He never thought
he’d become a duke, or that the secrets of his past will cost him his greatest
love...
A Most Unlikely Duke
Diamonds In the Rough, #1
Diamonds In the Rough, #1
by Sophie Barnes
Releasing June 27th 2017
Avon Books
Avon Books
The Book Junkie Reads . . . A MOST UNLIKELY DUKE
(Diamonds in the Rough, #2) . . . Way to go on the
journey towards becoming the proper duke. Raphe has had the family title laid
upon him after some rather untimely events occur. The bare-knuckle boxer has a
lot to make up for. His manners left him long ago. When he became the provider
for his small family he vowed to do what it took to make things work. Now, he
makes another vow. To be the best duke he can be. To do this he needed some
help. In comes Gabriella, she has to
avoid scandal but can’t seem to resist helping the new duke and his sisters
learn their proper roles in society.
I
really enjoyed seeing all the cast in this one. Gabriella, Raphe, his sisters
and more. I even understood Gabriella’s mother. I just did not like it much.
This was a slow building, sweet romance that gave me a good read and a desire
to have more in the series.
Diamonds in the Rough series:
A Most
Unlikely Duke – Diamonds in the Rough,
#1
The
Duke of Her Desire – Diamonds in the
Rough, #2
Blurb
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 fortunes 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…
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 fortunes 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 envelope them both, she must decide if
she can risk everything for love with a most unlikely duke.
“Ye fought well today, lad,” a man’s voice suddenly spoke from directly behind him.
Bristling,
Raphe set down his beer on the counter and turned to face his handler, whose
attire—a purple velvet jacket and matching top hat—lent an air of flamboyance
unmatched by anyone else. And yet, in spite of the fine attire, there was
nothing cultured about this man, a scoundrel who’d gained his wealth through
illicit deals and by taking advantage of others. His origins were questionable,
but rumor had it he’d killed more than once in pursuit of power.
Raphe
didn’t know what to believe. All he knew was that in spite of his own
prejudices, crime in St. Giles had decreased since Carlton Guthrie’s arrival
eighteen years earlier. Or so he’d been told.
“Mr.
Guthrie. Good to see ye.” A blatant lie, if ever there was one.
Guthrie’s
moustache twitched. “Likewise.” He sounded jovial, but only a fool would
mistake that for kindness. Least of all when his henchman, a scarred boulder of
a Scotsman by the name of MacNeil, stood at his right shoulder. Guthrie nodded
toward Ben, who returned the salutation.
“Come.
Share a drink with me,” Guthrie said, addressing Raphe. “We’ve much to discuss,
you ‘n I.”
“And
Thompson?” Raphe asked, not wanting to abandon his friend.
“I’m
sure he’ll be willin’ to wait for ye till ye get back.” Reaching into his
pocket, he pulled out a gold coin and dropped it in front of Ben. “For yer
trouble. What I ‘ave to say to Matthews ‘ere doesn’t concern ye. Understand?”
Raphe
glared at Guthrie for a moment before
looking
at Ben. “I’m sorry. I—”
“No
worries,” Ben said, pocketing the coin that would keep his family fed for the
next few days. “I’ll see ye tomorrow at work, aye?”
Nodding,
Raphe watched him go.
“Well?”
Guthrie’s voice drew Raphe’s attention back to him. “ ‘Ow about that drink
then?” Eyeing first Guthrie and then MacNeil, Raphe gave a curt nod. “By all
means.”
Guthrie’s
eyes sparkled. “Excellent.” His lips stretched into a smile. “Follow me.”
Turning away, he led Raphe through the taproom, where tobacco smoke mingled
with the smell of roasting meat and beer. Dice rolled across one table in a
game of hazard. A hand touched his thigh, inappropriately stroking upward until
he pushed it away.
“No’
in the mood, luv?” the woman to whom it belonged asked. She was sitting down,
her legs spread across the lap of a man who was busily burying his face between
her half-exposed breasts. Pitying the life she’d been dealt, he told her
gently,
“I’ve
not the time.”
“La’er
then?” she called as he strode away, not answering her question. Blessedly, his
sisters had managed to avoid such a fate.
“
‘Ave a seat,” Guthrie said moments later as they stepped inside a private room
at the end of a hallway. It was sparsely furnished, with just a plain wooden
table and four chairs. On top of the table stood a pitcher and a couple of
mugs. “Some ale for me champion?” Guthrie asked, indicating the pitcher.
Grabbing a chair, Raphe dropped down onto it and poured himself a drink, while
Guthrie claimed the other chair with more finesse. “Will ye ‘ave some?” Raphe
asked, indicating the same pitcher. Guthrie beamed. “Don’t mind if I do.” He
waited for Raphe to pour before reaching for the mug and raising it. “To yer
victory today.”
“To
me victory,” Raphe muttered, downing the bitter resentment he felt with a brew
to match.
“I’ve
‘igh ‘opes for ye,” Guthrie said, tapping a finger against his nose. “Unbeaten
for the fifteenth time. That’s unprecedented, tha’ is.” Raphe saw the spark
that lit his eyes, like the
promise
of treasure or some such thing. “Wha’ do ye want, Guthrie?”
“So
cynical, Matthews.” Guthrie’s upper lip drew back, revealing his teeth. “Must a
man always want some’in? Can’t ‘e simply enjoy a drink wi’ an old friend?”
Old
friend?
Hardly.
“Not
when ‘e’s got ’im by the bollocks.” Guthrie’s mouth tightened, his eyes
darkening just enough to offer a glimpse of his true nature. “Is tha’ ‘ow ye
see our relationship, laddy?”
His
demeaning tone made Raphe’s muscles flex. He glanced at MacNeil, who stood by
the door, running his thumb along the edge of a wicked blade, and was instantly
reminded of the punishment he’d suffered the one time when he’d been foolish
enough to try and thwart Guthrie’s wishes. Shoulders tensing, Raphe returned
his gaze to the man who owned him.
“
‘Ow else should I see it? I’m yer puppet, ain’t I?” Guthrie nodded. “Aye, but
ye’re me favorite one. Which is why I’d like to offer ye a deal.”
Raphe
stiffened. “What sor’ of deal?”
“The
sor’ that could set ye free, laddy.” A tempting notion, but surely too good to
be true.
Still,
he couldn’t help but ask. “What do ye have in mind?”
Leaning
forward, Guthrie placed his elbows on the table, the fingers of his right hand
reaching up to stroke his chin. “Ye see, there’s goin’ to be an opportunity
soon—a grand one, at that.”
Raphe
crossed his arms. “Ye don’t say.”
The
corner of Guthrie’s eye flinched. “No need to get cocky, now.” Snapping his
fingers, he drew MacNeil closer. “Give the laddy ‘is earnin’s.” There was a
pause, and then a pouch dropped onto the table with a jangling thump.
“Naturally, we’ve kept our share.”
A
fat 90 percent.
“Naturally,”
Raphe echoed. He didn’t bother to hide his displeasure.
“But
. . .” Guthrie took another sip of his ale.
“Word
‘as it, the Bull will be comin’ to town in a month or so.” Raphe straightened
in his chair, while Guthrie wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, removing
a line of foam. “If ye figh’ ’im and ye win, ye’ll be debt-free. The winnings
are gonna be that huge.”
Raphe
didn’t doubt it. The Bull was, after all, the bare-knuckle boxing world
champion—undefeated since beating Tobias Flannigan several years earlier.
Since
then, he’d crippled several of his opponents. The man was a legend. “I’ll do
it,” Raphe said without blinking.
“But
if ye lose . . .”
“I
won’t,” Raphe assured him.
“But
if ye do . . .”
Grabbing
the pouch that still sat on the table, Raphe pocketed his money. “I know the
risk, Guthrie, an’ I’m willin’ to take it.”
Buy Links:
What is
their favorite place to visit?
Denmark. It’s where I’m from. My parents have a summerhouse by
the beach in the southern part and a house near Copenhagen. I love it there
plus I get to see the rest of my family.
What are
5 things you must have with you when you write?
My laptop, a notebook, my Jane Austen Map of London, various
pens in different colors and a hot cup of coffee.
Do you
have any post-publishing regrets?
Yes! In my first book, How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back, Tchaikovsky is mentioned as a current figure. I
meant to change him to a different composer since he wasn’t even born at the
time when the plot takes place, but I forgot. Really wish I’d seen that during
edits. I haven’t used ‘fillers’ since.
Can you
tell us a little about your book?
It’s a fresh spin on Pygmalion featuring a bare-knuckler boxer
from the slums of St. Giles who suddenly becomes the Duke of Huntley.
Navigating high society can be troublesome – especially with two younger
sisters in tow – but thanks to his next door neighbor, the alluring Gabriella
Radcliffe, he comes up to scratch while losing his heart in the process.
What
are some books that you enjoyed recently?
I LOVED Julia Quinn’s The Girl With The Make-believe Husband.
Right now I’m reading Sarah MacLean’s The Day Of The Duchess. Both authors are
auto reads for me.
What types of scenes are your most favorite to
write?
Definitely dialogue. When the characters are interesting and
there’s a bit of tension, the dialogue pushes the story forward in a fun and
interesting way. Describing what people are doing sometimes gets me while Love
scenes are the hardest.
Can you
tell us about your upcoming book?
The sequel to A Most Unlikely Duke is called The Duke Of Her
Desire. It releases December 27th and features Raphe’s sister,
Amelia, as she struggles to renovate a house on the edge of St. Giles and turn
it into a school. Contending with her brother’s friend, the Duke of Coventry
who’s been charged with protecting her, leads to a lot of quarreling, tension
and high passion.
*****
Born in Denmark, Sophie Barnes spent
her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world.
She's lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and
speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish, and Romanian. But, most impressive of
all, she's been married to the same man three times—in three different
countries and in three different dresses.
When she's not busy dreaming up her next romance
novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking,
gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading.
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