The Diamond Slipper [Paperback]

Jane Feather (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997

Dear Reader,

What comes to mind when you think of a diamond slipper? Cinderella, perhaps? That's what Cordelia Brandenburg imagines when her godparents arrange a
marriage for her with a man she's never met--a marriage that will take her to Versailles, far from the rigid confines of her childhood home. The betrothal
gift is a charm bracelet with a tiny, glittering diamond slipper attached...as befits a journey into a fairy-tale future.

But Cordelia--young, headstrong, and completely adorable--runs into trouble right away. Her escort to the wedding is the golden-eyed, sensual, teasing Viscount Leo Kierston. For Cordelia, it's love at first sight. Yet Leo seems to see only a spoiled child--perhaps it's the way she cheats at chess--and Cordelia is determined to show him the woman beneath.

There is, however, no escaping her arranged marriage. She's devastated to discover that her new husband is an utterly loathsome tyrant who will stop at nothing to satisfy his twisted desires.

My heart went out to Cordelia as she struggles courageously against a man determined to break her spirit.  But her husband has a secret, one that will bring down the vengeance of Viscount Kierston and all who have reason to hate him.

I hope you'll enjoy this love story of two of my very favorite characters.

Warmest wishes,

Jane Feather

P.S. The charm bracelet makes its next appearance in The Silver Rose.
Look for it next summer.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Viscount Leo Kierston is sent to escort Cordelia Brandenburg on the journey to her new husband, Prince Michael von Sachsen. Cordelia is fully aware of her duty to her family and prepared to do as she is told, but she cannot help losing her heart to Leo long before she meets Michael. Upon their arrival in Versailles, Cordelia reluctantly bids farewell to Leo. She soon discovers that her husband is a vile and dangerous man. Cordelia confides in Leo, and together they plot her escape, determining she must take Michael's twin daughters--Leo's nieces--along. But secrets surface that threaten to destroy more than their plan, and in the end only their love can save them.

From Publishers Weekly

Feather's (Virtue) latest, is full of sharp and often disquieting contrasts that may rattle some readers. The book starts in a sweetly frivolous tone as Lady Cordelia Brandenburg is married by proxy, at the same time her best friend, Marie Antoinette is pledged to the future dauphin. Cordelia is the typical cute-and-plucky naif who quickly decides that she's in love with Viscount Leo Kierston, the stand-in for her intended, a widowed prince with small twin daughters. Together, the proxied brides are to travel to Versailles to join their husbands and solemnize their marriages. Maybe, given the fate of her good friend, readers shouldn't be surprised when Cordelia's own story switches from lighthearted to disturbing: when she arrives at her new home, she learns that her husband intends to break her spirit, ignores his children, enjoys sexual perversion and murdered his first wife. The promise of a happy ending may not be enough for everyone to stay with it until the bittersweet end.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Fanfare; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553575236
• ISBN-13: 978-0553575231
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wanted this story to last forever. . ., October 7, 2000

By 

"bestoligirl" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diamond Slipper (Paperback)

Upon reading the other reviews for The Diamond Slipper, I had a hard time believing that we all had read the same book. I absolutey ADORED this book. The moment I read about Cordelia innocently showering a tall, handsome young man in the courtyard with roses, I was touched and knew I would definitely love this story.

There was the perfect amount of romance, suspense, and adventure in this book. Not every moment was filled with typical lovey-dovey, mushy scenes (not that there's anything wrong with that.) But the squeamish should beware. There several scenes in the book that are dark, disturbing, and somewhat frightening. Cordelia's husband is sadistic and cruel, and does things to her that are hard to read about, but she is a strong-willed young woman who won't let her husband destroy her and who will also do anything to spend the rest of her life with her soul mate, Leo.

Readers who ONLY like books where the heroine is a virgin and marries her loved one would probably not like this book. Readers who are open to other possibilities probably would like this book. Honestly, this type of romance would greatly be enjoyed by those who are not afraid to confront the dark sides of the human experience, knowing that ultimately love is force that cannot be reckoned with.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Suspense, November 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Diamond Slipper (Paperback)

I have been a fan of Jane Feathers for a while and although this is not one of my favorites I enjoyed the darkness of it. Cordelia is married by proxy to Prince Michael. Vicount Leo Kierston, brother-in-law of the Prince, escorts her from the Austrian courts to France in order to meet her husband and also attend her friend Marie Antoinette's own wedding. Cordelia falls in love with Leo at first sight and tells him so. He tries to avoid her advancements and remain honorable even though he can't get her out of his mind and is falling for her too. He tries to answer her questions about her unknown husband as honestly as possible without revealing his unease and dislike of the man. He has suspisions of his twin sister's sudden death 4 years earlier but has no proof. After Cordelia meets Michael she realizes he rules his home and servants with an iron hand and expects her to yield to him and obey his every command. When she shows defiance, Michael punishes her in the bedroom by raping her repeatedly. He's a control freak and she his prisoner. He keeps a journal describing all his evil thinking and Cordelia discovers these jounals and learns that he is a sick monster that poisoned his first wife when he suspected she was cheating on him. I know most women find rape offensive but Jane doesn't go into the gross details and leaves most of it up to your own imaginations. It was very suspensefull knowing that there was evil lurking in her husband Prince Michael and wondering when and how he was going to strike. I would have liked it if Cordelia was the one to deal the final blow instead of her lover Leo.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is wrong with you people?, March 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Diamond Slipper (Paperback)

I am not really a fan of Jane Feather's, but this is the one book of hers that I halfway endured. So what if the heroine had to suffer through her vicious husband's weird sexual habits? It makes the story of the two main characters all the more poignant. I recommmed this book above all other Jane Feather books.