Saturday, August 10, 2019

Diamond in the Rough - Jen Turano



"Any smidgen of hope that her entrance into New York high society would be deemed a rousing success died the moment Miss Poppy Garrison's tiara became firmly attached to the sleeve of her dance partner."


With that opening, we begin the second installment of the American Heiresses series, and find Miss Poppy Garrison in New York City, living with her grandmother, Viola, participating in the Season.  Viola is determined to show Poppy that being accepted into high society is desirable, and while Poppy was perfectly content living on a horse farm in Pennsylvania, she discovers that she doesn't hate it.  However, mayhem and adventure seem to find her no matter how hard she works on her decorum and poise.  Reginald Blackburn, travelling companion to Lord Charles Lonsdale, is charged with teaching Miss Garrison to fit in to this world of heiresses and money, and yet he finds himself admiring her unflappability in the midst of the chaos that follows her. 

"I've always felt that misfits are far more interesting than normal folks."


I love that Poppy has such a firm grasp on who she is, and what is valuable in the people around her.  The people she is drawn to turn into such rich characters and the relationships that develop throughout the book from such inauspicious connections really made this book great for me.  Poppy owns up to her mistakes, but she is never ashamed of who she is or the accidents that befall her.  She loves others and has a tender heart to those she learns are living in wretched conditions. 

"I think you'll eventually discover that you're delightful just the way God made you, my dear."  "You seem to be an original, my dear, so perhaps you won't feel the need to wait so long before you abandon what's expected of you, embracing who you truly are and who God meant you to be, instead of trying to embrace a sense of who others want you to be."

I love that, even with an entirely new set of characters, by using the same setting as a previous series, Ms. Turano is able to sneak in a cameo of a favorite character from past novels and use her to deliver wisdom from the position of experience. 

This book was one of those rare finds where you don't want to put the book down, but you also don't want it to end too soon!  I loved watching Poppy find herself even more fully, and I enjoyed watching her build up those around her as she did.  I always love Ms. Turano's grouping of friends who enjoy being together throughout the mayhem she puts them through, and this cast of characters is among her best.  I can't wait to hear Beatrix Waterbury's story in the third book!

I give this book 5 stars.  Between Diamond in the Rough and Flights of Fancy, American Heiresses is becoming my favorite Turano series!

You can find Diamond in the Rough HERE.
You can find Ms. Turano's site HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review. 

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