Once more I have been lucky enough to receive an ARC of one of KJ Charles’s new books. Since we live in neighbouring time zones I have managed to catch her call for ARC-readers the last few times. So I did get this book for free but the opinions in this review are all my own.

Any Old Diamonds is the start of a new series which picks up side characters from a previous series, Sins of the Cities, a generation later and mixes them up with new characters.

This first book, tells the story of Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes getting involved with the ”Lilywhite Boys”, a gang of untouchable jewel thieves and in particular Jerry Crozier, ex soldier-turned-criminal with a checkered past – is his name even Crozier?

Lord Alexander’s father, the Dreadful Duke, has abandoned Alex and his siblings after a new marriage, and to get back at him Lord Alex hires two jewel thieves to steal an exquisite diamond parure meant for the new Duchess.
The story weaves and twists as Lord Alex grapples with his conscience at having to fool not only his estranged father but also his siblings.

Jerry sees the pain it causes Alex and the two grow closer as the heist goes on but while Alex knows he cannot trust Jerry from the get-go, Jerry comes to realise that maybe Alex isn’t all he claims to be? Are his motivations all he said they were?

I love KJ’s books as I have mentioned many, many times before. You can depend on them having a HEA at the end, they are romances but how we get there always feels new and fresh and surprising. Her characters could easily become carbon copies of each other but she always manages to give them new twists to set them apart from others, and it’s not just a question of one being blonde and one being dark. They are well rounded and well-thought-through and their motivations are clear and consistent if initially obscured.

So after an uncharacteristic Band Sinister – not a single murder! – she is now back with drama and crime and I loved every bit of it.
I’m absolutely looking forward to the second instalment of this series – which is supposed to feature lady detective Susan ”Sukey” Lazarus which is where the connection to Sins of the Cities comes in.

Any Old Diamonds is available on January 30th (tomorrow!) and I highly recommend it to all romance readers who also love a good heist plot.