Book of the Week #54 "The Sound of Diamonds"

The Sound of Diamonds

by Rachelle Rea Cobb

In 1566, the Dutch Low Countries are in turmoil. Protestants are determined to ruin the images they believe Catholics hold as idols. When Lady Gwyneth Barrington's mother and father were murdered, her uncle sent her to the Low Countries to live in a convent, believing she would be safe away from England where Catholicism has been outlawed. As the story beings, Gwyneth and her friends Margried and Sister Agnes are being abducted by three men after the convent has been set on fire in the middle of the night. Immediately, Gwyneth recognizes one of the men as Devon "Dirk" Godfrey, the man she has believed murdered her parents months ago. As Dirk, Cade, and Ian lead Gwyneth, Margried and Sister Agnes from the Netherlands and to England to get them to safety, Gwyneth finds herself struggling with her feelings toward Dirk. On one hand, she has believed him to be a murderer for months, yet on the other hand, he had saved her life.

Prior to The Sound of Diamonds, I had never read a book set in the 16th century. I had been interested, but really didn't know where to start. I had heard of Rachelle Rea Cobb's Steadfast Love Series and had planned on reading it, and when she approached me with an opportunity to do so, I quickly agreed. I found the setting of this book really interesting. One of my favorite parts of reading historical fiction is learning about different periods in time. I knew nothing of the Iconoclastic Fury, and in turn I learned quite a bit. I didn't know that there was so much tension between the Protestants and Catholics during this time. I had never read a book set in the Netherlands, and I found this interesting as well. Reading as Gwyneth called her mother Moeder added a charm to the book, and I could practically hear her Dutch accent as she spoke. I love when that happens in a book. I think I was expecting this to be solely a romantic story. True, romance plays a big role, but there is a lot of history woven into the story and I love that.

I think one of my favorite things about Gwyneth is that she's feisty. She doesn't let things go without a fight and really throws her whole heart into whatever she's doing. And while Dirk may not be the sort of hero I personally prefer, I found him to be a likable character and a good match for Gwyneth. I think it was neat that Rachelle wrote the chapters to alternate Gwyneth and Dirk's points of view. We get to see more than one side to the story this way, yet the book keeps you guessing until the end.

All in all, I found The Sound of Diamonds to be an interesting novel with likable characters and a very charming setting. If you love historical romance, I would definitely recommend this book to you.

I give this book a 4 out of 5.

I received an e-copy of this book from the author for review consideration, yet as always, all opinions are my own.