First, I wish I'd paid more attention and noticed that this was the third book in a series. My mistake, truly. That said, this is a really well-written Victorian romance, geared toward traditionalists. Written from the point of view of Adam, Lord Diamond, it offers something a little fresh within the genre. Adam, as one might guess, falls in love with a most unsuitable woman--a widow and governess living under the shadow of her husband's death. Of course, Alice is not so unsuitable or this would not be a Victorian romance. There was a lot of push and pull about the romance, in kind of... not fun ways. The evil brother-in-law. Alice's own doubts. For that reason, four stars.

I absolutely loved this book. Even though the title is Adam it is more Alice's story who is his love interest but I'm not complaining because I really enjoyed Alice's point of view and story.

I really enjoyed the characters and story from this book. Compared to "Purity" which is the previous book I felt like the author has improved as the flow and conflict in this book made so much sense and merged really well.

Would definitely recommend this book if you are interested in period drama books.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Lord Adam Diamond has seen his two elder sisters fall in love and marry, and considers that now might be right for his own nuptials. Off to Bath to decide whether to sell or keep his maternal grandparents home, he meets Mrs. Alice Malcolm, working as a governess to friends of his family, and he is smitten. He wants Alice, and she seems to want him too, but she's keeping a secret - one which if it was revealed, would ruin everything. Can Adam break through her barriers, and show her that being with him will be nothing like her late husband, and she can take a risk?

With this being the third book in the series, we already know most of the Diamond clan, but Adam has always been a little aloof from his sisters. As heir to the Earldom, he's a catch, but he's never really considered marrying yet, but seeing Clarity and Purity find happiness, he wants the same. I liked Alice, a lot. She had a past, and though she was extremely secretive, I did understand why she was that way. She was extremely lovable, and it was lovely to see the way the Diamond's rallied around her, particularly when times got tough. A good addition to the series!

Adam Diamond is the third child, heir to the Diamonds and a eligible bachelor, who chooses Bath as the place to look for his future wife.
What he didn't count on is the existence of Alice, a governess with a dark past and who will challenge many of his concepts.
What she didn't count on is that the feelings awakened by Lord Diamond will force her to leave the safety of her self-exile from London society and face her unspoiled past.
After initially struggling with his class prejudices, Adam supports Alice in different ways and she needs to learn to trust him and other people to share her problems, overcome loneliness and believe that she can be worthy of the love and admiration of the other.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and this is my freely given opinion.

This is book three of Sydney Jane Bailey's series Diamonds of the First Water, and is the story of the only son of the Earl and Countess of Diamond, Adam.

Adam, Lord Diamond, is in Bath to deal with his grandparent's home on their behalf, considering whether to sell it, lease it, or keep it. On an outing one day he runs into a young lady who draws his interest, when she drops a package while out shopping and as he returns it, he finds himself drawn to her and interested, but she fails to introduce herself to him, and he does not see her again on his social outings, despite searching for her.

While he is there, he figures he is of an age to consider starting the hunt for a wife, and will pay a visit to his mother's friend, Lady Beasley, as she has a daughter of marriageble age. There, he finds his mystery woman, the governess to the Beasley's younger daughters, Mrs. Alice Malcolm.

Alice has been working for the Beasley's for the past couple of years as a governess, but there is a mystery about her from the beginning. She has the demeanor and knowledge of a lady, and it is indicated from the beginning she was raised a lady, but hiding that fact. But what from her past is she hiding from?

Adam is disappointed that the lady who caught his attention is not a lady but a middle class woman and governess. He finds the Beasley's eldest daughter attractive and agreeable and pays lukewarm courtship to her. Alice is at times reluctantly pulled into chaperoning the daughter. She does not want to be pushed into social circumstances, as she is reluctant to be recognized by members of high society. As the story goes further, more is discovered of Alice's background. It turns out that she is a titled daughter of a nobleman, and widow of another. Her parents are neglectful and uncaring and she was allowed to ran wanton during her debute. She ended up in a scandal and married the man at the cause of it, but he turned out to be a terrible husband, rake, gambler, and drunkard, and died after less than 2 years of marriage. His younger brother blames her for his death and has been threatening Alice, seeking monies for their outstanding debts. Alice, to escape her problems, with nowhere else to run as her parents hied off to Spain themselves, took on a new identity as Mrs. Malcolm, the governess.

Adam, while appearing to court Suzanne Beasley, cannot ignore his attraction to Alice, and considers how he would convince her to have an affair with him while he is in Bath. But things do not go his way, considering Alice's lack of trust in young rakish noblemen, so he tries the route of public courtship. It is difficult for Alice as she does not trust his motives and is still fearful of being recognized as her former self in high society functions. Adam himself, not knowing Alice and her background, has trouble reconciling his own prejudices about a working middle class woman and his attraction to her.

Things come to a head when she is recognized for who she really is at an event, and fearing that her past will catch up with her, Alice resigns her governess position and abandons Adam, running away again. She runs home to her abandoned family estate, hoping to at least be able to have shelter until she can figure out her future. She finds that it has been stripped of all valuables and sold off, as her brother in law sent people to take anything of value. But some old family retainers stayed on and lived there as they had no place else to go and she is brought back into the fold.

Adam finds his way to her and they reunite, and as he finds out more about her and her true past, he realizes he does love her and wants to marry her. Alice is conflicted as she feels she is not right for Adam, having so much taint from her marriage and her past behaviour, but she loves him as well and they do marry. But she fails to tell him everything about herself, not wanting to lose his regard or taint their marriage further, but as with all things, the truth will out. Her brother in law, when they are in London, dogs her footsteps, making accusations and threats and causing a great deal of distress to Alice and forcing Adam to seek out her past and truth. Adam becomes frustrated by Alice not trusting in him and telling him all herself, and seeks more information to help Alice, but Alice, afraid of the past and how it could harm Adam and his family, runs away again.

It was initially difficult for me to like Adam as I did question his behaviour at the start of the story, probably like Alice. After all, he was a happy go lucky, wealthy, handsome, young bachelor appearing to court a perfectly suitable young woman in Lady Suzanne Beasley, but then propositioning Alice, her governess/chaperone? Alice, obviously having been burned by men before, does not trust him. Also, when he comes out and offers to court her publicly, considering his beliefs about her as a middle class woman and widow, I did wonder if he was doing so as a ruse to get her in his bed for an affair as well. If she wasn't attracted to him also, and likely missing being treated as an attractive woman, I would not have blamed her for tossing him out of her life.
But when he followed her to her old family home and still proved he wanted to marry her I found myself convinced in their HEA, and especially how supportive and protective he and his family were of her. But then Alice could not seem to accept that she had the love and support of the Diamonds. Understandable considering what a lack of family support she had before from her own terrible parents, and how . What I would have liked to have seen was some kind of resolution or confrontation of Alice and her parent's past, as it sounds like they were terribly neglectful parents and a lot of her past behaviour was because she was neglected and disregarded by them, and seeking attention from others to make up for their lack as parents - like a child acting out, or someone seeking the love they never got as a child.

Overall, an enjoyable story with interesting nuances, though initially I did not like the route Adam was taking because it seemed like he was seeking to advantage of Alice and her situation.

3.75 stars out of 5.

Fun, flirty, and fantastic. The entire Diamond Series has been fun to read but Adam comes through as the true hero among his beautiful sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Adam and Alice's story and can't wait for Bri and Ray's stories to come.

This story was certainly different to have a lord fall for a governess only to discover she really isn't a governess, but a lady after all. This story will keep you turning the pages to see what happens to this couple. There will be secrets revealed along the way and a nasty almost villain too. It does go to show that true love is worth fighting for and learning all you can about the true nature of a person can be a reward in many ways..

This is amusing, romantic and interesting. Adam is immediately fascinated by the woman he meets while walking in Bath, but has no way to be introduced to her. Later, when he arrives at his mother's friends home in order to meet the daughter ge is to court, he finds the woman from the street, and finds out that she's a governess. While courting Lady Susanne, he finds every excuse he can to run into Alice, the governess. When Alice's secret comes to light, Adam pursues her. They end up together, but the past doesn't stay there, and Alice is used to only having herself to depend on, which causes issues between them. It's a very enjoyable story.

The third in Diamonds of the First Water, Adam unfolds beautifully as it weaves a story from beginning to end with threads of blackmail, secrets and prejudice. Past mistakes have Alice in hiding until she meets Adam. Adam must deal with his prejudice before he loses Alice. Sydney Jane Bailey has given readers a book that is well-written and well-paced, brims with tension-building twists, extremely interesting characters that weaves a story that will pull you into their emotional ride that keeps you involved until the very end, sizzling passions, an plot. With visit from characters who you found a special place in your heart for from the last novel that brings this read together perfectly!

I received an ARC from Booksprout and I am leaving an unbiased review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wolf Publishing for this ebook arc, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

"Adam" is the third installment of author Sydney Jane Baily's Diamonds of the First Water series. Having previously read the first two in the series, I was eagerly awaiting the third. I wasn't disappointed. Most historical romances are told from the woman's point of view. Therefore I enjoy when it's presented from the man's viewpoint.

Adam, Lord Diamond meets and falls for widow and governess Alice Fairclough. Just one little though...she's living under the radar in Bath to avoid her dead husband's brother, who holds her responsible for said dead husband's death and debts. Adam goes against the grain in falling for Alice, believing she's just a middle class woman. But eventually, her secret of actually being a lady, and thus a member of his class, is revealed. After some bumps in the road, they find their happily ever after.

The story was engaging, but there are quite a few times Alice got on my nerves. Her answer for trouble is to run away, and that cannot and does not always work. Her fear of trusting Adam almost cost her her marriage to him before it even hit the six month mark! As for her brother-in-law...he needed a sound thrashing for being such a rude idiot! One punch to the face (spoiler alert!) wasn't enough for me. But he does get his comeuppance, and it was thoroughly enjoyable! I thought it was a nice touch to have Alice and her dead husband's first fiancée have that moment of conversation. (Sorry...another spoiler) It was good to see that she as well found happiness with the right man, and to acknowledge her mistake in not warning Alice about the idiot she married.

A good read, as it accomplished what all romance novels aim for: sparking a gamut of emotions in the reader. I look forward to the next book in this series.

This was such a nice romance!!
Spoiler alerts ahead.
This story is about a heroine who is a governess and the lord who meets her. She is walking down the street and drops a package. The hero had been watching her closely, because he was attracted to her assets, and picked up the package and chased her down. He recognizes a lady when he sees one and was able to convey a request to see her again, even though they hadn't been properly introduced. The hero was then lucky enough to meet her again at his mother's friend's house that he was going to, to be introduced to her eldest daughter as a marriage prospect. Imagine how happy he was to talk to her, fully believing that he would marry her because he was so attracted. Then, how much in shock he was that she was the governess and not a lady!! But he persisted in believing she was a lady. The hero actually asked the heroine's employer for her hand in marriage because he wanted to marry her. The heroine chaperoned the eldest daughter to a dance at her employer's request, when her ugly past reared it's head. And so the heroine ran away to the safety of her past. Using a vague clue on a book plate, the hero is able to find her and starts unraveling her secrets.
This book was engaging from the start. The title was great, because it was a man's name on a historical romance!! It really drew the reader in. I think this may be a book in a series, because at times it refers to his older sisters courtships. I will definitely look to see if I have read them and then do so. This book was well written and definitely a romance story about an impoverished widow who has to work as a governess and the lord who 8returns her to society. I give this book 5 stars and recommend reading.

Adam by Sydney Jane Bailey. It’s another wow from me about another amazing book that I have read. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that this is a new writer to me. I had the most fun reading Adam and Alice’s romantic love story. The plot of the story was indeed captivating, but it was the journey of Alice and Adam. The romance journey I’m referring to.
I loved the fact that Adam new the woman that he wanted and didn’t give up in his pursuit. It was all rather sweet and charming at how the many different ways Adam tried to win Alice over with his seductive ways. Alice was a wonderful woman who often thought of other people, as well as put others before her. I enjoyed reading the parts were Adam slowly helped Alice to shed this darken habit. I give hands down to the writer, because I felt that this story was an easy read.
The story stayed very close to a number of realistic events. The characters were all fantastic including George, the brother in law. His wicked ways was fantastically written in the book. The entertainment was brilliantly written. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

Loved reading the engaging and captivating romance story. When Adam Diamond falls for the governess, Alice, he wants her as his mistress. Even though Alice doesn't want to make the same mistakes again and be taken advantage of, she is finding Adam more and more irresistible. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story.

Lord Diamond has led a charmed life, surrounded by his four sisters. He is in demand, with every young lady in London, wanting to marry him. Yet when he meets Mrs. Alice Malcolm, Adam wants her as his mistress. However, Alice wants to keep her life simple, tutoring two young ladies, whilst keeping away from the threat of her former brother-in-law. So her only option is to either ignore Adam’s advances or flee for her life.
Both Adam and Alice are such sweet characters, despite Adam’s initial labelling of her. There were times that I felt Alice could have been more upfront with Adam, and in doing so, caused more grief than was needed. However, her past did justify her actions. Adam proves to be a true hero particularly when trying to gain Alice’s trust. He and his family present a strong, united front, which was wonderful to read about.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am really enjoying the Diamond family series. This newest installment is funny and sweet. Adam is a genuinely good guy learning to rise above his mild classism who brings his whole self to his relationship with Alice. Alice is an intelligent woman trying to protect herself from her past, who finds a family she never had in Adam and the other Diamonds. I enjoyed watching Adam and Alice's relationship blossom and the way he and his family came together to protect her. The pacing and flow worked for me. I think some readers might be annoyed by the never-ending epilogue but it worked for me. I look forward to the youngest Diamond girls' stories. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are entirely my own.

You just never know who you might run into and how that person might change your life!

Such is the first meeting between Adam and Alice as he retrieves a package she dropped. He feels an instant attraction but does not find out who she is until later.

Alice is hiding out as a governess so she cannot be found by he brother in law. She just wants to lay low and not attract attention. Unfortunately Adam has other ideas and yes, they are a little scandalous, but he really just thinks she is a governess!

Another exciting addition to this wonderful series by an author that always weaves a tale of the heart and leaves you smiling at the end!

This was my second book in this series. Lord Adam is a wonderful man, kind and protective and Alice is beautiful and intelligent and they definitely have heat, but the angst level in this story definitely put me off a bit. I, personally, don't like a high level of angst, if you do you will enjoy the book. The Diamond Family are certainly very interesting.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, thank you.

Adam is in Bath to visit his mother’s friend to see if her daughter will be suitable for a bride. He meets Alice when she drops a package. Alice is hiding from her old life by working as a governess. There is instant attraction but Alice doesn’t want to lose her position.

The book was wonderful. The plot was well thought out. The characters were well developed. I rooted for them to be together. There was fear and love on both sides.

I love the Diamond series. I can’t wait for the next book.

Lord Diamond discovers his own diamond in the rough with a Mrs. Alice Malcolm. Only she's not all that is seen.
I have really enjoyed this series so far. Adam is the strong and sweet heir. His sisters dote on him as much as he does on them. Through twists and turns of natural life a strong woman learns to rest and trust the man she loves.
Wonderful and enjoyable read. You do not need to read the rest of the series. But this is one of those you would want to.
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book

An enjoyable story with engaging character's Adam is a sweetie but this story is perhaps not about him as much as it should be as Alice has a very big secret she is keeping. It is well written intriguing and a passionate romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it as I have the earlier two books about Adam's sister's. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.