This was a book which I enjoyed so much. Everything in this was spot on. The setting, background, the main characters and the secondary characters of which there were many, but they did not detract from the story. They all added nuances and depth.

Lady Hester Stanhope was different to the other young ladies. Born into a political and extremely clever family, she was prevented because she was female from doing whatever she craved for. Hindered by an eccentric, brilliant father she escaped from home to become the hostess of the Prime Minister, her uncle. Her understanding and analysis of politics was so astute that she was acknowledged as someone whose understanding of matters of state was understood to be above par. She had her opposition as many would not accept that a woman could achieve such an understanding.

Lady Hester however had her share of heartbreak. Passionate and impulsive she was attracted to two men - one who was dangerous, and one for whom she was a dalliance. The second broke her spirit resulting in a suicide attempt which did not succeed. She found love again and this was the true love of her life but sadly he died in battle.

The story of Lady Hester is a true one of a woman surviving against many odds, not having the security of marriage which was an essential for a woman to have any life of her own at the time.She midway realised she had no home, no money and it was only through the foresight of her uncle, that she had some independence when he passed away.

Her adventuring spirit did not end. She made a life for herself overseas, becoming a conduit for negotiations between the British and the rulers where she lived. Djoumi in the Levant became her home she never returned to Britain.

Fascinating bit of history which enthralled to the end. History, politics, love, the book encompassed it all.

Even with her privileged life, Lady Hester Stanhope knows that claiming the adventurous life she truly wants will not be easy, thanks to her eccentric father’s stifling grip. With the help of her renowned statesman uncle William Pitt the Younger, she takes on the glittering, treacherous heights of London Society. Her formidable intelligence, outspoken opinions, and headstrong determination gain the favour of the beau monde’s leading taste-maker Beau Brummell—and she quickly learns to bend the rules of the ton to her own advantage. But when it comes to holy matrimony, Hester will settle for no less than a passionate match of equals—a search marked by challenges and heartbreak.
An intriguing & captivating read with a mix of fact & fiction, it made me go & do some research about Hester. The pace was steady & filled with true facts, the author certainly did her research. I was fascinated by Hester & would love for there to be a follow up book. I read this book over several days.
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Based on the life of Lady Hester Stanhope (Hetty) _The Diamond of London_ explores the political intrigue of English politics, the chaos of the Napoleonic Wars, and of course the double standards of expectations for men and women. An unconventional figure, Hetty serves as political secretary to her uncle, Prime Minister William Pitt, and has affairs with several men. Because the book focuses on such a long time span, however, events move quickly and none are explored fully: too much political intrigue to be a “romance” and too much sex to be a war story. I’m not writing this author off completely, though, because I adore her Wrexford and Sloane series. This stand- alone text just didn’t work for me.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. The Diamond of London is a bit of a departure from Ms Penrose in that it is a fictional version of Lady Hester Stanhope based on extensive research that the author conducted. As a reader of historical fiction that often includes references or brief appearances by real life historical figures, I had come across Lady Stanhope before, but it was mostly in relation to her later years after she became well known for her time in the Middle East. This story focuses on Hester's earlier years (in her 20s) when she spends much of her time with her beloved uncle, William Pitt the younger, who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain, including acting as his hostess and providing advice to him and others in his orbit about current events. Hester really comes alive in the book and is very much a multi-faceted individual. I thought Ms. Penrose was wise to focus on this period in Lady Stanhope's life as it isn't as well-known as her later years. Anyone who enjoys history with a bit of fiction will enjoy this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrea Penrose for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Diamond of London coming out January 23, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own..

I really love this historical fiction author. She always has interesting plots and subject matter. I didn’t realize this book was based on a real person. I’m not super keen on books about real historical figures because they basically have to go by what actually happened or else it seems disingenuous. And it seems like Hester had a sad life. It didn’t feel like a lot ended up happening besides her social engagements and not being able to live the life she wanted. I felt sympathetic towards her, but I also didn’t really care for her personality or the choices she made. But I’ll definitely read other books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction about real life historical figures.

Lady Hester Stanhope’s eccentric father has controlled her life, and she escapes as soon as she can. With the support of her uncle William Pitt the Younger, she maneuvers through the glittering and treacherous heights of London Society, earning favor with the influential Beau Brummell. While presiding over her uncle's gatherings, she seeks a passionate and equal match. Hester finds courage, strength, and an unexpected future that establishes a glorious legacy of her own.

I’d heard of Lady Hester Stanhope before but I didn’t know much about her. There is much to admire about a lady who was determined to live life according to her own rules. At the same time, I’m not sure I would have liked her if I’d met her. She seems to have been someone ruled by her emotions and little self-control.

The plot moves at an even pace and the details of the time were enjoyable. Much of the story revolves around her various love affairs. Hester throws herself into each one, risking scandal and censure each time. Although the sex scenes were not detailed, they were enough to make me uncomfortable.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy fictional biographies about a historical figure.

I didn't realize this was written about a real person, but I enjoyed this story - it's part historical fiction and part romance (in many ways).

Honestly, I thought the Diamond would play more of a major part in the current story, not just in the family history. Lady Stanhope is an intriguing character - I love her strength in her beliefs and longing for independence and equal rights. The side characters are all well developed and bring a lot into the story. There is a lot packed into this book, but it kept me interested and engaged to see how it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I like this authors other series so read this book based on that I chose this one. I didn't realise it was going to be part story and part autobiography, While this was clearly a well-researched novel, it didn't grab me as much as I expected so while interesting because of it being s real person it did loose something in the telling because of this 3.5 stars. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have been waiting for this book to come out, so I was so excited for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

To be honest, I was disappointed by the book. It was super slow getting into, and it read very much like a non-fictional biography. Although Lady Hester lived a unique life as a woman, the book overall lacked a lively stroryline. ☆☆☆ and a half stars

4.25/5 stars

I enjoyed this "loose" partial biography of Lady Hester Stanhope (1776-1839) spanning roughly the first 35 years in an astonishing and unique life for a woman of her era.

Lady Hester was a remarkable woman who turned her hand to a large variety of interests...serving as her uncle's (Prime Minister William Pitt, the Younger) private secretary and hostess/lady of the house for various residences, world explorer, and antiquarian/archaeologist among other diversions. The book covers some of her childhood difficulties (she and her half-brothers grew up with a tyrannical, eccentric father), her first tastes of freedom and forays into romance and how she worked within her stalwart creed to live life by her terms, not by those of the men of the time who were granted dominance and dominion over women. She would definitely have been considered an "original" during that time period, and quite arguably any time period.

It was interesting to see her strengths, her flaws, her ups and downs and her unstinting belief and confidence in herself and her abilities. Well written and well researched with an afterword from the author which provided additional clarity and information on both Hester and the author's own thoughts and process.

Thoroughly enjoyable, and since I was not previously familiar with Lady Hester, this book led me to find out more about her amazing life.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing the free early arc of The Diamond of London for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I knew very little about Lady Hester Stanhope when I started this book, but having been a huge fan of Andrea Penrose's for years now, happily dove in. Penrose has done fabulous job of bringing an extraordinary woman and the powerful and influential people around her to life in a way that celebrates their strengths without shying away from their flaws. Every time I picked up the book, I read for longer than I intended because Penrose's writing and excellent pacing compelled me to just keep going for a little longer. This is a fabulous novel and I'll be recommending it widely.

Lady Hester Stanhope was a fascinating woman, and this fictionalized story of her early life was a fitting tribute. I was particularly interested in her role as hostess for her uncle, Prime Minister William Pitt. She was able to influence British politics in a time when women had no role in the political world. Stanhope's life after she left England deserves another book of its own. I hope Penrose has it in the works!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The novel "The Diamond of London" by Andrea Penrose was written with great skill and had some intriguing parts, but I found it challenging to read. There were too many characters mentioned, which made it difficult to keep track of everything that was happening. The book narrates the fictionalized story of Lady Hester Stanhope, a real-life adventurer. Although the author's talent is evident in the writing, this kind of book is not my preferred choice.

I love historical fiction based on real people ,and Lady Hester Stanhope was quite the character. A member of the Pitt family, she became a hostess for her Uncle William Pitt the younger in his times in and out of the government as Prime Minister. The history of the times, with King George and his son the Regent, hence the Regency, as Pitt was in and out of favor. Lord Stanhope, Hester's father was an eccentric who made life quite difficult for her and her brothers. I particularly like to learn history through novels such as this. Hester meets Beau Brummel, and he helps her cultivate her way within the ton.
She is a unique woman, smarter than most men,but because she is a woman she cannot just be herself. She has several affairs, and we see history through the men. I Googled each just to see what they looked like and what happened to them. The book only takes Hester through the first 29 years of her life, and after a tragic end to a love affair, actually leaves England and lives out the rest of her life in the Middle East.
A must for those, who like me love to learn history through fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. The opinions are mine. I highly recommend this book, a glimpse at a woman who deserved more.

I am very grateful I was able to read this book, it isn't usually something that would fit my taste ( to be honest I didn't even know it was a biography) but it did satisfy me. Lady Stanhope, I'm happy that I got to learn about such a interesting person.

This is a semi fictional story about Lady Hester Stanhope in her early days.

I found it hard to connect to the story, possibly because it is written in the first-person point of view.

I love Ms. Penrose's mysteries and was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to the point that I almost didn't finish the book.

If you are into historical fiction about a real person, you will probably enjoy the read.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and these are my honest opinions.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington, for my complimentary digital copy for review.

The Diamond of London is a captivating and inspiring tale that delves into the life of Lady Hester Stanhope, a remarkable woman who defied societal norms during a time when women were confined to domestic roles. This biographic fiction beautifully portrays her quest to be heard and treated as an equal. The heartfelt portrayal of her heartbreaks tugs at the reader's emotions, while her unwavering strength and resilience serve as a true inspiration. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction.

I really wanted to get into this book, but I could not keep with it. I think if I had an audiobook, I would be more into it. There were too many characters and it just did not hold my attention.

A semi-fictional story of a real life adventurer, Lady Hester Stanhope. She was definitely ahead of her time, but at the same time, this was written more like she was a woman of today's time.
The style of writing is beautiful, and the author has great talent at bringing a story to life. Unfortunately, this was not my type of story. For someone as extraordinary as she was, I'd rather read an actual biography. There was a good bit of her story missing from this, but it would not have worked here had everything been included.
I can see how many people enjoy reading historical, yet fictional stories of larger than life people. It seems I am not one of them. I enjoy they were background characters enhancing the image of the time period.
While it was not for me, I would recommend this to those readers. It was well written, and does bring you along into the story, making you feel at home.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nicely done historical fiction based in fact. Lady Hester Stanhope lived a privileged but restricted life. because she was a woman, She also, however, advised her uncle, William Pitt and served as his hostess when he was Prime Minister. Her romantic life was challenging, both because she did not want to settle and because she seemed to attract rakes. This only covers a part of her life but it was enough to send me off to Wikipedia for more information only on her but on others as well. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Don't miss the afterword;