I wish we were able to give half stars because really I would have given this one 3.5 stars.

I loved the story and the mystery. It did actually keep me guessing and was a fun adventure and quick relaxing read. The characters certainly had their flaws, but nothing too outrageous and they were acknowledged... like real people working through their issues.

The issue I had with this book and why it was knocked down a few stars are the sex scenes. To me, it just seemed out of place with the sweeping historical romance of the story and a bit shoe horned in. I think the story would have been better if the romantic angles between characters stayed, but those scenes had been taken out. Just be prepared for that if that isn't your thing.

M. J. Rose's work expertly weaves a historical fiction rooted in two eras-Bolshevik Russia and Post-WWII America along with mystery and plot twists that make for a beautiful story. The mystery surrounding the tiara brings forth a tale of friendship between childhood friends, young lovers, new loves, secrets, betrayal, and family. Anyone that enjoys a good story, a mystery, tales of lost and found loves, and historical fiction will find something to rave about in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks for providing a copy of this book. I enjoyed this book, since I like M.J. Rose and usually I read any book about the Romanovs and Faberge, and the author did a good job describing Bolshevik Russia and the hardships people went through, but I felt the ending was too rushed and wrapped up too quickly. I would have liked to know more about the cemetery and the “time “machine “ that is mentioned!

What a wonderful historical fiction mystery! The story interchanges between mother and daughter in different years.

THE LAST TIARA goes back and forth with background information of Isobelle’s mother and Isobelle’s present-day search in 1948.

It was sometimes difficult to get interested in the mother's story even though it was this background information that was needed to solve the tiara’s mystery. However, I did enjoy Isobelle’s search for the mystery of the tiara.

Overall, I thought the story was very well told and the author did a great job recreating the historical pieces.

When Isobelle Moon discovers a tarnished tiara missing all its jewels hidden inside her mother’s wall after her mother’s death, she is determined to finally get to the truth of her past. MJ Rose has long been an author touted for her rich way of blending history and suspense into a riveting story that I was glad to finally get the chance to pick up one of her books. There is no coincidence that I latched onto the latest that has a mystery connected to a piece of jewelry made by Faberge’ and associated with the last of the Romanovs in the time of the Russian Revolution and it was a bonus that the split story was during post-WWII with an American female architect working on the mystery of the past. I love both time periods.

As I mentioned, this is a split story of Isobelle Moon in the ‘40s and her mother, Sofiya Petrovich in the early ‘20’s. The story was slow going at first because it has to establish the groundwork for two stories- two settings, two backdrops, and two cast of characters with their plots. The author did every other chapter for the two timelines and this worked well enough for me.

Usually when this happens, I am more interested in one timeline or the other, but this time, I had things to interest me in both. Isobelle is something of a mess even if she is a talented woman architect in the time when few women were in the field. She got tangled up with a man who used her and it really socked it to her self-esteem so that when another man is interested, she did her level best to sabotage her own happiness. I was cheering her on to get out of her own way. And, then we had the mysterious Russian enter the picture to really make things interested. Meanwhile, Sofiya was living out her fleeting moments of happiness with her soldier and helping him restore his memories and receiving her friend, Princess Olga’s parting gift, neither knowing what was coming with the Bolshevik Revolution. Sofiya’s tragic life made me understand why she kept it from Isobelle even though I also felt sorry that Isobelle was told nothing and had to learn her parents’ story after the fact.

I’d not read anything from this author before and enjoyed her writing. I appreciated the work she put into the historical details and didn’t mind the side trails throughout when she shared bits of related history as the story progressed. The characters were engaging and I really enjoyed Isobelle’s love interest. He was miffed when she was at her worst, but he stuck by her anyway and tried to be understanding even though he had just as much reason to be standoffish toward women after what his ex did to him.

All in all, it was a lavish, deeply moving story set within an engaging historical mystery. I definitely need to pick up more of her books and I can recommend them to those who like a slow build story and relationships, soft suspense and heavier dose of historical fiction.

The last Tiara by M.J. Rose
When I saw the cover for "The Last Tiara", I knew this book was for me. This book has a wonderful story line and is full of mystery, romance and intrigue. My favorite part of the book is the double storyline and the history set in Russia. I would recommend this to everyone that loves a great book that is hard to put down and is a page-turner.

I've enjoyed M.J. Rose's other books dealing with art and artists, and The Last Tiara was no exception. A mystery about a tiara frame that COULD have been made by Faberge, and the story of how it came to be hidden.

The Last Tiara was an interesting read for me, a genre I don’t read a lot. The way that the point of view switches between the mother and daughter while also switching timelines, this is definitely took a bit to get into. Once I got my head around the perspectives it was really amazing to read about the tiara. The characters were definitely interesting and. I did like the historical aspect of the book but at items felt like there was a lot of information being imparted.

I look forward to reading more from M.J Rose

OMG this book was so good!

I am a historical fiction lover, and throw in a little bit of romance, some art history, and suspense, and I am head over heels falling in love!

I've already recommended this book to numerous friends, because I could not put this book down!

Think of this book as National Treasure meets Gentleman in Moscow, where you read about the conditions of Russia post-WWI and WWII, while learning about the jewelry of the Romanov family.

The two intertwined relationships in this book were also wonderful to read, and I continuously got caught up in each chapter, only for each one to end in a cliffhanger!

I cannot wait to continue to read more of Rose's books!

I enjoy historical fiction and this one had pulled me in with its connection to the Romanovs and a tiara. There were some parts that were a bit boring. But overall, I enjoyed this read, I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

THE LAST TIARA by M J Rose
The Russian Revolution plays a large part in this tale of love, betrayal, family, jewels, secrets, privilege and glass ceilings. Like Russian novels, this one has twists, turns, blind corners and secrets galore. Sofia, a young art restorer in Tsarist Russia, is friends with the Tsar’s daughters, Olga and Tatiana. All three volunteer as nurses as WWI encroaches on St. Petersburg and their life of wealth and privilege. In hospital Sofia meets a young soldier who suffers from amnesia. That is where the joys and struggles and secrets begin only to later crop up in 1948 in New York City.
The main characters are, with one exception, clearly drawn and true to themselves throughout. Rose has done her homework and it shows in her descriptions of Tsarist Russia and later the New York architectural, fine jewelry and social scene. Her descriptions of Faberge and the gem studded works they created are spot on. Her depiction of women in the field of architecture shows the glass ceiling in stunning detail.
A lovely novel that book groups will enjoy discussing.
4 of 5 stars

I adore M.J.Rose. had the distinct pleasure of meeting her at Book Expo (remember that?) a few years ago. She was lovely. Her books are the perfect blend of intrigue, history, family drama and romance. The Last Tiara lives up to high expectations. Fascinating piece of history, the book is set partially during the Russian revolution. Highly, highly recommend.

A young aristocrat working as a nurse during World War I falls for a soldier with amnesia. A Russian émigré refuses to tell her daughter anything about her life in Russia. A young woman finds a Russian tiara hidden in her mother’s bedroom while renovating her apartment. A jeweler with a secret agenda who may or may not be trusted. And the Russian man following their every step. Sounds like a good mystery, right? And it was!

M.J. Rose writes a beautiful novel about the secrets a mother keeps from her daughter; about how a daughter will stop at nothing to unveil the mysteries of her mother’s past and get to know her mother all over again (even after death), and maybe forgive her. And to make matters interesting, there’s also some romance.

I love how M.J Rose writes! Her books always have so much information about the subjects being discussed in her books (in this case: history, architecture, jewelry, paintings) in a way that only enriches the stories even more. I always learn something new with her books…


P.S.
Did you catch the literary Easter eggs? The perfumes used by both Sophia and Isobelle are from the company mentioned in “The Book of Lost Fragrances”. And the mention George Kunz and the Tiffany artwork is a nod to “Tiffany Blues”

I was very intrigued by the premise of the novel - a mystery about a historic Romanov tiara told in the alternating points of view of Sofiya in 1915 Russia, and her daughter Isobelle in 1948 New York. However, in its execution the novel did not live up to my expectations. I found that Isobelle's story didn't really "grab" me the way that Sofiya's did. Most of the characters weren't really fleshed out and a lot of the story is told in dialogue rather than any substantial plot, so neither the romance aspect of the story nor the suspense surrounding the mystery were particularly satisfying.

The Last Tiara is a combination historical fiction/romance with a mystery attached. Told in dual timeline format, we delve into both WW1 Russian Romanov-Bolshevik and post WW2 NYC 1940s eras in learning the stories of a mother and daughter and their connection to a mysterious tiara. We see that while historical time and place vary, their stories are connected through similar challenges and experiences.

I enjoyed the story premise and liked delving into the different periods, (politically, socially, culturally, etc) which were nicely researched. Having real people and real events woven throughout the story made it very believable. The tender romance stories for both mother and daughter grabbed my heart. I was especially drawn into Sophia’s story falling in love with one of the soldiers she cared for as a nurse, but also loved Isobelle’s romance and learning to trust again.

While for the most part I couldn’t put the book down, there were other times where the story was slow and felt repetitive. The mystery was slow to develop, but interesting to learn about. It kind of just resolves itself quickly in the last 5% of the book. I also struggled with connecting with the main characters, especially Isobelle. I wanted her to be strong but she was so painfully insecure. Both mother and daughter are emotionally guarded in their stories and, unfortunately, it played out in a lack of character development.

Regardless, I still found myself sucked into the story, and like I said, often difficult to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Sofiya's mother was a tutor to Olga and Tatiana Romanov. Sofiya was lucky enough to be included in their lessons and became immediate friends to the girls. When Olga and Tatiana wanted to become nurse's aides to help treat those injured in the war, Sofiya wanted to also. She meets a handsome, young solider who is a talented jewelry designer for Faberge. When Olga's family abdicated the throne and ran for safety, she gave Sofiya a tiara as a parting gift. Sofiya in turn gave it to her solider friend for safe keeping in the Faberge's safe. Fast forward several years, the only thing Isobelle knows of her mother's past in Russia is that she fled her country for safety in the US when Isobelle was just 5 months old. Now that her mother has passed away, she is trying to redecorate her mom's apartment. In doing so, she finds this tiara but it was only a shell. All the jewels are gone. This tiara and Sofiya had quite a fascinating story. What happened from the time the tiara was gifted to her to present day. Loved this book and read it so fast! MJ Rose has written so many amazing books! #thelasttiara #mjrose

I have enjoyed M.J. Rose's books and The Last Tiara did not disappoint. This is a great mystery pulled from historical tales that keeps you guessing. In addition to the early drama of an earlier time the present challenges are represented well. Thank you Netgalley for this taste of time.

I would like to thank Blue Box Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I am, like so many, obsessed with Russia during the Imperial Family and read the summary and was like I need to read this book. Well OMG. The book begins with Isobelle Moon. Her mother Sophia had escaped Russia in the early 1920s and never liked to talk about her experiences. Her mother Sophia recently died and Isobelle started to remodel her mom's old bedroom. She peels away a piece of wallpaper and finds a hollowed out crown which had receipts from the 1920s when she sells the stones. The book then begins to flash between to her mom's life in Russia and Isobelle's quest to figure out the tiara. Isobelle goes to the jeweler that her mom sold the stones to and meets Jules. Jules immediately is drawn to Isobelle and he begins to help her solve the mystery of the tiara. I can't state how much I loved this book. I was almost sad at the ending because that meant I had to say goodbye to these amazingly well written characters! I would recommend this book whole heartedly!

This book had a lot of good things going for it. I was immediately sucked into the story of the lost tiara. I liked the dual POV's of mother and daughter and I enjoyed the way the book was written with a diary sort of feel to it. Overall though the story had way to much information dumping going on. There was a lot of telling and not nearly enough showing in the writing. It also seemed that were many points were the information being given wasn't relevant to the story at all. Overall it was an okay read for me but hard to get through.

This is a dual timeline told in alternating viewpoints of Sophia Moon and her daughter, Isobelle Moon, about thirty years apart. Sophia was good friends with two of the Romanov Grand Duchesses during Russia’s revolution. It tells Sophia’s story as a young woman starting when she and the Grand Duchesses start to work at a hospital for the wounded. It continues through meeting a soldier that she falls in love with and her story of escape to the U.S. along with the business she built with a friend, Lana.
Isobelle wants to know her history but her mother refuses to speak of it and takes her secrets to her grave. Isobelle’s story backs up a bit to tell of her time in Oak Ridge, Tennessee around WWII before returning to New York to the apartment she grew up in and starts renovating after her mother’s death, which leads to the discovery of a tiara along with receipts.
Hoping the tiara will lead to answers about her history, she visits the jeweler that purchased the gems out of the frame. As clues are slowly found, the past is unwoven masterfully as you turn the pages. The dual timeline reveals the clues as if you are experiencing the story along with the characters. I highly recommend this book.