I loved this book from start to end! Reading about Russia and the fall of the Romanov era is my all time favorite topic to read about. The premise is a mother/daughter fled Russia decades ago and when Sophia(mom) suddenly dies, her daughter, Isabelle, realizes there is so much she doesn’t know about her mom, her dad and the events that lead them to America. Finding a tiara with the jewels removed and a “sales slip” lead Isabelle on a hunt to the jeweler for possible answers. I found the book mesmerizing and could not put down-the alternating chapters with past/present and POV is my favorite type of book to read-where information to solve the mystery comes in tidbits of info and I put it together while the character does the same. I even found myself screaming “imposter” at one point and thank goodness the main character heard me! The importance of the tiara found in the wall and the events leading up to the climax were perfection in writing. I was absolutely emotionally invested in these masterfully crafted characters, especially the tiara, and the outcome when the secrets of the past solved the mystery of the present. This book will resonate with me for awhile and will be on my favorite list of 2021!!!

The Last Tiara by M. J. Rose was the first book I have read by this author. It is classified as historical fiction and mystery, but it contained more romance than I expected. I chose this for the historical fiction aspect and Russian setting. I have read a few books about the Romanov family and am intrigued by them, but unfortunately they are only incidental characters.

The book employs the dual narrative that is so common in historical fiction of recent years. The two time periods are 1915-1922 Russia and 1948 New York City. Sofiya Petrovitch is a friend of the Romanov family who helps in a hospital for soldiers in 1915 Petrograd where she meets the love of her life. Meanwhile, her daughter Isobelle is trying to make a career for herself as an architect in New York City in 1948 in a male-dominated field after her mother's death. As Isobelle is renovating the apartment she shared with her mother, she discovers a hidden shelf with a mysterious tiara inside. The jewels are missing, which leads her to the local jeweler, and the mystery takes off from there.

I found the characters to be a little flat, and they were not developed adequately. The tone was melodramatic and the pace was a little slow until it neared the end, during which I found myself rolling my eyes due to the unbelievable circumstances. Despite all that the book was written pretty well, but apparently, I was not the right reader for this book.

I will recommend this to readers who like light romantic suspense set in a historical time period.

I thank Blue Box Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

THE LAST TIARA by M. J. Rose is a compelling and moving story of a mother and daughter in post-World War II Manhattan. The story is told in two timelines, 1915-1922 in Petrograd, Russia when Sofiya Petrovich was just a teen and a close family friend of the Romanovs and 1948 when her daughter, Isobelle is one of very few women in the male-dominated world of architecture. The chapters alternate between the voices of Sofiya and Isobelle. Sofiya is now Sophia Moon and she refuses to discuss details of her Russian life with anyone, including Isobelle. When Sophia dies suddenly and tragically one evening, Isobelle is left forever without answers to the many questions she has about her mother’s past. While renovating the apartment she shared with her mother, Isobelle discovers a hidden box containing a stunning silver tiara with holes where its opulent jewels would have been set. A receipt in the box leads her to a well-known New York jeweler she hopes can shed light on the origin of the tiara and how it relates to her mother. As Isobelle researches the treasure she has uncovered, shocking secrets from her mother’s past are gradually revealed. This well-researched and riveting story has the perfect blend of history, mystery and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging story of love and hope and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

The Last Tiara by M.J. Rose is an intriguing, well written historical novel!

At first in 1915 Russia, Sofiya Petrovich and her best friend Grand Duchess Olga Nicolaevna are volunteering in a military hospital. Sofiya meets a soldier at the hospital and they soon fall in love and begin a romance that lasts years even though Russia is in turmoil.

In 1922, Sofiya is pregnant and her father makes the decision to send her to America for her safety and the baby's safety. She leaves for America with few possessions, the most precious being a tiara given to her by her best friend Olga right before her family's fall from Romanov power. Sofiya arrives in America and immediately changes her name to Sofiya Moon and leaves her Russian past behind. She refuses to respond to her daughter's questions about her past life and moves on with her new life.

In 1948, Isobelle Moon, Sofiya's daughter is an architect living in New York City and has moved into the apartment that she shared with her mother. Sofiya has passed away and Isobelle decides to renovate the apartment when she finds the precious tiara hidden in the wall of the bedroom and begins a quest to find out the story of where it came from. From here the chapters alternate between the present and the past as the story of the tiara unfolds and Isobelle discovers her history.

I am a fan of historical fiction and have always found the Romanovs to be an interesting and engaging topic. This story combined engaging fiction and historical facts, a gentle and passionate romance, and a interesting mystery that kept me guessing until the very end! I would recommend this excellent book to anyone who is into reading any of the genre mentioned above!

Thank you NetGalley for providing a ARC and giving me the opportunity to give an honest review!

If you love historical fiction then you will love this book. The author M.J.Rose is able to transport you back in time to allow you to follow two women.
In 1940’s New York City Sophia Moon is about to renovate her mothers bedroom following her death. Whilst doing so she finds hidden the framework of a faberge Tiara. The jewels are no longer there but the receipts for there sale are.
This sets Sophia on a journey to discover more about the tiara and her mothers life growing up in Russia before she arrived in America. In visiting the jewellers she meets Jules the new owner. He falls for Sophia and wants to help her. However, he is torn. He belongs a secret group. ‘The Midas Society’ which aims to reunite treasure with there rightful owners.
The story flips between Sophia and her mother. Sofiya Petrovich in 1915 St Petersburg’s. Sofiya was a friend of the Grand Duchess Olga of the Romanov family. We find out how she came to have the tiara and her life.
This book kept me gripped. I loved the two women in the story. Also how real life events were seamlessly woven into the story

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

This is the story of a young woman who, in renovating her mother's apartment, finds a tiara without its jewels. She wants to find out about the tiara, and how her mother got it, but finds herself in a situation where it seems the tiara may have been stolen. Meanwhile, the book also tells the story of the mother, who grew up friends with the Russian royal daughters.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For a week, I have been trying to read this book and get into it. Finally, I got into it and finished it. The first 1/4 of the book is very slow to me but after that it picks up and I didn't want to put it down.

It goes back and forth between the early 1900's and 1948 & the beginning of 1949. Isobell's mother, Sofia never told her about her past life in Russia. When her mother dies unexpectedly, Isobel is left with questions. Who was her mother, really? Why wouldn't she tell her anything about her life in Russia?

Isobel finds a tiara hidden in a wall of her mom's bedroom. Where did it come from and why would her mother have it? This sets the story off. You learn of how Sofia got the tiara and why through the book going back and forth in time.

Rose had amazing character development. I fell in love with the main characters. Rose's book is a mix of historical fiction, mystery, and romance. There are moments that I thought I knew something only to find out later I was wrong. As I stated earlier, the first 1/4 of the book was slow and I just couldn't get into it. I am glad I continued reading because I ended up enjoying the book.

It will be released February 2, 2021. I recommend you pick it up if you like historical fiction with a mystery and a little romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Rose for the ARC Kindle version. All thoughts and opinions are my own.





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I love historical fiction. This one is a keeper. I know nothing about Russia and its history. I keep meaning to do so but i get side tracked :) (hummm i wonder how). Main characters from the present day were a little cold for me but it was a different time and she did get hurt a few years back. . Lovely story about life, future and past. I really didn't want it to finish.

A decent historical novel with a bit of "mystery" although not the Rebecca or Agatha Christie type. The biggest distraction for me was the daughters love story (totally unnecessary) and that I had to remember this was post world war II (the tone was far more present day). I loved the Russia storyline however as that provided more rich backdrop than NY this time around. I did learn a bit about female architects and some authors I should try. If you go in for light historical fare with a bit of drama, then this is for you.

This was the most interesting book I have read this year. The Last Tiara is a must read book and I you will not want to put down even when family comes over.. I would give this book a 10plus. I have told my friends and they are anxious to read. Can't wait for next book.

This exceeded my expectations! By a lot! I'm always interested in the connections through time between mothers and daughters. And growing up I was a big fan of the animated Anastasia. Goes hard!

What a hauntingly beautiful Book, a delightful mix of Facts & Fiction which produces the most enchanting of love stories ( there is more than one ) plus mystery amid the world of fine Art & Jewellery made by the famous House of Faberge , & life both pre & post Revolution in Russia ! But it is new life in post world war two America that has to solve a well hidden mystery . I think readers of several genre's will enjoy this Book & I will be highly recommending it ,plus once I can come out of Medical Shielding & Lock Down once it's published I will buy a copy for my own Book shelf. #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/11bc11d0026952991f96874534f30a6fb6dbed74" width="80" height="80" alt="25 Book Reviews" title="25 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>, #NetGalley#FB#GoodReads#Instagram#Amazon.co.uk#Amazon.com

The Last Tiara is a tale of mother and daughter. Isobelle's mother never wanted to talk about Russia or her life there. Her mother, Sofiya Petrovitch, past was a secret she didn't want to share. When Sofiya dies and Isobelle discovers a Tiara she is determine to figure out her mother's past and find the answers to her questions. Ioabelle will have to learn to trust the young jeweler if she wants to figure out about why her mother had the Romanovs Tiara.

You will get to bounce back between the two women and discover what happened and how she made it to the US. I enjoyed reading this story and the world MJ Rose gives you a glimpse of.

I love the dual POV and timeframe in this novel. I always enjoy historical fiction and this book was no different. The writing was beautiful and overall I enjoyed it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.
I love M.J. Rose's novels and when I got the opportunity to read this novel I was really excited. Set in WWI era Russia and 1948 New York this novel has dual time stories. Centered on the mystery of a tiara it is really wonderful novel. I enjoyed this novel immensely. It checks all the boxes that I enjoy in a historical mystery. There's Romanov tiara, Faberge, romance and mystery. 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley! The Last Tiara by M.J. Rose is a definitely a treasure. So much heart and soul in this novel. I love the dual timeframe. Highly recommend this novel for any fan of historical fiction.

The Last Tiara by M.J. Rose is a duel timeline novel from WW1 era in Russia and 1948 New York. The story alternates between mother and daughter. This is a thrilling book of family secrets. If you like historical fiction you will love this book. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Blue Box Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first net galley as well as historical fiction reading. Being a thriller lover this book, containing historical elements as well as thriller was a cherry on cake. I loved how the author woved the story of Sophia and Isobelle one after another in each chapter maintaining the suspense and thrill till the end. The language was lucid and well constructed. It gave a visual effect while reading and imagining the post war condition. I loved the book. Willing to read more from the author.

Like "The Lions of Fifth Avenue" this dual-narrator novel deals with a daughter unraveling the secrets of her parent's past while struggling with her own career. Isobelle Moon is working as an junior architect in a prestigious NYC firm following WWII, but is mourning the loss of her mother, Sophia, and dealing with the guilt of having built Oak Ridge and her unknowing role in the atomic bombings. Determined to find a fresh start she begins renovating her mother's bedroom and finds a jewel-less tiara hidden within the walls. Determined to uncover the secrets of her mother's past she enlists the help of Jules, the grandson of the jewelry who purchased the missing jewels. Decades earlier Sophia, then Sofiya Pterovitch, meets an amnesiac soldier while working in a hospital alongside her childhood friends the Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, and falls in love. Carpathian is a jeweler in the famed Faberge studio, but the war, and the Russian Revolution threaten to keep them apart. The two strands blend well and answers are revealed thoughtfully in both stories. The ending is a bit abrupt, and sticklers will notice a few inconsistencies, but overall this is an enjoyable book of two women finding love and themselves during turbulent times.

I just finished reading “The Last Tiara” by M.J. Rose, and honestly can’t remember enjoying a book more than this one! The book uses dual-timeline technique, ranging from WWI-era Russia, where Sofiya, Isobelle’s now-late mother, was a friend and playmate, later fellow nurse, of the Tsar’s daughters—to 1940’s NYC, where Sofiya’s daughter Isobelle works as an architect at a NYC firm. Key to the story is that one of the Tsar’s daughters gifts a jeweled tiara to her friend Sofiya as political instability brews in Russia and the Tsar’s family feels the threat.

After her mother’s death, Isobelle Moon discovers a box with the skeleton of a tiara hidden under wallpaper in her mother’s bedroom, now without the jewels with which it was set. Tracing an old receipt she finds indicating her mother sold the diamonds in the tiara to a nearby upscale jewelry store, Isobelle meets Jules Reed, the grandson of the original owner of the shop as she tries to unravel the tiara’s story and why her mother never told her of its existence.

Isobelle and Jules gradually begin a relationship and begin a search for the provenance and history of the tiara which involves a secretive group Jules belongs ti called The Midas Society as well as research trips to Washington, D.C., France and London. Along the way they discover that Isobelle’s father Carpathian did not die in Siberia in 1922 as she understood, but survived. I loved the twists and turns in the mystery of the tiara and was anxious to read each next chapter. I also found the characterizations to be well-drawn.

My thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for providing the ARC of #The Last Tiara