Mid 1860’s, Buffalo, NY. Annie Moore is a pregnant, unmarried, 16 year old girl who has been sent by her parents to a Catholic Charity Home to have her baby. Annie learned that her baby was placed in an orphanage. She escaped from the home and made it her mission to find her daughter. Annie tried to find work and her status forced her into living in a “joy house” as a prostitute named Diamond Bessie. The well researched events of Bessie’s short life are true though her desire to find justice for her death are fictitious. This book was a quick read and heart wrenching.

16 year old Annie Moore runs away from the Magdalene Convent after her newborn baby is taken from her. Unsure where to go and what to do, she is found half dead by some friendly ladies of the night. After she recovers, she desperately looks for work, but ultimately turns to prostitute.

I don't want to give anything away, but I absolutely loved the twist. It was completely unexpected and absolutely original! The characters were well rounded, dynamic and felt very realistic. I did feel that the jumps in time were a bit much, I would have liked more detail about Bessie's day-to-day life. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

It was tough for women in nineteenth-century America—and, indeed, throughout most of history. A woman who gave into a man, even a man who promised to marry her, and ended up pregnant soon discovered that all the burden and the shame fell on her. He could, if he chose, denounce her as loose and walk away scot-free.

Such is the situation that Annie, the heroine of Jody Hadlock’s debut novel, finds herself in. When we first meet her, she has been renamed Elisabeth and confined to a convent near Buffalo, NY. She soon gives birth to a daughter, whom the nuns wrest from her arms before she has a chance to protest, and when she escapes, intending to make enough money to reclaim her baby, she discovers that only the “world’s oldest profession” will allow her to support herself. The child’s father denies all responsibility. Adapting her convent name, Annie establishes a new life for herself as Bessie. But before long, she learns that her daughter has died.

After a long period of mourning, Bessie leaves New York for Chicago, where she enters a high-class brothel. She’s doing very well for herself when a chance encounter with a handsome grifter sends her off on a different trajectory.

It would be unfair to go farther into the plot than this. Suffice it to say that Bessie’s complex story is well told, even riveting. At times I wanted to shake her for her willful pursuit of a love that seemed too good to be true, but her goals were crystal clear, and I never stopped pulling for her to attain them.

I’ll be hosting a written Q&A on my blog in a few weeks (link below).

3.5 stars. This book is inspired by a true story of a young Irish immigrant in America, who was forced into prostitution. A really good twist half way through made it all the more interesting for me. Face paced, it was a real page turner and I stayed with the story all the way through. Bessie was a great character that was easy to connect with. Well researched, the author sheds light on the plight of women in this era and the double standards allowed to men.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and SparkPress for an early copy of this e-arc.*

When sixteen-year-old Annie Moore becomes pregnant, her mother sends her to a convent where she is forced to give up her daughter. She excapes but collapses on the street and is taken in by kind women in a grand house. The women have beautiful clothes and work at night. Naive Annie doesn’t realize that she is in a high class brothel. Determined to find respectible work so that she can find her daughter and care for her, she soon learns that employment options for a young woman in the 1860s are scarce. Annie feels that her only option is to join the other women working in the house.

The madam changes her name to Bessie and after a slow start, Bessie soon becomes extremely popular. Men begin giving her diamonds and soon she is known as “Diamond Bessie”. However, Bessie yeards for a husband and a family so that she can find her daughter and raise her. When Bessie meets Abe Rothchild who is from a wealthy family and marries him, she thinks her life will be better. However, Abe is not the saviour she hopes he will be.

Based on a true story, I found the first half of The Lives of Diamond Bessie to be a page turner but when it took a paranormal turn, it lost me. I’m not a fan of paranormal elements in a book but I did finish it because I wanted to know what happened to Bessie. It is a sad story. The author did a lot of research and it shows and I then also began to try and find out more about this interesting women. I really liked this book until the twist in the second half of it. If you like well written historical fiction based on true events with paranormal elements, then you will like The Lives of Diamond Bessie.

Thanks to Spark Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.
#TheLivesofDiamondBessie #NetGalley

Publication date: April 5, 2022

I really enjoyed this book, specially the first part. The writting really pulled you in, and made you want to read just another chapter. I also think it did a great job at portraying the obstacles and prejudices that women went through at that time. What made me only give it 3 was the fact that it changed course in the middle, which I wasn’t expecting, as I didn’t know it was a true story. Other than that, I’m really looking foward to reading from this author again!

I didn’t realize this book was based on the life of an actual “Diamond Bessie” until the end, which made me appreciate the story even more and left me wondering what inspired the shift from reality at the end of the book? It was an interesting twist that brought another level to the story but perhaps took away a bit from the actual life story of Diamond Bessie. Either way, I really enjoyed the story & appreciate the reminders that the struggles for equality have improved, but still not enough.

Jody Hadlock draws a realistic picture of life for the free woman in the 19th century. Looking back, it’s truly shocking to appreciate how women were treated, and Jody handles the story of Annie/Bessie with care and patience.
Tricked into pregnancy by her sweetheart, 16-year old Annie is shipped to the convent. The living conditions for her were horrible, and then they took her child away with no discussion. Annie is determined to come up with the money needed to find her child again. Destitute, starving, cold, and hungry, Annie passes out but is rescued by a group of ladies who work together in a “joy house”, or brothel. Annie enjoys the camaraderie and friendships of the ladies in the home and decides this is what she will do to make the money needed to rescue her daughter. She changes her name to Bessie and quickly becomes one of the more sought after, prestigious and elegant ladies. She travels to New Orleans each winter, enjoys fine food, clothing, and the company of numerous well-to-do men.
One man who saves her from a brute catches her eye. She plans her travels to coincide with Abe’s, and before long, he falls into her trap. But as the relationship progresses, it seems she’s the one in a hopeless trap. Bessie agrees to marry, thinking this will mean she can quit her line of work. But things turn bad very quickly, and Abe commits the ultimate betrayal.
When Bessie tells you she waited fifteen days, you realize the format of the story has evolved. This adds a different dimension to our character. Bessie has a new goal, a new set of friends, and an entirely new level of anger and hate to deal with.
Full of detailed descriptions of what life was like in the late 1800s, and written with great compassion for women “of ill repute”, Jody Hadlock’s debut novel is a must-read for historical fiction buffs.
Sincere thanks to Spark Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is April 5, 2022.

A complete out-of-my-comfort-zone book, but I was hooked straight away! I was completely intrigued by the twists and turns of Bessie’s life, I will say that the court proceeding weren’t as engaging as I would like, but maybe that’s just personal preference, I don’t really understand legal stuff at the best of times!!
All in all though, the emotions were high and low, I strongly felt for the stressed that Bessie felt to feel secure in her life.

4.5/5 stars

Loved that this book was based on a real person, gives it a proper personal feeling! I kept having to remind myself throughout that this stuff happened.
Enjoyed the plot and the overall story.
Great book for anyone who enjoys women historical fiction!

Genuinely an amazing book. I've not read a book for some time that made me cry like this one.
Bessie is a character thats easily empathise with, she has a bad lot in life but makes the best of it, working to be the best he is. She feels very real and what she goes through is relatable. By the end she felt almost like a friend. There are moments where you wish you could reach out and grab her so she doesnt do things.
I've added a review on good reads but it wont let me link it.

Based on a real person, Diamond Bessie. The first part is probably pretty close to Bessie's life, a sad tale of a time in history when recovery from a mistake, made by a woman, is next to impossible to overcome.

Bessie makes the mistake of believing she is loved and safe only to be let down and face rejection from every aspect from her life. She survives so many harsh situations, but never loses the home that she can somehow redeem her self and have a good life.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Then it becomes a ghost story and a fantasy. At this point I really lost contact with the story.

A good read, but not your everyday historical fiction.

I adore titles like this and would love to see our book club read it. What a heart-wrenching story that is not only based on a true story, but is the story of so many women of this time. The discussion of gender, propriety, sex, and rights is still ongoing and seeing this story come to life was enlightening. Highly recommend.

3.5 stars

In the mid-1800s, Annie was kicked out of her home and sent to the nuns when she was pregnant and unwed at 16-years old. When her baby was born and taken away, she ran and ended up in a brothel. Unmarried “fallen” women really didn’t have much in the way of options if they wanted to make enough money to live. Here, she became Bessie and was very good at what she did. She made enough money to travel and she did fall in love with a couple of clients. There was an “issue” with one of those men...

This was good. It took an unexpected turn in the middle of the book, and initially I wasn’t impressed with where (I thought) it was heading, but it did get better again. As I always appreciate, there was an author’s note at the end, explaining that Bessie was a real woman. I had wondered as I read it if she was a real person, but didn’t know for sure until that note.

The Lives of Diamond Bessie was a fast-paced, historical suspense novel that is inspired by a true story. Set during the women's rights movement, the story follows Bessie as she is forced to live at a convent for fallen women after getting pregnant out of wedlock. After being treated horribly and having her baby taken away from her at birth, she escapes and has to make a living and a life for herself on her own. Few rights and opportunities were available to women during the 1860s so she finds herself having to resort to prostitution even though she swore she would never go down that path. The need to survive changed her mind.

As a prostitute, Bessie gets expensive gifts from her clients, money to help support herself and her love for shopping and a few love interests along the way. During this time, Bessie finds the only way out of prostitution is to get married. She has her sights set on a bachelor with a wealthy family and a gambling problem and after many missed warning signs, she finds herself marrying him. A man who turns out to not love her, but rather, he loves her precious jewels. Though he betrays her in the worst way possible, she does not let it stop her as she continues to haunt his mind and life from above.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sparkpress and the author for this ARC.

A book inspired by true events is always something I like to read. It brings something real to fiction, something you can believe and relate to. And this is a book about how things were for women in the past, how they were treated in situations where they should have been supported and helped.

And once I got started on this fantastic book I couldn't put it down. Bessie is a great character, in some ways strong, in other ways desperate and in some ways just a young girl who needed help and support. It gets you at your core and holds you there, you feel the emotions and hardships that Bessie must have gone through in tough times.

A book that is well paced and has its own twists and turns it will keep you intrigued throughout. Great book and highly recommend.

I really liked the plot and the point the author was trying to make about how poorly women were treated during this time. I also loved that it was inspired by a true story and was an inspiration enjoyable read.

“Inspired by a true story-Pregnant out of wedlock sixteen year old Annie Moore is sent to live in a convent for fallen woman. When the nuns take her baby, Annie escapes, determines to find a way to be reunited with her daughter”

Annie did not anticipate for it to be difficult for her to get a job and he able to return to her daughter. She found herself making the difficult decision to become a prostitute or as a demimonde as it was known during that era. She had many suitors and so she would always hope that one of her suitors would fall in love with her and take her a way from that lifestyle and help get her daughter back.

Unfortunately the one suitor she decided to give a chance to turned out to be nothing what she was hoping for or what he promised he would do for her. This let her down a spiral path that she did not see coming, and within only a few weeks of being married

I liked the premise of the story and what was unfolding. Towards the end it took a turn towards a paranormal vibe and it didn’t work for me. I think the author wanted to keep this story as a first person account but that little part i felt didn’t fit in. Either way I liked the story overall.

Thank you @netgalley @booksparks and author for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is set to publish April 5, 2022

The Lives of Diamond Bessie follows a woman as she navigates life as a single young woman in the 1860's. Pregnant out of wedlock with no familial support, she goes to great lengths to live a life she is satisfied with. When that life is snatched away from her, she continues to fight for herself with the same tenacity as before. I thought the plot was interesting and the storyline was great! I felt that the first half of the book was well-written and thoughtful, but the second half seemed less so. Overall, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys women's historical fiction.

I was really intrigued by the description of Diamond Bessie but her life story proved to be very predictable and rather unoriginal. All the way through her story very familiar and similar to something I'd read before. However it was the writing which let it down most of all, It felt as though I was being told, rather than shown and it wasn't deep enough nor emotional enough to be a satisfying read. Plenty going on to keep you reading but not enough substance or style.