The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams by M.J. Rose

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.

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. (Goodreads)

The book follows two storylines: one in 1986 and the second in 1942 in occupied France. Suzanne Belperron was a jewelry designer in Paris during WWII. Violine Duplessi works for an auction house and has a job to appraise an old trunk, which has some secrets. Suzanne and Violine’s lives are intertwined when Violine tries to solve the mystery regarding the old trunk.

I hadn’t realized this was part of a Daughters of La Lune series before I started reading, But I love the series, so that was a good thing. I loved both timelines but didn’t really care for the romance in the 80s timeline. I would have wanted to learn more about Violine’s gift and what she could learn about objects with it. In Violine’s family, the women have some kind of gift, and in Violine’s case, it’s understanding the secrets of the object’s owner.

3,5 stars

Published: Blue Box Press (February 7, 2023)
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley