I’m stepping off a nine hour flight when it happens.A white van. A dark hood. Every woman’s worst nightmare.“Diamond in the Rough is masterfully written, sinfully sexy, and utterly addictive! Skye Warren proves why she is the queen of dark and delicious romance.” – Giana Darling, USA Today bestselling authorNow I’m trapped in an abandoned church. The man who took me says I won’t be hurt. The man … won’t be hurt. The man in the cell next to me says that’s a lie. I’ll fight with every ounce of strength, but there are secrets in these walls. I’ll need every single one of them to survive.
“Five glowing stars! Diamond in the Rough is the dark and dangerous world that I love from Skye Warren. You will be completely caught up in Elijah and Holly’s story from the first page to the last.” – New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is a new dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren. Finding yourself has never been so dangerous…
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A delicate balance of darkness and tenderness with dialogue that melted my e-reader and my heart!
Heart pumping and page turning. Diamond in the Rough is the dark and dangerous world that I love from Skye Warren. You will be completely caught up in Elijah and Holly’s story from the first page to the last. Five glowing stars!
Oh I love Skye’s book! Must read!
Arc review For honest Review. Holland meets elizah in Paris when 16 yrs old then again she sees him when she kidnapped. This story was cute it has a little adventure, romance ,darkness and supence.
Woah… I need a breather. I just finished reading this one so freaking fast I didn’t realise it was done.
This book certainly keeps you turning pages and the writing is typical Skye Warren style… Addictive, Dark but mesmerizing… Making you read so fast.
Holly is back in Paris after years but not for a holiday this time. She’s here to find her sister who’s known to pull such disappearing stunts but this time when there was no response for some time, Holly knew something was wrong.
What she didn’t expect was to be kidnapped as soon as she was out of airport.
She’s thrown in a cell not knowing what and how it happened, when she realises that she has a fellow cell mate with her.
So is Holly’s dive head first into a completely unknown world.
She doesn’t know whom she should trust her cell mate or the one who kidnapped her but speaks words that make her doubt her everything.
Whew.. I really can’t start fast enough book 2. I really feel Skye Warren is one of the absolutely amazing Dark romance writers we have. Loved loved this one.
Wow. Is it hot in here or is it just me?
I really don’t know why I’m surprised that I loved this book so much. Skye Warren is becoming one of my favorite authors. She has such a great writing style and has left me speechless every time I read one of her books. Elijah & Holly, our main characters are two of my newest favorite couples and Elijah is the newest member of my book boyfriend list. These two are so unique and they each have their own. I now have two new main characters that I really love. Elijah & Holly are captivating and such interesting characters I don’t know what it is about them that I’m obsessed with, but it’s something really good. This story was so good, I’m ready and I need more already!
I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook which always makes my reading experience even better and I have to say Jason Clarke & C J Bloom did a fantastic job at narrating this book. Both of their performances were gripping and kept me rooted in my seat. I truly didn’t want to stop listening at all, even if it was to take a short break. I thought they made it easy to follow along and really kept me interested.
In my humble opinion, if you like reading dark romance and/or love Skye Warrens books, I highly recommend giving this one a try. It’ll leave you breathless with your jaw to the floor and ready to jump into book two.
I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
Original, whimsical, and a total mind bender, this book keeps you on your toes. Holly and Elijah are meant for each other but the path to each other is circuitous at best. Poor Holly doesn’t know who to believe and doesn’t quite know what to to. Holly is a writer and Elijah is a military operative who crossed all ethical boundaries a long time ago. It’s a must read for me!
Title: Diamond in the Rough
Series Diamond Series1#
Author: Skye Warren
Published July 7th 2020
June 25, 2020- Paperback
ღ Wow it’s been a hot second, since I’ve picked up one of Skye Warren’s books, don’t ask me why cuz I got no damn clue why! But boy O boy I’m kick myself now! Anyhow Elijah & Holly’s story is full of emotions, suspense, secrets, danger & sexual tension. I actually read both Hidden Gem & Diamond in the Rough
Hidden Gem, is just short read of Elijah & Holly’s back story… Which don’t get me wrong was amazing start to this series! But Holland Frank was only 16 year old in Paris with her family on vacation when she first met Elijah… Holly meets Elijah while at London’s Louvr & her life will never be the same again!
Diamond in the Rough starts up again about 8 years later when Holly finds herself on flight back to Paris, in hunt of her sister London… who been missing for about 2 weeks…. Be for you know it, Holly finds herself waking up locked up in a dark cell with a injured stranger … or is he really stranger!
By the end of this book, you’ll realize that Skye Warren had kept you on edge of your seat & in suspense with another sexy dark romance that has you begging for more!!
I must warn you that there is a Cliffhanger! But it’s definitely a series worth the read
Hot damn I want more of these 2 characters
Hope you enjoy this read & also always keep in mind this is just my opinion+ Also I wouldn’t never discourage anyone from reading this book.
Happy Reading — Enjoy ……. Paulette Review
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Thank you Valentine PR for the free copy of this audio.
While I found this story was a little hard to follow as an audio, I liked the story overall. I do think it was a bit heavy on the steam and lacked a bit of depth with the characters and their relationship/dynamic.
I do want to listen or read more in this series.
Not like Warren. It was kind of disappointing to me. I know some will love it. I didn’t love it. But I read it. It was different, too different. Warren remains a favorite though.
This picks up 8 years from where Hidden Gem left us. This story had be on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding waiting to see what happened next!! Sky Warren killed it with this captive story line and will leave you scrambling for Gold Mine with the cliff hanger she leaves you on!!! Elijah and Holly have a connection that can’t be denied and the sexual chemistry will melt your pages!!! Such delicious darkness!!!
I listened to the audio which starts with secret gem. Then went to the diamond in the rough. This book was a whirlwind , the suspense, the secrets, the lies and passions This book had me hooked and not wanting to stop listening.
Holly and Elijah are great characters and you really get a feeling of who they are. These charters or so different from each other but there is connection is felt through the writing.
It was left with a cliffhanger that has you ready and waiting for more. So grab both stories and enjoy this wild ride.
Audible narration:
Book story:
I’ve started to listen to this book blindly, and the start took me by surprise…
I didn’t expected a 16 yrs old girl as FMC, but then after that surprising beginning, there’s a jump of 8 years, and that’s when the story really got interesting!
If you watched Liam Nielsen in the movie Taken, you’ll be thinking that you already read this book somewhere…
It’s okay though… it’s just a YA novelist, making a lot of bad decisions since she was 16 yrs old.
Holly is a successful YA fantasy author, that jump into a plane to Paris to find her missing sister. All by herself, and without telling a single soul.
As soon as she lands there, she’s also kidnapped (because why not follow a strange guy, that you just met, into a dark alley beside the airport?) and that’s when she finds herself locked up with the guy she had met 8 years ago (when she also made a lot of bad decisions).
Elijah is full of secrets and half truths, the guy is honestly a superman! If I ever got myself locked up with a guy in a similar situation, I want it to be him! The guy is a modern live GI Joe, so he’s her only chance of scape with life.
He’s also the one who got away 8yrs ago, and their chemistry is something that neither of them expected to feel again. A lot of dirty sex, but I’m not complaining!
In the middle of their struggle, they just connect to each other again, and they will battle between what they want and what they have to do, until the end of the book.
I confess that I’m curious about what will happen to them, so I’ll continue with the series… Especially after that cliffhanger.
I liked Jason Clarke’s and C.J. Bloom’s natural narration, but I honestly hated their french accent while reading Adam’s lines.
PS.: Apparently there’s a few characters that are from other books by this author, but it’s my first book by her, and although the background of their story didn’t influenced in this one, I got curious about Liam’s, so I’ll probably check his book too.
***** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW *****
Audiobooks like Diamonds in the Rough make me want go and read the the follow up books (Goldmine and Silver Lining) as fast as I can. That says a lot for the audiobook becauseI don’t read nearly as much as I used too. Audio is really my preference so it takes a lot for me to want to rush right out to read the books… that isn’t me anymore!! Diamond in the Rough was high action and super intense. Holly and Elijah are deep into some dangerous stuff! There’s something about diamonds that just amp up the suspense and stressors… and I really found the story intense! (PS I just saw Gold Mine is out on audio too SQUEEEELL)
These narrators are so good! Jason Clarke just has a way with his narration. I get pulled into his deep, melodic voice. He really seems to channel Elijah and just gets him. CJ Bloom rocked Holly’s personality. I really felt her performance… she brought everything out that Holly was going through. I really loved this narration!!
Not My Favorite By Far, Way Too Many Issues and Inconsistencies…
I am a huge fan of this author and when she released Hidden Gem, the prequel short for this series I devoured it immediately and then proceeded to buy the entire series. I just received Diamond and I devoured it in one day, that said I have a few things I need to talk about in this review.
While this is considered a dark romance, I won’t say it is too dark, maybe a darker grey. There are some issues that others might have issues with so fir triggers I would list: kidnapping, violence and forced situations.
I really loved Elijah in Hidden Gem and I still liked him in this story, thought he was a bit of a mess personality wise over all. He just didn’t seem to have a steady personality and it really threw me off because when I read about a character I get to know them and the have expectations for them. He didn’t live up so some of those and did for others. I didn’t really care for Holly in this story at all. She was so whiney, immature, childish and annoying thought-out the entire story. He lack of understanding really turned me off, she was smarter then she acted.
The plot overall was interesting but also really slow and random. The first few charters were really intriguing and addictive, everything I expect from this author but then the story really fell apart for me. The author decided to place the steamy scenes really hurt my enjoyment of this story because they made no sense to the story as a whole. At one point (minor spoiler here) there is a steamy scene when the characters have only stepped six feet way from their captives. It made no sense!!
There is a guest character from another series in this so that was a fun Ester egg. The way it is told that story and this one are happening about the same time. No need to read the other to understand though.
I could go on but I won’t. I will say that I am slightly disappointed in that this story does not live up to MY expectations from this author (others will disagree no doubt). That said it has some nice bones and I will be reading the rest of the series of only to find out if I am correct about certain guesses I have regarding the plot and characters.
Hidden Gems was a five star read for me, this is a three star read. I wanted and needed a better thought out plot line, not so many holes in the story line, less unfinished moments, and not so many random scenes trying to be tied together.
*review for audible version*
This story is dark, gritty, erotic, and mysterious. It pulled me from the very start with the back story of Holly and mystery man, Elijah. Holly displays herself as this innocent young girl, who’s very close to her family, but deep down her curiousity craves a little darkness and a little dirty. While she gets lost in her desires, something much bigger is in play and she’s none the wiser.
Fast forward eight years and Holly is in search of her missing sister. As if things couldn’t any worse, she becomes captive to a man she’d become acquainted with on her way to her destination. And she’s not alone, a gorgeous man named North is captive as well. Things go from bad to worse but North is risking it all to keep her safe. So many secrets and lies lay waiting to be discovered.
The heat and the chemistry between North and Holly is scorching and explosive. I’m intrigued to see where this author takes these characters, the suspense is killing me. That cliffhanger left me feeling like I’d been stabbed in my heart. The narrators did an outstanding job, Jason Clarke always has me swooning with his dark, deep, gravelly, sexy voice. The story and narration just satisfies on every level.
Dark, Steamy, Outstanding and Brilliantly Performed!
Diamond in the Rough is book #1 in the Diamond Duet, and is absolutely mind blowing!
OMG, I was not expecting any of it. I’m so glad I kept listened when I thought I’ll passed out, WOW, I was proben wrong because this story kept me captive the whole entire time.
Jason Clarke and C J Bloom brought this story to life so expertly, that I was hooked right from the start. Their performance is vivid, captivating, intense, bold, and so realistic allowing me to vividly imagine every scenery, every noise, every single detail, including the rough or passionate ones. Just brilliant.
If you are looking for a remarkable, unpredictible, dark and unique new listen, this is the one for you. I can’t wait for the conclusion!!
Diamond in the Rough is an absolutely perfect title for this one, but at the same time, it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what this book is about. True to form, Skye Warren pulls you in from the very beginning, and she doesn’t let go – not even after the last line has been read. The story is gripping, it’s gritty, it’s dark, and it’s intense – crazy intense. This is one of those books that had I not been listening to it, I would’ve been white-knuckling my Kindle with each new twist and turn – and there are certainly a few of those.
Elijah and Holly have terrific chemistry right from the start, and it has the feel of a magnetic force, pulling them together even when they might not be the best for each other. Skye Warren certainly has a gift for bringing out those feelings in her characters, and the attraction between these two is almost palpable.
As if the story isn’t good enough on its own, Jason Clarke and C J Bloom breathe life into Elijah and Holly, and they do it wonderfully. Between the writing and the narration, Diamond in the Rough is an unputdownable story right up to that last page, a last page that left me chomping at the bit for the next installment in this trilogy. And that’s the closest thing to a spoiler I’m going to give.
Basically, if you enjoy dark romance with elements of suspense, this is a must-read, one that I highly recommend.
Fair warning: this is not a standalone novel. i can’t wait for the rest of this series because the attraction and heat between Holly and Elijah was absolutely electric, and the suspense of the heist is so exciting and enthralling.
Skye Warren wrote an interesting romantic suspense and Jason Clarke and CJ Bloom have really brought it to live in a great way through their narration. Can’t wait for more!
Oh wow! My favorite book of Skye Warren’s is Wanderlust. I believe it might have been her first book. It is a truly dark book that was one of those books that stays with you. Well Diamonds in the Rough is a sequel of sorts. It is about the children of the couple in that story. The focus is on their youngest daughter Holland (Holly). Their family trip to Paris turns into quite an adventure for the teenage Holly as she meets a young handsome security guard named Elijah at the Louvre. So a dangerous love affair begins between them years later that includes international spies and a mystery surrounding Em’s missing sister Paige. I feel almost guilty for loving how steamy this book was. Very different from Wanderlust but still something so forbidden about it. It gives you the feels and tingles and makes you wonder what would have happened to the teenage Elijah and Holly had things gone differently? Skye really gives a good plot to sink your teeth into and make you look forward to the next and next book in the series. Great characters and story that makes this well worth a credit! Can’t wait for the next one!