The Black Diamond

A legendary black diamond becomes the object of a treasure hunt in this lightweight Regency romance, a sequel to Kane's Legacy of the Diamond. Slayde Huntley, determined to protect his sister Aurora from the family curse, plans to marry her to Viscount Guillford. Aurora, equally determined not to wed a man she doesn't love, sneaks off to a tavern to get herself compromised. The man she chooses turns out to be Lawrence Bencroft, the newly ascended Duke of Morland and her family's bitter enemy. Or so it seems, until he asks to marry Aurora and sweetens the deal by offering her the adventure she craves. Off they go in search of the accursed diamond whose history is interwoven with their family feud, along the way besting cardboard villains and engaging in heated lovemaking. It's a talky journey, with fragmented clues that the reader has no opportunity to unravel. Since the tension between hero and heroine dissipates early, the pleasures here are for the easily satisfied: good-hearted characters and occasional swashbuckling action. (Nov.)