Jewel Thieves Compete to Steal Valuable Tiara in 1920s Europe

The Winged Tiara by J’nell Ciesielski

In 1918, after a night out celebrating the end of the Great War, Esme Fox wakes to a hangover and — to her great surprise — a husband she barely knows, Jasper Truitt. Horrified by the previous night’s antics and the novel ring on her finger, Esme flees their wedding bed, a firm believer in the mantra: No strings. No commitment. No heartbreak. Men were for flirting, not keeping.

Four years later, Esme and Jasper, known as the Phantom, have independently made names for themselves as renowned jewel thieves. Esme sees her new vocation as an escape from an existence at Wilton’s Music Hall in the East End, where life on stage meant performers with “smiles that dropped as soon as they stepped backstage.” Esme doesn’t want to only feel alive while onstage. She wants to live life on her own terms, one stolen diamond at a time.

Then, there’s Jasper Truitt — handsome, charming, and also a bastard — with his sights set on stealing a lost family heirloom: the Valkyrie tiara. If Jasper can deliver it to his grandfather, the Duke of Loxhill, before a big family engagement, he’s hopeful he’ll finally be recognized in his family line.

Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

It’s not until a party on the French Riviera that Esme and Jasper find their paths once again crossed and their sights set on the same tiara. Jasper is stunned to be again in the presence of his beautiful estranged wife and instantly tries to determine how to play the situation. Is he the longing husband still nursing a broken heart? Or a cool and calm bachelor who barely remembers their whirlwind romance?

Esme, on the other hand, simply wants Jasper gone. She’s at the party under the guise of a model, having been hired by Countess Rossalina Accardi to procure the jewelry. As it turns out, the tiara is a fake, a major setback for them both. After the countess learns of the deception, tensions rise. If Esme can’t locate and deliver the bedazzled crown to the countess within two months, her goon will have Esme’s neck.

The countdown is on. Two thieves. One tiara. Which will claim the prize? The answer is a driving force throughout a novel where it seems impossible for either Esme or Jasper to win without the other paying the price. What follows is a thrilling and tension-filled cat-and-mouse hunt across Europe — from the French Riviera to a shop of wonders in Venice to a fairy-tale castle in Bavaria to a grand showdown — while encountering an entertaining cast of characters, consisting of the Mole and the Egg, as Esme tries to best Jasper and he her. What may end up being Esme’s greatest obstacle, however, is not getting her hands on the prize, but rather not falling in love with her husband, at the cost of her heart, her life. Or both.

A Cat-and-Mouse Race Against the Clock

Ciesielski’s latest is a true gem. Intelligent writing, cinematic imagery, and electric moments give readers a front row seat to Esme and Jasper’s push and pull toward one another. This novel doesn’t need explicit scenes to bring the heat. There’s sexual tension in spades that catapults this romantic adventure to another level.

Verdict: Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets the Roaring Twenties in this lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers tale that’ll enchant readers with perfect banter and sizzling chemistry.