Debts and Diamonds: A Dark Gang Romance (The Deana-Dhe Duet Book 1)

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This was another huge hit for me from Bea Paige and I can’t wait for book 2 and watching heads roll as they work hand in hand with the Masks to save Cyn. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. If you followed the Our obsession series, we continue our story with thirteen aka cyn and the Deana-Dhe and we get to learn about their history together. Right know my favorite is the dancer and the masks books so I’m super excited to see them making an appearance again!

I really am going to be so incredibly sad when this author says farewell to this shared universe/interconnected world, these characters make their own families, they keep building it up with each new story, and the author letting us in on that is so amazing and heartwarming. Particularly when it came to the mystic element that was included, considering the part it played with having connections to Cyn and Arden due to the special gifts they possessed. But that’s not a simple business transaction, because those 4 have a past that extends to their school years.There are a couple different kinks and some darker scenes, but nothing as dark or menacing as The Masks if you have read that duet from this author. While this duet focuses on the Deana-Dhe and Cyn it does mention characters from previous series and could offer spoilers for their stories. Bea Paige has blown my mind one more time with Debts and Diamonds, first book of her new duet The Deana-Dhe, and it’s already tearing me apart waiting for the second part Curses and Cures after that brutal cliffhanger.

I was a little confused by the timeline of this initially, due to the events at the end of Masks and the Dancer and something that happened to Cyn, which appeared not to have happened at the start of this one!Childhood trauma, selective mutism, and a lonely, loveless existence are made worse by her father's idea of tough love. The main character Cyn, short for Cynthia has not talked for years due to her mother's death and is mute. I love the tinctures she makes and how she can affect the guys so easily but has so much restraint its not even funny.

The way the story flicks between the present and past is materful and seamless, flowing perfectly as not to stutter the plot. For every chapter or event in the present that they experienced, we got to see the history that sparked that turmoil for them. also these characters are so incompatible i don’t understand what the author was trying to do to make them all a couple like she needs to take notes from the bonds series bc while it was slow it had a great plot that made up for it and the slowburn really added to the story.

But they all waffle between that connection being cathartic or a threat- a delicate, fragile, and chaotic back and forth. If you’ve read Their Obsession duet, you already know these characters, but this time we get to know Cynthia and the Deana-dhe’s - Carrick, Arden and Lorcan - story. some reason the main girl is into the bullying like it’s her kink or whatever so while they torment her they also be making out and shit i’m just so confused.

I do have to admit that the current versions of Arden, Lorcan and Carrick seemed much tamer versions than what we got to see of their teenage years. I mention this in every review but idc, Bea's writing is beautiful, she is one of the few authors whose writing can captivate me so thoroughly with every book of hers I read!The showcasing of very distinct personalities between each of the Deana-Dhe had been executed well by Bea. I love all the cameos/mentions, it must be exhausting trying to keep all of the characters and timeline in mind when writing new romances in the world. The Deana-Dhe was portrayed as quite the mystery in TDATM and now we get to read about the history behind their personas.