Here I am, a week before the release of Dangerous in Diamonds, all excited that this book will be in the hands of readers soon! I love this book. My editor loves this book. My publisher loves this book. Will every reader love it? Probably not, because that never happens. However, I had a wonderful time writing this story and bringing two of my most distinctive characters together.

Readers of The Rarest Blooms stories have met both Daphne Joyes and Tristan, Duke of Castleford throughout the series. Daphne is composed, collected, and a bit hard to read as a personality. The other women defer to her and depend on her, but there have also been hints regarding the mysteries that she has been hiding.

And Castleford—well, what can I say? He arrived in Ravishing in Red the way many of my favorite characters do, unexpectedly. He was a bad boy from the start, bad enough that I received a few emails complaining about his behavior. As the series continued, we came to know more about him. He may be an unrepentant hedonist, but, as one reader told me, he has a surprising heart of gold, and he rises out of his perpetual ennui to meddle in friends’ lives for the best of reasons. That he is arrogant in assuming everyone won’t mind when he does, and that his motivations also include relief at having something not bore him—well, that is what makes Castleford who he is.

Of course I had to put these two together! Castleford delights in finding ways to shatter Daphne’s ice queen composure, and Daphne inevitably will bring Castleford to his knees. Along the way there will be discoveries about both of them, humor and action. I promise readers that Castleford remains Castleford through it all. Does he reform? Well, partly, but a man partly reformed is a man still half bad.

I am busy starting my next series, but as April 26 approaches, my mind is much on The Rarest Blooms and all these characters with whom I have been living for several years. I firmly believe that as a writer I need to keep moving on, but in this case I am taking a few days to fondly look back too. I hope that you will give the series, and Dangerous in Diamond a try.

Madeline