Title: Romancing the Rough Diamond

Series: Dreamspun Desires 90 / Romancing the… 04

Author: Claire London

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (244 pages)

ISBN: 978-1-64405-637-0

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (27 Sept 2019)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: Trust is the most precious jewel of all.

When Mayfair jewelers Starsmith Stones wins the commission for a gay royal wedding, CEO Joel Sterling is recommended to the brilliant young designer Matt Barth—only to discover Matt’s the man with whom he shared an anonymous and passionate kiss on the celebration night.

Disenchanted with the commercial jewelry industry, Matt nowadays prefers muddy archaeological digs to designing. Openly resentful of Starsmith’s hostile takeover of his family’s firm, he is horrified at the realization he’ll be working with the man who engineered that deal—but the opportunity to create something fabulous and unique for the royal couple is too tempting to refuse.

Working as a team reignites the spark between Joel and Matt. But when betrayal from within Starsmith threatens both the project and Joel’s confidence, will they have built enough trust to keep their newfound love as precious as the royal jewels?

Purchase Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Review: Romancing the Rough Diamond is the fourth book in Claire London’s Romancing The… series. It is not necessary to have read the two previous books; this is a standalone book and the couple are totally unrelated to the other. The only real link between them is being set in England/United Kingdom and these are people that are in the upper crust of society – businessmen, celebrities, social darlings, old money, that kind of thing. This series has been released as part of the Dreamspun Desires, and this book is everything that I love getting my hands books released in this house line. It’s sweet, sexy, full of big drama (sometimes bordering melodrama) and equally big personalities.

There’s a royal wedding about to take place and this one is a bit different because it will be the first same sex royal wedding. The hype is big and the competition to win the rights to be the jeweller for said royal wedding is a big deal. So much so, when CEO of Starsmith Jewellers, Joel Sterling, found out that his firm had won the commission, he locked lips with a stranger. Not thinking about that little episode further, Joel is intent on making this the most perfect pieces that his people have created. And with the importance of such a commission, everything is to be kept under lock and key to keep the project top secret. Now he needs to recruit a designer for the project, and is strongly recommended to approach designer Matt Barth. It just so happens that Matt is the man Joel kissed and the man who is the son of a company that Starsmith took over.

Matt is a complicated and stubborn man. His is brilliant, proud and passionate about his work, which is mostly doing archaeological digs on some of his family’s land. He’s a man who hasn’t done a lot of commercial designs but is a designer that is raved about in many jewellery design circles in England and Europe. Yet, with his family’s successful jewellery firm sold off, Matt doesn’t want to be involved with the man he perceives as his enemy.

Matt and Joel are so different and yet at the same time they are both so similar. It is their similarities that draw them together and their differences that make them perfect for each other. They have excellent chemistry. They are also very passionate men, which makes some of the drama about the designs and their relationship so much fun.

As a side note, because it tickled me so much. For someone who had watched so much Time Team and in a Time Team fan group on Facebook, the talk of archaeology on the family farm had me thinking of Tony and Phil et al., I had to laugh though when London also made reference to the TV show.

If you’ve liked anything from Dreamspun Desires or if you’ve enjoyed Romancing the Wrong Twin, Romancing the Ugly Duckling and Romancing the Undercover Millionaire you’ll definitely like this book. I recommend this this to those that love the opulence of upper society (i.e. me and my love of aristocratic-type romances) mixed with business and artistry. I would quite label it an enemies to lovers type of book, but for those that do like that in a book, I think this could be the book for you too.