Review: Brilliant Cut (Diamond in the Rough #3) by Elisa Marie Hopkins

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Brilliant Cut by Elisa Marie Hopkins

*Digital copy was received from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Genre: Romance - Suspense

Pub. Date: November 15, 2016

Get a copy here!

AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

It’s always such a bittersweet moment when you got the last book of a series in your hands. Like you’re dying to devour the book and find out how it’d turn out but you don’t want to touch it, moreover read it, because if you do and you reach the end, then the whole journey would be over. I found it really hard to pick up my Kindle and touch that cover of Brilliant Cut ARC on my shelf. It’s that kind of undeniable moment when you know deeply inside your heart that once you click on it, there’s no coming back to the feeling you had before you read it. You know that you can’t not read it but you resist because you want to prolong the journey with your favorite characters, even if it meant being stuck in the moment. I needed a couple of minute to breathe and made myself swear that I wouldn’t just devour it all recklessly ―that I would savor every pages.

Diamond in the Rough series started with an engaging first book, continued with a complicatedly heartbreaking sequel, and ended up with a brilliant conclusion of the whole series. As a debut author, Elisa really went all out with her debut series, and I’m not just saying it to sweeten my review and all. Elisa did her research, explored with the ideas, and gave her all to these books like, well, a mother to her babies. This series is what I would call the perfect definition of suspense romance. I've said this on my review of the second book, Black Diamond, and at some points I might have said it on my review of the first book. The suspense part and the romance part are pretty well-balanced in a way that won’t make you think certain part is standing out than the other.

This last installment of Diamond in the Rough series started out a little bit different than the first two books. The first page instantly brought me back to the memories of reading Robert Langdon’s adventure. The prolog had a vibe of Dan Brown in it and it made some thriller-maniac neurons inside of me come back to life. I loved it so much that Elisa put such great twist into the story, developing a whole new level of issues as she revealed practically every single mystery we’ve been dying to find the truth ever since she dropped them each for the first time.

Told from third person perspective, Brilliant Cut fast-forwarded to a few years after Black Diamond ended. Or if we’re going to talk from Sophie’s angle: after Oliver. Yes, our favorite couple went separate ways last time we saw them. And while it broke my heart to pieces, there were so many reasons why the ‘calamity’ had to take place on the first place. But it’s for good that I don’t talk about it all here.

Sophie Cavall, an ex-model, now-writer, tried to live a normal life after all the chaos happened in her life two years ago. Apparently, two years was enough for everything to change completely. Like how Sophie now had two parts of herself crawling and screaming around the apartment creating after-disaster-effect every day. And how, instead of having Oliver to keep her from being crazy, Sophie had a pediatrician who sometimes balanced out her craziness with his. It’s totally unthinkable before that there would be a day when Oliver would be just a name in her history book, but it was what had happened. But in all honesty, Sophie could very much moved to Alaska and dated a seal but Oliver would always be her personal sun that keeps her heart warm all these years and her skins tingling just by hearing his name. Some say true love is hard to forget. Some say it would be forever unforgettable. Some say it would be etched in eternity in your mind. Sophie proved them all right when she very much didn’t want them to be. What had happened between her and Oliver was too perfect, too beautiful, that it felt too painful when it’s over. But was it really over? Sophie was in the edge of a cliff of madness, by recalling and pushing the memories of Oliver every day of her life. If not because of her twin boys who needed her concern above everything, she would pretty much end up in an asylum the second Oliver walked out of their flat. And Sophie wanted to believe that she loved Adam. But could one give her heart out to someone when this other person still got a hold on that very heart? Wouldn’t it be ripped out in the process? No. Because the hold was so strong even Sophie felt herself barely living with that empty hole where her heart used to beat.

“Trying to forget you was like trying to forget my way home. I realized you can’t build homes out of people, because then you feel homesick for a place that no longer exists.” ─Chapter XI

Among the three books, Brilliant Cut had the quickest yet the most emotional plot of all. Elisa didn't play around by bringing up a lot of issues like politics, secret order, and some mind-games to bring our couple back together. It might sound too heavy for some but trust me Elisa is a pro in putting complex words together into a bedtime story without leaving the thrilling part. I seriously wanted to blurt out the whole book scene by scene but then I would be thrown away into the sea for being a spoiler brat. This book is that good that you’d feel like holding a presscon to tell the world how the story goes. I loved that nothing’s changed with either Sophie or Oliver. Sophie with her independency and Oliver with his controlled-possessiveness and sexy brain (I never even think about this phrase before meeting Oliver). I felt a lot of things at once reading this book. There was a lot of emotion in two days I finished it. Sophie’s kids got my full attention instantly. Their ‘normality’ was so Oliver, I felt like crying my eyes out that not many people could actually accept them.

There were so many ups and downs along the way, a lot of mind-blowing revelation that keeps making me question whether this was really Elisa’s first ever series. She wrote cleverly. She explored so many topics, putting a lot of exciting trivia, and the way she wrote Oliver’s character deserved rounds of standing applause. We all know how genius Oliver is. But let’s come to a realization that behind every unique and singular character, there is only one person in charge in creating them: the author, Elisa. I am starting to wonder if Elisa might be an agent or something in real life..

To put it shortly, Brilliant Cut made a fantastic conclusion to the story, thus, making the series a total excellent accomplishment. This series deserves more attention than it’s been getting until today. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND this series to everyone who happened to come across this review of mine. Elisa is a new gem in this writing world that is totally deserving of more recognition. And like a diamond, you might get a little too attached once you get to know her pieces.

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Cover Reveal: Brilliant Cut (Diamond in the Rough #3) by Elisa Marie Hopkins

Let's Say It's a... Book Event! is a feature where I publish book-related events under. Find everything from blog tours, book spotlights to cover reveals here!

It's been a while since I last hosted cover reveal! And now that I have a chance to host one, I'm super excited to be a part of cover-reveal team for the third as well as last installment of my favorite suspense romance series, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH!

Readers of Elisa's amazing series would be all thrilled about this upcoming book but to those who still new to the series, it's okay, you can check the first book and the second one below:

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, book 1

A Diamond in the Rough

GOODREADS / AMAZON / READ MY REVIEW :)

25-year-old model Sophia Cavall has a seemingly nice life walking the runway until she begins to receive death threats through social media and is almost kidnapped by a masked figure. She tries to fight off her assailant, but luckily the attempt ends in failure when mysterious business magnate Oliver Black intervenes.

Sophie doesn’t know it, but the stakes are high: her life and her heart. Desperately needing support, she turns to a few trusted people, and to Oliver most of all. But can he be trusted, who speaks the truth, and the question on everyone’s lips: who is the man in the mask? 

Her checkered past returns to entangle her. She will come to realize that it is not dead after all…it is still very much alive.

BLACK DIAMOND, book 2

Black Diamond

GOODREADS / AMAZON / READ MY REVIEW :)

Over the weeks following her disappearance and the discovery of a long-silenced secret, the yellow brick road to Sophia Cavall’s happiness becomes littered with minefields. 
Enter Oliver Black and his irresistible persona. He’s strong, caring, and doesn’t question her need for freedom. Sophie is Oliver’s feminine equal—the lioness in his lion lifestyle. She is his eyes and ears, and has his heart in her pocket. They have enough passion to paint the town red with love and a lurking, dangerous rival fears their union is a problem. 
The price of fame and a high-profile relationship collides as the media spins a yarn to boost their ratings. Before they know it, the romance begins to falter. Can the two reconcile their opposing views before it is too late or will they lose the greatest love they’ve ever known? A devil of a choice is in order. 
The odds are stacked against Sophie and Oliver in this second installment of the Diamond in the Rough series. What is the truth? Who is the real enemy? There’s no two ways about it—ready or not, he will come.

And now... we almost reach the conclusion of the suspenseful series, which would be coming out very soon! Ready to unravel the first mysteries of Brilliant Cut? Here we go!

BRILLIANT CUT

Desperate for a new beginning, Sophie Cavall trades Manhattan for Brooklyn, where she meets someone new. He's a fun-loving man, hardworking and good with kids, but a run-in with her former flame revives a yearning Sophie thought was long buried. And this time, Oliver Black won’t be giving her up for anyone.

Even if it meant facing death alone, Oliver did the only thing he could think of to keep the woman he loves safe and out of the limelight: break her heart. 

The real enemy is closing in. The last piece of the puzzle may prove to be the most dangerous of all. 

In the third and final installment to the Diamond in the Rough series, Elisa Marie Hopkins explores love, loss, forgiveness, and the perseverance of two characters facing extraordinary challenges. There might just be light at the end of the tunnel…

ADD TO GOODREADS!

Get ready this FALL

Pre-order, Release Date, and ARCs TBA soon!

THE AUTHOR

Connect with Elisa Marie Hopkins 
WEBSITE / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST

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ARC Review: Black Diamond (Diamond in the Rough #2) by Elisa Marie Hopkins

Black Diamond by Elisa Marie Hopkins
Rating: /5

*I received e-ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Pub. Date: October 20th, 2015

Get a copy here!

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Read also: Review of A Diamond in the Rough (Diamond in the Rough #1)!

Synopsis
Black Diamond picked up where it left off after the tragedy of Sophie Cavall’s kidnapping by some mysterious people with unclear motive. Even though the drama was finally over, apparently it was not the end of the traumatic episode of Sophie’s life. The captor might had been caught, she might had come back to Oliver’s arms, but the discomfort feeling and flashes of dark memories still haunting her days here and there. It wasn’t a trauma that Sophie felt within her soul, she was sure; it was a feeling of constant wary and cautious toward every little odd happening around her. It didn’t help that she had to deal with her new-found cryptic half-sister, Sarah, every day. Sophie couldn’t really figure her out, what with Sarah’s undecipherable relationship with John Bridge, Sophie’s said captor. Now even after the cursed man was held away, he still managed to have control over Sophie’s life. Oliver never stopped assure her that everything was over, that John wouldn’t get a chance to hurt her again. But as much as Sophie wanted to believe him, she just couldn’t shake the weird feeling she had inside. John never revealed the actual motive behind the kidnapping. Sophie believed that there must be something behind the different way John treated her than the other victims. When the disturbing tragedy was twisted around by the media into some drama with Sophie as its main actor, Sophie couldn’t just stay still. With the help from a trustful resource, Sophie found out that there was more to John’s secretive act; that there were people who took advantage of Sophie’s circumstance at the same time. Was this some sort of psychological game that John has plotted all along to drive Sophie’s sanity to the edge? Or this might be a big conspiracy to ruin not only Sophie’s career and life, but those of her closed one as well? Whatever it was, Sophie should make a quick move to unravel it. And whoever it was, could very well not only break her apart, but also threaten her relationship with Oliver.

It’s ‘More’!
I still remembered how the ending of A Diamond in the Rough makes me all giddy to read its sequel. Now, Ms. Elisa did it again with Black Diamond. Compared to the first book, Black Diamond has a far more complex plot. The details kind of make me light-headed but once I got a hang of it, the plot was really intriguing that it had me on the edge of my seat for hours. The plot was very well-thought and even though the complexity might be a little too much for some people, the author made it bearable with her flowing writing style. Not only that she always chose the right words to relay the complex plot in a way that would be easy to digest, she had this style of including subjective opinions on certain things in the book that made the story was not just a plain fiction but also a fiction that has valuable material on some real issues in our life. And those facts she slipped here and there about anything was just amazing!
Anyway, I wouldn’t go far with the plot since it was too complicated to be explained briefly here.

‘Diamond’ Couple: Best Favorite EVER
Now, let’s talk about the characters. As always, I am fascinated by the unique couple of Sophie and Oliver. I couldn’t forget how this couple had stolen my heart on book first with their smart and humorous banters. Sophie’s demeanor had shifted into a tad more aggressive after the kidnap. She over thought every potential threat. She went ballistic upon a slight uncomfy-ness. Her no-nonsense personality made her recovery a lot faster than most kidnap survivors because instead of wallowing herself in bad memories, Sophie focused on improving herself in self-defense physically. But deep inside the tragedy left her a mental scar which she didn’t want to acknowledge but couldn’t nevertheless. Being kidnapped was already a bad nightmare come true, but being kidnapped by a psychopath whose motive was unknown was nightmare in a whole worse disturbing level. It left an unimaginable feeling of discomfort that lingering even when you were no longer being kidnapped.
I really felt bad for Sophie for all those circumstances she’d been through since she was just a kid but I didn’t want to pity her anyway. People like Sophie didn’t want to be pitied and I felt so touched that Oliver knew that side of her very well. It wasn’t because Oliver didn’t care about her; it was because he cared about her that he did that.

‘He wants to hold her in his arms, but he waits. Oliver sees her for what she struggles with: sees her for what she desires. Right now all of her is yelling, “Just let me be.” And he accepts her quietness, just sits there as if saying, “Okay, but I’m here anyway.”’ 

Oliver, as always, showed his infinite support for Sophie in his own way. He always knew where to position himself toward her in just any situation. He knew when to stay behind the line and when to step into Sophie’s space. And Sophie, as hard-headed as she could be, knew when to let her guard down in front of Oliver. Each of them might be a frustrating person for the others but they always tried to make a room in between their egos to be filled by love. They might argue all the time and when they got into real fight it would be a little worse but they always admitted each other’s mistake in the end. I think I’m more and more mesmerized with this couple each book. I guess I understand now why the author chose a title of diamond…

He’s Not Perfect but He Is
Despite all the perfections that we saw in Oliver Black, we were once again reminded that he was just a human who made mistakes in his life. I liked how he didn’t want to keep anything from Sophie; that no matter how embarrassed he was about himself, he would just tell her everything anyway. I really really loved how his mind works. And with all his cute little trivia and logical speech, how precise and careful he was with his every move and plan, he could as well make a thousand mistakes and I would forgive him a thousand times as well.

Romantic-Suspense, Literally
Whenever I find a ‘romantic suspense’ read, my mind would always fly to the kind of book that has so much thriller scenes in the story and spice it up with romance to attract female readers. Black Diamond is not like that, though. This book is labeled itself as romantic suspense, and it is exactly what it labeled as. It’s a romance. And a suspense read. Black Diamond and its predecessor might be the best suspense novel I’ve ever read with its rich details of events, plot and twists and all. And they are also a romance. A romance in which the hero and heroine didn’t need to say they love each other repeatedly for the readers to feel the sparks between them. The author didn’t even need to over-sweeten Sophie and Oliver’s moments because just the two of them being together on the same scene, bickering, arguing, complaining, throwing fun facts, had already romanticized the scene to a degree that makes you craving for more and biting your nails in a mix of awe and envy.

Working Brain Is Sexy
As much as I want to go over and over again about this couple, I think it only fair to discuss another part of the story. Did I tell you the part where I was fascinated by the richness of the twist? This book did make my brain works. I couldn’t decipher the mystery behind all these twists. You need to focus if you want to get the story. But don’t worry that your brain would get all twisted because the author slipped casual jokes here and there. I think I laughed and smiled a lot more in this book than in book one.

Aaaand…
The ending, as usual, was one cruel punishment from the author to the readers who enjoyed the book a little too much. I literally dropped my jaw and had a hard time putting it back when that particular line on the epilogue slapped me hard on the face.
But I know that I could always count on Ms. Elisa to pay it back on the next book. Well, It’s just a matter of patience now...

Love, read, and review,

Cynthia D.

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ARC Review: A Diamond in the Rough (#1) by Elisa Marie Hopkins

A Diamond in the Rough by Elisa Marie Hopkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*I received a digital ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

Get a copy here!

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

When Ms. Elisa, the author of A Diamond in the Rough first introduced her debut contemporary book on Goodreads, I was instantly intrigued by the simplicity of her book cover. It was plain yet elegant. I followed the link to her website to read the excerpt of the book and the minute I finished reading it, I knew that this book was no doubt my cup of tea.

A Diamond in the Rough was the combination of contemporary romance with slight thriller and was told in main character’s POV which was the heroine. I was really surprised with what I found in this book. A Diamond in the Rough had my mind jumping here and there trying to guess what would happen next but in the end all my guessing ended up completely wrong. Simply said, this book was totally unpredictable and would pull you deep into the book until the very last page (Or more. Just like it did to me. Because the ending was…well, I’ll tell you in a bit)!

Sophie Cavall was a successful model under the one of the top model agency in New York. She was often featured on billboards of famous clothing brands ads. She flew from state to state for photo shoots with professional photographers for new trends of underwear and swimsuit brands. Her life was amazing and might be what women her ages always dreamed of having. But not what was seen through her eyes, apparently.

For Sophie, her life was nothing but myriads of tortures. She was not having a nice life like people thought she had. She barely held on her modeling career as new faces came around every day. She owed debts to the company she worked for. Her roommate was one health-freak girl who could drive her insane day and night. And being a model… it wasn’t something that young-Sophie would ever choose to be in the first place.

When she thought things couldn’t get any worse, it did. Anonymous dead threats came to her door through social media but she tried to brush it off. When she was almost being kidnapped one day after work, she knew that it was more than just online pranks public figure always got.

Oliver Black met Sophie for the first time when she tried to fight the masked kidnapper in front of her agency building. Apparently he was not just some stranger passing by and it was not the only time they saw each other. Oliver was a genius entrepreneur who’s active in social project and had some connections that wired all the way to Sophie. A well-known businessman who happened to care about the terrors Sophie kept received. 

Sophie might try to deny Oliver’s mysterious present in between her issue, but she surely couldn’t deny the comfort Oliver brought along with his presences. With Sophie’s defensive trait and protectiveness Oliver kept throwing around her, their togetherness was not the smooth one. Every conversation they had always ended up in arguments but it seemed like it was just the way they were. When the miserable part of the past came along and trust issue positioned itself on the table, Sophie was faced with the difficult choice of giving a second chance for some people in her life.

I swear, certain things in this book were something new for me. What the author chose to be the hero’s background was new. The way she slipped some brief meaningful scenes was new. Her idea of pairing these two unique characters together was new. I could go on with the list but it would take forever… Guess I’ll try to explain just the main points here.

Let’s talk about the characters.

Oliver was described of having a past that people around him would always worry about (No, not going to tell you guys what it was here). Most heroes often have similar vibes of dark past, but Oliver’s here was different. And original. Oliver Black was ridiculously genius but always so calm almost in every condition. He’s so down to earth as well, adding up to his list of charming points. What I love more about him was he’s protective toward Sophie but not too much. He never really tried to coerce Sophie to do things as he wanted it to. Instead, he willingly went to equal argument with Sophie to make his point.

“I don’t want you to walk in my shoes, Sophie, nor do I want to walk in yours. I want you to walk beside me, as will I do the same.”

(Oliver Black; Chapter XIII, A Diamond in the Rough)

God, how much I love their smart banters! Oliver with all his wise speeches and Sophie with her not-going-to-back-down-easily replies. Some people might think that Sophie’s character was a difficult one. But when you got to learn her past, it was understandable for her to act so. I cried along with her every time she did, thinking how she never cried but she did, so it must be really tough for her. I literally sobbed somewhere during 60% at her realization of the meaning Oliver’s presence for her.

“A single tear slides down to my cheek, then another one, and another one. They are tears of hope, but most of all, tears of feeling wanted, feeling safe, feeling like no matter how horrible life is going, no matter how scary the world can be at times, or how many people have done me wrong in the past ―I will be okay. It’s like there’s a violent windstorm ripping trees and houses out of the ground, but the thickest armor protects my house, and it’s surrounded by the most bulletproof of windows.”

(Chapter XVI, A Diamond in the Rough)

Goodness! I’ll be damned if I didn’t fall in love with Ms. Elisa’s writing style! I had to admit, though, I was a little cautious of new author’s writing style. I met several who were focusing more on the plot of the story than the words to deliver the plot itself. But the minute I read the excerpt I knew that this was an exception. Ms. Elisa’s choice of words was excellent!

Oh, and don’t let me forget with the funny sides! Especially the ones of their banters cracked me up so bad!

“Will you play with me now?”
“I think it’s been enough for one day.”

“Come one, Oliver. I’m saying no.”

“Is it a fake no? Because your body keeps saying yes.”

“My body doesn’t know anything.”

“What does your heart say?”

“That’s number one on my list of unenlightened organs. It believes anything it hears. It’s screwed up in some way.”

(Chapter VI, A Diamond in the Rough)

And DON’T get me started with the romance!!

They might not be the perfect couple, they might not saying the ‘three words’ a lot, and God they never even hesitated of pointing the other’s daily bad habits! Really, it was not rude or cruel, though, it was them being honest ‘cause they knew that no matter what silly things they said to each other, what inside the hearts were what mattered the most.

“And at the end of the day, it didn’t matter if doves didn’t fly in magically when I told him how I felt. It didn’t matter if candles weren’t lit and cliché songs didn’t play. Oliver Black happened, and that was more than I could ever dream of.”

(Chapter XXII, A Diamond in the Rough)

Aside from the romantic part, A Diamond in the Rough brought up an original topic for its readers about real life issue. Sophie’s career as a model began with a painful start. As it was only two of them, her mother did anything to kept living including forcing her to join several beauty pageant contests. Her mom never cared of what Sophie felt. She only cared of the amount of money little Sophie would win and what kind of living it could support for them. Well, if we look around us, thing like this does happen in real life. I personally think that child beauty pageants are something not worth to attend to. I am not against them, though. But I personally would never let my kids one day to enter that kind of contests. I don’t know, for me no matter how the creator tries to fix it all the way to have some child-like vibes, it’s just so wrong to put your kids out to walk around there for people to see their outer beauty only. It’s just so wrong to plant that kind of mindset for the kids itself. Kids’ values are more than that. We surely want our kids to be valued not just by outer beauty but by inner beauty as well, right?

About the ‘terror’ thingy that was brought up here. Well, it led to certain issue that I personally dislike. I happened to just read book with that similar certain issue and it was annoyed the heck out of me. But Ms. Elisa really knew how to carefully put it in an enough level of amount to be on a romance book. Good thing, I could handle it well!

The ending was partly conclusive for now somehow, despite the fact that A Diamond in the Rough is the first book of the series (Yes, there’s a second book titled Black Diamond). But there were some things that needed to be concluded on the next installment but don’t let this worry you because the ending was nowhere near such hardcore cliffhanger. But if you’re an HEA lover (like me), surely you should be a bit patient to wait for the second book.

Well, this might be the longest review I ever wrote lol. But I’m just so excited for this book, so yeah… I recommend this book for contemporary romance book lover who’s in search for some fresh plot. Thanks for Ms. Elisa for writing this book! I’m so waiting for the next installment :)

Love, read, and review,

Cynthia D.

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