"The Last Tiara" alternates between two timelines - one in Rusia during the last days of the Romanov reign and the other in post-war Manhattan - and between mother and daughter.

I liked both storylines and enjoyed learning about Faberge's jewellery-making and the mystery behind the tiara Isobelle finds hiding in a wall after her mother Sofiya, passes away. Sofiya's story reveals her life in Russia and her friendship with Grand Dutchess Olga while Wsobelle's follows her journey to learn more about her mother's past.

"The Last Tiara" was an informative, entertaining read and the mystery of the tiara (based on an actual artefact) was the heart of the story. While the plot did get bogged down at times, overall, it was an enjoyable read. ( )

This is a book about the collection of secrets with a dual time frame. The mother went from Sofiya Petrovitz in Russia of the early 1900s to Sophia Moon years later when she entered the US at Ellis Island. With a toddler of a few months old, she established herself with Aunt Lena in the world of art and furniture restoration. When her daughter, Isobelle, was grown in the 1940s she picked a career with very few female architects, trying to survive in a workforce of men.

The book is great for history buffs who want to learn more about the Romanovs and their treasures and one in particular: a beautiful tiara. There is a good am0ut of research that was done to give the reader the feeling that they stepped into the Russia Revolution with secrets that followed. Romance was center stage with both the mother and daughter's lives. While it was fairly easy to predict, it's the mixture of adventures, religious beliefs, effects of the war and the strength of women that kept the novel interesting.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in advance. ( )

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.

Isobelle Moon is dealing with the death of her mother and has undertaken the renovating of their apartment to make it work better for her. During the renovation process, Isobelle finds a box hidden in a hollow in the wall. Inside the box are a jeweless tiara and the mystery of her mother's past. As Isobelle looks to solve the mystery surrounding the tiara, she comes to know her mother in a way she never thought possible.

A time-traveling story told between Russia in the early 1900s during the Romanov reign and New York City in 2004. The trade-off of chapters helps the flow of the story and helps us understand Sofia's story and how she came to raise her daughter in New York and her thought process in keeping her life in Russia a secret from her daughter. I found the story to be interesting and well-developed and kept my attention with ease. M.J. Rose is an author I would gladly read again knowing that I will get a story that makes me glad I picked up the book. ( )

Bravo to M.J. Rose. The Last Tiara was a brilliant complex mystery written in the dual timeline style that begins in 1914 and concludes in 1948. Alternating chapters tell the story of a young Russian woman from Petrograd in the past who is given the gift of a Royal Tiara from one of the Romanov Duchesses, and then switches to New York in 1948 where the daughter of this woman finds the tiara devoid of stones hidden behind a wall in her mother's house. There are many mysteries, and many twists and turns, that all take the reader down an incredible road of love, friendship and families, theft and deceptions, murderers and heroes, and the history of the Romanov royal jewels. 5 stars, a gripping brilliant story. ( )

This was a really well-done story, told between two time periods. In the days just before the Russian Revolution, Sofiya Petrovich, a friend of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, works at the Winter Palace as a nurse. There, she meets a man who will change the course of her life. Many years later, Sofiya is dead and her daughter is uncovering the secrets of her mother's life. Isobelle thought she knew her mother inside and out. But her discoveries make her think twice about what she thought she knew.

Very beautifully told, the story takes us through these two different time periods and follows the mystery of a tiara belonging to the Romanovs. This tiara, still missing to this day, has long fascinated jewel enthusiasts.

Great reading. ( )