Girl On A Diamond Pedestal -

Title: Girl On A Diamond Pedestal

Author: Maisey Yates

Genre: Contemporary romance

Synopsis: Noelle was once the girl who had everything. Until the piano prodigy fell from grace. Destitute and desperate, she’s forced to accept billionaire Ethan Grey’s convenient proposal.

Ethan wants revenge – all he needs is Noelle’s signature on the marriage certificate. Yet his carefully composed façade cracks in the face of her innocent attempts at seduction.

Noelle’s only ever felt love and excitement whilst at her beloved piano – yet now her traitorous body craves the white-hot passion ignited by Ethan’s skilled touch. But will he ever see her as more than a means to an end?”

Review: Girl On A Diamond Pedestal (GOADP) had me engaged in Noelle’s and Ethan’s story from start. You learn early on that Noelle is in serious financial trouble but she’s not looking to get rescued by anyone, lest of all Ethan. He in turn has veiled reasons for wanting to acquire Noelle’s hand in marriage, reasons that become clear as their story unfolds.

As Yates takes you through the journey of discovery these characters make about love, relationships and their motivations in each, you learn about the darker side of success and being a child star; Noelle’s story, and about the invisible but potentially lasting scars of having parents that don’t seem to care about you all that much; Ethan’s story.

GOADP was refreshing, touching, engaging and laugh-out-loud funny at times. There’s a Viagra joke that’s priceless but I won’t spoil it for you. Buy the book and LOL too when you get to that page.

Noelle’s and Ethan’s story has the potential to be turned into a full length novel by Yates. I’ve read her work before but truly think this was one of her best novels and I eagerly look forward to reading more from her.

Grade: A+

Excerpt: “He watched as she wove through the crowd, a bright spot amid the sea of customary New York black. Golden hair, pale skin, silken red dress, making her a force of color and light that was impossible to ignore as she made her way to the stage.And once she was there, sitting behind the piano, she commanded every eye in the room to watch her.She put her hands on the keys and he swore he felt her fingertips on his body. Long, elegant fingers caressing the keys, easy to imagine them on his skin. She started playing a piece he recognized, one he’d heard in department stores many times. Something from one of her old albums, he assumed. But actually hearing it in person, watching her perform it, made it a totally new experience.

It was so fluid. Smooth. Pure perfection.

And it felt like it was only for him. Not for anyone else in the room. His chest tightened, breathing a little harder as arousal assaulted him. Flooded him.

Each note was a caress, the flow and rhythm of the song like making love, hard and fast then slow and sweet. Everything he wanted to do with her, everything he dreamed of, put out in the open, forcing him to confront it.

She lifted her head and looked into the crowd, looked at him, her eyes locked with his as she continued to play, her entire body moving with the effort she put into playing, every part of her involved in her performance.

She would move like that in bed. Perfect. With passion, with all of herself.”