Diamond in the Rough by Jen Turano: Book Review

About the Book:

Title: Diamond in the Rough: American Heiresses Book 2

Author: Jen Turano

Genre: American Historical Romance

Release Date: September 3, 2019

To save her family from financial ruin, Miss Poppy Garrison accepts an unusual proposition to participate in the New York social season in exchange for her grandmother settling a family loan that has unexpectedly come due. Ill-equipped to handle the intricacies of mingling within the New York Four Hundred, Poppy becomes embroiled in one hilarious fiasco after another, doomed to suffer a grand societal failure instead of being deemed the diamond of the first water her grandmother longs for her to become.

Reginald Blackburn, second son of a duke, has been forced to travel to America to help his cousin, Charles Wynn, Earl of Lonsdale, find an American heiress to wed in order to shore up his family estate that is in desperate need of funds. Reginald himself has no interest in finding an heiress to marry, but when Poppy’s grandmother asks him to give etiquette lessons to Poppy, he swiftly discovers he may be in for much more than he bargained for.

Book Review:

Poppy could be me. You know, if I was to participate in a New York season. Anyway.

Diamond in the Rough was a funny, lighthearted romance with a solid core of staying true to who you are no matter who anyone else thinks you should become. Not everyone can claim that status, but Poppy holds her own no matter what is thrown her way. Was it a little too much? At times, yes, but everything is wrapped up nicely in the end. Poppy’s clutziness is not at fault for every incident. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. Jen Turano knows how to write comedy in high society.

Poppy’s desire to give her grandmother the coming out season she wanted for her own daughter leads Poppy to seek lessons from Reginald and the real fun begins. What I enjoyed most was that what I was certain would be the main conflict during the climax of the story only turned out to be a blip on the radar. Since this is Poppy’s story, everything is extreme. I loved how Jen Turano tied everything together in the end.

I requested a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.