The Diamonds of Tilly Devine
Jackie French
Reviewed by Helen
Constance McKie has just lost the mother she loved, she has been caring for her for the last seven years as she fought her battle with cancer it is 1931 and the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills is not the best place to live, the depression has changed people’s lives and now what is Connie to do, there are not many choices, starve, jump of the gap or become a street walker when Tilly Devine the queen of the brothels offers her a choice that is hard to refuse.
Connie weighs up her options and takes on the job of one of Tilly’s Diamonds these woman are beautiful, know how to keep secrets they are upper class, Tilly keeps her Diamonds separate from her other businesses and she plays matchmaker arranging marriages to wealthy men who needs to keep their personal lives secret and soon Connie finds herself married to businessman Ted Glendenning, they have met a few times and Connie is convinced that she will be happy with her paper marriage but after two days of marriage she realises that there is no way she is going to be happy and the mouse that Ted thought he married turns around when they arrive at the country property that Connie is supposedly to spend her life on the farm away from the city.
Soon Connie with some changes she is settled into her new life in the country and life is so very good for her but when a murder is suspected, things change very quickly connections to Tilly Devine must be kept under wraps, bribery, blackmail and so much more bring big changes to this once happy place, will Connie survive all that is happening? After all Diamonds are very strong.
This is such a great story MS. French has bought to life an era that was very hard for so many people and combined fact and fiction and bought her readers a story that is complex and immersive there are so many plots and so many fabulous characters Connie is such a strong and determined woman and Tilly Devine was always a woman not to be messed with and it shows in this story. I do highly recommend this one to anyone who loves historical fiction, I loved it.
My thanks to Harlequin Harlequin Enterprises for my copy to read and review.
Connie weighs up her options and takes on the job of one of Tilly’s Diamonds these woman are beautiful, know how to keep secrets they are upper class, Tilly keeps her Diamonds separate from her other businesses and she plays matchmaker arranging marriages to wealthy men who needs to keep their personal lives secret and soon Connie finds herself married to businessman Ted Glendenning, they have met a few times and Connie is convinced that she will be happy with her paper marriage but after two days of marriage she realises that there is no way she is going to be happy and the mouse that Ted thought he married turns around when they arrive at the country property that Connie is supposedly to spend her life on the farm away from the city.
Soon Connie with some changes she is settled into her new life in the country and life is so very good for her but when a murder is suspected, things change very quickly connections to Tilly Devine must be kept under wraps, bribery, blackmail and so much more bring big changes to this once happy place, will Connie survive all that is happening? After all Diamonds are very strong.
This is such a great story MS. French has bought to life an era that was very hard for so many people and combined fact and fiction and bought her readers a story that is complex and immersive there are so many plots and so many fabulous characters Connie is such a strong and determined woman and Tilly Devine was always a woman not to be messed with and it shows in this story. I do highly recommend this one to anyone who loves historical fiction, I loved it.
My thanks to Harlequin Harlequin Enterprises for my copy to read and review.
4 stars
June 30, 2026 by Harlequin Enterprises
