This is exactly what I want in a book! And I never thought I would say that about a book that’s not a mystery.
Teach me more about life in the early 1900s. Add the Hope diamond, Cartier’s, Tiffany’s and women journalists fighting for their right to work. Characters from all levels of society interact and deal with what life sends their way, both good and bad. All done in the best storytelling.
Yes, this book made me very happy.

Cartier’s Hope by M.J. Rose is a fictional story about the famous diamond and a journalist, Vera Garland. Vera comes from a wealthy family and yearns for a career instead of the expected future of marriage. Under a pen name to escape her upper class life, and so as not to embarrass her family, Vera/Vee Swann establishes herself as a lower class investigative reporter.

The fascinating Hope Diamond history is recounted, and the premise is that Cartier exploits the diamond’s bad luck history to increase its value.

While the story is good and M.J. Rose does a nice job of writing about the time, I think it falls short for the billing as a “romantic historical mystery”. The Garland family secrets were abundant and provided some unexpected twists, and I was glad when the early pace of the story eventually picked up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eGalley of Cartier’s Hope, and this review of my opinion is freely given.

This book is a very satisfying read. Set in 1910, the heroine is a wealthy woman who also works as a newspaper reporter trying to right the wrongs of society. Her efforts to avenge her father’s death, create a better world and find personal satisfaction are timeless.
I enjoyed this book very much.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is set in Manhattan,early 1900's. The Hope diamond and a young woman journalist are the main characters. M.J.Rose will lure you through the book with mystery,love, family,money and loss. Well written and once I started to read,could put the book down.

This is a historical fiction story about the Hope Diamond. Not only that it is also about women's rights. It is about the fight for equality I pay and also equality in the job force. Here it is about being a reporter. Vera is a woman of wealth. She comes from a high class family. She however does not conform to her class. Thus as a reporter, she disguises herself and reports as Vee. She is able to keep both personal separate as who would expect anyone of high class to lower themselves and live as a lower class person.
In her life as a reporter she decided to write a story of Cartier and his Hope Diamond. She writes about his theatrics and endeavors in telling stories about the bad luck that comes to anyone who owns or touches the diamond. This in turn causes the price of the diamond to escalate. The stories of misfortune in this book are in actuality true.
An informative story about semi-precious stones, diamonds, love, theft and revenge. Everything needed to make an incredible read!

#Cartier’sHope #NetGalley
“She’s got spunk” were the words Lou Grant often said to Mary Tyler Moore on the sitcom and they are certainly appropriate in MJ Rose’s new novel, Cartier’s Hope. Vera Garland, alias Vee Swann lives two lives in New York, one as a wealthy socialite and another in disguise as a mousy “bespectacled” writer for a newspaper. Women’s rights play an important part.
The Hope diamond is a centerpiece for the story with all its rumors of causing misfortune to anyone who touches it.
A mysterious key is found. It will reveal secrets that set off a series of events.
This book draws you in and keeps you there. Pretty people, pretty places, romance and intrigue!
Did you know that back in the early 1900’s women discovered they could use hatpins to fight off unwanted attention?

An intriguing story of mystery, love and hope set around early 20th century NYC and the Hope Diamond. Rose pulls in social injustice through her character’s journalism career, while also addressing some issues that are still prevalent today. There’s also a bit of love and lore surrounding the Hope Diamond that is rather enchanting for the main character, and reader, to experience.
Another unique and riveting book by M J Rose.

Would you purchase something that had great material value even if it might bring bad luck? It seems that many people would do so if that something is the Hope Diamond. M.J. Rose uses the mystery of the Hope diamond as a backdrop for her latest novel, Cartier’s Hope. Though the Hope Diamond, Cartier, and wealth in the Gilded Age are the shiny objects that draw you in, her novels also come with heroines you can root for, history, family complications, love and a mystery – always a mystery. This story follows the life of heiress Vera Garland who has an alter ego, Vee Swann, an investigative reporter when women were not well thought of in newsrooms. When her beloved father dies, the two parts of her life converge when she hatches a plan to exact revenge on the man she feels was responsible for her father’s death. Though the plots of Rose’s novels may not be so believable, even if some of it is true, there is substance in the history. The Gilded Age is complicated, of course, but Cartier’s Hope also exposes how the other non-gilded half lived, how all women were ill-treated but particularly women who wanted to work for a living. All in all, the book held my attention and it was a very enjoyable read and learning something along the way is just a bonus.

The title alone grabbed me. The story is set in the early 1900’s, my favorite era to read about. It’s a story of deceit, love, jewels, the Holocaust, and Manhattan. I also loved the reference of Nellie Bly, as well as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. All of these historic happenings are mentioned in Cartier’s Hope. It’s a quick read and also a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ePub! I must say, Atria is one of my top publishing houses. Their books and stories are consistently good!

Historical drama mystery about the Hope Diamond.
A lot of background about the curse of the Hope diamond and the rich and their life during the early 1900..
Some family drama ,mystery and slight romance.
Wasn't one of my favorites.
Voluntarily reviewed

Wonderful historical novel about the Hope diamond and around the 1900 - 1910. Romantic and interesting plot. The dialogue could be better though doesn't take away the story arc. Strong and very sincere female character / protagonist. I enjoyed reading this book and it was well paced.

Cartier’s Hope by M.J.. Rose. A story about the diamond. And how the jeweler made it more appealing.

The background of the Gilded Age New York and people's fascination with jewels including the Hope Diamond makes for an entertaining read. With a little mystery thrown in and the sleuthing by the female journalist, this historical read was enchanting and fast-paced. A little romance blossomed which makes this a romantic historical novel. This was a delightful read about life during the 1910s among those who were fortunate and some not so fortunate.

1910 New York City, a feisty female reporter and a very famous, mysterious gem stone. Just a few of the many themes you will find in the historical fiction thriller Cartier's Hope.

Vera Garland is the daughter of a successful New York City merchant. She lives a life of privilege and is expected to embrace the traditional role of the Gilded Age wealthy woman, marriage, family and charity work. Vera has other ideas about how she wants to live her life. She secretly works as Vee Swann a newspaper reporter with many social injustices on her radar; women’s rights, treatment of the poor, homosexuality and abortion. The author does a great job communicating Vera's passion for each of these.

We are also steeped in the atmosphere of 1910 New York City. You can see the lights, hear the sounds and most definitely smell the smells.

Families are complicated and Veras' is no exception. Everyone has secrets that cause judgement. The author does a good job showing us the consequences as each one comes to light. Vera and her mother especially have a lot to overcome.

So many aspects of this book are really good. Unfortunately for me they were peripheral. I was excited to read a book about Cartier and the Hope Diamond. Cartier is a very minor character and we get no feel for the man himself and the mysterious diamond will remain mysterious. There is some actual history that I found interesting but I thought the gem and it’s mysteries would play a more pivotal role in the story than it did. There is a lot of sex, some of it I wondered about the appropriateness for the time period. Perhaps if Vera didn’t have quite so many interests we would get a better feel for her as a character. It took me a really long time to figure out which one was going to be the main plot. There is a lot of dabbling here and there.

I cannot explain the bridge Vera and her mother build at the end without a spoiler. I had a one word reaction to it......Really?

This is my first book by M. J. Rose. She has a large backlist I am interested in looking into.

Thank you very much to Netgalley for providing the opportunity to read this book.

Even those of us who don’t know much about gemology will certainly light up when the Hope Diamond is mentioned. With a rare color and amazing size and owned at one time by Louis XIV- it truly is “Le Bijou du Roi”. According to legend, a curse befell the large, blue diamond when it was stolen from an idol in India — a curse that foretold bad luck and death not only for the owner of the diamond but for all who touched it. The Hope Diamond (named Hope after one of its owners) now resides in the Smithsonian. IN the early 1900’s it was owned by the house of Cartier.

In her previous book, Tiffany Blues, author M. J. Rose gave us a luscious historical and romantic look at the Tiffany family during the Jazz Age. In Cartier’s Hope, we are introduced to the Cartier family and the Hope Diamond, as well as life in the early 1900’s. This book features romance and mystery along with many characters and a detailed look at the changing times in New York City.

The main character is Vera Garland, the daughter of a wealthy department store owner. Her mother wants her to follow the upper-class role set out for young woman but Vera, who has graduated from college, wants to do something meaningful with her life. She is sensitive to privilege, fairness, and social needs and she wants to establish herself as an intrepid reporter like Nellie Bly. Her path makes life hard for her. When she learns of some serious family secrets, she becomes even more combative. How can she choose happiness- when life seems so unfair to her?

A gem cutter can see the beauty hidden in a rough stone and cut the stone so as to reveal the true beauty of the gem. When applied to life, we see that Vera can’t see the hidden beauty in her own life, in the life of her family and friends, or in the world. She interacts with some fascinating people, including her mother, the highly respected businessman and gentleman Pierre Cartier, and jeweler Jacob Asher. The ending of this story of trickery and deceit may surprise you.
Vera tackles quite a bit in the story- poverty, tenement life, women’s rights and suffrage, all while searching for her own place in the world. As a diamond gives off so much brilliance, this books shoots light at many different topics.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital advanced review cop. This is my honest review.

This book was bland in my opinion. Too much time spent on Vera talking about her father as if he was some kind of saint. A mystery that really wasn't all that much of a mystery. Her father's relationship with her Uncle Percy and her abortion was spoken of more than the Hope Diamond. I did like the descriptions of the Gilded Age NYC. I was born here and still live here so I certainly enjoy the history of my city. But that was not enough to keep my interest though. I didn't like when Vera went through Jacob's thing and still asked him those impertinent questions like she did nothing wrong. Yet, she herself was still keeping secrets from everyone else. With the exception of being her mother, who was just too much and did way too much. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cartier's Hope was a fun historical mystery. In the Gilded Age, the rich are super rich and the story of Vera Garland is one of privilege. The second story is Vera as Vee Swan, an ambitious journalist. Vee has done assignments on abortion, the sweat shops of the clothing trade, and life in a tenement.

In 1910, women did not have the right to vote and men did not want them to vote. Vera was expected to do society events, charity, and raise a family so for Vera/Vee to have a job was unusual. Women were expected to be married and stay home with the children. Women of this time were barely tolerated in the work-force. They were not paid fairly and were given assignments that were considered women's areas such as the society pages or fashion pages. No hard hitting news or politics for women reporters.

The way the story is intertwined with society and the mysteries surrounding the Hope Diamond is intriguing. The historical background and the way different people were treated in this time was very interesting. Everyone had to be live to the standards that society thought was correct for your station in life. However, society has its secrets and they were mingled within this story. If you are at all familiar with NYC, it was easy to imagine Fifth Avenue of 1910. The author makes you vividly see the apartment above the department store. Cartier fourth floor showroom would be a special treat to visit and enjoy a glass of Champaign while looking at the Hope Diamond.

This is a fun read so I hope you enjoy it as well. I was given an ARC book for an honest review by #NetGalley.

Excellent and very enjoyable book!

The protagonist is working through her emotions (as well as a mystery) following the death of her father. The author weaves in many facts about the Hope Diamond's history throughout the novel. The setting of New York before women had the right to vote, and some of the social issues of the time (some we are still facing), are also pulled in to the themes of the book. The author does a great job in this historical fiction of putting both the real and fictional characters together. The writing is also very good.

I reserve 5 stars for books I think are ones that you must read. This one, while not quite on that list, was definitely worth a read, especially if the themes or setting are interesting to you. I received a free pre-copy of this novel as a member of NetGalley's book reviewing service.

This book was very enjoyable. I learned a lot about gemstones and the Hope Diamond. It also gave me insight to being a female new reported in the early 1900s. The story kept my attention until the very end. Some areas of the book were a little tedious to get through.

There are many things I like about the new book, Cartier's Hope by M.J. Rose. First, is the heroine of the story and our main character, Vera Garland. I love Vera's other identity to Vee Swann who lives much in much more humble accommodations and works as a news reporter. Second is the setting: New York City and set in 1910. I also liked reading about the contrasts between the lower class and upper class through Vera/Vee's eyes.

Cartier's Hope tells the story of the Garland Family, their secrets and a rare diamond. In her quest for revenge, Vera falls for the assistant at the jeweler's and gets wrapped up in a world of deception and intrigue. Historical fiction intertwined with a romance novel. Very interesting plot lines!

The novel itself was slow but with perseverance I stuck it out. The writing was good, but there was just too much going on. About a third of the way into the book, the pace does start to pick up as there is more action...

Thank you to NetGalley, M.J. Rose, and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy of Cartier's Hope for me to read. As always, my opinions are my own.