Diamond in the Rough

by Diana Palmer

#13 One Last Try

Rated 3 stars

Back Cover:

Sassy Peale is desperate to help her family, but her meager salary doesn't stretch far. Then she meets John Callister, and she thinks her new friend is an honest-to-God cowboy—rugged and trustworthy.

But John isn't a ranch hand, he's a millionaire from one of Montana's most powerful families! And when Sassy finds out who he really is, she's certain the arrogant millionaire is just playing with her. John has to convince Sassy that he's the man she first thought he was—a diamond in the rough.

My Thoughts:

So, certain truths are universally accepted. Diana Palmer is going to write her Heroes as Older/wealthy/alpha-to the point of absolute jerk/women haters. She is also going to write her heroines as young/poor/virginal-to the point of creepy/traumatized. The typical story will have he hero wanting the much younger etc heroine but refusing to act on it. In his refusal he will be mean and hateful to heroine. She will love him anyway and want only to wed him and raise his children. He will be her first, unless she's been molested by someone before. He will work hard to make her feel young and inadequate.

However, this time she varied her plot device sort of. He wants her, but doesn't abuse her in order to try to deny himself. She is young and poor but working and hasn't loved him from afar for years. Yes, he rescues her, and yes she is the young virginal heroine. But it wasn't that bad. I mean, we all love a story like that every once in a while but not e-v-e-r-y book. It's like she got in a rut.

So I was pleasantly surprised that the hero here isn't a total jerk!!