Diamonds In The Rough, Book 5
Regency Romance
Release Date: January 28, 2020
From USA Today Bestselling Author, Sophie Barnes....The Forgotten Duke. Book 5 in the Diamonds In The Rough Regency Series
He never imagined he'd be the man he was born to be, or that one woman's faith in him would change his life forever…
When Carlton Guthrie, the Scoundrel of St. Giles, encounters a runaway bride, he offers to help her. Not out of kindness, but because she's the Earl of Hedgewick's daughter. Using Regina to exact his revenge on her father seems like the perfect plan. Until Carlton starts to fall for the innocent beauty.
Seeking refuge with a notorious crime lord, was never part of Regina's plan. But in her blind attempt to escape the fate her parents have planned for her, options are limited. What she doesn't expect, is to pull aside Carlton's facade, and to find a tormented man who makes her feel safe and cherished – a man she could easily love, if he'll let her.
Other Books in the Diamonds In The Rough Series:
A Most Unlikely Duke
Diamonds In The Rough, Book 1
Publisher: Avon
Published: June 2017
He never thought he'd become a duke, or that the secrets of his past would cost him his greatest love...
Raphe Matthews hasn’t stepped foot in polite circles since a tragedy left his once-noble family impoverished and in debt. The bare-knuckle boxer has spent the last fifteen years eking out an existence for himself and his two sisters. But when a stunning reversal of fortune lands Raphe the title of Duke of Huntley, he’s determined to make a go of becoming a proper lord, but he’ll need a little help, and his captivating neighbor might be just the woman for the job…
After her sister’s scandalous match, Lady Gabriella knows the ton’s eyes are on her. Agreeing to tutor the brutish new duke can only lead to ruin. Although she tries to control her irresistible attraction to Raphe, every day she spends with him only deepens her realization that this may be the one man she cannot do without. And as scandal threatens to envelop them both, she must decide if she can risk everything for love with a most unlikely duke.
The Duke of Her Desire
Diamonds In The Rough, Book 2
Publisher: Avon
Published: December 2017
He was only supposed to keep an eye on his friend’s sister . . . now he’s about to lose his heart . . .
When Thomas Heathmore, Duke of Coventry, agrees to steer his friend’s inexperienced younger sister through society, he doesn’t expect the lady in question to be so infernally stubborn. Amelia Matthews seems to have little interest in balls or suitors at all. Instead, she intends to open a school, and against his better instincts, Thomas offers to help. Yet somewhere along the line, Amelia ceases to be a simple responsibility . . . and becomes an undeniable temptation.
Since her brother inherited a dukedom, Amelia’s prospects have transformed. But though she’s long been secretly infatuated with Thomas, she refuses to heed the arrogant aristocrat’s advice. If only it were as easy to ignore his heated touch. And as Amelia soon learns, the ton is a minefield, where one moment’s indiscretion can unleash a scandal—or entice her to surrender everything to the duke of her desire . . .
The Illegitimate Duke
Diamonds In The Rough, Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Published: August 2018
United in a common cause…
Lady Juliette Matthews longs to be much more than just another pretty ornament in society. But using her recently acquired fortune to do some good is more complicated than she anticipated. Young ladies are not expected to risk their safety in helping the less fortunate. And the one gentleman who could help in her mission is stubborn, infernally handsome—and far too honorable to act on their mutual attraction.
And in a desire impossible to deny…
Florian Lowell has suddenly been made heir to the Duke of Redding—a far cry from his status as a dedicated physician. Yet even with his new role as the country’s most eligible bachelor, the beautiful, fearless Juliette is utterly beyond his reach. The scandalous circumstances of his birth would destroy both their reputations if they became known. But when a more urgent danger threatens Juliette’s life, Florian must gamble everything…including the heart only one woman can tame.
The Infamous Duchess
Diamonds In The Rough, Book 4
Publisher: Avon
Published: March 2019
A woman with a shocking past…
Branded a money-hungry con artist for marrying the elderly Duke of Tremaine days before his death, Viola Cartwright has found refuge in her work at St. Agatha’s Hospital. No one must know the painful reason behind her marriage. She steers clear of attachments—until Henry Lowell, heir to the Viscount Armswell, lands on her operating table after a duel. Charming and wickedly handsome, Lowell is one of London’s most inveterate scoundrels. Yet he may not be all that he appears.
And the man who can promise a future filled with love…
Posing as an unrepentant rake has helped Lowell avoid women pursuing him only for his title. But now that duty has finally called on him to marry, he finds himself entranced by the mysterious, independent-minded Viola. Then her late husband’s son returns from overseas, contesting Viola’s inheritance. Lowell longs to help her and sets out to convince Viola that a strategic union may be the best way to save all she holds dear. But can he also persuade her to take a chance on love…?
Amazon
Interview with Sophie Barnes
For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book,
where should they start?
While The Forgotten Duke can be
read as a standalone story, I recommend starting at the very beginning of the
series with A Most Unlikely Duke
since this is where Carlton, the hero, makes his first appearance. Following
him as he pops in and out of subsequent plotlines will, in my opinion, lead to
a richer reading experience as a whole. I’d say theme for The Forgotten Duke builds on the one applied to the series,
exploring the idea of rich upper class aristocrats making unconventional
matches with those who were raised in poverty or with far fewer means. It’s the
coming together of two contrasting sides of Society and seeing how they fare in
their quest for a higher purpose, understanding, and love. In The Forgotten Duke, the element of
revenge also plays a large part. It forces both the hero and the heroine to
question their beliefs and to search for their true desire in life. It isn’t
necessarily what they believed it to be.
How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
When I pitched the first book in the series
to my publisher, the idea was to take My
Fair Lady and switch the main characters – make the poor uneducated student
a man and the wealthy upper class teacher a woman. This gave birth to the theme
I mentioned above for the series as a whole. When I began writing A Most Unlikely Duke, Carlton was one of
the first characters I created, and I knew even then that he’d one day have his
own story, so his backstory kept on growing and his character continued to
develop, even if most of it never appeared on the page until now. I knew for
instance that he would be better than his reputation suggested, a misunderstood
man seeking revenge.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you
feel you achieved them?
I suppose it was to peel back the layers of
Carlton’s character and reveal the man behind the façade. It was important to
show how not only Society, but my readers, had misjudged him, and to prove
everyone wrong. He’s this badass villain on the outside, and yes, he’s both
tough and dangerous, but he’s also kind, thoughtful, and just. In the end, I
think I achieved my goal, which was essentially to flip his character on its
head and surprise everyone by making them fall in love with him just as much as
I did.
Anything
you would like to say to your readers and fans?
I am forever grateful to you for all your
support, for reading my books and writing reviews. It means the world, knowing
you appreciate and love the stories I write.
What
did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Everything! I can’t remember the last time
I was as excited to write a book as I was to write this one. I loved every
minute, from the plotting, to the character development, actual writing, cover
design, editing, etc. It was tremendous fun getting to hang out with Carlton
and Regina for a few months.
Can
you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the
future?
I have a new release on April 28th.
Her Seafaring Scoundrel is the third
and final book in The Crawfords series and features Cassandra Moor, who
certainly doesn’t need or want a husband after managing to raise her daughter
and run a business for the past thirteen years. But Devlin Crawford is
determined to have her, which leads to a chase, a lot of coercion, a sea
voyage, and some serious seduction efforts on his part. It’s fun and offers a
satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
On the writing side of things, I’ve started
work on Diamonds in the Rough 6, which will feature Simon Nugent, the Earl of
Fielding and Ida Strong. I’m about one third through the first draft so I won’t
be looking at release dates for a while yet. If I were to guestimate though,
I’d say it’ll probably go on sale in December or thereabouts.
How
long have you been writing?
I think I started in 2008, so roughly
twelve years.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the characters in The Forgotten
Duke?
I’ve already mentioned Carlton. He’s the
Scoundrel of St. Giles, a crime lord of sorts who protects those too weak to
stand up for themselves. He’s the owner of The Black Swan tavern where bets are
made on the bareknuckle boxing matches taking place in the courtyard and where
the courtesans from the brothel next door proposition their clients. Carlton
has built this place up from the ground, but he also deals in blackmail,
punishing those who’ve broken the code of honor he lives by. But his biggest
goal in life, the one thing that gets him out of bed every day, is his
obsessive need for revenge against one man. This is what drives him, until he
starts realizing there’s more to life, and more to him, than anger.
Regina is Carlton’s direct opposite. She’s
an upper class lady, cultured, well-bred and accomplished. Her naivite and
trusting nature are what land her in trouble to start with, but her willingness
to learn and to understand, her determination to find out who Carlton is behind
the mask he presents to the world, leads her on a journey of growth and
self-discovery. She was harder for me to write than Carlton. I didn’t know her
as well since she was a new character developed for the purposes of this book. But
in the end, I think she’s proved herself to be his perfect match.
If
you could spend the day with one of the characters from The Forgotten Duke, who
would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you
would go and what you would do.
I actually think I’d pick Marcus, Regina’s
brother. He’s a very likeable man who sacrificed everything to help Carlton and
Regina. He really got a rough bargain in this book so I feel kind of bad about
that and would like to see him cheered up, perhaps with a match of his own?
With this in mind, I’d suggest attending a ball so I can help him pick out the
perfect young lady for him to court. And to those of you who’ve already asked
about him, I do think he’ll get a story once I’ve sorted out Fielding’s future
and given MacNeil the HEA he also deserves.
About the Author
When she’s not busy, dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family. She currently lives on the East Coast.
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