When I sit down to read a book there are a few things I look for, and one of them is, does the story flow. The premise of this story is great. Daughter is away working for the government on a too secret assignment. She is an architect and after the war goes to work for a firm where she is unhappy and one male co-worker consistently takes credit for her work. This part really has no bearing on the story and there are things like this throughout this book. For me it takes away from the story and adds a bunch of information that distracts from the true plot. Sofiya( the mom) was given a gift of the tiara by the Russian tsar's daughter. Later Sofyia volunteers at the hospital during World War 2. She meets a soldier who will later become an important part of her life.

Isobelle Moon, Sofyia's daughter is renovating her mothers.a when she finds hidden in the wall the remnants of the tiara, but the jewels are gone. From there Isobelle goes on a journey that will help her know her.mother a little.better and to finally meet her father!!

This book was a challenge to read, but overall a sweet story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Tiara by M. J. Rose is a historical fiction novel and a moving story of a young female architect in post-World War II Manhattan, who stumbles upon a hidden treasure and begins a journey to discovering her mother’s life during the fall of the Romanovs, set in World War II.

Sophia Moon, mother of Isobelle dies in New York and Isobelle is in despair that her mother's life secrets have died with her and her life in Russia. Over the course of finding the truth about her mother's past he also discovers some truths about her father, whom she never knew.

The story is told between two different time frames, but handled so well. I liked the 1915, Winter Palace in St. Petersburg as well as the later 1948 New York. I was in awe and wanted to visit both the places and dive right into this era and timeline. The Romanov artifact - Tiara in this story is actually based on the real missing artifact till date.

The book at many places does have information loaded for readers and they is turning the extremely mysterious plot very boring and slow. I wanted more romance elements in the book instead of unwanted information. No doubt the writing style of the author and the climax of the book does hold some promising aspects of the book for me.
______

Thank You NetGalley & Publisher for the eARC in exchange of a honest opinion.

I knew nothing about this one going into it and that was a great way to go. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The back and forth between Sofiya's and Isobelle's lives was enough to keep me on my toes wanting more. The adventure plus the mystery are enough, but the twist at the end topped it all off. I will for sure look for more by this author. Thank you, NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the eARC. 5 Stars for this one.

Rose weaves historical fiction with mystery and romance. Isobelle finds a tiara belonging to her mother hidden in a wall in a bedroom and sets her off to find anything about her mother's past, which she never shared with her daughter. I always feel I can pick up a book by M.J. Rose and be transported, this is no different.

I received an ARC of this book. It's a great story, switching between a mother's hidden story and her daughter's search for to know about her past. It kept me enthralled and anxious to find the answers too. Mystery, romance and history in an unforgettable tale.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy of this E-book. Unfortunately, I just could not get into it and get it read before the deadline of February 2.

The Last Tiara by MJ Rose had a dual-linear timeline. . For those readers who enjoy Russian history this book is for you. The time period is 1917 and after the revolution. Sofia receives a tiara from tsarina Olga as a present to remember her by. Volunteering to work at the Winter Palace which has been turned into a hospital for all the wounded soldiers. While reading to a soldier she becomes acquainted with another patient who has amnesia. She takes it upon her mission to solve the mystery of his previous life. The book has many twist and turns and even has the story of Isabelle who lives in 1950's in New York city. The reader is in suspense how the two stories will connect. I wish to thank #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was an enjoyable read. There are two timelines, one the mother’s in revolutionary Russia and the other the daughter’s in post WW2 New York. Both told stories of independent women trying to live the lives they want to live. I particularly enjoyed the more modern time line. It is an interesting period of history and has not been written about so extensively as others in my opinion. The characters were engaging and there is a nice twist.

👑 Thank you Blue Box Press and NetGalley for this free review copy. Here’s another must read for all you historical fiction lovers! A majority of my HF reading is WWII era. The Last Tiara is centered around the Russian Revolution with a side of WWI & WWII and it had me diving down the Google rabbit hole for all things Romanov!👑

We have Isobelle Moon in the late 1940’s, working to restore her late mother’s brownstone in Manhattan, when she stumbles across a tiara, devoid of its precious stones. Her mother, Sofiya, was a Russian immigrant and Isobelle is swept up in the mystery surrounding her mother’s ownership of the tiara. The fictional tiara is based on a true Romanov artifact that is still missing to this day. Just like the layered technique of the lacquered pieces her mother restored, Isobel in turn peels back the layers of the mystery of the tiara her late mother owned.

In the alternate chapters, Sofiya’s story of living in Russia during the Revolution is told with intriguing detail. The details of revolutionary Russia and details of the tsar and his family were utterly fascinating! I paired my reading with the watching of the Netflix docu-series of The Last Czars. I highly recommend watching The Last Czars along with or prior to this read as it will give an understanding of the time and place of the story. Reading The Last Tiara has made me want to do a re-read of Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden. I’ll also be bumping The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul up in my TBR.

The only shortcoming for me is that the story was too long in the middle for my taste. That part of the story seemed to be stretched out and I would have liked more of the end story. Otherwise this makes for a fascinating read!

M.J Rose delves into historical fiction once more in her latest, The Last Tiara. I am never sure what I will find in opening one of Rose’s books - some hit the mark and some miss. I am happy to say that on this occasion, it was a definite ‘hit’ for me. She has undertaken and written a fabulous historical tale which invokes a real sense of place combined with romance and intrigue.

‘She was fascinated with how lives can change after one tiny moment that didn’t even seem consequential at the time, but in retrospect altered the trajectory of life.’

Always a sucker for anything concerning Russia and the loss of its monarchy, this is a story told in alternating chapters between Sofiya's life in Russia from 1915 through 1922, and her daughter, Isobelle in 1948. When Isobelle discovers a hidden tiara after her mother’s death, she embarks on a journey of discovery as her mother failed to disclose so much of her Russian youth to her. So much credible detail is provided on a range of themes from Russia and the time of revolution to Isobelle trying to cement her female self into the working life of New York just after the Second World War.

‘My mother’s life before she came to America - well, she kept that from me. She was secretive about almost every part of it. When I found the tiara, I suppose I thought it would lead me to … answers about her past. And about mine.’

There is some romance for Isobelle as she takes steps to uncover the secrets her mother seemingly hid so well. Yet it is the story of the tiara that captivated me; I love a good historical mystery and believe Rose has done a fabulous job on this occasion as I was so easily transported to the various locations and time periods. The ending is intense and that just topped off a winning read.

M.J. Rose has done her research and brought to life a possible scenario surrounding the last tiara from the House of Fabergé made for the Russian Imperial family. Anyone who is a fan of historical fiction and intrigue, especially surrounding fine art and jewellery ydou won’t be disappointed.

‘I move my head, and the tiara seems to wink at me. I don’t like the sight. It’s not a beautiful object, not anymore. Now, it’s just a remnant of another era, another life.’








This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

This was an interesting story told on two timelines. I was different from the usual historical romances that I usually read. This book was full of mystery, action and romance as the daughter tried to work out her mother's mysteries. I found it a little slow and hard to get into in the beginning but if you want to read something different, this is the book for you. I received this book as an ARC and freely give my review.

I so enjoy M. J. Rosen's historical novels. She writes so beautifully and the hints of mystery keep you guessing while you learn something of history, my favorite part. You can read what the book is about yourself. But I think you will find the characters well liked and very well describe. Also, the story about the tiara and the lives it brings together and their story, truly wonderful. Enjoy. Another amazing story by M.J. Rose. Well done.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ebook copy!

Historical fiction has and always will be one of my favorite genres. I've read a couple books by M.J. Rose in the past, so I was excited to start THE LAST TIARA as I've come to enjoy her writing! She does an incredible job setting the scene and transporting us to that point in time. Something I will always appreciate because it helps you get into the mindset with the characters - when you can feel their surroundings it adds another layer of authenticity (in my opinion).

While this was a very engrossing read, I found it hard to connect to the characters this time. This story I found myself being almost overwhelmed with all of the information being thrown at us. Things that never really came into play later in the story, so I feel like this could have been a little shorter and still have the same overall effect. Don't get me wrong, I love details and intricately set up stories, but when they end up leading nowhere or have no real tie in to the overall plot, then it loses me.

Despite that, I still would highly recommend picking up Rose's work! I'm definitely in the minority on this one, so I think it's more of a me thing rather than the book. If you want a solid historical fiction/romance read, then make sure to check out THE LAST TIARA, or any of M.J. Rose's other books.

Expansive story. I loved the characters and the story across time. It was not a common historical novel. I recommend.

A wonderful, interesting story about Isobelle Moon who returns to New York following World War II. She was an architect in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during the war, but comes back to New York where she becomes interested in finding out more about her mother Sofia’s life in the last days of the Romanov reign in Russia before she escaped to New York. When Isobelle decides to renovate her mother’s bedroom she finds a tiara without its jewels hidden in the wall and proceeds to investigate how her mother came to own the tiara. The story goes back and forth between Sofia’s life in Russia during the Revolution period and Isobelle’s life and efforts in New York trying to solve the mystery of the Romanov tiara. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Faberge eggs and the jewelers and their work. There is also a lot of romance in the story for both Sofia and Isobelle. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

I enjoyed this romp through history - so much so that I went to find Rose's previous work and read it. I think she's gotten better with time - this story was tight and well-written, and a bit suspenseful at the end.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC. The Last Tiara is told from two different points of view. Isobelle Moon struggles in New York as a female architect. She finds a tiara hidden in the wall of her mother's room after her death. Sofiya Petrovitch came to America after the fall of the Romanovs, wanting to forever put away her difficult past in Russia. With the discovery of the tiara, Isobelle begins her journey of discovering who her mother really was and the father she never knew. Based on the actual Romanov tiara which I found fascinating. Really enjoyed the characters and points of view.

This book had me gripped straightaway with lovely elegant writing. I loved the past and future pov's and I adored being taken back to Russia and the romanov's. I fell in love with the characters and just had to know what happened to them. If you you like historical fiction with royal elegance and elements then this book deserves to be you're next read

I really enjoy historical fiction and I enjoyed the two perspectives that are explored in the novel.

Definitely will read again

Well I am happy to say I finally found a great adult historical fiction to recommend: The Last Tiara! This book was a dual timeline story about a woman whose mother dies and leaves behind a mysterious tiara that just may be the key to unlocking her past. I really enjoyed the fact that this book was dual timeline-it added a lot to the story not only in my understanding but it also generated a huge amount of suspense as the two stories intertwined. Nothing quite made sense until the grand finale at the end and it was so clever how the author weaved all of the facts together seamlessly.

I admit, this suspense wasn’t as strong for me during the first half of the novel, but it had truly hooked me by the time I reached the halfway point and from there it was a wonderful thrillride. I loved the unique main character, who was such a great example of a feminist in the fifties. I also loved learning more about the Russian revolution! I’ve always been fascinated by the Romanov family (mostly because of the Anastasia musical) but this book was much more explanatory than any song could be!

Thank you so much to the publisher for a review copy! The Last Tiara is out now, so if you’re looking for a historical fiction novel to cozy up with, check it out!