Queen of Diamonds (3) Paperback – Big Book, 29 June 2022

A real achievement. Astonishingly good. While this finishes a trilogy (and please don't read the spoilers in the reviews!) you don't need the other two books to follow the story. While the first two books were solidly enjoyable reads, Queen of Diamonds is an instant classic on it's own merits. I've read all of Barbara Metzger's work and I was still unprepared for the emotional impact of this novel.What sets Queen of Diamonds apart is more than solid characterization and excellent plotting. The heroine is unlike any stock character you've read this year. She is an independent woman through the entire book. She is a real person with plausible reactions and conflicts, her actions make sense and lack the foolishness a lesser book requires to move the story along. The aspects of Regency life she experiences come alive in a true way rarely achieved in genre fiction. Her Cyprian Ball isn't an excuse to get someone half raped or a 'steamy' scene underway. It's a place her characters would go, and the event is treated as sincerely as a night at Almacks. (In fact, if you're looking for a sex laden read, move along. The steam in this book is achieved through the relationships of the characters rather than heaving bosoms or throbbing anythings).And what characters! None of them are a plot device or a waste of space - each one adds interest and depth to the tale. Maybe once a decade I'll read a genre book that actually causes me to tear up. I'm cynical like that. This one got me. I bought into the story like it was an autobiography. The hero and heroine are people of conviction making the best choices they can. Both grow and learn from their experiences. You know, I think it's better than Whitney, My Love. You need to read it and decide for yourself.

She seems to at last have conquered the longer novel with this one. A more relaxed writing style, smoother more in depth descriptions. I still think Metzger's best at the short Trad Regency--she's the absolute Empress of the genre--but I did enjoy this book.