Diamonds in the Dust Book Reviews

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Totally looking forwad to Book 2. Charmaine Pauls does it again. When she announced that she was writing a trilogy, I was over the moon. I love spending quality time with characters, so trilogies are my favorites. Actually Charmaine Pauls is an automatic purchase for me, I have never been disappointed and never expect to be disappointed because this author is one sublime storyteller. A true wonderful woman that was given a gift. A gift she readily shares with all of her readers. And the gift for her readers here, are Zoe and Maxime. Zoe's life is turned upside down when Maxime enters, but that’s not to say Zoe was doing so great to being with. She wasn’t. But she knew her circumstances and dealt with them. But Maxime with his own issues shakes Zoe to her core. And that’s where Charmaine leaves it. I can not wait for the second book. All of three books will be released this year and I couldn’t be happier. Book 1 rating: 5 Stars

Best. Cliffhanger. Ever!!. I love this author’s writing style because in one chapter the reader is quickly drawn into this life or death battle between good and evil and I could not look away. Maxime is a ruthless and unpredictable predator who will get his way no matter who dies because violence is the cost of doing business in the French Mafia. He might be rich and well dressed but his clothes can’t hide the menace in his soul. When Zoe is forcibly dragged from her seedy apartment against her will she has no choice but to submit to everything Maxime wants or pay the brutal cost. She tries her best to stay strong but when her pride and dignity are ripped away with a brutal attack she sees only one way out. I’ve never been a huge fan of cliffhangers but this one is deliciously Machiavellian and it totally blew my mind. Best. Cliffhanger. Ever. I read an early copy of this book and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.

Diamonds in the Dust. Diamonds in the Dust: A Diamond Magnate Novel (Diamonds are Forever Trilogy Book 1) - Charmaine Paul This book is a prequel to Beauty in the Broken (highly recommend this as another amazing read), part of the Diamond magnate series. It is captivating, hypnotizing, emotionally draining, empowering even in the face of imprisonment. This is a very dark story with the romance becomes buried under the emotional push and pull of the characters needs. If you have any triggers with forced consent , violent scenes and abuse then this series is not for you. There is amazing character development between the two main characters, Maxime and Zoe, which is not only told throughout the book but also in their narratives. The story is told from both perspectives. Zoe has been kidnapped by Maxime in an attempt to control her brother, Damian, who is in prison after being set up. Maxime is part of a French Mafia family who deals a great deal with mining diamonds. His initial plan to turn her over to his family changes when he decides to “keep “ Zoe, by making her his mistress. Somehow Maxime makes Stockholm syndrome work for their relationship. He has studied Zoe to the extent he knows her almost better than she knows herself. Maxime is an expert at controlling Zoe and finds himself falling for her,perhaps even “keeping her. Zoe wrestles with trying to sort out Maxime who fluctuates between trying to make her dreams become reality and psychological /physical control. Although Zoe has submitted to her captures conditions to save her brother, she is slowly becoming drawn into the dream. This heroine though is no pushover and finds how she holds her own power over Maxime. The psychological play between the characters had me drawn into the story from the beginning. As a reader you are confused how to feel about Maxime as the borders between good and bad become blurred. This is a very hard book to put down, the story is fast paced, exciting , frustrating, thrilling, filled with this authors hypnotic speciality of dark sexy romance. I loved that the book is told from both POV’s and although I knew this ended with a cliffhanger , omg didn’t see this one coming.

These diamonds dazzle!. Wow, what a captivating book! Zoe was “plucked” from her life by Maxime because of his business dealings. I can’t say more than that. She struggles with her new life, and I would too. She had anger, rage and pride. She hates him, but he makes her feel pleasure. This was where she feels shame and disappointment in herself, and I could understand that too. Maxime was fascinated with her, and I was fascinated by him. He was a complex man with which we were just scratching the surface of in this book. He can be caring then turn cruel, yet he can disarm her and me. He was numb and unfeeling until Zoe, and I loved that. She was his light in the darkness. But how much can one woman take? Read this dazzling book that I highly recommend and find out! *I received an advanced copy of this ebook for my honest review.*

Anti-Hero alert (swoon) ❤️❤️. I’ve read plenty by this author. I’m a fan. The hero Maxime is everything anti-hero. I LOVE anti-heroes. Your torn between loving and hating him. The heroine Zoe is a little too naive and a dreamer. It’s hard to believe she is Damians sister. The families backgrounds are tumultuous. She’s from the wrong side of the tracks and he’s the dark, mafia prince. I had a hard time believing how fast she capitulated. The dark boat punishment scene was just all kinds of wrong. I was drawn into the story. I’m intrigued and want to see what’s going to happen next.

Wow!. I was in a reading funk for several weeks and had no idea that the thing I needed was Diamonds in the Dust by Charmaine Pauls. Her books never disappoint. Like all books I have read from this author, the book has a fast, action packed start. Within the first couple of chapters, you've met both Zoe and Maxime and they have met each other, albeit not how normal people meet. ;) The daisy is a wishful flower and Zoe does have dreams but I found her to be very rooted in reality. She's not naive and sees the irony in situations. She's very perceptive. This is something I like and look for in female characters. She's overcome so much and is a strong female character, given her circumstances. I liked that she didn't back down in the world of the powerful families. I personally find it refreshing how eyes wide open she is. Maxime did do some things in the book that had me saying "you jerk" (only with a different word that begins with a b and ends with a d) but he never wanted Zoe to bear all the pain. Charmaine did warn us there would be a cliffhanger and she certainly meant it. It was more like stepping off a cliff into the unknown... which will come out in 2 months. That being said, I loved this book. I will probably read it multiple times before the next book in the trilogy comes out. I have already started re-reading Beauty in the Broken which takes place in the same "world" (Damian from Beauty in the Broken is Zoe's older brother). It was a pleasure to review this book and I will definitely recommend it to friends when it is released. The author gifted me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review but all of her books are “one-click” purchases anyway. ;)

Just the beginning. I'm feeling a bit like I just took a couple of rounds in the ring. My boundaries were pushed, and I had to sit on this and think about how I really felt. I'm conflicted, but hopeful. Maxime is my main cause of this conflict. He sees the treasure in Zoe, and his true aim is to protect her from a far evil than what he thinks he is. He's not exactly wrong, but his way of teaching her is why I struggled with him. Although, I can see that part inside of him that would show a different man if they were in a better world. Maxime is like a man with two personalities. One personality is the knight in shining armor and the other is a soft nightmare. I say soft because even when he becomes the nightmare, his intention are always to protect Zoe. See? It's very conflicting. It's also the reason why I think I'm going to love this series when it's all said and done. I'm very pleased with Zoe and how she handled an impossible situation. She's had such hard life and she is only 21. She's escapes the rough world by being a dreamer which makes people underestimate her. She's a fighter and I loved it. I want to see that fight even if the situation is helpless. This ended on a big cliffhanger and for once I was glad to see it. I think it will be a turning point for the next book. **This is a dark story and there will be triggers for some readers.

All the stars. This my introduction to this author and I’m in love! Maxime and Zoe’s story is far from being over and I’ll be here for every bit of it! Great writing. Great storyline. Sex was off the charts! The cliffhanger at the end was mean lol but understandable. I’m hooked and decided to start on her back catalog of books. This book is everything! I can’t wait for the second book!

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WOW. Another amazing book by Charmaine Pauls! The story grips you and takes you on a emotional rollercoaster. I am left thinking about the story even after completing the book.

Amazing!. Five plus stars for the first book in what I know will be a fantastic series! I’m loving Maxime and Zoe already. When Zoe described Maxime as not being handsome I thought yesss! Well done Charmaine we have a hero who is not drop dead gorgeous....such a pleasant change! I know there is going to be lots more twists and turns and intrigue and I’m already moving on to the second book. I love to binge reading a whole series....you can’t beat it! Well done Charmaine this series is an absolute winner!

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Amazingly Dark!. This is the first book in the Diamonds are Forever Trilogy, an amazingly Dark Mafia Romance. This story is intertwined with Beauty in the Broken, but you don't have to read it before this one. However, if you have not read Beauty in the Broken yet, I highly recommend you to do so. Otherwise, if you loved Beauty in the Broken (which is my case), you'll love this one. Charmaine Pauls NEVER disappoints. This story is dark, fast-paced, intriguing, and captivating. Maxime is the perfect anti-hero, ruthless, powerful, dark, and intriguing. Zoe, Damian's sister from Beauty in the Broken, is young, beautiful, strong, but also vulnerable, and desperate. My heart broke for her. Alexis, Maxime's brother, is a sadistic, and OMG! I am so glad Maxime saved Zoe from Alexis and his family. Some scenes are not for the faint of heart. And now that ending!! I enjoyed it, and I can't wait to read the next book in the Series, Diamonds in the Rough, to know what happens next. I need more! If you like dark romance, this one is definitely for you. Now, I feel the need to read Beauty in the Broken again.

All the Diamonds. 5 Dazzling Diamond Stars for Diamonds in the Dust, the first instalment in the Diamonds are Forever trilogy by Charmaine Pauls. This book had everything I look for in a dark romance... Brooding anti-hero ✅ Sharp and fiercely independent heroine✅ Hard lessons to be learned for both H&h ✅ Intricate storyline✅ Steamy Smexy Scenes✅ Charmaine Pauls is a one click author for me and I’ve been waiting for this story to come since she started the Diamond Magnate world with Damian and Lina’s story. Diamonds in the Dust is set during the time of Damian’s imprisonment and follows his sister Zoe’s life in poverty. The reader gets insight into the childhood Damian and Zoe were raised in and Zoe’s whimsical musings of being whisked away by a fairytale prince where she will live happily ever after. And Zoe gets a variation of her wish... she is whisked away from poverty, brought to a castle befitting a queen, and her prince? Well, who said Zoe would get it all? Zoe has a choice, she can obey’s Maxime’s requests and he will treat her like the gem she truly is or she can fight him at every turn and risk the safety and well being of herself and her brother. Caught in a world where she best serves as a pawn, Zoe will obey all of Maxime’s requests if she is to protect her brother. And the generous benefactor of this world only wants one thing... Zoe’s compliance. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! It is hawt, steamy and dark. Maxime is not suave or handsome or even charming, but he sees something in Zoe that he wants to protect from his cruel world. The problem is, who will protect Zoe from Maxime’s harsh and even brutal lessons? I haven’t read this kinda dark from Ms Pauls since Gabriel and Valentina in Dubious Consent! Maxime is direct and almost dispassionate. His lessons are calculated to be hard and his emotions run cold. Zoe has some tough lessons ahead of her with a cruel lover and even crueler family. But for Maxime, Zoe is his diamond in the rough; it’s now only a matter of time for Zoe to realize this and flip the script. I’m desperate to see how this sexually charged yet loveless affair will transform into something sustainable. At this point their is no telling if Maxime’s tether on Zoe will erode their arrangement to dust or fashion it into a brilliant diamond.

Charmaine’s best yet!. Charmaine Pauls delivers her most complicated anti-hero and most adorable heroine to date in this very dark and twisted modern fairy tale romance. This is definitely my favourite of Charmaine’s stories so far!! Zoe Hart is alone and destitute, her meagre seamstress salary allowing her only two tomatoes and an apple for her next meal. But the drudgery of her surroundings has not diminished her dreams of some day designing princess dresses and meeting a proverbial prince on a white stead who will carry her out of the squalor. Instead, he arrives in an armoured black Mercedes flanked by two shady henchmen. Maxime Belshaw does indeed carry her away, but not in the love-at-first-sight fantasy that she imagined. Max is a psychopath who is waylaid by his fascination with Zoe’s inherent goodness and optimism. ***”She’s a pretty little daisy that pushes through a crack on a dirty pavement, resilient and beautiful, surviving against the odds.” “I want to know how she can still believe in something beautiful, in anything at all, when everything around her is dilapidated. Maybe, just maybe, if I know her secret, I’ll know how to be happy. Maybe if I can catch her spirit, I can steal her dreams and make her hope mine.”*** So, instead of delivering Zoe to his brother as intended in his original criminal plan, Max takes on Zoe for himself and embarks on a completely different, yet equally dastardly, criminal plan. Max’s sense of right and wrong is, hmmm ..., non-existent. In its place is a firm but misplaced self-righteousness. When he tries to make his new “little flower” happy, he deceives, dictates, and manipulates; and when Zoe isn’t suitably appreciative of his efforts, he seems genuinely put out and reacts punitively. Poor Zoe! What happens when you kiss a frog prince and he keeps turning back into a frog? For her part, Zoe’s actions demonstrate resilience, sass, kindness and honour. I just love loving Zoe and I love hating Max! Charmaine beautifully captures the battle of wills between one who can’t feel and one who feels deeply and relentlessly. Her storytelling is not just a sequence of intriguing events. It is a journey into the minds of two very thoroughly envisioned characters who defy type-casting. Maxime and Zoe’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are vividly conjured even as they shift and grow and re-evaluate their positions. Her words are pure poetry.