Jeannie Mobley

Juliette's father is crown jeweler to Louis XIV, the Sun King. When the King purchases the enormous Tavernier diamond, weighing in at a whopping 117 carats, Juliette and her mother think their fortunes are made -- but her father seems to despair. The King wants the diamond cut in the Mazarin style, but Juliette's father doesn't know that secret technique, and doesn't even know where to start with tracking down the gem cutter who created it. As months pass and the diamond remains uncut, the King grows impatient, and Juliette grows worried. Unable to sit back and watch her family sink into ruin, Juliette takes matters into her own hands.

This book was a major surprise for me. I have NO idea where I heard about it or what prompted me to purchase a brand new copy in 2020, or if it was some kind of impulse buy, but it sat on my shelf for a few years because I really wasn't hearing any buzz about it. I picked it up expecting a fairly run of the mill historical fiction novel, but I was immediately drawn in. Mobley has written a fresh, fast-paced adventure story featuring jewelers, of all people, and I couldn't put it down. The story is told with a sort of frame device, with Juliette recounting her tale to love interest Rene after being arrested, and the jumps in the timeline increase the urgency and had me racing toward the end. While Juliette is fictional, the diamond itself is very real, and Mobley as a historian did an excellent job of rooting her tale in history. 4.25 stars, and I'll be looking out for the companion book, The Diamond Keeper.… (plus d'informations)

As satisfying and enjoyable as The Jewel Thief, this historical YA title features two sisters whose mother vanished into a convent after experiencing what were called 'visions'. Their father favors younger daughter Mathilde who is flirtatious, shallow and adept at dumping the job of running the inn on nineteen year old Claudie who is far more level-headed, but plainer in appearance. When Jacques, the postal rider Mathilde is infatuated with, is killed by soldiers after a mysterious family is housed by Claudie at the inn, it's the start of dark times for the sisters. Forced to flee, their journey takes them in search of a loyalist leader known as the Rooster. That search nearly costs them their lives, leads to hidden places, close shaves, and eventually to another country. YA lovers of historical fiction will devour this book.… (plus d'informations)

Have you ever seen the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.? It's one of my absolute favorite exhibits. This book seeks to fill in some holes in its story when historians are unsure of its exact location.

This is a grand adventure tale set in revolutionary France, The Crown Jewels of France, including the stone that will become the Hope Diamond, have been stolen, and the king and his family are imprisoned. But the war seems far away from sisters Claudie and Mathilde's family inn in a tiny village, only entering through tales told by the mail courier, Jacques. But then escaping fugitives and a plotting group called the Legion bring soldiers and destruction to their very doorstep.

This galloping romp brings its characters across war-torn France all the way to the French refugee community in England. Danger lurks around every corner, whether the characters are taking shelter in a burned out village or attending an elegant ball. When they are forced from their village, Claudie and Mathilde must bargain with the enigmatic Rooster, leader of a secret organization called the Legion, to attempt to secure their future.

Claudie is a strong, sympathetic character, and the witty dialogue and electric chemistry between her and The Rooster is a delight. Mathilde is fun as the dramatic flirt who wishes she could be taken seriously every now and again.

I appreciated the historical accuracy of the ending. We all know what happened to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, so the book had to stay true to that. It was fun to speculate on how the Hope Diamond ended up where it did. Don't skip the author's note at the end. I found the additional history of the diamond fascinating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)

A fresh and intriguing plot structure. Juliette is the daughter of the French king's jeweler. When this tale begins, she's in chains, suffering extreme pain from broken ribs and a badly burned hand, while being berated by the king because he believes she stole the blue diamond her father was to cut into a stone that would cement King Louis XIV's place in history.
From there, you are taken to the cell where she is to confess to Rene, the handsome scribe she loves, but feels no hope of ever being anything more than a criminal in his eyes. Each chapter takes you deeper into what led her from being a gem cutter's daughter to a prisoner facing execution. The intricate plot, revealed through her confession, written down by Rene, involves a secret way of cutting diamonds believed lost, racial prejudice, backstabbing, intrigue by the bucketful and Juliette's desperate efforts not only to save her father and redeem his reputation, but save her own life. The ending is a dandy one.… (plus d'informations)