by: Emmy Grayson
Series: Diamonds of the Rich and Famous
Genre: Contemporary Royal Romance
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
A prince goes looking for his memory, and finds the woman he most desires, in this sparkling royal amnesia romance by Emmy Grayson.
He’s forgotten everything…
except the desire between them.
Julius wakes after an accident with only two clues to his identity: a diamond engagement ring and the name Esmerelda Clark. He tracks Esme to her Caribbean hideout and shockingly discovers she was once his bodyguard. And he’s a Crown Prince!
Esme fled Julius’s kingdom convinced the ever-dutiful royal was destined for a more suitable bride. He seemingly has no recollection of the forbidden night that’s etched on her memory. Yet his heated gaze tells her their passion is still alive… However, princes don’t marry their bodyguards—do they?
From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
THE PRINCE’S FORGOTTEN DIAMOND is my first amnesia romance for Harlequin, and it was a challenge. I love researching and incorporating things like landmarks, history, and food into my stories. But as my very kind and always supportive editor, Charlotte, pointed out on more than one occasion: "Defining retrograde amnesia versus antero-grade amnesia yanks us out of the romance a little bit."
Guilty.
Once I finally got a handle on it, though, I loved exploring this Cinderella royal romance where true love gets a second chance, along with a prince learning how to embrace the better aspects of his nature away from the demands of the palace. I set the majority of this story on the Caribbean island of Grenada, a beautiful gem with a fascinating and at times incredibly challenging history. The story kicks off in London, though, at an exclusive diamond shop that features in the other two books of this trilogy: ACCIDENTALLY WEARING THE ARGENTINIAN’S RING by Maya Blake (out now!) and HER BILLION-DOLLAR BUMP by Dani Collins (available June 25th).
I hope you enjoy being swept away by the incredible locations, the jaw-dropping diamonds and, of course, Julius and Esme’s romance. Happy reading!
Love, Emmy
Scene ~ Prince Julius reveals to Esme the circumstances that led to his memory loss. Her response is less than enthusiastic.
“You said there was no sign of anyone else in your suite? No one in the hall?”
“No.”
Another possibility sprang up. Nausea hit her fast and hard. She jumped up and rushed for her phone.
“What?”
“They could have been in on it, or they could have been taken out.”
She hurried into her room and grabbed her phone off the charger. As she turned, her fingers flying over the screen, she ran into a solid wall of muscle.
“Esmerelda, stop.”
Warm hands closed over her upper arms. Shocked at the unexpected touch, her head snapped up. Julius stared down at her, eyes glinting as she heard the uptick in his breathing, saw the pulse pound harder in his throat.
“I just need to make a call.”
“Slow down—”
“No.” She swept her arms up, breaking his hold and brushing past him. She couldn’t be in the bedroom with him. Too small, too intimate. Too much to crowd her mind when she needed to focus. “I won’t say anything about you being here, but I need to make sure Henry’s all right.”
“Henry?”
The sudden harsh undertone to his voice made her spine straighten as she spun around and glared at him.
“A friend. Someone I trust. He took over my spot on your team.”
“I don’t like it.”
Damn her body for responding to what sounded like jealousy in his voice.
“Noted.”
She hit the button to call. And nearly sagged with relief when Henry picked up on the second ring.
“How’s the Caribbean treating my favorite rebel?”
Her eyes fluttered shut and she bit back a sigh of relief to hear Henry’s voice, tinged with the rolling melody of a Turkish accent.
“Trying to relax.”
Henry laughed. Relieved, she turned.
And nearly dropped the phone. The light burning in Julius’s eyes made her breath catch in her throat. Anger tinged with something hotter, something potent and possessive, that called to a place deep inside her and demanded her surrender.
“Put it on speaker,” Julius mouthed.
When she shook her head no, he stalked closer. She danced back, started to turn away, but he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled him flush against her. Before she could disarm her, he simply plucked the phone from her hand and tapped the screen.
“You said there was no sign of anyone else in your suite? No one in the hall?”
“No.”
Another possibility sprang up. Nausea hit her fast and hard. She jumped up and rushed for her phone.
“What?”
“They could have been in on it, or they could have been taken out.”
She hurried into her room and grabbed her phone off the charger. As she turned, her fingers flying over the screen, she ran into a solid wall of muscle.
“Esmerelda, stop.”
Warm hands closed over her upper arms. Shocked at the unexpected touch, her head snapped up. Julius stared down at her, eyes glinting as she heard the uptick in his breathing, saw the pulse pound harder in his throat.
“I just need to make a call.”
“Slow down—”
“No.” She swept her arms up, breaking his hold and brushing past him. She couldn’t be in the bedroom with him. Too small, too intimate. Too much to crowd her mind when she needed to focus. “I won’t say anything about you being here, but I need to make sure Henry’s all right.”
“Henry?”
The sudden harsh undertone to his voice made her spine straighten as she spun around and glared at him.
“A friend. Someone I trust. He took over my spot on your team.”
“I don’t like it.”
Damn her body for responding to what sounded like jealousy in his voice.
“Noted.”
She hit the button to call. And nearly sagged with relief when Henry picked up on the second ring.
“How’s the Caribbean treating my favorite rebel?”
Her eyes fluttered shut and she bit back a sigh of relief to hear Henry’s voice, tinged with the rolling melody of a Turkish accent.
“Trying to relax.”
Henry laughed. Relieved, she turned.
And nearly dropped the phone. The light burning in Julius’s eyes made her breath catch in her throat. Anger tinged with something hotter, something potent and possessive, that called to a place deep inside her and demanded her surrender.
“Put it on speaker,” Julius mouthed.
When she shook her head no, he stalked closer. She danced back, started to turn away, but he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled him flush against her. Before she could disarm her, he simply plucked the phone from her hand and tapped the screen.
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When Emmy isn't writing or reading, she's chasing around her two kids, feeding her menagerie of fur babies or carving out a little time on her front porch with her firefighter hubby.
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This sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book!
ReplyDeleteGetting the hidden gem!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
Enjoyed the excerpt and love the cover
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excerpt and the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGood luck y’all!
ReplyDelete