Author: M. J. Rose
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Release Date: 2023
Pages: 352
Source: Netgal;ey/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: A captivating tale of two passionate women separated by decades but united by a shared vision. One, the famous jeweler Suzanne Belperron, fighting to protect her company and rescue the man she loves. The other, a young auctioneer whose exceptional gifts reveal a secret that endangers her very life.
“Only one thing saves you, and that is not losing sight of beauty.”
Paris, 1942. Suzanne Belperron is known as one of the most innovative jewelers of her time. Elsa Schiaparelli and the Duchess of Windsor are just two of her many illustrious clients. What no one knows is that Suzanne and her dear friend, American socialite Dixie Osgood, have been helping transport hundreds of Jewish families out of France since the war began. But now, the war has come to Suzanne’s front door—the Nazis have arrested her business partner and longtime lover, Bernard Herz.
New York, 1986. Violine Duplessi, an appraiser for a boutique auction house, is summoned to visit the home of Paul Osgood, a scholarly lawyer and political candidate who aspires to take over the Senate seat of his recently deceased father. Paul has inherited everything inside Osgood Manor, from the eighteenth-century furniture to the nineteenth-century Limoges china. But a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk is what calls to Violine, with the surprising but undeniable thrum of energy that can only be one thing: the gift passed down to her by La Lune, the sixteenth-century courtesan.
Since childhood, Violine has been able to read an object’s history and learn the secrets of its owners by merely touching it, but she silenced her psychometry when it destroyed her last relationship. Why has it returned now?
While inspecting the trunk, she senses it holds a hidden treasure and finds a hoard of precious jewels that provoke nightmarish visions and raise a multitude of questions. Who owned these pieces? Why were they hidden inside the trunk? Were they stolen? Could their discovery derail Paul’s campaign and their burgeoning attraction to each other?
So begins a search that takes Violine to Paris to work with the Midas Society, a covert international organization whose mission is to return lost and stolen antiques, jewels, and artwork to their original owners. There, Violine will discover both her and Paul’s surprising connections to the trunk—and to Suzanne Belperron, who silently and heroically hid an amazing truth in plain sight.
Told through Violine’s first-person account and Suzanne’s diary entries, The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams is a riveting story of magick, mystery, romance, and revenge. Inspired by the real-life legend Suzanne Belperron, it marks yet another masterpiece by New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author M.J. Rose.
My Review: The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams is the fourth novel in the Daughters of La Lune series. Violine Opaline is psychometric. She can learn stories of the past by touching jewels. A senator named Paul Osgood hires Violine to examine the contents of a trunk that he inherited from his aunt. As Violine explores the hidden contents of the trunk, she comes across the story of Suzanne Belperron, a famous jeweler who fought in the French Resistance. Violine not only discovers Suzanne’s story but also the secrets of Paul Osgood’s past.
I really love Violine. She was a woman who was always afraid of her power. As the novel progresses, she no longer becomes afraid and is willing to use her own powers. She is also very guarded and is afraid to trust love again. Therefore, I found her to be a very interesting protagonist. I rooted for her to find her happy ending.
As for Suzanne, her story did not appeal to me. I did admire her talent. However, she did not seem to play a major role in her own story. Instead, it seems more like she is overshadowed by her friend, Dixie. Dixie seems to be a more interesting character, and has more involvement with the French Resistance. Thus, Suzanne does not do much in her story. Thus, I think the story of WWII should have been narrated by Dixie instead of Suzanne.
Overall, this novel is about secrets, family, and friendship. I really liked all of the characters. They were all very interesting. It was also great to revisit the La Lune family again. I did think that this was the weakest of the Daughters of the La Lune series. There was less romance than the other novels. Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable and fast-paced read. It was filled with mystery, paranormal, and action. The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams was very atmospheric and well-written. While it was not as spellbinding as the other novels in the series, it was still engaging enough for me to read in one sitting. I hope that there will be more novels in the series because I love the La Lune family! I recommend this for fans of The World that We Knew, The Alice Network, and Chateaux of Secrets!
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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