The Last Tiara : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Another great historical fiction ! This one has romance, mystery and jewelry! The story is told from the POV of two people, between the past and the present which I really enjoyed . This story peeked my interest about the Romanov history which I’m excited to learn more about .
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In this story we meet mother and daughter Sophia and Isobelle. Sophia fled Russia and all that she knows and love in order to get a better life for her daughter . Years laters Sophia has passed on and Isobelle stumbled upon a crown that’s missing all its jewelry and a letter . Needing clarity she set out to get answers about her mothers past , desiring to know more about her history , but Isobelle soon discover that she’s not the only one seeking answers and the closer she get to making a discovery she realizes that she doesn’t know her mother at all.
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I like this story and found it very interesting. I wish a know more about Sophia’s friend Olga and her family, but that’s OK, maybe book 2😊?

I’ve always been fascinated by the Romanov stories, Faberge jewels, family friends and teachers, all so intriguing. This story combines that with more contemporary (1940s) descendants.
I always want these stories to be true and I have to remind myself that it’s fiction. But it’s well written and easy to believe.

You won’t be disappointed by this one.

There seems to be a theme in the last couple of books my M.J. Rose - Cartier's Hope, Tiffany Blues and now The Last Tiara. It's an interesting theme and rather catchy.

As with her previous books this is a dual time period story, told by a mother and her daughter. Both era's aren't always friendly to women which played out here. Both independent, one strong as she lives during turbulent times and the other who is constantly obsessing about being good enough - which was repeated too many times. I get being insecure, especially in the 1940's for ambitious women and understand that is an issue but it just seemed over done.

This is very much a tell book, sometime it works just fine but other times not so much. It's obvious the author knows the era with the history being well researched, though a couple info drops disrupted the flow. I enjoyed learning about Faberge and the historical details both in Russia and the US. I would have loved author notes just to clarify what was fact vs fiction.

The mystery side of the story revolving around this tiara played out nicely. Lots of clues, twist and turns with a fitting conclusion.

My thanks to the publisher, Blue Box Press (via Netgalley) for an advanced e-arc in exchange for a honest review.

I love this gorgeous cover! This book is told in alternating timelines. I thought it was well written and found both timelines interesting.
I am curious if any of the story was based on fact or is it just purely fictional. I enjoyed the story very much
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

I enjoyed this book. The plot involves a young woman who finds a tiara that once belonged to the Romanovs. The action shifts between Revolution-era Russia and New York of the 1940's. I liked that this novel involved two period stories, instead of an historical saga paired with a modern day story. Both of the stories in this novel were interesting historical tales in their own right.

The backstory set in Russia was compelling and beautifully written. The story set in the 1940's was good but not quite as good as the companion story. There are references to a part of the heroine's life set during the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, but this part of the story didn't quite fly. I would have loved to have seen the author do more with that part of the novel and tie it in with the main plot.

This was good light reading, especially for historical fiction fans.

#thelasttiara #netgalley

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately I just couldn't quite get into it. It really has promise.

I loved this book, the way it wove history, family, friends, enemies and love all together made it a great reading experience. The historical beauty of the actual tiara kept me enthralled. I had to research the information myself and pour over the photos and stories. The brush with a real historical mystery was very enticing to me. The characters were so real that I felt like this really solved the missing tiara mystery. Really great reading.

I wish I could rate this 3 1/2 stars. It was right between a book that I enjoyed and a book that I loved.

In this historical fiction novel, we follow Isobelle and Sophia Moon in alternating POV plot lines. Isobelle is in 1948 and has recently lost her mother. She is trying to understand the secrets that her mother kept from her about her time in Russia. While renovating their home, Isobelle discovers a tiara that is the key to unlocking her mother’s secrets.

Sophia’s story is told in Russia in 1915. Each time we join her story, a little more of the mystery is revealed. We see war torn Russia and meet the Tsar and his daughters. We fall in love with Isobelles father and experience Sophia’s heartache and struggles.

I loved the mystery and how wonderfully it was revealed and uncovered layer by layer. I wanted to keep reading to uncover the secrets and know what would happen. But i didn’t connect as well as I would have liked to either character. I can’t put my finger on why- maybe this was just the wrong time to read this book. I lost my mother just before starting this and it may have made it hard for me to fully immerse myself in Isobelle’s grief as I work through my own. This left me struggling to rate the book since the lack of character connection kept this a three star book for me

I received a free ARC of the book in exchange for my honest feedback about the book

Wonderfully written.

There is a lot of details about Russian history before the 1917 Russian revolution that topped the reign of the last Tsar /Czar of all the Russias,

This novel is also about the relationship between mother and daughter. The mother was a Russian refugee who arrived in America with sights on the future.

There is a mystery that the daughter needs to solve. And the mystery involved the last tiara.

I loved how The Last Tiara was written. The story contained so many elements that kept me reading and unable to put down. It was easy to follow and was an enjoyable read. Ever since I watched the movie Anastasia as a kid, I enjoyed the Russian history involving the Romanovs. The 2 time lines was, at times, frustrating because you would have wanted to stick with one and then it would switch.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have never read anything by M.J. Rose and this was a great introduction. I love historical fiction and this one came with a twist of mystery. Isobelle is on the hunt for information about her mother's background after she finds a silver tiara hidden in the walls of her mother's bedroom. There are many twists and turns and descriptions of gorgeous jewelry. It was a fun read and I found myself reading it fast. I will be back!

This story was beautifully written and told in two timelines. It was rich in historical detail and I felt transported in time. This will be a memorable book for me.
Many thanks to Blue Box Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed The Last Tiara. I'm instantly intrigued when it comes to anything involving the Romanovs and this book did not disappoint. This book is set up so that every other chapter you learn about Isobelle, who is slowing uncovering things about her recently deceased mother, and the other chapters are filled with her mother's story. This book had tragedy, historical significance, love, and mystery, so a little bit of something for everyone. I enjoyed the little surprises that Rose weaved into her writing and would highly recommend this book!

The chapters alternate between Sofiya's time in revolutionary Russia in 1917 and her daughter Isobelle's life in 1948 New York City. Isobelle is an architect, and she knows her mother emigrated from Russia and her father is dead, but little else. When her mother dies, she finds a tiara hidden in their apartment, and takes it to the jeweler who has worked on it years before to try and find out more. We learn the history of the tiara, how it came to Sofiya through the Romanov family, and its relation to Isobelle's parents. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially about revolutionary Russia or the Romanovs, this novel would be a good choice. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

"The Last Tiara" is a historical mystery filled with romance and intrigue! Through dual timelines, it tells the story of Sofiya's work as a nurse during the Russian Revolution, her love affair with a wounded soldier, and her escape to the United States with only a treasured tiara and a pregnancy. The other timeline follows Sofiya's daughter Isobelle as she teams up with a handsome jeweler to discover the secrets of her mother's past and of the tiara, finding more than she could have possibly imagined.

The plot moves quickly and there were so many interesting developments which made me want to turn the pages as fast as I could in order to find out what happened next. The story seems to be very well researched and Rose's writing transported me to both Russia during the Revolution and post-war New York City. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read and I will be looking for more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this entertaining book in exchange for my honest review.

*I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

The Last Tiara tells the story of Sofiya and her daughter Isobelle through alternating timelines. Sofiya's story covering Russia during World War 1, and Isobelle's in 1940's New York.

In 1915 Russia, Sofiya and her best friend Olga, the Grand Duchess, volunteer as nurses to wounded soldiers at St. Petersburg's Winter Palace, which has been turned in to a makeshift hospital, It is there that Sofiya meets a soldier who has lost his memory and they begin to fall in love, but the turmoil of life and the country ultimately separates them. In 1922, a pregnant Sofiya leaves Russia for the U.S. and decides to bury her past by changing her name to Sofia Moon.

After Sophia's death, Isobelle finds a tiara hidden in the wall of the apartment that she shares with her mother, which prompts her to try and discover how her mother came to have it, and why she kept it hidden. Knowing almost nothing about Sofia's life in Russia, Isobelle finds herself questioning what little she does know about her, but the search may lead her to ultimately find herself.

The story is beautifully written, but the first half really lagged for me with most of the story narrative and character development taking place in the second half of the book. I almost gave up on it a few times, but every time I picked it back up I found myself really enjoying it. If historical fiction is your thing, you will love this book.

I'm an MJ Rose fan and this book doesn't disappoint. With lush descriptions, a rich historical context and a story that interweaves different timeframes, this book delivers on its promises and exceeds them for a satisfying read. Readers will love the mix of historical details of Russian royalty with the beauty of Fabergé jewels and eggs.

This story is about Isobelle and her mother Sofiya in alternating stories. Isobelle’s mother came from Russia with Isobelle when she was a very young girl. Sofiya never talked about Russia, about her parents, and knowing the the Romanov girls. Sofiya being of close age to the girls was allowed to attend art classes and to be friends with the Romanov girls. When the Romanovs knew they were going to have to leave Russia, Isobelle’s friend the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna gave her her tiara full of jewels. And most of all Sofiya never talked about Isobelle's father, only that he was the love of her life and meet him while he was convalescing in the hospital during the war. . After Isobelle’s mother dies in an accident, she decides to renovate the apartment they lived in and finds a non jeweled tiara inside one of the walls. That is where the story really gets on Isobelle decides she has to find out about the tiara,and who her father was. This is basically a good story and with some twist's and turns and a good plot. The only part of this book I did not like, and I put it down a couple of times because of it, were the sex scenes. I don’t think the elaboration was necessary. You can get the drift without it being stated so explicitly. For that I would give the book a 3 but for the story itself I would give it a 4.

2.5 stars rounded up

I felt like this book was missing a lot of things. It is a historical fiction told from the perspective of a mother and daughter. I should have loved this book as the last days of Czar Nicholas II and the pre WW1 time line are some of my favorite times and I absolutely did love this story line, it was exciting and followed Sofiya as she went through life in those troubling times. The other side is from Isobel who is Sofiya's daughter and it takes place in 1940's NYC. I found that there was a lot of plot in this book and not so much character focus. So we find out what happens to the characters but not how they feel about it or grow from it.

I ran into some issues with Isobel she was the type of main character that I don't particularly care for in books where she needs constant reassurance, and is forever doubting herself. Some of the description was a bit much in places it felt like it was used as filler.

I found myself wishing that there was even more of the actual mystery within the story. It just kind of fell flat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Box Press for providing an arc for my honest review.

What a great story! The Last Tiara tells the story of how the Romanov tiara came into the hands of Isobelle Moon. The author switches back and forth between Sophia/Sofiya (Isobelle's mom) story and Isobelle's story. Sofiya's story begins in 1917 Russia. The tiara came into Sofiya's possession after her friend, the Grand Duchess of Russia gives the tiara to Sofiya before the Duchess goes into exile. Sofiya hides the tiara in her walls in her New York apartment that she emigrated to during the war. While renovating the apartment, Isobelle finds the tiara and goes to a local jeweler for help about its origins, as Sophia has now passed as it is 1948 New York in her story. Jules, the jeweler, has an agenda of his own - trying to get into the elusive Midas Society. Jules and Isobelle get into a personal relationship but Isobelle questions his motives as to why he is with her.

A great look into a mother - daughter relationship, as well as a great romance for history and jewel buffs.