The Diamond King [Mass Market Paperback]

Alex Leslie, the brother of the heroine of `The Heart Queen', has finished rescuing Scottish children from the British and attempts to place the last two with a family in Paris - to no avail, since they promptly stow away on his new ship to be with him. His sidekick Burke and the boy and girl, Meg and Will, are the only reminders of the past as he takes on the job of captaining a privateer for a French investor and heads for the Caribbean.

The future is embodied in a new character, brought on board with the crew and passengers of a pirated ship : Jenna Campbell, a member of the hated clan and at first a symbol of the troubles they've left behind. But Jenna has troubles of her own - a birthmark on her arm that marks her as cursed and unlucky, and a family who have always hidden her away until now, when she is traveling to an arranged marriage to a man she has never met.

Jenna gets to show her true colors nursing Meg and dealing with further complications of the piratical venture. She soon realizes that her fondest hope is to steer Alex away from his course of bitterness and revenge and on towards a worthwhile life. Alex, meanwhile, is becoming distracted from the second part of his get-rich-quick scheme by the Campbell lass.

The Diamond King explores the transient and risky nature of a career as a privateer as Alex struggles to make the switch from Jacobite outlaw to pirate to diamond smuggler. Will he find a safe place for everyone he cares about, and sail away to bring them no more harm? Or will Alex Leslie risk living again?

This final book in the trilogy winds things up with a little more melancholy and a little less slapstick than The Black Knave and the Heart Queen, but the humanity of the characters and the unexpected twists of this unexplored corner of the historical era keeps you reading on to a satisfying conclusion.

I give it 4 stars in itself, or 3 stars as part of a series that it doesn't quite fit.

Thank you, Patricia. Please write us more wonderful tales!

Comte de Rochemont offers Alex an opportunity to make money and to take vengeance on the English. The French noble obtains papers for Alex to work as a privateer and outfits a ship the Ami. Alex sets sail across the Atlantic to steal English cargo with ultimately Brazil and its diamonds as his destination.

Alex captures the English vessel Charlotte that contains Lady Jenna Campbell as a passenger. Because of a disfigurement, Jenna has been treated by her family as the "devil's child". She was heading to Barbados to marry before Alex abducted her. Alex detests the Campbells for their betrayal at Culloden, but admires the courage, spunk and nurturing of Jenna. As they fall in love, their perils have just begun.

Though the aftermath of Culloden through star-crossed lovers may be the most frequent theme in historical romance novels, Patricia Potter purveys a fresh look through her strong cast as readers see the impact on children. The story line is loaded with action yet enables the audience to understand what drives both lead characters ands several key secondary players. Fans of the era and anyone who relishes a robust romantic adventure will want to read Peerless Potter's powerful tale.

Harriet Klausner