The Ice Swan by J'nell Ciesielski is a captivating read for fans of historical romance and adventure, particularly those who appreciate stories of forbidden love, trust, and resilience set against the backdrop of war and revolution, with a strong focus on the emotional journeys of its characters.

Eep! I loved this story so much. Ciesielski is such an amazing writer and I have been devouring her books since her debut release. Do yourself a favor and just start reading. You won't regret it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my copy of The Ice Swan by J'nell Ciesielski in exchange for an honest review. It published July 6, 2021.
This was a refreshing story in the post WW1 fiction genre. I found it to be very interesting, and kept coming back to it! I really enjoyed the dual story line. I definitely would read more from this author!

A lovely mix of historical fiction and romance set in France. A Russian family flees and tries to get their life started, Svetlana meets a dashing doctor who takes a shine to her immediately.

Lovely story, great characters, gorgeous covoer

Amazing book! Well written with interesting characters and a plot that just continues to thicken. Highly recommend.

I was so excited when J'Nell Ciesielski announced her newest novel, The Ice Swan, that I just had to sign up for the tour! As soon as I received the book, I dove into the story and did not put it down until I was finished.

Svetlana is a strong woman, trying to keep her family safe and alive while running from the Bolsheviks. Not an easy task when one has a mother who insists on always using her title of princess and demands to still be treated as one, even while on the run.

Wynn is a sweet and caring man, putting others' needs before his. He genuinely wants to help and protect Svetlana and is even willing to marry her to save her and her family.

What I love about Ciesielski's writing is that she makes her characters seem so real. That combined with her knack for descriptions make me feel like I am right there, in the story, in 1918 Paris.

What I also really enjoyed about this book was being to learn about the Russians during the Great War and what their own country was going through. I knew very little about their civil war and the Bolsheviks, but reading the Ice Swan helped me gain more knowledge on the subject.

Overall, I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of this time period and romance.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

This novel tells the story of Russia during the last days of the Russian monastery. I could not really connect to the main character. The romance felt forced. The story was slow moving. Still, the writing was very gorgeous! Thus, I recommend this fans of The Romanovs!

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✨The Ice Swan by J’Nell Ciesielski✨

Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 400

📚 1917, Petrograd. 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. Svetlana and her family are forced into hiding in Paris’s underbelly.

Born the second son of a Scottish duke, the only title Wynn MacCallan cares for is that of surgeon. Putting his talents with a scalpel to good use in the hospitals in Paris, Wynn pushes the boundaries of medical science to give his patients the best care possible. After treating Svetlana for a minor injury, he is pulled into a world of decaying imperial glitter. Intrigued by this mysterious, cold, and beautiful woman, Wynn follows Svetlana to an underground Russian club with questionable dealings.

Out of money and options, Svetlana agrees to a marriage of convenience with Wynn, who will protect her and pay off her family’s debts. It’s the right thing for a good man to do, but Wynn cannot help hoping the marriage will turn into one of true affection. When Wynn’s life takes an unexpected turn, soon Paris becomes as dangerous as Petrograd. And as the Bolsheviks chase them to Scotland, Wynn and Svetlana begin to wonder if they will ever be able to outrun the love they are beginning to feel for one another.

📝 A sweet, slow burn romance against the backdrop of the Russian revolution.

As a member of Russian royalty fleeing persecution, Svetlana has built a wall around herself. She gives off a cold, guarded, and reserved exterior. A chance encounter introduces her to the only person that can reach her -Dr. Wynn MacCallan, a surgeon and Scottish duke. The opposing personalities of the MCs made their dynamic fun to read about.

A beautifully written historical romance with a well-executed marriage of convenience trope.

💫Thanks to @netgalley for my copy💫

Historical fiction mixed with romance? Yes please! The Ice Swan was an enjoyable read that I blew through in only a couple of sittings. The author did a fantastic job at weaving several cultures together… I’m taking Russian, French, British, Scottish, a whole gamut! I haven’t read a historical fiction novel quite like it, and for that this book was a huge win for me. It was fresh and intriguing and really just a lovely read to get lost in. In fact I absolutely adored the historical aspect!

Now for that I didn’t so much love here. Strong, likable characters are a big thing for me, and I honestly found the main characters here to be a mixed bag. At times I like Wynn’s character, at other times I didn’t like what the author did with his character. At times I “got along with” Svetlana’s character, at others I found her flat out bothersome. I can’t exactly pinpoint what I’d have wished for differently in these characters as they didn’t have any glaring issues, and I did find myself rooting for them in their resilience and brawn, but there was just enough that I couldn’t get behind with them that it diminished my overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall this book wasn’t terrible and I’m not mad I spent the time with it that I did. Also kudos to the author for how clean it was in the romance department and how it was rich in historical detail but not graphic, something that could appeal to a variety of readers. If you’re looking for something lighter in the historical fiction genre, this might be a great option for you. It just won’t be landing on my own personal favorites list.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy.

First of all, this cover is stunning. The rest of the book is just as stunning as that. The history that was used for this story was absolutely fascinating. There was such a fun romance interwoven into the novel that had me falling for both characters! I loved it!

Nada que ver a lo que esperaba siempre me pasa lo mismo con los libros que tienen una trama similar a esta, espero que estén ambientados en Rusia y después me llevo un re chasco además la protagonista no me cayó muy bien que digamos.

I Received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoy all novels about Russian history so found this fiction easy to get swept up in. Romantic and well written!

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

Such a beautiful book with the most aesthetic descripciones and settingsss! I loved the author's prose was so goos and the way she just sucked you in the story. The romance- perfect. So good.

This is my first book by J'nell Ciesielski and I enjoyed this story that takes place during the Russian Revolution and WWI. Princess Svetlana Dalsky flees with her mother and sister to Paris where they hope to find safety. They leave with only a few of their possessions and some jewelry tucked away for when they run out of money. In Paris they find themselves with a lot of other refugees in the basement of a church which offers little to no privacy.

Svetlana is not only a princess but a ballet dancer. She tries her best to hold her family together, which isn't easy because of her mothers words and actions. Her mother drove me crazy and I seriously wanted to reach through my Kindle to slap some sense into the woman while reminding her that she was now a refugee living in a church basement depending on the kindness of strangers, not back in her grand home in Russia. Her decisions depleted her families meager funds and put Svetlana in a position no mother should ever have put her daughter in.

I really liked the character Wynn MacCallan, a doctor doing what he can to help his patients. He's also a Duke's son, which he doesn't tell people. I enjoyed the scenes of Wynn and Svetlana and how their friendship develops. What I loved most in the story was the dancing! I've always loved ballet so those scenes describing Svetlana's dancing were some of my favorites.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Thomas Nelson -- Fiction, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

The cover of The Ice Swan by J’Nell Ciesielski immediately made me want to read this story. It is just gorgeous! The synopsis also sounded so interesting and different to me and with that cover and this author, I knew I had to read it. Sadly, I just could not connect with Svetlana and I felt like the story was very hard to get into. I love Ms. Ciesielski’s writing style and will definitely read more of her stories. This one just didn’t work for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this story, but I didn't really care for the heroine. The history aspect of the story was well worth it though.

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

J'nell Ciesielski has weaved a wonderfully haunting story of Russian nobility escaping the Bolsheviks during the revolution in 1917. She has done her homework and really developed a group of characters that come to life. Svetlana Dalsky is a third cousin of Tsar Nicholas Romanov II who flees Russia with her sister (Marina) and mother (Ana) to Paris. In Paris life is vastly different than the women are used to- scrounging and begging for food and shelter, disease, and heartache. They are even hunted by the Bolsheviks who want to see them executed. Svetlana meets a good Scottish doctor, Wynn who helps her and her family. This is a story of love, trust, survival, family, and war. I absolutely love historical fiction novels taking place or surrounding Imperial Russia- though this book is entirely set in Paris, England, and Scotland. I adore Ms. Ciesielski's writing and her gift to bring the pages alive. I definitely recommend The Ice Swan and look forward to reading more by Ciesielski.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">