⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Audiobook Review

Blurb: Diamonds and danger dazzle in Ciesielski's latest enchanting romp through post-war Europe as estranged spouses and jewel thieves hunt an elusive Valkyrie tiara.

What a fun and entertaining read. The premise was so engrossing and full of banter, double crossing and intrigue. I mean who doesn’t love an old timey caper involving beautiful jewels and diamonds! I love the comparison of The Great Gatsby meets Ocean’s Eleven and it was just that indeed.

The characters were fun and quirky. I enjoyed that it started out years earlier and then jumped ahead. The morally grey main characters were oh so entertaining and I always find my self routing for them. The audiobook was narrated by Ann Marie Gideon and it was done remarkably well. I enjoyed her narration of all the characters and she has a voice I could listen to more!

Thank you BiblioLifestyle and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the #gifted ALC and finished copies to review and feature.


Expect 👉🏼 Historical Fiction, Runaway Wife, Cat & Mouse, Rivals, Thieves

The end of a war, a dashing solider and too much Champaign lead to an accidental marriage from which Esme promptly fled. Years later she finds herself face-to-face with the husband she abandoned. And they’re both here with the same purpose, to steal the Valkyrie Tiara. Can they outsmart one another or work together to get back their previous prize? Will their proximity bring up old feelings?

This game of cat and mouse kept me entertained. Esme always gets her prize and Jasper can find anything. These two were worthy competitors but fierce as a team. There were so many obstacles both internal and external for them to overcome and I really enjoyed their love story.

Title: The Winged Tiara
Author: J’Nell Ciesielski
Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Length: Approximately 9 hours and 31 minutes
Source: Thank you @jnellciesielski @thomasnelson @austenprose for the physical review copy and @netgalley audiobook review copy of of The Winged Tiara.

What book are you most likely to gift to a friend? I like to give books to friends or family that I think they will like. Sometimes I read a book, enjoy it and immediately think of who else I know that will also enjoy the book. The Winged Tiara was a book I instantly knew a few friends and family members would enjoy.

Jasper and Esme were caught up in celebrations after the end of WWI and had a quick alcohol filled marriage. Esme slipped away the next morning. Years later, the two meet up again as both are famous jewel thieves on the hunt for the elusive winged Valkyrie Tiara. Will they find the tiara, and will they find their way back to each other?

My thoughts on this book:

• I loved the witty banter and romantic tension between the two main characters. Sparks definitely fly in this novel.
• This book reminded me of many of my favorite movies that had romantic tension, witty dialogue, a love/hate relationship, and one upmanship among the leads including To Catch a Thief, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Thin Man, or The Thomas Crown Affair.
• I loved the constant adventure with their pursuit of the winged tiara.
• The audiobook had a great narrator with unique voices for all the characters. It was so fun to listen to this audiobook!
• The narrative was fast paced.
• I loved the roaring 20’s setting among the elite and glamorous in Europe.
• This was a clean read.
• Two of my favorite tropes were in this novel including enemies to lovers and second chance romance.
• Esme and Jasper were both great characters. They were both interesting with flaws, fears, and ambitions.
• There is a nice set of discussion questions at the end of the novel which would be great for a book club.

Overall, The Winged Tiara is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I highly recommend this historical romance. I would love to see this as a movie.

Esme finds herself married after a night full of champagne celebrating the end of the Great War. She sneaks off and leaves her newly married husband, Jasper. Little does Esme know that four years later, she and Jasper will be chasing the same tiara.

Esme is a no nonsense gal! She is not gonna be tied down! And she is not gonna lose! But don’t worry, Jasper gives her a run for her money! He knows exactly what strings to pull to get his way. He even lands Esme in jail!

I loved the banter between these two characters. Esme just cracks me up! But it also helps that the narrator, Ann Marie Gideon, is amazing. I swear! She is Esme!

Need a good historical fiction tale with two criminal characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

That gorgeous cover sets the stage for the classic black and white movie vibe in this story. I’m a visual reader — where I see things playing out in my mind as I read — and ‘The Winged Tiara’ was like ‘watching’ an old movie reel. Loved that campy feel.

The author stays true to the opulence of a post-war/pre-war European elite. I couldn’t relate to a lot of it — especially the drinking morning, noon and night — but who am I to argue with historical accuracy?! And I could totally understand the frenzied ‘live loud’ mentality after enduring the deprivation of four years of war. So, do the hero and heroine make great choices I can identify with? Definitely not all of the time, but this is fiction after all, and I was all in for the hijinks and banter right through to the end.

A beleaguered soldier and a war weary nursing assistant impulsively marry in the frenzied celebrations on Armistice Day. She sneaks away the next morning and they don’t meet up again until four years later — under the most unusual circumstances….they are both jewel thieves after the same prize!

Bwahahaha! This was such a fun cat-and-mouse romp across Europe! Professional adversaries with a romantic history (albeit a brief one) make Jasper and Esme intriguing opponents. And the way they keep one-upping each other is hysterical. I didn’t know who to root for! But there’s something more sinister afoot and adventure turns to danger and then…wow…that ending!!!!

A thoroughly enjoyable read…well, listen, since I got to appreciate Ann Marie Gideon’s wonderful narration for the audio book. She captured the personalities of these characters beautifully and pulled out an arsenal of accents for the varied supporting cast. So. Much. Fun.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this novel.

A clean (with a lot of tension) romantic comedy set in the 1920’s. (It does not contain any faith content). Two skilled thieves are working to capture the same item: the winged tiara, but these two thieves have a history...

If you enjoyed the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I think you would enjoy this as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to enjoy this well narrated audiobook.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced audiobook. The narrator did a brilliant job in bring the story alive. The dialogue and characters were really well written and the banter between Esme and Jasper was both fun to listen to and kept the story and their adventures interesting and exciting. I have never read or listened to any stories from this author before, but if this novel is anything to go by I will definitely be seeking more out. It would make a fantastic film !! Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to such a great audiobook.

You know that feeling when you discover a new author and think to yourself, why did it take me so long to read their books? That is how I felt only a few chapters into this story, it was so good, I was hooked immediately and officially want to read everything in Ciesielski's backlist.
The Winged Tiara was such a unique read for me. I loved the historical setting, the vibes, and the romance. It was fun cheering for Jasper and Esme who were semi-gray characters as they both were thieves trying to obtain a special winged tiara. I loved the motivations for both and oh man, their love story was really special. I was hooked and Jasper was just so patient and determined, I was happy to see Esme open her eyes a bit more to what they could be and the ending was very satisfying for me.
The dual POV was fantastic. I listened to the audiobook version of this novel. Ann Marie Gideon narrates the entire book (single narrator for both POVs), but I felt like she did really well with the characterization and inflection with the dialogue and inner thoughts that it was easy to follow along with and stay connected to the story. I recommend the audiobook version for sure.
This is a clean romance. I received an advance listening copy of this book from Netgalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Fiction Audio. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the ARC

This was an unusual heist story that I'm not quite sure what to think about. I liked that our main characters were a married couple with problems (our FMC fled on the wedding night and they never met again until now). That storyline was interesting. The rest of the book wasn't as engaging nor captivating. Unfortunately it didn't manage to keep my attention

This book was cute. Enemies to lovers troupe but well done. I liked the mystery and intrigue with the heist. I liked it because it was an easy read and light-hearted.

The narrator did a wonderful job and really captured the feel of the characters.

The Winged Tiara is a glittering historical fiction! Set in the aftermath of World War I it is a story of estranged spouses and jewel thieves who are after the same valuable Valkyrie tiara.

This was a fun and exciting blend of action and romance with a cat and mouse chase across Europe. It captures all the glamour and glitz of the time with the pain of the past peeking out underneath. This is perfect for fans of action romcoms, historical settings, playful banter, and stories that hang in the balance between danger and heart. I always love reading about clever characters getting out of scrapes and all the better when there is real heart beneath all the show!

Don’t expect anything super deep and the romance is focused more on physical than other aspects, but it is a very fun read!

4 Stars ✨

Historical Romance

France 1922

In 1918 Esme and Jasper meet and get caught up in a quick world-wind wartime romance that leaves them married. When Esme wakes up from her champagne induced fog, she realizes she may have made a mistake and quickly runs before Jasper wakes. Leaving him waking up alone wifeless.

Fast forward 4 years, and both Jasper and Esme run into each other again both in the business of stealing jewels. When an important piece comes up missing they find themselves after the same piece, which begins a fun game of cat and mouse between the two.

This book was so much fun! I absolutely loved the main characters and their personalities. Their quick witty banter was everything! The narrator of this audio did a tremendous job and held my attention the whole way through. It felt like Oceans Eleven with a mix of Mr and Mrs Smith. Both in love with each other neither wanting to admit it or give up on the job- which is to find the winged tiara. The whole book was a journey where the two main characters were trying to outdo the other and it was fantastic. The writing was top notch and pacing perfection! If you like a good heist, with amazing clean banter, awesome main characters and delicious fun, I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced audio copy of The Winged Tiara, in exchange for an honest review.

The Winged Tiara by J'nell Ciesielski - 4 Stars

This was giving all things Mr. and Mrs. Smith for me! Jewel thieves, high stakes, banter!! Really enjoyed it. This was a really unique storyline.

It's important to note, this is a secular historical romance. Some have stated in their reviews they thought this was Christian Fiction. Thomas Nelson doesn't just publish Christian Fiction, they publish secular clean fiction as well, so that is what I consider this book after reading it.

We start the book off with Jasper and Esme celebrating the end of WWI. They got married after knowing each other for 1 day in the celebration and too much champagne. She wakes up the next day and realizes her mistake and leaves her new husband behind....cut to 4 years later when they meet back up and they are now both jewel thieves after the same tiara and we see a wild race to get this well sought after item.

I laughed so many times in this book, we saw some great banter and the situations they got themselves into reminded me of the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith because they were always trying to outdo each other and you find yourself laughing at their tries to top the next thing with each other.

They have such a great chemistry together. They were kind of enemies to lovers, very unlikely couple that grew to care for one another in the crazy situations they got themselves into. We have so much glamour too from the 1920s shown here, it really felt like a fun time as you followed their hunt for this famous tiara. I have seen some reviews talk about the content here and while I would have liked Esme to not leave him all the time (LOL), for a secular book, it wasn't anything crazy in regards to content. Many times it was very situational.

Some parts did drag a smidge, but overall I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the audiobook to honestly listen to and review. The narration was really good too! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content: Closed door/fade to black sexual scenes, drinking in celebration (situationally and time period appropriate), small bits of language.

Think Mr. and Mrs. Smith as rival jewel thieves in the roaring 1920's. Gorgeous European settings, fun '20's slang, memorable side characters, and the star of the show: a stolen diamond tiara. The banter was bantering, the pacing kept you on the edge of your seat, and I quickly grew to love Esme and Jasper. Would absolutely recommend for fans of romance and historical fiction like the Bridgerton series and the Saffron Everleigh mysteries!

Very cat and mouse like and the relationship between our thieves is cute. I think the story line was really good though just felt like it needed more.

What a refreshing read!
What a cast of characters!!

Esme and Jasper are famed jewel thieves in the roaring 1920's.
Esme and Jasper are married.
Esme and Jasper are chasing after the same storied Valkyrie diamond and gemstone tiara with one of a kind floating wings!!
Esme and Jasper are NOT happy to see each other (At least they don't think they are...)
Esme and Jasper had a whirlwind romance following the end of the war and got married on a whim...and haven't seen each other for FOUR LONG YEARS.... Until today!! :)

The two of them are adorable, and also abominable!
You want to love them, and you want to desperately hate them too!

We are carried through all the shenanigans of their trying to trace down and capture the storied tiara...until the amazing ending of the story that will leave your mouth hanging wide open!

Loved this story. Loved the main characters...and mostly all of the ancillary ones as well!
Loved how Esme was a strong, capable, independent woman in an era that did not see much of that!

Thanks to #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsChristianPublishing and #ThomasNelsonFiction for an ARC of the audiobook which is due to be released TOMORROW, 8/13/24.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!

#TheWingedTiara by #JNellCiesielski and narrated beautifully by #AnnMarieGideon.

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📖🎧 Book Review 🎧📖 It’s always a real treat to review both a book by reading and listening simultaneously for a truly immersive experience! Imagine being on the greatest chase of your life to steal a tiara while running from the worst decision of your life. After over-imbibing on Armistice Day, Esme immediately regrets marrying Jasper and disappears for the next four years…until their paths cross when they are both after the winged tiara. J'nell Ciesielski’s writing is beautiful, captivating, and sharp, bringing us on an exhilarating journey.. Ann Marie Gideon brilliantly brings the story and characters to life in her narration of the enchanting audiobook.

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

The Winged Tiara was just the latest fiction audiobook I have listened to. It was a good story that I would recommend if you are on the lookout for y0ur next read.

This was such a fun book and the narrator did a great job. Thank you for the advanced listening copy.