All Denny Cole ever noticed was her typing speed. But Kenna Dean promised herself that one day the Atlanta lawyer would see beyond his efficient secretary to the woman beneath. It seemed an uphill battle until Denny's partner and stepbrother, Regan, decided to make her over to catch Denny's eye. But the "solution" backfired when Regan became the problem. She'd distrusted him on sight until he swept her into his practiced arms to an ecstasy she'd never known before. He was grooming her for another man, but suddenly Kenna wanted to capture only Regan's heart.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Very entertaining Cinderella/My Fair Lady type story where the hero, Regan Cole, makes over the heroine, Kenna Dean, to attract his brother Denny, then ends up falling for Kenna himself. Regan was overbearing, rude to Kenna, denied his feelings for too long, and smoked all the time. Kenna was way too naive and innocent, and she forgave everything far too easily. But despite these things, this story held a certain charm to it that kept me liking it and enjoying it a lot. There's also a lot of fun, entertaining banter between the two main characters throughout. At the end of it all, this turned out to be a pretty cute and sweet story.
A re-read because I’ve had some stinkers, and a re-review because I am bored and tired of saying bad things about books authors have poured hours into.
I didn’t want to go too far down the rainbow, butterflies and unicorn vortex so I stayed away from good LG and went to the one we all love but aren’t quite sure why, Diana Palmer. I want to emphasize a point from my first review that there is “minimum cruelty” on the part of the H. The big ole hair smoke stack can only go so far.
The sartorial portion of the book..
THE HEROINE: She’s drab hence her wearing
beige raincoat and its matching hat. A MATCHING hat.
And She had just bought the new frontier skirt and a matching high-necked ruffled blouse on Saturday
She wears that twice because she knows the H hates it. What’s really the question is why she thinks that dressing like Sister-Woman will make her attractive to the younger brother she yens for.Especially when the little brother is panting after a sexy Argentine woman. You pick!
THE HERO: his casual slacks, deep burgundy–colored velour shirt and tweed jacket. The shirt was open at the throat, and she saw a glimpse of darkly tanned skin and thick, very thick hair in the opening.
Heaven help us, a velour shirt. And he smokes.
She’s sassy… “Can I help it if God gave you unbelievable talents in lovemaking to compensate for your lack of looks?” she asked.
They banter... “The point behind teaching you to be seductive was not to teach you how to seduce me,” he said shortly. “I am not going to get sexually involved with a virgin.”
“So you keep saying,” she returned. “Then why don’t you stop kissing me and saying outrageously suggestive things to me?”
He’s manly. “You can be independent to a certain point,” he agreed. “But I’ll want you with me when I travel. I don’t want to spend nights away from you.” In other words, you’re not independent.
A young widow? The heroine to the H: Regan, will it always be like this for us, even when we’re old and wrinkled?”
“Speak for yourself, I don’t plan to get old. No, because you are going to die young or else live out your days in an oxygen tent. What the heck Diana Palmer! 3.5 verging on 4 stars.
OLD REVIEW Your hero is a gruff, head-over-his-heels, fairy godfather in the making.
The H takes the gawky h in hand so she can catch his little stepbrother. Too bad the H is head over heels in love with the heroine. To stab a trope in the heart even more, she realizes she's in love with the big bad, hairy chested Diana Palmer hero sooner rather than later. ALL DP's hero's have hairy chests.
Awwww. This was adorable. "Flat chested," plain secretary heroine is in love with her boss. Her boss's stepbrother, the hero, notices and decides he will make-over the heroine. He's worried his stepbrother is falling for a golddigger, so if he can get the boss and secretary together it will solve two little problems.
Hero is attracted to the heroine, but he's dead inside ever since his wife and unborn child were killed in a plane crash three years before.
Virgin heroine *hates* the hero because he's sarcastic, knows all of her secrets and doesn't pull any punches. Plus she's wildly attracted to him, too.
And how can she resist this?
{She} approved of his casual slacks, deep burgundy-colored velour shirt, and tweed jacket. The shirt was open at the throat, and she saw a glimpse of darkly tanned skin and thick, very thick hair in the opening. It made him look even more masculine . . .
The dress sense!
The thick, very thick chest hair!
Plus a twice-broken nose and big feet. *waggles eyebrows*
There are plenty of misunderstandings along the way with the hero not realizing the heroine has transferred her affections to him and the heroine not realizing the hero really is over his wife's death.
Yet another plane crash brings everyone to their senses.
I loved it so much!! It was sweet and angsty and both hero and heroine were so lovable. Misconceptions and misunderstandings kept them apart but their HEA was just adorable! DP writes the most romantic love stories!!!
This hero actually grew on me with his "ugly" butt!! :-)
I liked the tension, confusion, and the heroine wasn't a TOTAL doormat. The make-over was realistic. I really liked that he already liked the heroine pre-makeover and was just doing this to help her catch his brother. Uh huh. I saw through that one. The big old teddy bear was helping her get the courage she needed to seduce HIM...only THEY didn't know it at the time.
dnfd when he kept going on and on about how plain, unattractive and unremarkable she is while her comeback was "well! you're not Mr. Beautiful yourself". Felt a bit juvenile and immature to be honest... 🤷♀️
He calls her "Diamond girl" because she's his diamond in the rough!
FMC is a paralegal/ secretary in for two lawyers. 1:A boyish, blond man, he has great banter with FMC. While she secretly loves him, he never thought of her as a woman.
2:MMC: His older brother who's a criminal lawyer with ruthless reputation, dark looks and temper. FMC always fights with him, avoids him and she hates him.
When the Fmc's crush (the younger brother) began seriously dating and thinking of marriage, his older brother approached her saying "How about I help you catch the eye of my brother, in return he doesn't marry the mysterious woman he's dating."
MMC was afraid his brother's girlfriend was a gold-digger and the plan he harbored with FMC seemed infallible since she hates him and he's a widow who never slept with anyone after his wife died.
So, MMC bestowed upon our homely FMC a complete make-over and taught her how to seduce a man to the point of madness.
You can easily guess that the plan backfired on both of them!
A nice read for my 2025 Bingo Challenge (A book set in North America)
Diamond girl had a cute main couple even if Regan occasionally went too far along the grumpy and brooding scale. I did enjoy the antagonistic relationship between Reagan and Kenna though. It’s a bit of a cliché in terms of plot. Girl has crush on a guy who doesn’t notice her and in order to attract his attention an interested third party helps her get a makeover and in the process… well I’m sure you can guess the rest and if you can’t well then you won’t want the spoilers.
However, there is a film based on the book (although a lot of things are changed in it) and I have to admit to this being one of the few times that I prefer the film adaptation. But since this book doesn’t take that much time to read if you are tempted by it then give it a go. Even if you don’t like it you’ll have only lost a few hours out of your life.
I've read ''Diamond Girl'' by Diana Palmer 4 times and finished again today. Every time I reread this book, it's gets better and better even though some of the actions in the book is dated. This book remains as my all-time favorite book by Diana Palmer.
This is one of my all time favorite books. I am not sure what it is about it, but I love it. Its my comfort book, one of the ones I constantly go back and reread.
This book was for me maybe the first Diana Palmer's I ever read! I loved it so much!! It was hot and funny and both hero and heroine were so lovable. A very sweet book.
h had a crush on her boss, Denny, for two years. Several months ago, her boss's stepbrother, Regan, became her another boss. From then on, they hated each other. One day, Regan volunteered to change h into a beauty by taking her shopping, and changing her hairstyles, etc., and there was one condition, she had to seduce Denny because Regan suspected Denny's girlfriend was a gold digger. Than one thing led to another, Regan and h became closer to each other….
This story reminded me of the old movie I watched in high school music class, "Fair Lady."
This H was endurable considering DP's other jerk heroes, but not a sweetheart for sure. And his habits of smoking annoyed me, but this was DP's early works, so I supposed that was acceptable at that time?
And h's reason for not wearing a bra was to claim women's liberty was beyond me. The fashion at that time, too?
“Diamond Girl” is the story of Kenna and Regan. Kenna is in love with her boss Denny- who doesn’t notice her. Who does however notice as well as make her mad is his stepbrother Kenna, who decides she needs a makeover to ever attract Denny and get him out of a gold digger’s arms. What begins is a strange fairy godfather relationship, filled with wit, humor and passion. I really enjoyed the banter and evolution of feelings between the two. Safe 4/5
So sweet and angsty , this author has a special way of portraying characters, the small details and their physical characteristics....God I love her , DP i am a fan 🙋♀️❤
For quite some time, Kenna Dean had been in love with her boss, Denny Cole. His blond good looks and winning smile had captured her heart and Kenna would do almost anything the man asked.
Unfortunately, her relationship with Denny’s brother, Regan, was bristly and complicated. The smooth, dark New Yorker seemed woefully out of place in Denny’s small Atlanta law firm. Regan was curt and abrupt, barking orders at her like a drill sergeant.
Yet, it was Regan who noticed Kenna’s hero worship and decided to help her transform herself into a swan. In a single week, Regan managed to have Kenna’s hair cut into a becoming style, her make up redesigned and it was he who ordered a new wardrobe of stunning, eye catching outfits for her as well.
When he returned to the office, Denny was entranced by Kenna’s transformation and his interest briefly strayed from his sultry girlfriend. Secretly, Regan was also pleased by Kenna’s appearance and he couldn’t help noting her dramatic appeal. Gone was the frumpy looking legal secretary. In her place was a graceful, lovely young woman who mesmerized him just by walking across the room.
Kenna should have been ecstatic that Denny had finally noticed her. Then why did her heart beat so excitedly whenever Regan was near? Why did her gaze stray to his handsome face, silently seeking his approval? She couldn’t actually care for Regan, could she? Perhaps, in the face of tragedy, she’ll come to know the truth of her love.
Rating: 4.5 stars (from when I first read it in 2010) Updated rating: 4 stars (August 05, 2015)
Decided to reread it, as I was cleaning my drawer and found my DVD of Diamond Girl. Although I prefer the book to the movie adaptation, as the adaptation was pretty shitty. Took off 0.5 star from my rating, as it irked me that Regan only started showing interest in Kenna when she had a makeover.
Either way, it's a DP book, so an automatic rating of over 3 stars, as I love DP too much to give less.
I don't like the ending! I don't want an ending like that!
Sure this book is typical Diana Palmer, I enjoyed it no doubt but the ending, that's my biggest problem.
I always the idea of hurting heroine by misunderstand especially in Diana Palmer's book. For example, The Wedding In White or the book that I read recently, Sutton's Way.
But this book, it's quite disappointing. I already love Regan and his hostility but I want more! So overall, good book but need more wham-bam closure.
Unpopular opinion amongst my friends but this one wasn’t a winner for me. For starters I just didn’t like plain ol Kenna at all. It’s hard for me to relate to someone who’s so unassuming that she can be humiliated and embarrassed and she’d just stand there and quietly receive it.
This one is about a secretary falling for the wrong brother in the beginning. Then the other brother walks in. He’s older, brooding (I’d agree to disagree), more assertive and over bearing. He has an issue with Kenna’s dowdy appearance and inclination to be a wide-eyed, self-wallowing plain jane.
He humiliates her repeatedly and calls out on her apparent crush on the younger brother that she’s been harbouring for years. The H, Regan says the rudest possible things to her and Kenna here stands by, takes it on a plate and switches on her water works to confirm that she’s indeed, ugly, ungainly and poor.
I hated Kenna more right then. For the life of me I could really not feel the chemistry between the mc’s. Regan repeatedly called Kenna hideous to look at and Kenna was accepting of it and hence agrees to his help of helping her update her hair and clothing.
Kenna was one of the most desperate females I could’ve come across in my reading history. She is crass and has absolutely no reservations on her dignity. She’s hot and bothered by Regan’s kissing and is almost begging him to take her. She also announces her state of virginity.
There is no end to the level which Kenna reaches to display her neediness. She later confesses to the H’s mother how she’s pining after one of her sons and can’t wait to marry him. I felt embarrassed on Kenna’s behalf for such a telling admission. I’d die a hundred deaths really.
Unfortunately Kenna was so foregone in her pursuit of sex and a husband, there was no stopping her. I liked how Regan would rile her up by saying cruel things but she gave absolutely no chase. She was easy and available.
When the H is rescued towards the end of the book, she is making out with him in front of everyone and obviously soon secures herself an HEA. Apparently there’s a movie on this on YouTube. Guess it must be a popular one!
Kenna Dean yang yakin dirinya mencintai Denny Cole setuju ikut rencana Regan Cole, Denny's brother, utk misahin Denny dari pacarnya Margo, yg dikira Regan hanya mengejar uang Denny. Caranya dengan melakukan make over pada diri Kenna, tp setelah berhasil menarik perhatian Denny, Regan malah tampak cemburu dan Kenna malah menyadari kalo selama ini dia hanya infatuation aja ma Denny n berbalik jatuh cinta ma Regan yg cool and ehem..berkharisma, tentu aja kalo dibandingin ma denny yg kesannya agak childish n selalu ngerasa hrs bersaing ma kesuksesan abangnya. hanya masalahnya, apakah regan juga cinta ma kenna? palagi regan masih terkenang dan cinta mati ma almarhum istrinya. ugh, how i hate saat tokoh utama cerita dikisahkan punya istri/suami yg udah meninggal n terlebih dicintai banget..karna kan susah sekali bersaing ma kenangan.. hix =( denny yg tau kenna jatuh cinta ma regan, bersekutu ma kenna utk "maksa" regan mengakui perasaannya pd kenna dgn menyuruh kenna bilang pd regan klo denny sudah melamarnya tp kacaunya regan yg masih percaya kalo kenna masih cinta denny malah gak berusaha mencegah kenna n memberi selamat, sampai pada akhirnya nasib yg membawa mrk mengungkapkan perasaan masing2. saat pesawat yg dibawa regan bersama dengan denny jatuh, dan setelah menanti dengan penuh kecemasan, regan dan denny dapat pulang dgn selamat, tnp peduli anggapan org2 dan bagaimana nantinya regan menganggap, kenna yg bersyukur regan selamat langsung berlari ke arah regan tnp ngelirik lagi k denny n langsung meluk regan.. tentu aja hal itu bikin regan yakin mrk saling mencintai ^^V gw selalu terbayang2 ma ending kisah "diamond girl" ini karna menurut gw ini salah satu ending paling indah dari semua buku2 tante DP n even other authors yg pernah gw baca.. =)
Sweet story. It was cute how a rude grumpy 'Mr Higgins' hero (as in My Fair Lady) transformed the ugly duckling into a swan, then fell for her himself.
The most astonishing thing about this was that it was written in 1996 rather than 1976. The outrageously cheesy clothes gave me a giggle, as did the hero with the thick furry chest hair that seemed to drive the heroine wild, and smoking was considered glamorous. Strangely, contact lenses didn't seem to have been invented (which I know they were). The heroine was wandering around like a blind bat without her glasses. Hero even calls her that!
Lots of cute dialogue and banter. I do love a sarcastic hero.
This is one of Diana Palmer's earlier works and it shows. Kenna is in "love" with her boss Danny, who never sees her. Danny's brother Regan wants to put a stop to Danny seeing the current girl friend that he has so come up with a plan to make Danny jealous... There is more going on then Kenna realizes and she realizes who she really loves.
I received several Harlequin type books from a friend's mom...I am not usually a fan so I planned on passing most of them on. This one seemed to be a story I might like, so I gave it a shot. I really enjoyed this twist of a Cinderella or My Fair Lady story. Read it on the plane from Denver to Houston.
This book is classic Diana Palmer. You've got rough and tumble guy and the timid virgin. Add in Pygmalion and you end up with a story like that of Sabrina. The book is quite old though, yet still enjoyable.
If you've seen the movie, you haven't read the book, that's for sure. Totally different. Book is much better (as usual). The ending was so sweet, and I liked their banter. I'm not usually into Ms. Palmer, as she is usually too cowboy/Western for me, but this was vintage cosmopolitan at its finest.
this old ass book dumb as hell. i felt the worst for poor margo who just wanted to be loved by her racist boyfriend and his racist family in peace. there was really no reason for the hate she got and the fact he bf cheated on her!