Thanks to the Book Club Cookbook & Bluebox Press for an advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This historical fiction is a dual timeline novel about two women: Suzanne Belperron is one of the most innovative jewelers of her time. She is living in Paris in 1942 and becomes a member of the French Resistance during World War II. Violine Duplessi is an appraiser of jewelry and antiques, who lives in New York in 1986. She has a psychometric ability, a supernatural gift inherited from her maternal family, which allows her to read an object’s history and learn the secrets of its owners by merely touching the object.

Violine is contacted by Paul Osgood, a lawyer and political candidate who has discovered a WWII-era trunk as part of his inheritance. He wants Violine to assess the contents of all that he has inherited, and the vintage Louis Vuitton trunk in particular calls to her with its secrets.

Author M.J. Rose cleverly weaves facts from the actual life of legendary jeweler Suzanne Belperron with the fictional character of Violine Duplessi. The compelling story is told through alternating chapters between Violine’s first-person account and Suzanne’s diary entries.

Themes of magic, mystery, and romance alternate between the German occupation of Paris in 1942 and the world of antiques in 1986 New York. Two strong women dealing with love, grief, secrets, friendship, family, and betrayal learn about being true to themselves. ( )

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that this book was the latest book in the Daughters of La Lune series. Having read all the previous books, I am tempted to read them again after finishing this one. Both storylines were captivating and it was almost with a sense of sadness that I finished the book because I really liked Violine. I would have loved to learn more about her finding out more stories through her gift of touching things and learning the history of the past owners. I also loved learning more about Suzanne Belperron, a gifted jeweller I'd never heard of before reading this book.

You can read this book on its own, but I recommend reading the books in order. ( )

Suzanne Belperron is the focus of this story. A fascinating woman, brilliant designer, innovative jeweler and member of the resistance. Of course there are other people in this story but is truly all about this little remembered woman who deserved so much more attention.

Told in a dual timeline, Belperron inhabits the Paris of 1942 during the time of the Nazi occupation and all of its horrors. 44 Years hence, 1986, another woman with self-enforced dormant psychometric powers, despite her hesitance, is going to try to unravel history and secrets that have gone unnoticed for decades. There is a force of evil, a romance to be discovered, a mystery to be solved - there is a great story waiting to be told.

One of my issues with MJ Rose’s books is the wordiness, so many words, so much repetition, pare it down and it will always be better. The story was interesting , really interesting even when some of the parts were a bit “out there” but that is fairly typical of MJ Rose’s writing - always a little ethereal, just asking the reader to suspend belief to make it all work.

Thank you Blue Box Press and NetGalley for a copy. ( )

Violine has been called in to appraise an estate. When she runs across an old Louis Vuitton trunk, she knows the dimensions are not quite right. What she discovers is a hidden compartment full of jewelry. When she touches the jewelry she sees vivid images of people in distress. The more she delves into the situation the more dangerous her world becomes.

Violine starts to investigate the names on the boxes of jewels. She discovers that they are not names of jewelry stores from the past but names of people, people lost during the Holocaust. Violine heads to Paris to work with the Midas Society to return these jewels to the rightful owners. But, it is not as easy as she thought.

No one does dual timelines like M.J. Rose. I have been a fan of her books FOREVER! I love her history and the mysticism she puts into her books. And to say I loved this story is an understatement. I also loved Violine. Her strength is paramount to this story. The way the author weaves in her talent to read objects and see the past add so much to this tale.

Need an engrossing story from start to finish…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

This was an enthralling and captivating historical fiction piece with a touch of magical realism. Some of the characters are well known players of history and the others, are well crafted characters of the author's wondrous imagination. The story line juxtaposes 1986 New York City against 1942 Paris.

New York City auctioneer, Violine Duplessi, has always been a bit different. As a child, she suffered the ridicule of her classmates who would not or could not embrace Violine's extraordinary gifts. It was such a burden to Violine, that she tried desperately to negate and ignore her gifts. That is, until she's called to an estate to help assess the inherited holdings of U.S. Senate candidate, Paul Osgood. An old empty trunk from WWII of his deceased Aunt Elizabeth Estelle Osgood's, had been housed in the attic and apparently had some secrets of its own. In alternating chapters, renowned jeweler, Suzanne Belperron, an operative of the French Resistance, relays her fears and anxieties for her friends who have been seized by the French Nazi sympathizers and thrown into prison camps. One of whom is her business partner and soulmate. She strives to rescue him and others at great peril. Paul's Aunt Elizabeth - Dixie to her friends - was a very close and dear friend of Suzanne as it turned out. Together, they were partners in crime doing their Resistance work.

This was truly a fascinating read about an amazing woman of WWII Paris. Suzanne Belperron's jewelry designs were spectacular and pushed the design and color envelope - a designer ahead of her time, perhaps. The 1986 portion of this story envelopes a mystery as Violine seeks answers to the trunk's secrets. Eventually, the two stories intertwine and all is made clear to the reader.

Ms. Rose's writing is fluid, descriptive and quite poetic at times. The mise en scène was such that one could envision the winding streets of Paris and the noisy ones of New York City; smell the wafting aroma of french baguettes and croissants; the tangy odor of freshly spilled blood; and the intoxicating scent of a full blown rose. All in all, this was a most enjoyable read and this reader eagerly looks forward to disappearing into other works by this gifted author.

I am grateful to Ms. Rose and her publisher, Blue Box Press for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Blue Box Press
Publication Date: February 7, 2023
No. of pages:
ISBN: 978-1957568270 ( )