MJ Rose new release Cartier’s Hope follows Vera Garland a New York society woman posing undercover as a news journalist to expose the curse of the Hope diamond as a marketing ploy. I had high expectations for this book and hoped to fall in love with the mystique and lore surrounding the Hope diamond and the romanticism and history of Cartier’s. Instead I found myself imbeciles in society norms and expectations- including the main focus demanding equality treatment and pay for female reporters. Everything from abortion, social class, women’s rights, homosexuality and child abuse were touched on. Overall, I felt it was a bit disjointed, especially in the context of the time period. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

I enjoy books written by M.J. Rose. This one is no exception. Through the use of intensely descriptive language, she evokes the settings of the bygone era in which this story takes place. New York City, 1910, comes alive for the reader. The story of Mr. Cartier bringing the Hope diamond to America and offering it for sale in his store is an interesting one. The main character, Vera, is a society woman who in her alter ego, Vee Swann, is a newspaper reporter. This story also touches on current important topics, such as women being sexually propositioned or attacked by their male bosses, inequality among the classes and races, and the dangers of being homosexual then and still sometimes now. The themes of love, fate, luck, and hope are also explored. I found this story very interesting.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

You do not need to follow her series in order. Each book has its own little charm. As in previous of her books this one will hold you tight to a chair with paranormal aspects and suspense. This is an author where impossible becomes possible. I cant wait for her next book!

NYC 1910...
Millionaires, immigrants, the Hope Diamond...
A young woman trying to make her mark as a journalist, fighting for something more than the lifestyle pages.
The Hope Diamond and it's curse may just be the story to jump start her career.
The book hold your attention from start to finish!

Scandal, blackmail, lies and corruption are set against background of 1910 NYC, women’s suffrage and human rights—-and the magnificent, superstition-ladened Hope Diamond. This is a well researched, fascinating story with very interesting characters and a twist at the end. Will most appeal to female readers because of emphasis on fashion, jewelry and women’s rights.
Thanks to #netgalley and #Atriabooks.

Cartier's Hope is set within the gilded age of New York City during the year that Mr. Cartier and his infamous diamond were making headlines all over the city. However, despite the name, the diamond is a background character to Vera Garland, her journalist alter ego Vee and all of the drama that surrounds Vera's life.
Vera is a society girl turned journalist in 1910, which means she has ruffled feathers amongst all of her peers and her family. While trying to prove her worth as a journalist to her mother and the men in her field, she stumbles over a chance to get her big break and perhaps finally have a mother who is proud of her. But this means using Mr. Cartier, without his knowledge, to get her scoop.
There is a lot of hype around this book. And I fell into it, but the book did not live up to it. Overall it is a decent story. But there is so much in the way of background storytelling that readers can easily get lost in the noise. And while the diamond was a key part of the last third of the book, I feel we were oversold on the idea of the book centering around the diamond.

The story of the Hope Diamond, women journalists, hidden identities, locked bookcases, and family secrets greet the reader of Cartier’s Hope.

Vera was the daughter of a wealthy businessman, but she needed to hide this fact so she could work at being a journalist for the stories women were assigned, and according to her mother to not disgrace the family’s name because she didn’t comply with social norms of being a married woman and a wealthy woman who didn't work.

Vera was always looking for a story. The Hope Diamond would be a perfect one. What intrigued Vera was when she heard its background and its supposed curse.

Even more interesting than the Hope Diamond and what peaked her curiosity was when she found locked bookcases in her father's library and had no idea why her father would have locked books inside.

Mystery about the bookcase and the intrigue about the Hope Diamond kept Vera's journalistic mind going. Vera had been in a slump and didn't want to write any more, but after she found out why her father had books hidden behind books, the Hope Diamond story took second place but was going to help her with her father's secret. This made her realize it was time to get back to her life's work and find out why and who was behind her father's story and how to use the Hope Diamond to aid with the search for answers.

Ms. Rose made the reader aware of the challenges female journalists faced and what they had to put up with in the male-dominated profession. The female journalists had to put up with the worst stories, lower pay than their male counterparts, sexual favors if they wanted their name on a story, and not being treated the same or looked at for being as good as a male journalist.

M. J. Rose has a writing style that pulls you in along with her marvelous details and research.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy CARTIER'S HOPE as well as mystery fans and those readers who enjoy strong female characters.

And...there can't be an absence of some romance with all those gorgeous jewels, right?

ENJOY when you read CARTIER’S HOPE. It is an all-around "gem" of a read. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written novel. Love the descriptions~ it is as if you are actually there on location. Love the storyline and the beautiful heroine. Not a huge fan of historical fiction but I love love love this one! Thanks Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Cartier's Hope is a charming and engaging novel about a piece of history that I knew nothing about. I don't believe in curses, but it was interesting to read about the Hope Diamond and the lore and legend surrounding it. Vera was a great protagonist; though she's not always likable, it's hard not to root for her. The setting of Gilded-age New York City provides the perfect backdrop for this dramatic story, and Rose's writing is immersive, truly transporting the reader back to 1910. Historical fiction fans will be excited to see this novel.

Cartier’s Hope by M.J. Rose is a combination of historical and fictional characters that combine to create a fascinating story.
The famous Hope diamond has been purchased by Cartier’s in New York. Several people are interested in buying it but will the curse continue? Vee Swann, a pseudonym, is a writer and wants to write about more than society events. While she is supported by her father, her mother and sister are not supportive and think she should be out in society and looking for a husband. After the death of her uncle and then her father she uncovers a family secret. Is this a story she can tell? How will the Hope diamond assist her in uncovering and possibly exposing the secrets of her family?
I enjoyed this story. The story line moves along at a quick pace and goes back and forth between Vee Swann and her family so at times you may forget who is talking. There are some twists and turns and surprises. I give this book 5 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

he story takes place in New York City in 1910. Vera Garland is the daughter of a wealthy merchant but her alter ego is Vee Swann, investigative reporter, fighting for equal rights for women. After her father passes away she discovers a secret he kept all her life and she decides to go undercover again to right a wrong. Cartier's has the Hope Diamond for sale and Vera feels that he is exploiting the stories of bad luck associated with the diamond to inflate the price.

I thought the book was going to be more about the Hope Diamond but really it could just have been any jewelry. There was some history mentioned in the beginning of the story but the diamond never becomes a major part of the story until Chapter 13.

Garland's Emporium sounded like a wonderful place to shop and I especially liked the restaurants that were designed to reflect the tastes of Vera, her mother and sister. We learn a bit about Vera's father through remembered conversations but I never got a sense of who Vera really was. She was fighting for women's rights but I never felt her passion. She might have lived undercover in a tenement but she could always go home to her penthouse when things got tough. I didn't quite understand what her plan was even as it was happening and felt that she was hurting innocent people. None of the other characters were really explained much and the ending felt kind of flat.

The Hope Diamond and revenge – this should have been a slam dunk.

I have read many of M.J. Rose’s books and am often conflicted about her writing. This time there was no conflict it was just too-too uppity, lockjaw dialog and whining about the unfairness of life for female reporters in New York in 1911. I am not disputing the truth nor the relevance of the inequality it just was hard to care given Vera’s, (the protagonist’s) voice. The dialog was stilted, the contrivances were that of a poor little rich girl who blunders through everything; her thoughts, her actions, her romance, her family. It was tedious being constantly reminded of her troubled relationship with her mother and her aspirations for her daughter in the Society of 400. Vera’s refusal to acquiesce in any manner shapes her as a harpy rather than as a bright young woman who might be competent to handle all and everyone who surrounds her. Then the ridiculous plan to avenge a grave injustice – none of it worked for me.

It is undoubtedly true to its period, but I had hoped for much better and therein lies the problem. It wasn’t much better. Thank you NetGalley and Atria for a copy.

This historical novel is set in New York City in 1910 and features Vera Garland, from a “good” family who masquerades as a gossip columnist for a local newspaper using the pseudonym Vee Swan. At heart she is an investigative journalist whose intent is to right the city’s wrongs where ever she sees them. When she’s shown the Hope diamond by Cartier who is now the owner of world-famous gem, Vera is instantly intrigued, not only by the diamond, with its mysterious history, but by one of Cartier’s assistants as well. She decides to pursue the stories of the diamond being cursed and the lives of those who touch the diamond dying a tragic death.

This is a complex, intelligent story with plot twists as Vera investigates Cartier and his diamond. Vera is well-drawn, intelligent, and courageous, and she doesn’t want to be just another debutante. The author brings alive the dichotomy between the wealthy citizens of the City and those less fortunate who struggle to put food on the table. The author gives us just enough history to understand the events of the day but doesn’t do brain dumps to show us how much she knows.

If you like well-written historical novels set at the turn of the twentieth century with a strong woman character and a bit of mystery, this is the book for you. It should be put near the top of your to-be-read list.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC

M. J. Rose has written twenty previous novels, and this one may be her best one yet. This time she takes us back to 1910 -1911 New York and the Gilded Age. She writes about the suffreage movement, pay equality, treatment equality, betrayal, undercover journalism and the world’s most famous, and most cursed, diamond, the Hope Diamond. Plus a little romance is thrown in for good measure.

Although the Hope Diamond now resides in National Gem and Mineral Collection at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D. C., it was originally housed at New York’s Cartier Jewelry Story in New York. I’ve seen in on display, and it is stunning. I can’t imagine wearing it, much less owning it. Last time I checked the gem was valued at $350 million.

But I digress. While this novel revolves around the Hope, it is a story of one a courageous young women, Vera Garland, who turns her nose up at the high society into which she was born, much to her mother’s chagrin. She wants to make a difference in the world, and she has dedicated her life to trying to right some of the worlds’ wrongs by becoming a journalist.

Writing under the pen name of Vee Swann, Vera has disguised her natural beauty and taken an apartment in the less-than-wealthy area, not all that far from where her family currently resides. Vera/Vee is taking a break. While writing a story, she became attached to one of the people she was writing about and it ended tragically. She is also reeling from the recent deaths of her beloved Uncle Percy, her mother’s brother, and her adored father, the only person who truly understood her and encouraged her to follow her dreams.

Holed up in her late father’s penthouse high above the store he founded, Vera/Vee is nursing her wounds. In the library, she discovers her father’s deepest secret. I can’t say much more, but Vera believes her father to have been blackmailed. She plans to get her revenge by using the one thing all of New York is talking about: the Hope Diamond.

The only complaint I have about this intriguing and captivating novel is that, sometimes, when author Rose was providing backstory on the diamond, it was a little much. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Therefore, “Cartier’s Hope” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Set against the backdrop of New York’s glitter and grit, of ruthless men and the atrocities they commit in the pursuit of power.

It felt like this was more of a story of the haves and the have-nots of the gilded age.

2.75☆

Cartier's Hope by M.J. Rose is a full length, stand alone romance novel, set in the gilded age, the 1910 in NY. That's one of the reasons that book drew me in.
Vera Garland is a 32 year old journalist who's fighting for her place in a male dominated society. She finds big hurdles at every turn when news of the Hope diamond arrive, Vera is certain it will help her career.
Then she meets the russian jeweler Jacob Asher and her life's about to change for good.
Cartier's Hope is a story that had me from chapter one. I read the book, cover to cover, in one sitting - I couldn't put it down.
It's an excellent written, beautifully told and gave me all the feels. I liked the characters, the words and the storyline. 4,5 Stars.

Title: Cartier’s Hope
Author: M.J. Rose
Publisher: Atria Books

Review to be posted to retail sites such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble upon publication date on January 28th, 2020 and Goodreads on December 26, 2019.

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in New York City in 1910, Vera Garland is the daughter of a wealthy family that owns the Garland Emporium retail store. She also works as a female journalist known under the pseudonym Vee Swann trying to make it in a man’s world. She is chasing down the story of the supposedly cursed Hope diamond, owned by Cartier’s jewelry store, in order to avenge her father’s untimely death. Along the way she meets the mysterious Jacob Asher, the jeweler at Cartier’s Jewelry Store, who has his own dark history.

I did not like this novel for many reasons. Foremost, the main character, Vera Garland, is extremely unlikeable. Rose said it best when she wrote “We have a problem in our family-doing the wrong thing but thinking it is for the right reason.” There is nothing worse than a character making horrible decisions that hurt not only themselves but those around them and still think they are doing the right thing. That is what Vera does throughout this book and I really do not think she learns from her mistakes and I know she does not apologize for all the pain she causes from her poor choices. She also does not know who she wants to be in this book. Sometimes she is Vera Garland, a 32-year-old spinster from a wealthy family that somehow enjoys many of the things that come with wealth but also judges those as wealthy as her while doing very little to help those that have less than her. Other times she is Vee Swann, an investigative reporter that gets far too involved and sometimes does more harm than good while researching her stories.

Like Vera, this book suffers from not knowing what it wants to be. There are so many side plots, many happening prior to the current storyline, that it really makes it challenging to keep interested in the book. Without spoiling anything, just some of the plots discussed were abortions, homosexuality in the late 1800s/1900s, women and the fight for equality, blackmail, suicide, child labor, sexual harassment towards women, strained relationships between traditional mothers and their progressive thinking daughters, expectations of women at that time to be mothers and housewives, and for a tiny part of the book- the Hope diamond. There was so much going on it was like reading a new book every time I picked it up.

If you can get a copy of Cartier's Hope as soon as possible, do it. I fully expect it to be on the New York Times Bestseller list for months after it gets released! It's everything you want it to be and more; female protagonist living lives in both the upper class with all of the society ladies, but also trying to evoke positive changes through her working class life as a reporter. When she hears about this new stone that's known to wreak havoc on whomever dares to wear it, Vera is intrigued. This intrigue propels her into a story she, nor the readers will ever expect -- one of love, blackmail, and trying to always do what's right.

Set in NYC in 1910, this is a beautiful and rich story surrounding the myth of the Hope Diamond - but it's really so much more than that. Vera is a high society lady masquerading as a working class reporter in order to expose the injustices facing her beloved city. After the untimely death of her father, Vera wants to reveal the blackmail culture present among the cities elite newspapers. This desire is combined exquisitely with the mystery and bad luck of the Hope Diamond. The characters are believable and engaging and the setting is perfect. On the surface, this novel is a romantic historical mystery, but the undertones of class segregation, wage disparity and equal rights are very evident and obviously important to the author. I love when books can surprise the reader and seamlessly include social commentary. This was a delight to read and I highly recommend you check it out when it is released in January.

A book set in NYC during 1910 dealing with journalism, the suffragette movement, and an infamous diamond sounded incredibly intriguing. I dove in with great enthusiasm and came away with a story that was interesting but that didn’t fully engage me.

The setting and description of the time and norms was well done and definitely kept me reading. I struggled, however, with what felt like a slow pace to the story. Now I fully admit that I am a reader who likes my books to move along at a fair clip. Stories that take awhile to develop I tend to struggle with. And for me, Cartier’s Hope is a tale that spins leisurely along.

While the pace of the story and I were not a fit, I did enjoy learning about both Vera’s society life and her alternative journalism one. She was definitely an unusual woman of her time and I really appreciated her, and her fellow female journalists, struggle to live their lives on their terms.

Overall, I was happy to get to know Vera, her family, and her friends. I simply wish the mystery had evolved more quick and succinctly. If you are looking for a descriptive tale with a slow burn of mystery then this may be the book for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.