I received a copy of The Last Tiara through NetGalley.

Isobel Moon's mother Sofiya wouldn't discuss her Russian past. After her death, Isobel finds a jewel-stripped tiara hidden in their apartment wall, and begins searching for answers to her heritage.

The story switched from the Russian Empire in the rule of the Czar in 1915, to 1940's New York City in alternating chapters. I enjoyed the historical fiction storyline and details of life in both eras.

I recommend The Last Tiara for historical fiction fans.

Oh my God!
One of the best books I have ever read. I've always been a fan of the Romanovs and Russian history, and I love period stories.
I'm not a big fan of mysteries, but this book is the exception.
It was a book I enjoyed very much. From the atmosphere of the story. I liked very much the trajectory that the characters took. This book played with my mind. .
It was a completely exciting book, with each page I was more intrigued and couldn't stop reading it.
I loved it with all my heart. I loved Sofiya's story, her love story with Carpathian, I really liked the romance in the background, without getting too corny and without deviating from the real theme of the story I loved it completely.
Isobel's evolution and her search for her mother's legacy. I felt quite identified with the character of Isobel, I think she had a great development throughout the book, I like that they show her as an intelligent, determined, strong woman, not as a girl who needs to be rescued.
He how she tried to solve the mystery about her mother's past, how she put the pieces together and learned little by little about her past.
As I mentioned, I am not a fan of mystery, but this book caught me from the very first pages, the story fascinated me. The setting, the characters.
Without a doubt one of the best books I've read, I think it's worth reading if you're a fan of the historical novel and mystery, with a little touch of romance.

I normally do not read adult books. I normally read middle grades books or YA books since I am a middle school librarian. I was drawn to the tiara on this cover. I really liked how the story was told from 2 different points of views. There was the mother's story that takes place in Russia and the daughter's story which takes place in New York in the early 1900s. It was a mixture of a romance, mystery, and historical fiction book. I loved all of the different takes in this one book. It was also a longer book than I normally read, but I enjoyed all of the details included in the story.

This was an incredible story. I was drawn in immediately and I had a hard time putting this book down. I love it when you feel like you're actually there in the story. MJ Rose writing is like that.

I'm going to splurge and give this one 5 stars. Honestly, it is 4.5 stars.

I enjoyed the topic of this novel. I read the book because of my interest in tiaras. I was not disappointed. A Romanov tiara is the central driving force of two parallel stories: a woman in Bolshevik Russia and her daughter, Isobelle, in post WWII America. Bolshevik Russia is an especially interesting setting. As the story progresses, the author reveals the tiara's history as well as the life and relationship of the Russian woman and the man she loved, who are Isobelle's parents.
Isobelle did not find the tiara until after her mother died in a tragic accident. Isobelle is led on a fascinating journey as she researches the tiara and her family history. There are a couple of plot twists that I did not see coming, specifically the intended purpose of the tiara.
I have recently read too many books laced with filler and pointless dialogue. It was refreshing to read a book that I did not want to skim to find the point of the story hidden among the extraneous detail and senseless blather.
This novel is well written. The characters are interesting and the settings are developed without tedious minutiae.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

For the most part I enjoyed this book. I was drawn in by the central mystery of the tiara and found myself interested in both of the main antagonists. I was glad Isobelle found a way to have some romance in her life even though I did find myself annoyed with her self-doubt at times. I thought both historical times were fascinating- especially the Russia portion.

I really enjoyed this one. I really like the author's premise. She takes a well known piece of jewelry and writes a story around it. This is the second one I have read. Cartier's Hope was also really good.

The subject of this story is a sapphire diadem that went missing sometime after the Bolshevik revolution. There is a photo of it from the 1920s and then it just vanished. In the novel, Sophia discovers a tiara hidden in a secret spot in her mother's room. With it are receipts for the jewels that used to be in the tiara. Sophia knows nothing about her mother's past life in Russia and these clues lead her down a path to find out more.

It's engaging and well written. I really like the premise. A lot of authors write about paintings or other artwork. Jewelry is also artwork, but this is a bit different and I liked it a lot. I hope that she write more of them.

I’m a huge fan of M.J. Rose and devoured this new one. Her style is so unique it defies categorization., deftly blending gothic mystery and romance with hints of magic realism which can’t quite be defined as such. Intriguing characters and storylines always meticulously researched and woven together in a way that builds drama and keeps the pages turning. How on earth does a writer imagine combining the fall of the Romanov dynasty in the early 1900’s with the secret city at Oak Ridge Tennessee in the 40’s? So creative and inspired. I like how most of her books are linked with common elements like secret societies and the Etoile family of perfumiers, even if just in passing or secondary plot lines. And speaking of perfumiers, there’s always a strong sensuality in Rose’s stories, fully engaging the reader with the lives of her characters. Imagine being wrapped in a cozy blanket, your favourite scented candle burning, a glass of rich red merlot to sip, and let yourself be carried away to a beautiful place. Perfect book for doing exactly that.

New York City, 1948 – Sophia Moon kept her past from her family and now, after her death, her daughter is left with unanswered questions about the tiara she found hidden in the wall of her mother’s room. With the help of a local jeweler Isobelle is determined to find out more about her mother’s past and how she came to have a missing Romanov artifact.
Russia, 1915 – Sofiya Petrovich is discovering first love in the midst of simmering unrest. As things start to deteriorate in her beloved city all she has to live for is her job, the man she loves, and the hope that she will see her best friend, the Grand Duchess Olga, again.

This is beautiful historical fiction. The story is very original and interesting. It’s such a fun concept to take an actual historical mystery and make your own story out of it. The beginning of the book does start a bit slow as you get used to the back and forth time periods and read a lot of details and backstories. But once the tiara mystery is introduced into the story you get sucked in. The going back and forth to different time periods really tugs at your emotions because one time period is healing and thriving as the other is falling to pieces. It’s a bit of a roller coaster all the way to the end where you have both a satisfying and slightly sad ending. But it definitely works for this story. Sometimes you just need an imperfect ending.

I really enjoyed this book. These are two time periods I’m quite interested in and I liked having a bit of romance among all the history and sleuthing. And for those who want to know, there is some very mild sexual content.

If you like historical fiction with a bit of mystery and romance then this is a book for you!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions are all my own.

I became acquainted with M J Rose years ago when she was writing about perfume and "perfume organs", and have enjoyed her versatility through the years. This is yet another branch of her tree, dealing with Russian aristocracy, stolen jewels, and imposters. Another winner, for sure.

I read this EARC courtesy of NetGalley and Harper 360. pub date 03/30/21

The Last Tiara was so enjoyable. MJ Rose did a great job with the slow reveal. I liked how the story went back and forth between Sofiya/Sophia and her daughter Isobelle. We got to see the two different relationships unfold and bloom. There were times I worried about some of the characters and even cried a little bit at one point. I loved all the twist and turns and surprises. I can't wait to read more by M.J. Rose.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the Publishers Blue Box Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a great story told from two eras. The first begins in 1915 during the time of the Russian Czar and the second part is 1948 after World War II in Manhattan. The two parts are masterfully woven together as the daughter discovers her mother’s secret about her father that she never knew and a mysterious tiara the daughter finds hidden in the walls of their apartment after the death of her mother. The search takes her to the famous Faberge jeweler with more questions than answers. The reader learns about life for the Jews in Europe during those hard days and the life at court before the war. It then moves to New York and Oak Ridge as the young daughter serves as an architect on a team developing that important war city. This is a brilliantly written romance, historical fiction and a mystery all woven around a gemless tiara and a daughter needing to learn more about the lives of parents that lived before her.

I am not new to M. J. Rose and once again she did not disappoint. Thank you for another great story. This is as good as it gets. It is one you will read and remember.

Isobelle Moon is dealing with the death of her mother and has undertaken the renovating of their apartment to make it work better for her. During the renovation process, Isobelle finds a box hidden in a hollow in the wall. Inside the box are a jeweless tiara and the mystery of her mother's past. As Isobelle looks to solve the mystery surrounding the tiara, she comes to know her mother in a way she never thought possible.

A time-traveling story told between Russia in the early 1900s during the Romanov reign and New York City in 2004. The trade-off of chapters helps the flow of the story and helps us understand Sofia's story and how she came to raise her daughter in New York and her thought process in keeping her life in Russia a secret from her daughter. I found the story to be interesting and well-developed and kept my attention with ease. M.J. Rose is an author I would gladly read again knowing that I will get a story that makes me glad I picked up the book.

My favourite kind of historical fiction books are not the ones simply set in a specific time period, but ones based on or related to real events, real places, those which show that in depth research has been done rather than just “I’ll write a story set in WW2/the Victorian age” etc. This book builds on real fact (a missing Romanov tiara) and weaves historical facts from Imperial Russia & the last days of the Romanov empire, through depression era America into WW2 and post-war era in New York. We follow the start of the story through Sofiya’s eyes as a young Russian girl who had been playmate to the Imperial princesses & who is now a young women nursing wounded soldiers in the former Imperial Palace. We follow her as she leaves New York for a new life in USA though the story doesn’t elaborate on this period of her life which is a shame … The end of the story starts with Sofiya’s sudden death & her daughter Isobelle wishing she knew more about her mother’s life in Russia (which she was never willing to speak about), a desire which became stronger after finding a beautiful tiara frame – Isobelle understands why her mother sold the jewels, through necessity, but why keep the frame?
The book does lose pace a little in the middle, I think I would have liked to see a bit more of Isobelle finding out more about the tiara – the discovery of the photographs in the books, the visit to the jeweller could have been prolonged slightly and enabled a bit more suspense to build before the big avalanche of events that take the book to the final conclusion. The ending feels rushed – yes it needed to be fast paced but there is more that the author could have done to build suspense. (I think it was also odd that Sergei claimed not to have known how the tiara was acquired – surely he would have asked & been told of the gift … it would have wrapped the story/ownership up very neatly!)

I really enjoyed this book, and have to determine if the slightly rushed/weak ending is enough to knock off a full star – I don’t think it is but if I could give 4.5 stars I think that’s where I would ideally put this.

Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are

I really enjoyed this story. It had mystery, romance, and a lot of action. I could not put this one down. I will be looking for more by this author.

What a fabulous story. It is full of historical facts, intrigue, a touch of espionage, and lots of family love. I did not want it to end!

This is a story of Sophia and Isobelle, set in post WWII New York. Isobelle discovers a secrret tiara belonging to her mother, Sophia, after her death. Thlis leads Isobelle to discover the truth about her past in Russia.

This novell has strong female characters, and a quick-moving plot. I really enjoyed it.

#TheLastTiara #NetGalley

“Every heart has its own skeletons.”

Special thanks to NetGalley and blue box press for providing me with ARC.

It's been awhile since i read a novel about Russia, the last one was *Anna Karenina*
This is the first novel to me by M.J.Rose but i loved it so much, it's heartwarming, i loved the history in this novel, the Russian Revolution and WWll

Beautifully and expertly written along the backdrop of WWII Russia and England as well as post war New York City. I kept hoping the secrets would be revealed before the end and found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for the other shoe to drop. This was an amazing book and I highly recommend it.

I received this arc thanks to NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I really liked this book. Not knowing much about Russian history, I found it very interesting. I did like Sofiya's story better than Isobel's but the way they finally tied together was great. I would definitely recommend.