Amid the violent last days of the glittering Russian monarchy, a princess on the run finds her heart where she least expects it. 1917, Petrograd. Fleeing the murderous flames of the Russian Revolution, Princess Svetlana Dalsky hopes to find safety in Paris with her mother and sister. But the city is buckling under the weight of the Great War, and the Bolsheviks will not rest until they have erased every Russian aristocrat from memory. Svetlana and her family are forced into hiding in Paris's underbelly, with little to their name but the jewels they sewed into their corsets before their terrifying escape. Born the second son of a Scottish duke, the only title Wynn MacCallan cares for is that of surgeon. Putting his talents with a scalpel to good use in the hospitals in Paris, Wynn pushes the boundaries of medical science to give his patients the best care possible. After treating Svetlana for a minor injury, he is pulled into a world of decaying imperial glitter. Intrigued by this mysterious, cold, and beautiful woman, Wynn follows Svetlana to an underground Russian club where drink, dance, and questionable dealings collide on bubbles of vodka. Out of money and options, Svetlana agrees to a marriage of convenience with the handsome and brilliant Wynn, who will protect her and pay off her family's debts. It's the right thing for a good man to do, but Wynn cannot help hoping the marriage will turn into one of true affection. When Wynn's life takes an unexpected turn, so does Svetlana's-and soon Paris becomes as dangerous as Petrograd. And as the Bolsheviks chase them to Scotland, Wynn and Svetlana begin to wonder if they will ever be able to outrun the love they are beginning to feel for one another. "The Ice Swan is a ray of light in the middle of a Europe that was sinking into darkness. Ciesielski's talent for storytelling from the heart is a feast for the readers' eyes." -Mario Escobar, international bestselling author of Remember Me and Children of the Stars Adventurous World War I historical romance For fans of Kate Quinn, Beatriz Williams, and Aimie K. Runyan Full-length, stand-alone novel (approx. 120,000 words) Includes discussion questions for book clubs

From three beloved authors comes a collection of stories that examines questions of healing, legacy, and love against the rich backdrop of a historical castle-and its adjoining poison garden. Leedswick Castle has housed the Alnwick family for generations. But the world around it is changing, and secrets that have long been buried will soon come to light. 1899: Beatrice, an American, seeks the legitimacy of a British title to add prestige to her fortune. She hopes for love in her marriage of convenience to Charles at Leedswick Castle, but she finds herself entangled in a generations-long family intrigue. 1917: Tobias, eventual heir of Beatrice and Charles, finds himself convalescing from the battlefields of WWI with a scarred face back at Leedswick. Elena is the young artist tasked with painting a realistic mask for the isolated hero, and they both learn to find beauty and love in unexpected places-but disaster lurks just outside the castle walls. 1945: Alec finds himself the heir to Leedswick, but he carries the burden of shell-shock from his time in WWII. He seeks to make the castle into a refuge for those who are similarly haunted, calling upon a renowned psychologist and the doctor's niece, Elisa, to help him. Through the generations, the castle is both shelter and prison, haunting and home. It is only when its inhabitants look inward that they can free both the castle and themselves from the shackles of the past.

Glamour, treachery, and espionage collide when an English socialite rushes to save her sister from the Nazis. As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. But chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate for them-but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home. Arrested for simply trying to defend himself against a drunken bully, Barrett Anderson is given the option of going to jail or serving out his sentence by training Resistance fighters in Paris. A bar owner serves as the perfect disguise to entertain Nazis at night while training fighters right below their jackboots during the day. Being assigned to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist. Can Barrett and Kat trust each other long enough to survive, or will their hearts prove more traitorous than the dangers waiting around the corner?

Ten years have passed since Jack and Ivy, elite operatives for the secret agency Talon, rescued their friend Philip and completed their fateful mission. The 1920s are in full swing as American speakeasies thrive amid Prohibition, and despite the team’s best efforts, the deadly cult, the Order of the Rising Moon, lives on in the shadows. Which is no surprise to Ivy; nothing has gone as she expected since that day after Poenari Castle.

When a wave of assassinations strikes world leaders, intel confirms the Order’s involvement. Ivy holds them responsible for the tragedy that changed her life, and she is determined to find and destroy the villains once and for all—but she must do so before their relentless assassin eliminates his next target. Her.

Except, there’s something oddly familiar about the way he moves, the way he anticipates each of her moves. It’s as if he knows her. But that’s not possible. Is it? Ivy will have to rely on every skill she’s learned if she hopes to survive—and save those she loves. No matter the cost.

Bestselling author J’nell Ciesielski wraps up the Jack and Ivy novels with yet another thrilling adventure filled with glamorous espionage and a boundless romance.

Amid the chaos of the Great War, two elite assassins learn precisely how dangerous it is to have something-or someone-worth losing. Washington, DC, 1914. Ivy Olwen knows how to survive on the streets without two coins to rub together. Then destiny thrusts her into the nest of a covert agency of assassins sworn to drive back the world's darkness, and she acquires a new set of lethal skills. Her education-from explosives to etiquette, sharpshooting to sabotage-is as far reaching as the organization's missions. But it's the hours she spends among the towering bookshelves in the library and stargazing on the roof with Agent Jack Vale that make her heart fly. Jack knew plenty of hardship before the agency refined his rough edges, transforming him into the man who never misses. But he didn't know the feeling of home until Ivy entered his world. Now Jack's heart drums with a singular purpose: he will fight for her, fight alongside her. No matter the cost. When the pair is sent on a seemingly simple mission to take down Russia's newest and most dangerous arms dealer-a soulless man using the Great War as an opportunity to further his own depraved agenda-they discover that no amount of training could have prepared them for a manhunt that takes them across the frozen tundra, to the Crimean Peninsula, and along the Trans-Siberian Railway . . . only to discover that there is evil in the world they will never understand. The first book of an epic duology from bestselling author J'nell Ciesielski, The Brilliance of Stars incorporates her signature blend of thrilling adventure, glamorous espionage, and sweeping romance. Historical romance set during World War I Book length: approximately 116,000 words The first Jack and Ivy novel; book two, To Free the Stars-coming August 2023 Includes map of Europe 1917 and discussion questions for book clubs