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The Winged Tiara
By J'nell Ciesielski
Historical Romance
Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback & eBook, 352 Pages
August 13, 2024 by Thomas Nelson
Summary
Diamonds and danger dazzle in Ciesielski's latest enchanting romp through post-war Europe as estranged spouses and jewel thieves hunt an elusive Valkyrie tiara.
November 12, 1918. It was a match made in champagne-soaked heaven, but all too soon the bubbles dried up, and Esme Fox awakens the morning after celebrating the end of the Great War to find herself shockingly and accidentally married. She gathers her belongings and slips out before her new husband can stop her. After all, she knows it's best to leave before he does.
Four years later, Jasper Truitt, after having made a name for himself in the underground world of jewel thieves, is on the hunt for a valuable heirloom: a one-of-a-kind winged tiara--the last Valkyrie tiara ever created. So it's with great surprise that he discovers it at a charity event atop the head of a woman he's never forgotten. His long-lost wife . . . who happens to be pursuing the tiara for a vengeful opera diva desperate to obtain the jewel for herself.
The reunion is cut short when Esme vanishes--again--but their separation is temporary. With a hitman on their heels and a deadline looming, the pair find themselves in an epic game of cat and mouse across Europe following leads from the French Riviera to a shop of wonders in Venice, a fairy-tale castle in Bavaria, and a veritable circus thrown by a champagne heiress, all before a dramatic horseback flight through the French countryside.
In the end only one can win, and with both of their hearts on the line, the winner may well turn out to be the loser.
In her latest glamorous historical romance, J'nell Ciesielski spins a sparkling story filled with her signature snappy dialogue and vivid atmosphere that will keep you reading late into the night to see what happens next.
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My Review
THE WINGED TIARA is about a man and woman who recklessly get married for barely a day before she slips away and then stumble across each other years later. They end up trying to steal the same priceless heirloom for their own personal reasons and unintentionally working together. There's a lot of romantic sparks, a bit of danger and suspense, and a sweet ending.
This story felt very flowy and nostalgic. It's richly written so you felt like you're experiencing the lushness of Europe during this time period with the wild abandon of the world after WWI. The characters were interesting. I liked Jasper the most as I felt he was more honest with himself and others. He also wanted a real relationship and a genuine good life of his own in spite of his childhood and situation. Esme had a rough upbringing as well, but it turned her cynical and distrustful in love or happy endings. She felt a lot more superficial, although that is also what she wanted to portray. The aloof, wealthy woman who doesn't involve her heart in anything. It was interesting seeing how they worked together (or didn't work together since they competed so much) and how their story resolved in the end.
This is the second book in the past week that has surprised me in some of its content and focus being from a Christian publisher. I actually checked to see if it was published in more of the general market. I found if I changed my mind set and assumptions about it so that I thought of it as reading an historical romance with some mystery and suspense that was in the general market then it worked for me. There is "romp" in the description, and it is definitely that. There were a lot of references to affairs, seductions, marital relations, lust, stealing, etc. and more bluntly than I expected for the publisher and author. This story would probably not be a good fit for readers who are expecting something more Christian or clean and wholesome but would be a good fit for the general romance market who like their books on the nondescriptive side.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an overall well fleshed story full of a lush setting and characters. It was fun to journey to different parts of Europe as these characters chase an invaluable tiara, with a lovely ending. Recommended to general market historical romance readers.
Content: References to marital relations, affairs, seductions, stealing, and threats of murder.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Austenprose PR, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Find the author here.
Have you read other books set in Europe after WWI? Does this sound like a romance you'd enjoy?
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