is the hero’s appearance is not described as well as the heroine. It just says that he’s unattractive which doesn’t match the cover of the book. I don’t know if I just missed it but the only thing I know and can remember are the colour of their eyes. Only minor things but still makes a difference.
Overall, I love the book and I can’t wait to read the rest of it!
November 15, 2021
Good start to a new trilogy.
It's a standalone trilogy so you need to read all three book for this series but although the series is linked to other characters from the author it's not necessary to read those if this is your first book by this author.
As with any first book of a trilogy sometimes motives and intentions are hard to work out in the first book as the reader does not always have all the information at first.
It is a darker series and although at times the Hero seems to redeem himself you then feel you'd like to slap him.
The heroine is in an impossible situation, being held hostage as a pawn.
There are links to the mafia and family angst too.
Ends on a cliffhanger.
Can't wait to see how the Hero will redeem himself, if he can.
It's a standalone trilogy so you need to read all three book for this series but although the series is linked to other characters from the author it's not necessary to read those if this is your first book by this author.
As with any first book of a trilogy sometimes motives and intentions are hard to work out in the first book as the reader does not always have all the information at first.
It is a darker series and although at times the Hero seems to redeem himself you then feel you'd like to slap him.
The heroine is in an impossible situation, being held hostage as a pawn.
There are links to the mafia and family angst too.
Ends on a cliffhanger.
Can't wait to see how the Hero will redeem himself, if he can.
April 21, 2021
According to Wikipedia.....Déjà vu is the feeling that one has lived through the present situation before. This is a French phrase that translates literally as "already seen"....thats how I relate to this wonderful book!
The storyline and character is realistic and believable and went straight to your soul. The element of surprise from book 1 to book 3 make me invested my time to read this trilogy like I'm in reading marathon. Hate the hero at the beginning but slowly I understand his demon!
Perhaps I'm biased about the heroine-Zoe. I'm a designer and I could relate to her struggle wanted to be a designer and the whole process to become one from enrolling Art School till get first client...like I said earlier....dejavu
The storyline and character is realistic and believable and went straight to your soul. The element of surprise from book 1 to book 3 make me invested my time to read this trilogy like I'm in reading marathon. Hate the hero at the beginning but slowly I understand his demon!
Perhaps I'm biased about the heroine-Zoe. I'm a designer and I could relate to her struggle wanted to be a designer and the whole process to become one from enrolling Art School till get first client...like I said earlier....dejavu
July 16, 2020
I've been counting down the days ever since i knew this series was coming. Now that i have not one,but two of the three books,and know that i can keep reading just that little longer,i can finally indulge....And adding to my happiness,is the fact that i have both as an ARC as well!!
What did Zoe ever do wrong to deserve the life she's living? Still,the dreams she has of a better life keep her going. Until the day Maxime barges into her life,taking her just because she's Damian's sister...Not only that,the only choice he gives her,is between staying with him or being abused by the other men in his family. And if she doesn't behave,Damian (the only person she loves) will have to suffer...
Shattering her dreams by using them against her, breaks her heart and she can't help but hate him for it. Until she meets the rest of the family....and finds out what could've been her fate. Has Maxime really been treating her that bad,compared to that? He may seem callous,but he dóes treat her reasonably well as long as she behaves...
Diamonds in the Dust ends in a hell of a cliffhanger,plunging me into the abyss....
I need Diamonds in the Rough more than my next breath!
What did Zoe ever do wrong to deserve the life she's living? Still,the dreams she has of a better life keep her going. Until the day Maxime barges into her life,taking her just because she's Damian's sister...Not only that,the only choice he gives her,is between staying with him or being abused by the other men in his family. And if she doesn't behave,Damian (the only person she loves) will have to suffer...
Shattering her dreams by using them against her, breaks her heart and she can't help but hate him for it. Until she meets the rest of the family....and finds out what could've been her fate. Has Maxime really been treating her that bad,compared to that? He may seem callous,but he dóes treat her reasonably well as long as she behaves...
Diamonds in the Dust ends in a hell of a cliffhanger,plunging me into the abyss....
I need Diamonds in the Rough more than my next breath!
October 21, 2021
Recensione in Anteprima sulla mia pagina Bookstagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVR8qHAMt...
⭐⭐⭐⭐, 5
«Un giorno troverò un principe, lo sposerò e diventerò una principessa. Vivremo in un castello e saremo felici per sempre. Vedrai!», ripeteva spesso Zoe all’età di cinque anni a Damian, il fratello che amava moltissimo.
Ma poi era cresciuta, e le cose non erano andate affatto in quel modo.
Anzi, si era ritrovata a vivere in Sud Africa in una situazione precaria e senza futuro.
Come se non bastasse degli sconosciuti si erano intrufolati nel suo scarno appartamento.
L’aspetto di uno di loro, possente e autoritario, evocava denaro e potere:
«Ha il viso squadrato con lineamenti affilati, la sua pelle ha una tonalità calda, ma i suoi occhi sono freddi, grigi come un cielo coperto».
Certamente non era entrato in casa sua per soldi ma l’alternativa del perché lo avesse fatto spaventava Zoe ancor di più.
Cosa potevano mai volere da una come lei che non aveva nulla da offrire a nessuno?
Zoe era solo una pedina, lo sapeva bene Maxime che aveva ricevuto il compito di prelevarla dalla sua casa e portarla a suo fratello. Tutto era andato secondo i piani, ma quando l’uomo aveva visto il suo appartamento gli era stato subito chiaro che la ragazza fosse un’idealista, perché tra quelle mura aveva disseminato i suoi sogni ovunque.
L’aveva desiderata fin dal primo momento ma purtroppo per lei era proprio il tipo di donna che piaceva ad Alexis.
Consegnarla a suo fratello però avrebbe significato decretare la sua fine.
Urgeva un piano per tenerla al sicuro da lui. Alla svelta.
🖋️È stata una lettura magnetica, scorrevole e veloce.
Racconta la coinvolgente storia d’amore non del tipo convenzionale ma oscura e assai intrigante, tra l’esponente di una pericolosa famiglia che traffica diamanti e una giovane ragazza squattrinata che si trova in una condizione di estrema povertà ma che coltiva ugualmente il sogno di diventare un giorno una stilista.
Maxime non è un cavaliere dalla lucente armatura, dunque non il principe azzurro che Zoe sognava da piccola, ma uno spietato criminale che con modi all’apparenza gentili e disinteressati che celano in realtà una sapiente manipolazione, saprà sfruttare a proprio vantaggio il sentimento di cieca lealtà di Zoe per suo fratello Damian, che è protagonista del libro già pubblicato dall’autrice "Bellezza nella devastazione".
*Ringrazio la CE per la copia ARC
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVR8qHAMt...
⭐⭐⭐⭐, 5
«Un giorno troverò un principe, lo sposerò e diventerò una principessa. Vivremo in un castello e saremo felici per sempre. Vedrai!», ripeteva spesso Zoe all’età di cinque anni a Damian, il fratello che amava moltissimo.
Ma poi era cresciuta, e le cose non erano andate affatto in quel modo.
Anzi, si era ritrovata a vivere in Sud Africa in una situazione precaria e senza futuro.
Come se non bastasse degli sconosciuti si erano intrufolati nel suo scarno appartamento.
L’aspetto di uno di loro, possente e autoritario, evocava denaro e potere:
«Ha il viso squadrato con lineamenti affilati, la sua pelle ha una tonalità calda, ma i suoi occhi sono freddi, grigi come un cielo coperto».
Certamente non era entrato in casa sua per soldi ma l’alternativa del perché lo avesse fatto spaventava Zoe ancor di più.
Cosa potevano mai volere da una come lei che non aveva nulla da offrire a nessuno?
Zoe era solo una pedina, lo sapeva bene Maxime che aveva ricevuto il compito di prelevarla dalla sua casa e portarla a suo fratello. Tutto era andato secondo i piani, ma quando l’uomo aveva visto il suo appartamento gli era stato subito chiaro che la ragazza fosse un’idealista, perché tra quelle mura aveva disseminato i suoi sogni ovunque.
L’aveva desiderata fin dal primo momento ma purtroppo per lei era proprio il tipo di donna che piaceva ad Alexis.
Consegnarla a suo fratello però avrebbe significato decretare la sua fine.
Urgeva un piano per tenerla al sicuro da lui. Alla svelta.
🖋️È stata una lettura magnetica, scorrevole e veloce.
Racconta la coinvolgente storia d’amore non del tipo convenzionale ma oscura e assai intrigante, tra l’esponente di una pericolosa famiglia che traffica diamanti e una giovane ragazza squattrinata che si trova in una condizione di estrema povertà ma che coltiva ugualmente il sogno di diventare un giorno una stilista.
Maxime non è un cavaliere dalla lucente armatura, dunque non il principe azzurro che Zoe sognava da piccola, ma uno spietato criminale che con modi all’apparenza gentili e disinteressati che celano in realtà una sapiente manipolazione, saprà sfruttare a proprio vantaggio il sentimento di cieca lealtà di Zoe per suo fratello Damian, che è protagonista del libro già pubblicato dall’autrice "Bellezza nella devastazione".
*Ringrazio la CE per la copia ARC
May 9, 2020
It’s no secret that I love dark romance ... the danger is my kryptonite. And the captive-captor trope? That’s the icing on the dark romance cake. Charmaine Pauls just gave me a cake-worthy romance that gained her a new fan, as I devoured every crumb of her dark sensation, Diamonds in the Dust. Dangerously dark, deliciously dirty, and downright addicting, Diamonds in the Dust is a romance gem that shines in every way.
Diamonds in the Dust entails the classic theme beloved by romance readers worldwide: a woman is stolen away from her safe, ordinary life by a potentially dangerous man. The hero, Maxime, is handsome, ruthless, powerful, perhaps an enemy, but most importantly, a stranger. I both loved and hated this anti-hero. Paired with the stunning, sassy, and strong heroine, Zoe, their budding romance dances in dark and dangerous territory, making their bond even more passionate and powerful. This hero and heroine are a formidable mix of fire and ice, freezing and burning, and blurring lines between captor and captive. Perfection together!
He mashes our lips together, sucking the very life out of me as if this is a new kind of war.
This can’t-put-it-down, beautifully crafted dark romance is intense with flawless and feel-worthy writing that pulled me to the edge, leaving me no choice but to surrender to this seductive and spellbinding story. I was a captive to this high-octane, hold-your-breath book. I lived and breathed this Beauty and the Beast-like story, which stole every breath, every thought, and every feel like a thief in the night. Pure addiction.
I want her fear and pleasure. I want her happiness and submission.
A story that’s a potent hit of smolder and sin that dances in the dark, Diamonds in the Dust waves danger around like a red flag, daring readers to ride this riveting roller coaster of fear and feels. An adrenaline rush of danger, desire, and decadence all wrapped into one pretty package. I loved every minute. I can’t wait to unwrap more!
”You’ll be my destruction.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ dark and decadent stars
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May 12, 2020
Zoe and Maxime this book is on fire! The beginning pace is super fast and actually this entire first installment is! This has everything I look for in a mafia book. Anti heroes, pawned heroines. Plus its set in France which is a nice change for me. I just would have liked to see more of the couple developing. With the cliffy ending, I'll be sure to be back for the next one!
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
May 12, 2020
Charmaine Paul's writes stories that capture the reader from page 1 and then gently weaves the story until the devastating end.
Zoe dreams of princes and castles and the man of her dreams rising in and rescuing her from her life. But as her brother Damian tells her repeatedly, those stories are not real.
The journey that Zoe goes on with Maxime is wrought with lies, dangerous men, and unbridled passion.
But that ending...I can only imagine what will happen in book 2, and I hope I am right.
Zoe dreams of princes and castles and the man of her dreams rising in and rescuing her from her life. But as her brother Damian tells her repeatedly, those stories are not real.
The journey that Zoe goes on with Maxime is wrought with lies, dangerous men, and unbridled passion.
But that ending...I can only imagine what will happen in book 2, and I hope I am right.
May 21, 2020
❤~🌟~❤ 5 DARK GLITTERING STARS! ❤~🌟~❤
“Life isn’t a fairytale...”
Charmaine Pauls dazzles once again in DIAMONDS IN THE DUST, a wondrously wicked, dark mafia romance that slayed my heart and soul!
THE PREMISE:
(Set in the same world as Ms. Pauls’ previous Diamond Magnate book, BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN, this tale features Damian younger sister, Zoe. And while it reads as a complete standalone, chronologically the events of this story take place prior to BITB.)
After her old brother is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Zoe Hart is left all alone in the world, surviving hand to mouth on her paltry seamstress salary. But despite her dreary, desolate life, the penniless beauty still dreams of one day finding her own prince who will rescue her and make all her dreams come true. And one fateful night, she does in fact encounter a tall, dark stranger, but this menacing foreigner is the antithesis of the chivalrous white knight she’s been wishing for. In the blink of an eye her whimsical childhood dreams turn into her most terrifying nightmares as she finds herself taken captive and totally at Maxime Belshaw’s mercy.
Maxime plans on using Zoe as collateral to control her brother. So, while he intends to spirit Zoe away, it’s not to the faraway castle like in her make-believe fairytales . But there is just something about this pretty, delicate “little flower” that calls to an elemental part of him, and instead of delivering her to his sadistic younger brother, as planned, he decides to stake his own claim on her!
Zoe has no choice but to agree to become his mistress, or the consequences will be dire. But while being with Maxime might be the lesser of two evils, he has his own cruel, manipulative designs on this pretty pawn. He will lavish her with beautiful, sumptuous things, but they will come at the ULTIMATE price. For he has every intention of bending his sweet, virginal captive to his will and making her succumb to his dark, twisted desires.
“I want her. I want her fear and pleasure. I want her happiness and submission.”
But along the way, her goodness and purity, sweetness, sass and resilience, permeates his pitch-black soul. As impeding war looms beyond his iron gates, an agonizing inner battle rages within Maxime. When all is said and done, can this dark lord of the manor follow through on his dastardly plans at his precious little flower’s expense ?
MY MUSINGS:
This first wildly addictive installment in the DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER trilogy was BEYOND BRILLIANT! Charmaine Pauls puts her own unique spin on the fairy tale trope and this novel truly has everything I dream of in a gritty mafia romance—a dangerously depraved, achingly tender, dark mafia prince you can’t help but secretly covet for yourself, a brave, beguiling, and enchanting Cinderella who brings her iron-hearted captor to his knees, an action-packed plot chock full of hot, blistering passion, peril and suspense, and at its core, a tortuously beautiful love story that enthralls you from page one!
Where to BEGIN expounding on the numerous virtues of this spellbinding story? Well, I guess it’s only fitting to start with Maxime. Oh how I loved this deliciously diabolical antihero with EVERY QUAVERING BREATH I TOOK! As the ruthless underboss for the Belshaw family empire, his job is to control the diamond traffic, and when his lucrative business is compromised, watch out! Maxime’s led a very violent life, and as such, he makes no apologies for doing what needs to be done to preserve his family legacy. Yet while he is HARDLY Zoe’s savior, he is also not the villain of this story either. Even so, he can he be so exquisitely caring in one moment and unbelievably cruel in the next. Which raises the question..... Is he a cultured gentleman or the monster of her nightmares?
All, we know for sure is that he’s “a dangerous cocktail of mixed signals.” And as the story unfolds, Maxime’s little flower, who was initially used as tool to pull her brother’s strings, miraculously begins to warm his ice-cold heart. He has never targeted an innocent like Zoe before and his malevolent actions toward her begins to chip away at his conscience, while at the same time he goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her from his vile family. I love how Zoe brings out the softer side of Max, shining her pure radiant light into his dark, desolate world, and giving us glimmers of the humanity that lay dormant in his tarnished soul. But has he already inflicted too much damage on her for true redemption to ever be possible? Gah! There are SO MANY fascinating layers to this gloriously sinister alphahole, and much more to be unveiled I am sure as the series progresses.
As for Zoe, what’s NOT to adore about this endearing heroine? She’s sweet and feisty, a dreamer, and a true romantic at heart. And despite all the hardship she’s suffered in her life—and the venomous snake pit she’s now traversing—she is a woman of “hopeless faith and quiet resilience.” She lives inside of her head, escaping into her fairytale fantasies to endure what she’s facing in the real world, but as hard as she tries, she cannot desensitize herself to Maxime’s sweet wrath. Because as much as she is repelled by his brutality, she is also magnetically drawn to her formidable master as well. For his furious, unbridled lust, breathtaking tenderness and dark depravity unleashes fierce forbidden yearnings inside of her that turn her world asunder.
“There’s something about being held like this by a man. It makes me want to submit to his possession, to be dominated by his strength and protected by his power.”
By golly! This unconventional love story is NOT your typical whimsical fairytale by any stretch of the imagination—and some of the despicable things that Damian does to gain the upper hand made me cringe—but holy intensity are the sizzling erotic interludes and scintillating power exchanges ELECTRIFYING! But eeek…some of these encounters in which pleasure and punishment are doled out in equal measure are NOT for the faint of heart. So, you HAVE been warned!
Ultimately, this dark and gritty, scorching hot, emotionally charged tale does not sugarcoat the bloodshed that goes hand in hand with the mafia world. But wrapped up within all the violence and vengeance and twisted manipulations is a glittering, gut-punching love story that took my breath away! Danger and treachery, passion and pathos vibrate off of EACH page and the full throttle tension keeps mounting until the pulse-pounding finale where I was wracked with so much nerves my heart nearly burst at the seams!
But, alas, we will have to wait a bit for this fabled couple to ride off into the sunset together because it ends on a SCREAM-WORTHY cliffy that leaves us BEGGING for more! However, while this ending WRECKED me, the beautifully wicked sorceress of an author brilliantly set the stage for the next book in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER trilogy, which is guaranteed to be equally astounding!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
“Life isn’t a fairytale...”
Charmaine Pauls dazzles once again in DIAMONDS IN THE DUST, a wondrously wicked, dark mafia romance that slayed my heart and soul!
THE PREMISE:
(Set in the same world as Ms. Pauls’ previous Diamond Magnate book, BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN, this tale features Damian younger sister, Zoe. And while it reads as a complete standalone, chronologically the events of this story take place prior to BITB.)
After her old brother is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Zoe Hart is left all alone in the world, surviving hand to mouth on her paltry seamstress salary. But despite her dreary, desolate life, the penniless beauty still dreams of one day finding her own prince who will rescue her and make all her dreams come true. And one fateful night, she does in fact encounter a tall, dark stranger, but this menacing foreigner is the antithesis of the chivalrous white knight she’s been wishing for. In the blink of an eye her whimsical childhood dreams turn into her most terrifying nightmares as she finds herself taken captive and totally at Maxime Belshaw’s mercy.
Maxime plans on using Zoe as collateral to control her brother. So, while he intends to spirit Zoe away, it’s not to the faraway castle like in her make-believe fairytales . But there is just something about this pretty, delicate “little flower” that calls to an elemental part of him, and instead of delivering her to his sadistic younger brother, as planned, he decides to stake his own claim on her!
Zoe has no choice but to agree to become his mistress, or the consequences will be dire. But while being with Maxime might be the lesser of two evils, he has his own cruel, manipulative designs on this pretty pawn. He will lavish her with beautiful, sumptuous things, but they will come at the ULTIMATE price. For he has every intention of bending his sweet, virginal captive to his will and making her succumb to his dark, twisted desires.
“I want her. I want her fear and pleasure. I want her happiness and submission.”
But along the way, her goodness and purity, sweetness, sass and resilience, permeates his pitch-black soul. As impeding war looms beyond his iron gates, an agonizing inner battle rages within Maxime. When all is said and done, can this dark lord of the manor follow through on his dastardly plans at his precious little flower’s expense ?
MY MUSINGS:
This first wildly addictive installment in the DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER trilogy was BEYOND BRILLIANT! Charmaine Pauls puts her own unique spin on the fairy tale trope and this novel truly has everything I dream of in a gritty mafia romance—a dangerously depraved, achingly tender, dark mafia prince you can’t help but secretly covet for yourself, a brave, beguiling, and enchanting Cinderella who brings her iron-hearted captor to his knees, an action-packed plot chock full of hot, blistering passion, peril and suspense, and at its core, a tortuously beautiful love story that enthralls you from page one!
Where to BEGIN expounding on the numerous virtues of this spellbinding story? Well, I guess it’s only fitting to start with Maxime. Oh how I loved this deliciously diabolical antihero with EVERY QUAVERING BREATH I TOOK! As the ruthless underboss for the Belshaw family empire, his job is to control the diamond traffic, and when his lucrative business is compromised, watch out! Maxime’s led a very violent life, and as such, he makes no apologies for doing what needs to be done to preserve his family legacy. Yet while he is HARDLY Zoe’s savior, he is also not the villain of this story either. Even so, he can he be so exquisitely caring in one moment and unbelievably cruel in the next. Which raises the question..... Is he a cultured gentleman or the monster of her nightmares?
All, we know for sure is that he’s “a dangerous cocktail of mixed signals.” And as the story unfolds, Maxime’s little flower, who was initially used as tool to pull her brother’s strings, miraculously begins to warm his ice-cold heart. He has never targeted an innocent like Zoe before and his malevolent actions toward her begins to chip away at his conscience, while at the same time he goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her from his vile family. I love how Zoe brings out the softer side of Max, shining her pure radiant light into his dark, desolate world, and giving us glimmers of the humanity that lay dormant in his tarnished soul. But has he already inflicted too much damage on her for true redemption to ever be possible? Gah! There are SO MANY fascinating layers to this gloriously sinister alphahole, and much more to be unveiled I am sure as the series progresses.
As for Zoe, what’s NOT to adore about this endearing heroine? She’s sweet and feisty, a dreamer, and a true romantic at heart. And despite all the hardship she’s suffered in her life—and the venomous snake pit she’s now traversing—she is a woman of “hopeless faith and quiet resilience.” She lives inside of her head, escaping into her fairytale fantasies to endure what she’s facing in the real world, but as hard as she tries, she cannot desensitize herself to Maxime’s sweet wrath. Because as much as she is repelled by his brutality, she is also magnetically drawn to her formidable master as well. For his furious, unbridled lust, breathtaking tenderness and dark depravity unleashes fierce forbidden yearnings inside of her that turn her world asunder.
“There’s something about being held like this by a man. It makes me want to submit to his possession, to be dominated by his strength and protected by his power.”
By golly! This unconventional love story is NOT your typical whimsical fairytale by any stretch of the imagination—and some of the despicable things that Damian does to gain the upper hand made me cringe—but holy intensity are the sizzling erotic interludes and scintillating power exchanges ELECTRIFYING! But eeek…some of these encounters in which pleasure and punishment are doled out in equal measure are NOT for the faint of heart. So, you HAVE been warned!
Ultimately, this dark and gritty, scorching hot, emotionally charged tale does not sugarcoat the bloodshed that goes hand in hand with the mafia world. But wrapped up within all the violence and vengeance and twisted manipulations is a glittering, gut-punching love story that took my breath away! Danger and treachery, passion and pathos vibrate off of EACH page and the full throttle tension keeps mounting until the pulse-pounding finale where I was wracked with so much nerves my heart nearly burst at the seams!
But, alas, we will have to wait a bit for this fabled couple to ride off into the sunset together because it ends on a SCREAM-WORTHY cliffy that leaves us BEGGING for more! However, while this ending WRECKED me, the beautifully wicked sorceress of an author brilliantly set the stage for the next book in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER trilogy, which is guaranteed to be equally astounding!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
October 25, 2021
Primo volume di una trilogia dark romance con venature suspense e devo dire che Charmain Pauls è stata una buona scoperta.
In genere quello che guardo in storie con questi tag sono il ritmo narrativo, la bravura dell'autrice nell'immedesimazione dei personaggi e nel costruire il loro percorso psicologico, il grado di voyeurismo.
In questo caso, l'autrice è stata sufficientemente attenta a tutti gli aspetti. Prima di capire cosa si nasconde dietro la storia di Zoe e del perchè Maxime tiene in maniera maniacale a lei, attendo di leggere i restanti 2 volumi.
Nel frattempo, lo consiglio a chiunque cerchi dark romance ben scritti.
In genere quello che guardo in storie con questi tag sono il ritmo narrativo, la bravura dell'autrice nell'immedesimazione dei personaggi e nel costruire il loro percorso psicologico, il grado di voyeurismo.
In questo caso, l'autrice è stata sufficientemente attenta a tutti gli aspetti. Prima di capire cosa si nasconde dietro la storia di Zoe e del perchè Maxime tiene in maniera maniacale a lei, attendo di leggere i restanti 2 volumi.
Nel frattempo, lo consiglio a chiunque cerchi dark romance ben scritti.
May 19, 2020
This series is getting better and better!!! Maxim is to die for!!! And sweet Zoe is in the middle trying to figure a way out. That ending just leave you wondering!!!!! Just Wow Fabulous!!!Crazy good
May 17, 2020
Anti-hero after my own heart
Maxime is a dark romance (anti-)hero after my own heart: cold, scarred (physically as well as mentally), ruthless, and brutal when cirumstances necessitate it. And he has a French accent (swoon for that alone). So it seems that in his relationship with Zoe – the heroine - he holds all the power, but although Zoe acquiesces to Maxime’s proposal for the moment, she has a core of strength that allows her to find pockets of resistance and to keep her innermost self untarnished by the things she is forced to endure and by the things Maxime makes her do (and reluctantly enjoy).
But before I delve deeper into the story, first some warnings: this is a dark romance that contains scenes of a sexual nature and quite graphic depictions of violence and abuse. Also the relationship between hero and heroine can best be described as forced consent, so if you are triggered by any of that, by all means steer clear of the book. If, on the other hand, you are like me, this will only make you want to read the book all the more.
Second warning: Diamonds in the Dust is the first book in a trilogy and it ends on a literal cliffhanger. The good news is that books two and three are going to be released at two month intervals, so maybe you will want to wait; me, I was unable to contain myself.
Also, Maxime and Zoe’s story is part of the Diamond Magnate collection and as such sort of a prequel to Beauty in the Broken. It can be read as a standalone, but there is a loose connection as Zoe is Damian’s sister. So, while Damian is still in prison, Zoe etches out a living as a seamstress in Johannesburg. She is poor, but she still has hope of one day becoming a fashion designers and she still clings to an ephemeral dream of getting rescued by a white knight. That’s when Maxime crashes into her life unexpectedly, only he is no knight in shining armor, quite the opposite: he is the heir and de facto leader of a French crime family who have their hands in the South African Diamond trade, and as his family wants to gain leverage over Damian, whose influence in the business is growing even while imprisoned, they decide to take his sister as a kind of byzantine hostage. Maxime is tasked with collecting her and delivering her to the family. But Zoe’s innocence and hope that she kept even while living in squalor touches something within him, and he decides that if Zoe has to become a pawn, she could just as well become his…
It’s difficult to put into words what exactly the qualities are that make me like – or rather crave – Charmaine Pauls’ brand of dark romance so much. I think it has to do with her ability to create the perfect tension between the dubious/forced consent position she usually places the heroine in and then showing us ways how that heroine manages to resist in small, but meaningful ways, even while outwardly surrendering. And although there is violence, the relationship between the main protagonists is always much more a battle of wills and it is definitively not one-sided. Her heroines are often put into positions where they seem to have no choice, and though in general they act sensibly and submit for the moment, they never give up and they look to (re-)assert their own agency, sometimes in dramatic ways that change the power dynamic. Her heroes are scary and fascinating (or fascinatingly scary), not because of the violence they are capable of, but because they usually keep a very tight check on their emotions and only apply violence with surgical precision.
5 exuberant stars and counting the days until I can get my hands on part 2 of Maxime and Zoe’s story.
Maxime is a dark romance (anti-)hero after my own heart: cold, scarred (physically as well as mentally), ruthless, and brutal when cirumstances necessitate it. And he has a French accent (swoon for that alone). So it seems that in his relationship with Zoe – the heroine - he holds all the power, but although Zoe acquiesces to Maxime’s proposal for the moment, she has a core of strength that allows her to find pockets of resistance and to keep her innermost self untarnished by the things she is forced to endure and by the things Maxime makes her do (and reluctantly enjoy).
But before I delve deeper into the story, first some warnings: this is a dark romance that contains scenes of a sexual nature and quite graphic depictions of violence and abuse. Also the relationship between hero and heroine can best be described as forced consent, so if you are triggered by any of that, by all means steer clear of the book. If, on the other hand, you are like me, this will only make you want to read the book all the more.
Second warning: Diamonds in the Dust is the first book in a trilogy and it ends on a literal cliffhanger. The good news is that books two and three are going to be released at two month intervals, so maybe you will want to wait; me, I was unable to contain myself.
Also, Maxime and Zoe’s story is part of the Diamond Magnate collection and as such sort of a prequel to Beauty in the Broken. It can be read as a standalone, but there is a loose connection as Zoe is Damian’s sister. So, while Damian is still in prison, Zoe etches out a living as a seamstress in Johannesburg. She is poor, but she still has hope of one day becoming a fashion designers and she still clings to an ephemeral dream of getting rescued by a white knight. That’s when Maxime crashes into her life unexpectedly, only he is no knight in shining armor, quite the opposite: he is the heir and de facto leader of a French crime family who have their hands in the South African Diamond trade, and as his family wants to gain leverage over Damian, whose influence in the business is growing even while imprisoned, they decide to take his sister as a kind of byzantine hostage. Maxime is tasked with collecting her and delivering her to the family. But Zoe’s innocence and hope that she kept even while living in squalor touches something within him, and he decides that if Zoe has to become a pawn, she could just as well become his…
It’s difficult to put into words what exactly the qualities are that make me like – or rather crave – Charmaine Pauls’ brand of dark romance so much. I think it has to do with her ability to create the perfect tension between the dubious/forced consent position she usually places the heroine in and then showing us ways how that heroine manages to resist in small, but meaningful ways, even while outwardly surrendering. And although there is violence, the relationship between the main protagonists is always much more a battle of wills and it is definitively not one-sided. Her heroines are often put into positions where they seem to have no choice, and though in general they act sensibly and submit for the moment, they never give up and they look to (re-)assert their own agency, sometimes in dramatic ways that change the power dynamic. Her heroes are scary and fascinating (or fascinatingly scary), not because of the violence they are capable of, but because they usually keep a very tight check on their emotions and only apply violence with surgical precision.
5 exuberant stars and counting the days until I can get my hands on part 2 of Maxime and Zoe’s story.
June 3, 2020
Holy Shit!!! What did I just read. That ending!!! my god. I don't think I will ever recover from this book.
Diamonds in the dust is a perfect combination of hate and love , and let me tell you , the way the author had portrayed the story line will just blow your mind. Those major characters were just so marvelous. Specially Maxime. He was such an asshole. But let me warn you, no matter how much of an asshole he is, you will definitely end up falling in love with him. That is the thing about all the anti-heroes of Charmaine. No matter what they do , you will love them!!
“Nothing we’ve shared is real,”
“The kindness isn’t real. It means nothing, which means this means nothing, too.”
“You mean nothing to me, and you never will.”
The way the tension is built in the book is so amazing. I knew that I was going to get blasted by a cliffy in the end, but I still couldn't stop reading. The way the book sucked me in even surprised me!
My heart really broke for Zoe. The way she was so innocent in the starting of the book, but then life taught her some harsh lessons and slowly she saw that life is indeed not a fairy tale and she had to harden herself.
Both Maxime and Zoe suffered so much and I just can't wait for the next installment of the trilogy!!!!
When the ending came, I was just screaming at the author for being so cruel and leaving me at that cliffhanger!!!! How could she do that!! Charmaine pauls, you really are a little devil!!
This book is recommended to all those dark romance lovers whose twisted minds can handle this book and can accept the best-cliffhanger I have ever read!!!
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