I'm really enjoying this series! I think this book has great messaging on self-discovery, communication, friendship, and sex-positivity. I'm not used to seeing this told through the lens of a middle-aged female character for the books I typically read. I mean that to say, these books are refreshing! The characters are real - unlikeable at times in their behaviors, but tender and fragile all the same. I am also loving the character arc we're getting to with both Diana and Oliver as they navigate the dynamics of their failing relationship and determining where to go from here. Really looking forward to seeing what book 3 has in store!

This will be posted on Goodreads today 1/6/25.
I received the digital ARC from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Reading book #2 has me eager to read the next release. The authors did it again in the beautiful telling of this season of Diana’s life. This book explores her dual struggle with separation from her spouse while also struggling with parenthood and her own growth as a human being who is learning who she is as a woman. The writing was done so well and painted the emotional struggle that the characters had as they navigated one of life’s most difficult changes. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

This was so good!! Diana In Love picks up immediately where Dirty Diana left off and it did not disappoint. I loved the friendship between Diana, L'Wren, and Alicia as well as the *sort of* redemption arc beginning for Oliver. My one complaint is that throughout the book, I started to question if Jasper is even real or just in her head. Its just so much insta-lust that I didn't care whether or not he was a part of the story. Now dont get me wrong, those scenes were hot, but I almost wish Diana had explored just dating in general. 4.5 stars

This series is so addicting I can’t handle it!!!!! I am on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what will happen. This one picks up right where book 1 leaves off and is filled with just as much (if not more) spicy moments. This time it’s more about Diana experiencing those moments than it is about reading fantasies but we do get a couple throughout.

That ending???? We loveee a romantic gesture but is it enough? Idk honestly idek who I want her to end up with at this point. Perhaps Alicia??

The Paris trip in this one was so much fun. A girls trip with some steamy hookups - we loveee to see it. The female friendships in this book are top tier. I’d love a book about Alicia, I think she’s probably my fave character. Just a ride or die with great advice and better humor. These books do feel a little chaotic and all over the place but I think that’s what makes them feel real. Cannot wait to see what happens in book 3!!

📖 review: DIANA IN LOVE by jen besser and shana feste (ARC)

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
pub date: 2/4/25

thank you @net @rand @dial for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

DIANA IN LOVE picks up right where DIRTY DIANA ended. diana and oliver are separated and heading towards a divorce, and diana is left trying to decide if pursuing her intense first love with jasper is worth it. she also is continuing to build her idea of the dirty diana site while keeping it a secret from her friends and family.

just like book one, this was such and indulgent story and i loved every second of it. it explores the same themes of self-discovery (and rediscovery), women’s sexuality and desire, marriage and divorce, and female friendship. i loved seeing more of the characters’ development, especially oliver and l’wren. the storyline for both of them really surprised me, in the best way.

i think a big part of why i love this book and series so much is that it feels so relatable. all of the characters struggles, motivations, and desires feel real, and the characters are flawed enough to feel human.

just like in book one, this one ends with a cliffhanger, and i’m already excited for book three. can’t recommend this book and series enough, especially if you want a fun, sexy read!

I guess I should have read Dirty Diana first, but did not hear about it. I really enjoyed this one none the less. The characters were real, so true to life. This book was everyday life happening. Hope this another one. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley. This is the second in the series, and I actually read and reviewed the first in the series (Dirty Diana) earlier in the year. This one picks up right where we left off. It continues to remind me of the Netflix series Sex/Life.

This book is spicy! I think definitely more than the first. Oliver and Diana are working through some things and finding their new normal, Jasper is in the mix..

I loved the ending of this one. I wouldn’t have originally thought I’d hope for it to go in that direction, but by the end of this book I definitely was! Eager to read #3 when it comes out in July.

Thank you to the publisher, authors and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

After the cliffhanger of book one, I was very excited to read Diana in Love as an Advanced Copy. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me and did not provide me a satisfying reason to continue on with this series.

I very much like the message that this series is attempting to send; sex positivity and female empowerment. As well, these authors have a great prose and have made these books easy to read without getting bogged down. For this sequel specifically, I did not see the purpose of this story at all, and it doesn't really feel like much happened. I do not see where Diana is headed, and sadly I am not invested in her outcome.

I hope the next book is a little less of an amalgamation of random plot points, but I won't be reading it to find out. Huge thanks to Dial Press, Jen Besser and Shana Feste, and NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Diana is back in this second installment of the spicy middle aged romance. She reunites with her long lost love Jasper but at the same time she’s reevaluating things with her husband Oliver while moving forward with her erotic blog idea. This is a quick read and brings us back into the steamy world of Diana and is entertaining. For this one, I think I saw the ending coming but I’m already anticipating the third book to see what Diana does next in the romance department. Pick this up if you like spicy romance reads with a little more depth.

DIANA IN LOVE picks up where DIRTY DIANA left off and allows the reader to really get to know Diana. I felt a closer connection to Diana in DIANA IN LOVE than I did in DIRTY DIANA and loved the friend relationships that proved to be so important. The reader gets a better understanding of what a separation can feel like and what a couple goes through, what happens when they aren't quite sure it's for them and what it's like to address regrets.

No spoilers, but I was happy to see where Diana's relationship ends up going and how the encouragement of others propels Diana to do more about the things she loves. We all need a Petra in our lives!

Jen and Shana make the reader ponder whether we are also living up to our potential and enjoying the jobs we do, the relationships we have (both friends and lovers) and what we want our future to look like.

Diana in Love, the sequel to Dirty Diana picks up right where the first book in the series abruptly ended. A quick and light (but emotional) ride of self-discovery while navigating Diana & Oliver’s impending divorce, shared custody of Emmy, revisiting past relationships, and Diana’s career choices between investments or her art.

I enjoyed the character development and camaraderie among female friends while traveling together and supporting each other through difficult times in each others’ lives. This book puts all the spice on display without the cringe. Diana’s erotic artistic endeavor starts to really come to light and I’m curious to see how it will affects her personal relationships/motherhood in a small town. The messy and wavering feelings that come with divorce made me empathetic toward Diana & Oliver and especially their daughter Emmy, whom it begins to prove troubling in other parts of her life.

I didn’t really make the connection in any of the relationships Diana had about who she was “in love” with. I always struggle reading a series because I know one book will be lacking more than another and for me, this one didn’t feel quite as necessary to the storytelling. This book, like the first, ends in a cliffhanger and I am invested enough to want to read Diana Says Yes, the third book in the series when it comes out.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press/Random House for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dirty Diana was sexy and fun and Diana in Love, the second book in the series, is just as sexy, just as fun. I loved reading about Diana and her besties escapades in Paris, and the ensuing excitement and turmoil that follows on Diana's return to Dallas. I also love how the books end on a cliffhanger.... to be continued! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this fun eArc! 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am loving this series! There are so many relatable situations inside and it makes me that much more committed to these books. Sometimes I really want to hate the characters, but I am see myself doing the same things when put into similar situations with a spouse or even a friend. I’m excited for the last book and can’t wait to see how it ends for Diana.

***Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for n ARC copy in return for n honest review***

Diana in Love picks up right where Dirty Diana left off. Still married to Oliver but separated and headed towards divorce, Diana find herself with an opportunity to rekindle and explore her first love Jasper. This second book in the series I felt was better than the first. I felt more connected to Diana as she starts to feel more herself in this storyline. After the ending of this book, I cannot wait to read Diana Says Yes!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After the cliffhanger of the first book in the series, I couldn’t wait to read the second installment of Diana’s story! This book did not disappoint. The story is raw and emotional, yet still contains humor sprinkled throughout. I’m so looking forward to the third book and seeing the conclusion to Diana’s journey.

Diana in Love picks-up where book one leaves you hanging. Jasper is back and in a BIG way!

I couldn't stop reading this installment, and finished in a day. I'm throughly invested in this couple, their lovers, friendships and their sexual prowess. Its emotional charged, relatable story with middle-aged people FINALLY.

If you are asking me to choose between Oliver and Jasper, after this book, I can't simply decided anymore. This installment is everything we need after Dirty Diana, but six months is a long time for book #3, Diana Says Yes.

All I'll say about the ending, Oliver what have you done?!?!?!?!

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback

This series I am just neutral to. I like it and I like the story, but nothing is like mind-blowingly amazing about it. Interesting for sure.

Diana in Love was the perfect sequel to Dirty Diana. I had so much fun reading this one. I loved the nuances between her relationship with Jasper, as well as in the navigation of her failed(ing) marriage. The only issue I had was with the length of the book. I wish it was longer! Especially with such a shocking ending! I just want to keep reading!! What's going to happen next! I am absolutely obsessed with this series.

Aside from this, there were quite a few spelling and grammatical issues that I expect will be taken care of before the publish date.

Well I got my hands on #2 quickly and it was just as juicy as #1.

We pick up where we left off. Diana and her husband Oliver are separated, her first love Jasper is in the picture, and she's turning her secret (her best friend doesn't even know) of interviewing women about their erotic fantasies into a full fledged business. These stories, sprinkled throughout, speak to the inner lives of women, their empowerment in relaying them, and the, um, mileage they get out of them.

Diana takes a break and flies to Paris, a romantic city if there ever was one. Go Diana! There's drama, there's a "will she or won't she" as she gets used to being [kind of] single. Oh yeah and she's juggling being a parent too, let's not forget about little Emmy.

"Dirty Diana" was so fresh and unexpected, "Diana In Love" was going to have a lot to live up to. I'll be looking forward to #3, because of course #2 ends on a cliffhanger.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC.

When I finished Dirty Diana I NEEDED to read this book. Diana in Love, the second book in the series, takes place where we left off. Throughout the novel, we journey with Diana as she navigates being a mother, the separation from her husband, her desires, her past, her career, her art, fantasy vs reality —the lies we tell ourselves and how to recognize them. There is such truth within each experience and I couldn’t stop reading once I started.


Thank Random Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in trade for honest review.