Diamond in the Rogue by Wendy LaCapra is a Lord of Chance novel. If you’re familiar with the series, you will recognize some of the characters featured in this novel.  The gist of this is that there are several members of the male aristocracy of the times that were great friends. They were young, rich, and visited the gambling dens so often they were each given the nickname of a suit of cards. Brompton was christened Spades; Farring was Clubs, Markham was Hearts, and Rayne was called Diamonds. The backstories on these fellows is usually interesting and complicated. As the title suggests, this novel is the story of Graham Laithe, Earl of Rayne and Julia Stanley, Lord Brompton’s sister.

A fierce misunderstanding caused a serious rift among the friends. Lord Rayne was told to stay away from Lady Julia by not only her brother, but their friend Lord Markham as well. Only Lord Farring still believed in Rayne, his other friends no longer welcomed him. After the argument that caused the rift, Rayne had sailed for American and remained there trying to remake his character as he thought he needed for several years. He’d only recently returned to see to his sister’s marriage to his ex-friend Markham. He was planning to sell his estate and return to his solitary life in New York.

Lady Julia had gone a coming out, but never really tried to find a match because she still wanted Rayne. She watches him almost as much as he watches her. Lord Farring knows she still wants Rayne and he thinks his friend is making bad decisions and about to ruin his life. He and Julia begin to put together a plan to abduct Rayne and make him face his feelings and try to begin again. Julia isn’t sure Rayne really wants her, but Farring convinces her he’s hiding from feelings he’s afraid of.

Okay. That’s the basic setup of the novel. I won’t do spoilers. I like discovering novels and characters for myself and I think most of us do too. The premise is almost madness and yet interestingly managed. The arguments are wild and witty. The romance is splendidly erotic and yet sweet. This is a wonderful addition to the series and I just love to see how these damaged, but wonderful people can overcome all they’ve been through and find a happy life.

Grab yourself a good drink and maybe a snack, sit down for a great ride! Congratulations to author LaCapra on another wonderful story.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Publisher