A review by theeditorreads
Diamond in the Rough by Skye Warren

5.0

Diamond in the Rough is the dark and gritty story of Elijah North and Holland Frank. It is a suspenseful romance, that will make you uncomfortable.

Trigger Warning: Kidnapping, Torture, Violence

Synopsis:
Holland Frank is on a flight from New York City to France, where she is going to search for her missing sister London. She meets a charming stranger on the plane, Adam Bisset. Already worried about her sister, Holly never in her wildest dreams expects to be the one who would need saving as she is abducted as soon as she exits from the airport.

Kept captive in a prison, along with a bruised and battered man whom everyone calls North, she can’t imagine why she’s being held against her will. Why her? And where was her sister? And who was this stranger she was kept in captivity with?

Review:
The story starts eight years after the events of the prologue/prequel. Holly meets a stranger on a transatlantic flight while going to Pairs in search of her sister. No one knows where she’s headed since she didn’t want to worry her parents.

Holland Frank is a much-loved children’s book author. Frantic to find her missing sister, she disregarded her own safety. Thrown into a prison with a battered man who thinks of her as an angel, she is living her worst nightmare.

Narrated from a first-person dual perspective, the identity of one of the protagonists is kept mysterious for some time, which added to the overall aura of the story.
I wish I could be the white knight to save her from this. Instead, I’m the dying boy in her story.

It’s not exactly children’s books which Holly writes, and the way her profession fits in with the narrative is amazing. The best thing to come out of it is how [a:Skye Warren|5339130|Skye Warren|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1580833030p2/5339130.jpg] writes a story within her story. I’m in awe of her writing.

When North’s past is revealed, it is nothing short of shocking. Whether it be his recent past or his growing up years. The more I knew about him, the more I fell in love with this bad boy.
Maybe if the prison is warm and comfortable enough, the captive learns to enjoy herself.

The story is too intense, dark, and twisted. I love dark romances and it gives me great joy when one is done with finesse. It seems too long that I’ve read a dark romance full of suspense (though it’s only been a month) but I can’t seem to get enough of North and Holly. The pacing was perfect, constantly moving forward to the point that even more than three hundred pages flew by. And I wasn’t aware but suspected that the story would end in a cliffhanger. Eagerly waiting for Book Two – [b:Gold Mine|54345729|Gold Mine (Diamond, #2)|Skye Warren|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597431307l/54345729._SY75_.jpg|84806916].

I wonder if a story can be called a second-chance romance if it’s this mysterious and dangerous, dark and twisted.

P.S. When there is a mention of the North brothers, I immediately thought that they may be having their own books. And I realised that I am so late in discovering a gem of a writer like her, but better late than never! There is an entire series dedicated to Liam – North Security. Also, Holly’s parents have their own book! [b:Wanderlust|24753563|Wanderlust|Skye Warren|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422583038l/24753563._SX50_.jpg|23675961].

Thank you to Valentine PR for an e-ARC of the book.

My review of the books in the Diamond Series is as follows:
Hidden Gem (Prequel Novella) | Diamond in the Rough | Gold Mine | Silver Lining

Originally posted on:
Shaina's Musings