"The Ice Swan" is a fabulous historical romance by the talented J'nelle Cielsielski. Among the aristocrats fleeing for their very lives during the 1917 Russian Revolution, Svetlana Dalsky wisely abandons her noble title. Her mother does not, however, and the supremely arrogant and entitled Princess Ana causes unpleasant complications. They are not safe from the Bolsheviks in France.

Funny and self-effacing, the charming Scottish physician Dr. Edwynn MacCallan first meets the beautiful and initially standoffish Svetlana in war-torn Paris. His singular pursuit of her confuses both her and his friends.

Rich in historical detail, the Dalskys' terrifying escape from the Bolsheviks is vividly portrayed. The book touches on the fledgling field of cardiology, ballet, the Great War, and the Spanish Flu. This makes for a fast-paced read, and although it slows down a bit in Scotland, it quickly picks back up.

The characters are well-developed. Even Princess Ana redeems herself in a rather dramatic fashion. This mostly serious novel has some moments of humor, from Svetlana's confusion over English idioms to Leonid Sheremetev's threat to make a ham sandwich out of someone. He was my favorite secondary character.

Cielsielski is a magnificent storyteller who weaves actual history into her books. Her lovely prose is wonderfully descriptive and flows well. She is now one of my favored authors of historical romance. I look forward to more from Cielsielski. The only book of hers I haven't read is "The Socialite" and I plan to remedy that soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC of this marvelous novel.

I hadn’t read any of the authors books before, but I had heard of her and was keen to read this one. I have to say it exceeded my expectations. It tells the story of Svetlana, who is a Russian princess at the dawn of the Russian Revolution. When war breaks out she flees to Paris with her mother and sister. There they live in poverty and as quietly as possible but all that changes when she meets Wynn, a British doctor and a unbeknown to her a Marquis. The first half of the book was brilliant I loved the way the author explored the ww1 hospital, the characters and the decisions that had to be made everyday. The character of Wynn was by far my favourite, although he was the ‘romantic’ lead, he wasn’t a stereotype and he was the perfect t foil for Svetlana’s coldness and fear. I would say that the second half was weaker, I won’t say why for fear of giving away too many spoilers but the change of scene didn’t work for me and the ending felt a bit rushed,
I have to give a quick shout out to the character of Leonid as well, he was brilliant - the last scene with him really had me laughing.
All in all I really enjoyed this, and I will be reading the authors other books.

The Ice Swan is basically every single thing I love in a good book: Intriguing history—check. Fantastic writing voice—check check. Swoony romance—check check CHECK. 😍😍😍 So so so good. And bonus points because I've long been fascinated by Russian history (fourth-grade Melissa got particularly obsessed, going way overboard with a school project about Russia in true goody-two-shoes fashion) and so everything about the Svetlana's plight was captivating to me. And the fact that it takes us from Russia to Paris to SCOTLAND (swoooooooon) made me insanely happy. And we get a teensy cameo from Beauty from Ruins, the author's last book, too. Loved that! J'nell Ciesielski has quickly become a must-read author for me!

The Ice Swan is the first book I have read of J’Nell Ciesielski and it will not be the last! The setting of the Great War with a focus on Svetlana’s royal Russian background is refreshing after reading plenty of historical fiction set during World War II with a western focus. I was immediately pulled in from the first chapter and soon fell in love with the characters and was immersed into the fear the Russian princess felt as she raced for her life away from the revolutionaries sweeping over Russia.
It took a few chapters to sort out the Russian characters living in Paris and to see Svetlana’s humanity beneath the ice facade she carefully keeps in place. However, it is well worth pushing through til I was able to sort everything out. Wynn is not only a charming hero, but he is also flawed which makes him all the more swoon worthy. I appreciate how the supporting characters are more than mere passing shells; Leonid is one of my favorite parts of the book! Definitely add this to any historical romance readers list!

I love J'Nell Ciesielski! She is one of my favorite authors presently! I devoured "The Songbird and The Spy" and "The Socialite", and most recently, "The Ice Swan".
I have to say that while this story was good, it wasn't the same as the others for me. I am kind of confused about why it's titled in honor of the heroine, but it actually delved more into the hero's side.
Svetlana, who is a Russian princess, flees to Paris with her mother and sister when her homeland is in arms. She loves to dance, and she loves her family. Wynn, a British doctor and a Marquis, encounters the trip of princesses, and falls in love with Svetlana. I enjoyed the exploration of the WWI medical world, especially with the focus on the heart. I wish that there was more background and development on Svetlana. There just wasn't enough about her for me. Wynn's character was stronger.
Svetlana was the "Ice Swan" but could have been so much more.... And become a "Firebird".

Thank you #NetGalley for letting me read #TheIceSwan in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book more. The story is interesting and kept me wanting to know what happened, but the writing is choppy at times. I also found the Thomas Nelson insignia on every page more than once to be quite distracting. I understand it was an ARC but it really took away from the read. Thank you to netgalley and these opinions are my own.

THE ICE SWAN by J'NELL CIESIELSKI is a well written novel with some enchanting characters, which takes place in Paris and Scotland from 1917.
With princess Svetlana Dalsky and her family fleeing the Bolsheviks in Russia, a Scottish duke and his castle, the horrors of the first world war and a wicked crime boss, it reads very much like a scary fairy tale, with lots of romance but also so much betrayal and destruction.
I am not going to spoil the read for you by telling you the story. but I could not put the book down until I reached the end. I highly recommend The Ice Swan as a most enjoyable and inspirational read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

This was a great story set in 1917!
Fleeing the murderous flames of the Russian Revolution, princess Svetlana Dalsky hopes to find safety in Paris with her mother and sister. But the city is buckling under the weight of the Great War, and the Bolsheviks will not rest until they have erased every Russian aristocrat from memory.
She is forced into a marriage.

This actually wasn't A bad book! The writing is honestly what kept me going.
I was interested in the story and wanted to see where it took me.
Honestly this book was interesting and wanting more.