Author M.J. Rose takes the reader down two paths at once in this historical fiction, allowing two female protagonists to each tell us their story.“The Last Tiara” was my first M.J. Rose novel, and I found it to be a very polished tale told by the two women, each contributing their part in a story that takes decades to fully evolve.Sofiya’s tale begins in Russia in 1917. She is returning to the Winter Palace, once home to the Tsar and now a hospital for wounded Russian soldiers. Sofiya is joined by the Tsar’s daughters, childhood friends due to her mother being a private tutor for the princesses.Isobelle is Sofiya’s daughter and lives in America. Her story begins in the 1940s. Isobelle is an architect, a woman struggling to find her place in what is predominantly a man’s world. Her mother has passed, and Isobelle decides to renovate the home which is now hers. Behind the wallpaper she discovers a box with a tiara inside. Thus begins the mystery.Sofiya did not share much information with her daughter, not about the tiara and very little about Isobelle’s father. Isobelle has little choice but to pursue the few clues she has, which could easily lead to dead ends. Both women have a love interest, allowing the author to inject a romantic element into the story. There is enough romance to satisfy those who enjoy that as part of a story, but not enough to chase away someone like myself who usually steers clear of romance novels. The two stories had enough excitement to keep my interest through the entire book.Ms. Rose has based the premise of her book on fact, lending an air of reality to the story. The novel addresses some of the issues of the day and how they affect the characters. I found the tale to be woven with care, tightly knit and never allowing any of the dangling threads to go unanswered. Highly recommended. Five stars.
