Diamond Duo

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Published: October 1, 2008

“Get ready to burn the midnight oil with Diamond Duo, a suspense-filled historical romance that will keep you reading with a white-knuckled grip. When Bertha Biddle meets an enigmatic charmer named Annie Monroe, she’s hoping to learn from her the art of how to woo a man. But just how far will Bertha go to win her heart’s desire? One woman’s miserable end still haunts the town of Jefferson, Texas, today.”

Amazon.com

My Review:

Diamond Duo is the story of Diamond Bessie and the effect she left on a small town in Jefferson, Texas. Not only is the story about her, but also about the characters that she meets. The story mainly follows Bertha and her friend Magda, as they meet Bessie and her so-called “companion” The story also takes you along the journey of Sarah and her husband as the face racism, and many decisions that may change their lives.

I was a bit confused at first with all the different story lines, some of them join together at the end, and some of them barely intertwine with the main story line. It made the story different from most I had read, being that there was really two main story lines instead of one.

Bertha, is a wild young woman longing to be free of propriety and social graces. One day when she is in town she sees Bessie, a rich young woman with diamonds and gorgeous dresses. Bertha decides right then to befriend her and have her teach her how to catch a certain man she wants. Her “man” is Thad, also smitten with Bertha but too shy to tell her of his real feeling before he must leave for military college. While Bertha befriends Bessie, she drags her best friend Magda along for the ride, not listening to her wisdom about getting into trouble. Will Bertha be able to change Bessie before it’s too late, or will Bessie change Bertha? Will Thad be able to tell Bertha of his feelings or will he make the mistake of leaving?

Sarah is a little bitter about leaving her hometown, where people treated her kind and were not racist. But Sarah loves her husband more and is determined to make him happy and be happy no matter what. Her husband does not see the problem with the small town of Jefferson, even though him and his wife are treated differently. But one day they are tested and are not sure of their survival and what they are meant to do. Will Sarah be strong enough to stand against the pain and will she, her husband, and the rest of the town learn a valuable lesson?

I was very surprised to learn at the end of the book that it was based on a true story. I did like this book, it was just so different from what I was expecting and also a different writing style. I found the book to be a pleasant read, but there was nothing that jumped out at me that made it go from an ok book to a great book. I am still looking forward to the next book in the series Chasing Charity and hoping that is gets a little better!

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About the Author

Marcia’s deep south-central roots lend a Southern-comfortable style and a touch of humor to her writing. She tends to weigh in occasionally on eternally significant issues, and her true passion is Christian fiction.