Customer Reviews

Diamond Dreams (Signet Regency Romance)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you truly want to travel to the England of yesteryear, pick up a Sandra Heath book. This is an author who can write description! Ms. Heath has the outstanding ability to firmly put her reader into a story's setting . . . DIAMOND DREAMS basks in Heath's unique golden touch.

Athan, Lord Griffin is a wealthy landowner. In the Welsh county of Glamorgan, Castle Griffin rises above rich Celtic land. Ancient land charged with legends, myths, and magic. London, England and Lord Griffin is a tender morsel in the Marriage Stakes. So sought after is Lord Griffin, he decides to invent a wife - a fictitious bride to ward off pursuing females. His fake bride takes on a presence when Griffin purchases a portrait from a London gallery. Soon the portrait's essence captivates Griffin and in time he realizes the painting's mysterious charmer holds his soul - his bridal fantasy is now firmly rooted deep within his heart - his fictional 'Caroline'.

So who is Ellie Rutherford? Is she Griffin's 'Caroline' come to life?

In the Welsh mountains, on the estate of Castle Griffin, lives the potter, John Bailey. A gentle man who takes in his penniless niece, Ellie Rutherford. However, Ellie's Uncle John has a troubled history and one man's evil calls. John Bailey is forced to surrender. Heath now opens her story and allows blackmail, treason, and smuggling to proceed. Remarkably, through the magic of this author's pen, the sightseeing reader journeys through the Welsh countryside, into the Tower of London, and over the wintry seas to beautiful St. Petersburg. DIAMOND DREAMS is a gentle adventure filled with corruption.

Sandra Heath has an enjoyable style. The reader senses, throughout this story, this is an author who takes the time to research, an author who cares deeply about the era she so elaborately writes about. Her background material is first-rate. However, DIAMOND DREAMS seems to lack something - it doesn't have enough bite, enough tingle, enough pizzazz. Therefore, I rate this story a solid B+, based on Heath's fantastic ability to take me to the Napoleonic era of the nineteenth century.


MaryGrace Meloche
Reviewer for: Romance Designs.com

There is an implicit invitation in all of the books by Sandra Heath. To paraphrase (just slightly) from her newest book, DIAMOND DREAMS, it is: `come with me to this ancient Celtic land of legends, myths and magic, where it is easy to believe in the fantastic and supernatural.' Of course, she is Welsh, which explains a good deal, I think.

In the first few pages we meet a horse-charmer (who also has `perceptive' gifts) and a tea-thrower. Well, and why not? These are but two of the marvelous supporting characters to be found in her newest tale which takes us from London to Wales to St. Petersburg, Russia. Every detail fits perfectly, and if you can't believe, then you either have a heart of stone or no heart at all. True, there are some little bits of coincidence, but then, all of life has them, as well. They're still believable as she intertwines them in her tale.

When Athan, Lord Griffin, glimpses Ellie Rutherford in a country inn's garden, she is wearing a maid's clothing. Her own garments are being cleaned after having someone else's meal spilled all over her. This episode of mistaken identity heralds several such incidents throughout the book, not all of which will end happily. He knows only that hers is the face of an unknown woman in a portrait he's purchased, and with whom he's fallen in love. He has, in fact, identified the portrait as being of Caroline, his wife, who just may be a figment of his imagination.

Lord Griffin is betrothed to one Fleur Tudor, the supposed daughter of a good friend, now deceased. Once Athan sees Ellie, however, he wishes for nothing more than to find a way to marry her, instead. Although she suspects him of being involved with the financial ruin of her father (which led to his suicide) she cannot help being attracted to the Welsh lord.

They part, Ellie to live with her uncle John in Wales, Athan to visit St. Petersburg, on a diplomatic mission. Even though separated by thousands of miles, they share a fantastical episode which convinces them of their love for each other, if not how to make it all work out as it should.

The detail in this book is splendid. The characters are fascinating, and the story itself is unusual yet somehow entirely believable. DIAMOND DREAMS is Sandra Heath at her very, very best, and definitely belongs on every reader's `must have' list.

Sadly, several publishers are doing away with their Trad Regency lines. In this big push for erotica, I fear they are losing site of different strokes for different folks. Janet Mullany, a new voice in Trads, shows she can hit the mark, even heat up the formula some. However, my favourite Trad writer has to be Sandra Heath. I simply adore her Lavender Blue, one of my all time favourite books of any genre. It's quite clear Heath knows her lore, traditions and the shadowy mysteries of the British Isles, and imbues her wonderful stories with those rich textures. I cannot think of any writer who weaves so much history and lore into her stories with such subtle mastery.

While Lavender Blue remains in my top ten keepers, this is another delightful story from a talent that should receive a bigger showcase. Heath issues an invitation (as she does with all her strong tales) come to where legends, myths and magic still exist, where the supernatural is natural. She immediately lures you into the story that carries the reader from London to Wales, and even to Russia.

Athan, Lord Griffin has a portrait of a woman in his house, a painting that has fascinated him. So, Ellie Rutherford intrigues him when he spies her in the garden of a country inn, wearing clothes of a maid. He is unaware Ellie's own garments were being clean, an accident that ended up with a large portion of another's meal in her lap. He thinks she is just a common maid. But her beauty aside, what peaks his interest most is that Ellie bears and uncanny resemblance to the portrait in his home. He purchased the painting and strangely, he feels he's
fallen in love with the mysterious woman. Now here she seems to be conjured from his dreams, a dream where the woman is named Carolina and she was his wife.

Ellie has been through one tragedy after another in her young life. The death of her parents and the loss of her family fortune, leaves her future up in the air. She considers herself lucky that her uncle has given her a home in Wales. So when the handsome stranger steals a kiss at the inn, it seemed like magic.

Athan instantly wants Ellie, only there are problems on the romance front. He is betrothed to another, Fleur Tudor, a daughter of a good friend who is now deceased. But this isn't the only obstacle in their way. Ellie believe Athan was responsible for the loss of her family's fortune, which led to her father's suicide. Despite all, the Welsh lord draws her.

Ellie leaves the inn to go to her Uncle John's home in Wales, while Athan goes to St. Petersburg on a mission. In spite of distance, love has a way of prevailing.


Saying any more, would spoil the delight of this charming tale. As with her previous works, the characters steal your heart, showing Sandra Heath is one very, very talented writer. Lavender Blue has a new book beside it. My Sandra Heath keeper shelf just keeps collecting books. I don't re-read many books these days. But I know Lavender Blue and Diamond Dreams will call to me again.

By the reviews I thought this book would be so good. It was rather boring. I love Regency Romances. But there were way too many unexplained things here.

His first wife: The whole thing with that was just really unbelievable. He fell in love with a picture of the heroine?

How and when did these two even fall in love? They didn't even know each other. They met three times. Three short times before he told her he loved her! And they kept seeing each other in their minds making love.

Then suddenly they're planning their wedding...Wait, when did she say yes? When did he even ask?

It's true, there was a lot of history in this novel, and that's one of the reasons it was boring.

And, maybe it's me, but I thought some of these characters were a little too oblivious.

Though I will say one thing. Sandra Heath can describe a scene like no other. Lovely writing.

To say that this Heath was a Regency Romance would be untrue, as it is more historical suspense than a romance.
Ellie Rutherford's life is destroyed utterly by a mysterious fraud robbing her father of all his money and plunges their estate into mortgage and debt. They travel to London and the Unicorn Bank to put a stop to it and fail. Ellie's father commits suicide and she is left destitute. She is alone in the world apart from a missing uncle.
She meets, by chance, Lord Griffin. They are mesmerised by each other and he kisses her. Athan, Lord Griffin is stunned by her, as she is the image of a painting in his possession. A very improper painting. Neither think to meet again.
Then Ellie finds her Uncle John, who co-incidentally, lives on Griffin's Welsh estate trying to make a living making fine china.
There are several complications. Athan is almost engaged to a young woman under his care, Fleur Tudor - who is not what she seems. However, it is the melodramatic machinations of the Russian, Prince Paul Dalmatsky involving revenge and a stolen diamond that really drive the plot.
The romance, alas, really takes second place. It is very much 'at first sight' and the tale of the portrait is over complicated, confusing and (at bottom) faintly ridiculous. There are several scenes of psychic connection between the pair that have a very good romantic charge. However, Ellie's being in the presence of others at these times, negates their appeal. There's no real romance between them, of discovery and doubt and fears regarding each other.
The tale moves well, is full of drama, but is not Heath at her best. Not enough feeling, maybe, between the hero and heroine.