The Winged Tiara by J’nell Ciesielski
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” meets the Roaring Twenties on this lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story that’ll enchant readers with excellent banter and scorching chemistry.
In 1918, after an evening out celebrating the top of the Nice Struggle, Esme Fox wakes to a hangover and — to her nice shock — a husband she barely is aware of, Jasper Truitt. Horrified by the earlier evening’s antics and the novel ring on her finger, Esme flees their marriage ceremony mattress, a agency believer within the mantra: No strings. No dedication. No heartbreak. Males had been for flirting, not holding.
4 years later, Esme and Jasper, referred to as the Phantom, have independently made names for themselves as famend jewel thieves. Esme sees her new vocation as an escape from an existence at Wilton’s Music Corridor within the East Finish, the place life on stage meant performers with “smiles that dropped as quickly as they stepped backstage.” Esme doesn’t need to solely really feel alive whereas onstage. She desires to reside life on her personal phrases, one stolen diamond at a time.
Then, there’s Jasper Truitt — good-looking, charming, and in addition a bastard — along with his sights set on stealing a misplaced household heirloom: the Valkyrie tiara. If Jasper can ship it to his grandfather, the Duke of Loxhill, earlier than an enormous household engagement, he’s hopeful he’ll lastly be acknowledged in his household line.
Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
It’s not till a celebration on the French Riviera that Esme and Jasper discover their paths as soon as once more crossed and their sights set on the identical tiara. Jasper is surprised to be once more within the presence of his stunning estranged spouse and immediately tries to find out the best way to play the scenario. Is he the longing husband nonetheless nursing a damaged coronary heart? Or a cool and calm bachelor who barely remembers their whirlwind romance?
Esme, however, merely desires Jasper gone. She’s on the celebration beneath the guise of a mannequin, having been employed by Countess Rossalina Accardi to obtain the jewellery. Because it seems, the tiara is a faux, a serious setback for them each. After the countess learns of the deception, tensions rise. If Esme can’t find and ship the bedazzled crown to the countess inside two months, her goon may have Esme’s neck.
The countdown is on. Two thieves. One tiara. Which is able to declare the prize? The reply is a driving pressure all through a novel the place it appears inconceivable for both Esme or Jasper to win with out the opposite paying the worth. What follows is an exhilarating and tension-filled cat-and-mouse hunt throughout Europe — from the French Riviera to a store of wonders in Venice to a fairy-tale citadel in Bavaria to a grand showdown — whereas encountering an entertaining solid of characters, consisting of the Mole and the Egg, as Esme tries to greatest Jasper and he her. What could find yourself being Esme’s biggest impediment, nevertheless, is just not getting her palms on the prize, however relatively not falling in love together with her husband, at the price of her coronary heart, her life. Or each.
A Cat-and-Mouse Race In opposition to the Clock
Ciesielski’s newest is a real gem. Clever writing, cinematic imagery, and electrical moments give readers a entrance row seat to Esme and Jasper’s push and pull towards each other. This novel doesn’t want specific scenes to convey the warmth. There’s sexual stress in spades that catapults this romantic journey to a different stage.
Verdict: Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets the Roaring Twenties on this lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story that’ll enchant readers with excellent banter and scorching chemistry.
Publish Date: August 13, 2024
Style: Historic Fiction, Romance
Writer: J’nell Ciesielski
Web page Depend: 352 pages
Writer: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-0840721204