Diamonds and Dust - Lili Valente

Diamonds and Dust

By Lili Valente

  • Release Date: 2014-11-25
  • Genre: Contemporary Romance
4.5 Score: 4.5 (From 95 Ratings)

Book Synopsis

The home run neither of them expected… 

Pike Sherman is a legend, a hometown boy who made it to the big leagues. Literally. Professional baseball acquired one hell of a pitching arm when the gifted Pike was drafted seven years ago. Pike’s broken heart came along for the ride, too, but he kept that private, and since leaving Lonesome Point has kept his distance from his hometown. 

But when his sister, Mia, begs him to be the Dude of Honor at her wedding, he can’t refuse. He returns home to find himself thrown together with the one woman he never wanted to see again. 

Tulsi Hearst is on the verge of losing her Equine Therapy business. She needs to concentrate on finding funding, not dealing with Pike Sherman, the boy she sacrificed so much for, and the one person she’s ever lied to. 

And what a lie it is… Pike would hate her if he found out. 

She should stay far away from the brooding man her first love has become, but Tulsi can’t resist a slow dance with the only cowboy who ever made her blood rush. 

After just a few days back in Lonesome Point, Pike and Tulsi find themselves falling hard. Can their second chance survive Tulsi’s secret, or will Pike leave Lonesome Point a broken man all over again?

The Lonesome Point Bachelors Series (each book can be read as a Standalone romance):
Leather and Lace
Saddles and Sin
Diamonds and Dust
Twelve Dates to Christmas
Glitter and Grit
You're Still the One
Chaps and Chance
Ropes and Revenge
Eight Second Angel
A Hundred Million Reasons

Perfect for fans of Samantha Christy, Janet Dailey, and heart-stealing heroes falling for feisty Southern girls.

Tags in Contemporary Romance : Diamonds and Dust Lili Valente ebook , Diamonds and Dust Lili Valente epub , Diamonds and Dust Lili Valente AUDIOBOOK , Diamonds and Dust by Lili Valente ePub (.epub) , Diamonds and Dust book review , Contemporary Romance

Latest Impressions

  • ❤️ Pike!

    5
    By Sandra Two Book Pushers
    I have read the all of the novels in the Lonesome Point, TX Series and have loved them but this one has become my favorite! I sensed it from the start... Tulsi and Mia have been friends forever and for as long as Tulsi can remember she has had a crush on her best friend Mia's brother Pike. He is four years older and seemed to only treat her like a sister until he couldn't any more. When she was finally right in front telling him what she thought about him, then it finally hit him. That was the feeling he has also had all these years. Too bad they broke each other's hearts.... Seven years later and they are trying to avoid one another. Pike is in town to be with his family and to do a meet and greet for his hometown fans, he is a pitcher in the Major leagues. He doesn't come home, he stays away from it but Mia needed him. Tulsi is a single mom to a feisty little girl and has her own issues to deal with and doesn't want to add another heartbreak from the only man she ever loved. They hate each other. They love each other. They don't know how to feel. The passion is still there but the past is hard to move on from. Nobody even knows about their secret spring fling. They never forgot how it was to be together but they also can't forget the heartbreak. Pike wants to move on, he wants to start over but Tulsi is fighting back because of a secret she is holding on to. Can they leave their past in the past? Will the secret ruin them? Like I said it was my favorite in the series. Pike is hot and cold and that just make him even sexier. He is the perfect amount of alpha with the mix of sweetness. He knows what he wants and doesn't give up. Tulsi is pretty awesome even though I was mad at her but she is independent, feisty, and a fun mom. And Clementine, her daughter is just precious and a little rock star in my book. I laughed, I cried and wanted to slap someone so a great mix of emotions. Quotes: At that moment, she understood that Pike Sherman hated her. He hated her with a passion as hot and intense s the passion they'd shared when hey we're kids. It was true. Pike was the only person he had ever known her, inside and out, even the parts she was sometimes fraud to admit was there, and that's why he couldn't bear to be around him. "It's always the quiet ones, you know," she said, continuing to giggle. "We're lol wild sex perverts, with dark, forbidden desires."
  • Fun read, sweet reunion love story

    3
    By ficcentral
    Tulsi Hearst spent her adolescence crushing on Pike Sherman, one magical week living her dream, a few stolen weekends and kisses that were their little secret, and the past seven years trying to get over him. But with a living, breathing memento of their all too brief relationship, the fact that he's always going to be her best friend's brother, and the heartbreak she caused them both, seven hundred years could pass, and she'd still be wrapped up in dreams of what might have been. But... It's "champing at the bit,” not "chomping at the bit.” For a book with a main character who breaks horses, I would have expected the idiomatic expression that's actually about horses to be correctly spelled. Do people often use "chomping at the bit?” Sure. Then again, they also use "irregardless” and "for all intensive purposes.” And this is why we can't have nice things. The Verdict: I was super excited to finally get my hands on this one. Tulsi was such a sweet, down-to-earth character in the other books, and her kid is just awesome. I wasn't too sure about Pike, since he was little more than an overbearing but brief mention earlier in the series, but with as much as I've loved the other characters so far, I had a feeling he'd win me over, too. Tulsi and Pike's reunion was exactly what you'd expect, given their mutual connection to Mia. It's not like Tulsi would miss her best friend's wedding, and it's not like Pike was gong to skip out on his little sister's big day, so really it was only a matter of time before they were face-to-face again. Of course, with the way Tulsi ended things between them, it's no wonder Pike was none too happy to see her. What surprised me, though, was how quickly he pushed past that and steeled himself to do whatever was necessary to get her back. Given their ages back when they were first involved, I can pretty much overlook and even understand a bit why Tulsi bailed and did the single mom thing without ever letting Pike in on the truth. After all, her crush had been brewing for years, and as happy as she was to finally be with him, she very much felt like she was living a dream. It's no wonder that when he pulled radio silence for three weeks, she second-guessed everything. Plus, she clearly really cared about him if she was willing to sacrifice her own independence and heart for his success. Granted, it was pretty wrong of her to do that to him — not to mention her kid — but eighteen year old girls aren't usually known for their level-headed thinking. While I was initially impressed that Pike was self-aware enough to man up and go after Tulsi, despite the fact that she had supposedly cheated on him and been raising proof of that indiscretion for the past several years, the way it played out didn't really live up to what I expected. Tulsi's lie kept Pike from guessing the truth, but when it was revealed, he didn't really react with the intense emotion one might expect. Yes, of course I wanted him to forgive her, but to rein in the what little anger he had and almost instantly forgive her ended up being a bit of a let-down after all the great build-up. Same with Mia, actually. I mean, her best friend had been lying to her for years, and not about something little or that didn't affect them all. Obviously they all cared about each other enough to get past it, but it all happened too quickly and easily. It went from angst and anxiety to happily ever after with virtually no conflict, which was just strange. Either Tulsi was a bit of a drama queen who didn't know Pike and Mia as well as she thought she did, or those two roll with the punches too easily. Now, that's not to say I didn't like the story. It was a lot of what I'd hoped for, and it was great to put a human spin on Pike, who up until this book had been without much personality. And of course, who doesn't want another glimpse of Sugar Britches and Clementine? I just wish the complex emotions carried through 75% of the story had gotten the same kind of play there at the end instead of wrapping up so quietly and neatly. ***FicCentral received this book from for free in exchange for an honest review. Even so, we're far too opinionated to let a freebie influence our thoughts or the contents of the reviews we post here.
  • Review: Lonesome Point, Texas #3: Diamonds and Dust

    5
    By LisaHines711
    Diamonds and Dust by Jessie Evans is the third book in her Lonesome Point, Texas series. This story is about Pike Sherman (Mia's brother) who has been away playing professional baseball and Tulsi, Mia's best friend. I'm so totally pleased with myself when I saw this storyline coming when Pike was mentioned in the last book and Tulsi's reaction was what it was. Oh the angst... Tulsi has been around for us since the beginning of the series. She's Mia's best friend. practically her sister they're so close. Mia was theone who helped Tulsi with Clementine when she was a baby. Late night feedings, colicy evenings filled with no sleep. Mia was there, helping. Tulsi is now struggling to keep her equine therapy business open and keep herself from falling apart when she learns that Pike, Mia's brother, will be back in town for Mia's wedding. Pike hates coming back to Lonesome Point. Not only does he have a very hard time dealing with his father but it's home to th ewoman that ripped his heart straight out of his chest seven years ago. Tulsi was the one and only for him until the day she told him she was pregnant with another man's child. Now that Pike's back, Tulsi is terrified he'll take one look at Clem and see who the father is. Once that happens she'll not only lose the last connection to Pike but she'll probably lose Mia too. Another beautiful romance with some steamy romance and angsty drama. Love this series. How had he survived for so long without her? She was the treasure he'd been hunting for, the precious thing he'd lost, and all the proof he needed to believe in miracles.~ Pike
  • Another 5++ star read -- Mia and Sawyer are getting married, which brings Pike home

    5
    By janice1231
    This is the third book in The Lonesome Point series, (all stand alones, with no cliffhangers). We know that Pike is Mia's brother and that after a conflict with their Dad, he has stayed away from home for many years, but that's about all we knew of him. Pike made it to the big leagues as a pitcher and took a broken heart with him. He is now suffering from an injury that has sidelined him from playing ball, so he is back in Lonesome Point to be part of his little sister's wedding week. We learn that Pike and Tulsi had a summer fling and she is the one that broke his heart. We met Tulsi in the first book, Leather and lace, when Mia took Tulsi under her wing from the first day of school and they have been best friends ever since. Mia even helped Tulsi raise her daughter, even though Tulsi would never reveal who the Father was. Once they lay eyes on each other, they both come to the conclusion that they are still in love with each other. Pike wants to put the past behind them and move on with a future together. Tulsi wants it as well, but she is deathly afraid of what will happen IF her secret ever comes out. Pike will hate her and so will Mia. Not knowing why she is so scared, Pike convinces her to leave the past alone and take a second chance on their love. We all knew that the truth would come out, it always does. But the way it comes out was heartbreaking. I won't spoil that part of the story, you will need to read it for yourself. It is soooo totally worth the time and energy. You will need to have some tissues ready when you get close to the end of the book, but take the ride and enjoy it. I am looking forward to reading the next story in this series. Jessie keeps writing amazing stories and we get to reap the rewards. **Complimentary Copy provided by Author for an honest review.**
  • Second chances

    5
    By Szmoromou
    Diamond and Dust was another amazing read and my favorite thus far in the Lonesome Point Series. Jessie Evans once again delivered an amazing book. I knew when I read the insert at the end of Saddle and Sin that I was hooked on Pike! WOW, a cowboy and professional baseball player, can't beat that. I have also had a soft spot for Tulsi, a single mom raising her rambunctious daughter with the help of her best friend Mia. Since she was child, Tulsi has had a crazy crush on her best friend Mia's brother, Pike. At 18, she finally reveals her feelings for him, Tulsi daring Pike to either leave her alone so she could forget him or kiss her. Pike kisses her and reveals that he too has been crushing on her. They spend the next few months together before he leaves for the minor leagues. Eventually they drift apart, both heart broken and do not speak or see each other until 7 years later when Pike returns to Lonesome Point for Mia's wedding. The moment Tulsi and Pike see each other, there is anger and hate, but also an undeniable hunger for one another. They both realize that they still love each other, Pike ready to do anything to win Tulsi back. Tulsi finally gives in but she fears that the secret she holds will tear them apart for good. I love second chance romances, and Diamond and Dust ranks as one of the top on my list.
  • Awesome addition to the series! My favorite so far!

    5
    By Kara Hildebrand
    I love the Lonesome Point Texas series and loved Leather and Lace and Saddles and Sin, but I do believe that Diamonds and Dust is my favorite so far. Jessie just keeps writing better and better books. She is extremely talented and has the ability to use the written word to evoke such deep emotions that it's almost painful sometimes. Tulsi has been in love with her best friend's brother, Pike, since she was a little girl. At 18, an opportunity presents itself in the form of Pike driving by her on the side of the road. She just can't keep her feelings to herself anymore, so she confesses to still having a crush on him and dares him to make a decision and kiss her or leave. He admits to having the same feelings for her and they spend a few months in each other's arms. Eventually it ends in heartbreak for them both and they don't see or hear from each other for 7 years. Once they come face to face again, there is anger, hurt and heat. Pike is still sexy and gorgeous and Tulsi can't stop thinking about him. Pike decides he still loves her and he wants her and he'll do whatever it takes to get her back. Can he convince her that their love is stronger than the past? Will she be able to tell him her secrets and believe that he will still love her? I laughed and cried and finished it in only a few hours! Diamonds and Dust is one of my favorite second chance romance stories and I'm a sucker for second chance love! "And maybe I'm not as sweet as everybody thinks I am." "Is that right?" he asked. "That's right. So as far as I'm concerned, you have two options." He nodded slowly, holding her gaze with an intensity that made her shiver, "I'm listening." "Either get out of my way and let me forget you, or shut up and kiss me." "I want to taste you so bad it's killing me. I want to see if you still taste like springtime." he said. "And I think the country songs are wrong. You don’t fall in love; you choose it." "I'm not going to eat supper with my family without underpants on, Pike Sherman. I have a wild streak, not a perverted one. And one for Clementine who's 6. "I promise to be good everyone will think I'm an angel come down from heaven." Clem said. "And it's church camp , so no taking the name of the Lord in vain, and no 'flipping'," Tulsi added with a hard look. "Everyone will know what you're meaning to say and they will be shocked."
  • Diamonds and Dust

    5
    By JLKeniston
    This was the best book yet in this great series! I had a hard time putting it down as usual but had to feed the family! Its so easy to fall in love with these people. Tulsi has been in love with her best friend, Mia, older brother. Suddenly she finds herself in a position that is not uncommon any more. She thought she was handling it ok until......! Her love for Mia, Pike and Clementine is so sweet. What a great group of friends that stand together and become more enduring as the stories of love and happiness continue. This is a must read along with the prior books too! You won't be sorry!