"The Sound of Diamonds" by Rachelle Rea

About this book:

  “Her only chance of getting home is trusting the man she hates.

  With the protestant Elizabeth on the throne of England and her family in shambles, Catholic maiden Gwyneth seeks refuge in the Low Countries of Holland, hoping to soothe her aching soul. But when the Iconoclastic Fury descends and bloodshed overtakes her haven, she has no choice but to trust the rogue who arrives, promising to see her safely home to her uncle's castle. She doesn't dare to trust him...and yet doesn't dare to refuse her one chance to preserve her own life and those of the nuns she rescues from the burning convent.

  Dirk Godfrey is determined to restore his honor at whatever cost. Running from a tortured past, Dirk knows he has only one chance at redemption, and it lies with the lovely Gwyneth, who hates him for the crimes she thinks he committed. He must see her to safety, prove to the world that he is innocent, prove that her poor eyesight is not the only thing that has blinded her but what is he to do when those goals clash?

  The home Gwyneth knew is not what she once thought. When a dark secret and a twisted plot for power collide in a castle masquerading as a haven, the saint and the sinner must either dare to hold to hope...or be overcome.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Steadfast Love” series.

Spiritual Content- Matthew 17:7 is referenced in the acknowledgements; Nearly All About the Catholic vs Protestant faiths; Faiths begin & grow; Many Prayers, Hailing Mary & Praising/Thanking God; Talks about God, Christ, the Spirit of God, His plans, hope, devoting to a church, & Catholic beliefs; Talks about Catholicism, Protestantism, converting, questions & heresy; Talks about & many mentions of faiths & coming to God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God & hope; Many mentions of prayers; Many mentions of preachers/bishops, churches/chapels, & converting; Mentions of a rosary (also on the cover); Mentions of nuns, vows, a convent & the Catholic faith; Mentions of clergymen & Catholic traditions; Mentions of a former monastery, monk, the pope & excommunication; Mentions of faiths & being devote; Mentions of Bibles & reading them; Mentions of Heaven, angels & saints; Mentions of sin & sinners; A few mentions of hymns; A couple mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of blessings;

*Note: A mention of a devilish grin; A mention of a devilish thought; A mention of a devilish glint in someone’s eye.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘blast’s, two ‘confound it’s, and two ‘idiot’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Water & Almost drowning (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Blood, Bruises, Injuries & Being slapped (up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Blood & Daggers (up to semi-detailed); Gwyneth thinks Dirk murder her parents (he did not; up to semi-detailed remembering); Many mentions of a mob, raid, screams, pain, blood & injuries (Up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, killings, murders, watching one, blood & daggers (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fighting, unconsciousness & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of threats of killing & harming; Mentions of thieves, criminals & arrows; Mentions of a dungeon; Mentions of illnesses & fevers; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of prejudice; Mentions of hatred; A few mentions of deaths in a fire; A few mentions of drinking wine; A few mentions of drunks; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of assassinations; A couple mentions of hunting; A couple mentions of using the bathroom in the forest; A couple mentions of divorce; A mention of tobacco; A mention of a butcher.

Sexual Content- a palm kiss, a hand kiss, a cheek kiss, a forehead kiss, an almost semi-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Talks about kisses & kissing; Remembering kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & kiss; Touches, Warmth, Embraces & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Blushes & Butterflies; Noticing; Mentions of flirting & blushes; Mentions of honor & reputations; Mentions of kisses (up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of mothers who died in childbirth; A few mentions of miscarriages & illegitimate children (called ‘unsuitable heirs’); A few mentions of accosting; A couple mentions of loose woman; Love, falling in love & the emotions;

            *Note: A couple mentions of shirtless men.

-(Lady) Gwyneth Barrington, age 18

-Devon “Dirk” Godfrey
                                      1^st person P.O.V. switches between them

                                            Set in 1566 {Medieval}
                                                 322 pages

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Pre Teens-

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Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This book had quite a bit of action! The poor girl almost died four times (technically), gets abducted three (technically) & spends a chuck of the book without her glasses! My fellow glasses-wearers can respect Gwyneth on the last fact alone! Overall, I really enjoyed the faith conversations & all the history the author put in this novel—I look forward to reading the rest of the series to see what happens next. :)

See y’all on Monday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.