Unmasking the Diamond

Courting the Unconventional #7

by Laura Beers

Unmasking the truth means risking everything—even love.

Miss Charlotte Winslow may be the diamond of the Season, but beneath her flawless exterior lies a secret—she writes for the Society pages. Years of hiding behind her carefully crafted mask have left her doubting her own worth and believing happiness to be a luxury meant for others. That is, until she crosses paths with Lord Luca Dexter—an infuriating, perceptive man who sees far too much and refuses to be ignored.

Luca may be the younger son of a duke, but unlike most men of his rank, he earns his living as the owner of The London Gazette. When he discovers Miss Winslow’s secret talent, he’s determined to recruit her to write for his newssheets. But Charlotte refuses to be reduced to mere gossip columns—if she writes for him, it will be for something that matters.

Luca and Charlotte agree to have her write something of substance. When their investigation uncovers a dangerous conspiracy, Luca finds himself torn between his growing affection for Charlotte and his desperate need to protect her. But Charlotte is not a woman who wishes to be saved. And as tragedy looms, Luca must risk everything—including his heart—to rescue the one woman who taught him that love is worth unmasking for.


As the seventh novel in the Courting the Unconventional series by author Laura Beers, Unmasking the Debutante continues the series. This is a light-hearted, clean and wholesome romance set in the Regency era. All books in this series have their own Happily-Ever-After and are best enjoyed in proper order.


Other series by Laura Beers include The Beckett Files, Regency A Promise of Love, Proper Regency Matchmakers, Regency Spies & Secrets, Gentlemen of London, Lords & Ladies of Mayfair and The Lockwood Family.

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 7, 2026

About the author

Laura Beers is an award-winning author. She attended Brigham Young University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management. She can't sing, doesn't dance and loves naps.

Laura lives in Utah with her husband, three kids, and her dysfunctional dog. When not writing regency romance, she loves waterskiing, hiking, and drinking Dr Pepper.

You can connect with Laura on Facebook, Instagram, or on her site at www.authorlaurabeers.com.

Reviews

[Melissa (christianbooksandcoffee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! It was so much fun! I absolutely loved the banter between Luca and Charlotte. He teases her a lot and she insults him in return. I laughed so much! The chemistry between them was just great! The mystery part of the story was good. I felt bad for the poor ladies who suffered at the evil hands. I liked seeing reoccurring characters from the previous stories again! Overall a great story and I recommend!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content: around 3 uses of “d*mn”,

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful addition to Courting the Unconventional with characters that have been in previous books. There is carryover of situations and characters from book to book so reading in order is helpful.

Miss Charlotte Winslow is certainly very unconventional as she writes for the society pages under a pseudonym Mr Fairchild. She has also been dubbed the Diamond for the Season and from the outside she is flawless. She wears a perfect mask at all times of what is expected of the Diamond but she has some deep wounds and insecurities that came from a father who gave her no attention except. negative remarks. Her mother died after her birth and Charlotte carried the guilt of it. The only person who can seem to get behind her mask is Lord Luca Dexter. He loves to goad her to get a reaction from her. Whenever he approaches her there are sure to be sparks flying.

Luca is the second son of a duke and he owns and writes for The London Gazette. He has been trying to discover who Mr Fairchild is to get him to come and write for his news sheets. When the Bow Street Runner he hired discovers that Mr Fairchild is actually Miss Charlotte Winslow, Luca immediately seeks her out to see if she will come to work for him. After getting over her shiock that he knows what she is doing, she lets him know she will only consider it if he allows her to also write serious articles that matter.

Luca will draw Charlotte into the investigation he is doing on the Chelmsford Asylum which is a small private asylum where it seems some wealthy men are sending their wives. After five months they seem to all die of influenza. He believes there is something nefarious going on. As they work together to find out who runs and owns the Asylum threats begin on Luca's and Charlotte's lives. Luca will do everything he can to protect Charlotte including having a false engagement.

These two are so perfect for one another as they have the same passion for seeking and revealing the truth. Luca may be the only man that can heal the deep wound in Charlotte's life if he can get her to open up to him.

I love the breadcrumbs that are left for upcoming stories throughout this book.

I received a copy of this book fro the author and this is my honest unbiased review.

[M. K. Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars: I really, really enjoyed this book! This is a sweet historical romance about a girl who writes a gossip column but wants to be taken seriously and a man who runs a newspaper and is trying to get the facts on an important story. I feel like it started out being a version of Penelope/Lady Whistledown from the Bridgerton show if the story was clean and the dialogue was tighter, but it definitely morphed into its own story. Charlotte and Luca end up in one of my favorite tropes around the 35% mark and it was so fun! I was shocked by how intense the action got at the end, but it did make sense for the stakes of the story. The asylum plotline seemed to be well-researched, and overall I felt like the history enhanced the story without getting in the way of the romance. I liked that the cast was a little less insular than some similar romances, so we got to see the couple's interactions with a wider variety of characters. Charlotte's relationship with her brother was very interesting, and I wished we could have seen even more detail there. Overall, I found this a compelling story and an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the author for the ARC copy; all opinions are my own.

[Shauna Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all wear masks but what is behind hers?
Such a great book of falling in love with the person behind the mask, the real person without pretense or airs. Charlotte was the Diamond of the season. She flirted, said the right things, did the right things, was in all the right places, but had secrets few, if any, knew. Lord Luca was drawn to Charlotte, mostly to tease and torment her. But he has secrets too. Things he is working on for the newspaper he owns, that have the ability to anger some powerful people. When an unexpected and unwelcome marriage proposal comes to Charlotte, Luca quickly steps in to save her. As they interact, they begin to discover each other’s secrets as well as secrets hidden by the powerful. When danger arrives will they survive and will they be able to right some wrongs? A wonderful read. I didn’t want to put it down. I received an early copy and this is my honest review.

[Emma Cooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted the ARC of this book from the author, and all my thoughts are my own.
This book!! It was so well written! And I love how this whole series ties in with each other! And I love getting to read the book and wonder which breadcrumbs will be carried into the next book! Definitely recommended not only this book but this whole series to everyone I know!

[Laramee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book in this series! A book filled with twists and turns in unmasking the truth!

I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.

[jennie.and.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one!!

A truly gripping story, mixing historical romance with suspense!

I always love the journalist vibes as well!