The Ice Swan

By: J'nell Ciesielski

Narrated by: Senn Annis

Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

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’ 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)

©2021 J'nell Ciesielski (P)2021 Thomas Nelson

Generic Romance

I thought this would be a heavier historic novel. The first half was pretty good, but then it devolved into a generic Romance. Also, in what world does a well educated Scottish Nobel not speak French?

Terrific!

A deeply moving story with well developed characters and a plot that will intrigue you to the very end.

It was ok...

Not a fan of love stories, and I should have done more research. I love Russia and thought it might include more history on the revolution. It did not. Oh well...

Meh

3.5 stars. A ‘happily ever after, everything turns out perfectly in the end’ story that never seeks to be more than it is, an uncomplicated and very mediocre love story. The author is neither a fantastic story teller nor does she have a deft pen for prose, but she most certainly has a gift for characters. It is the characters that make this book a success. As for ratings, the book itself hovers in the 3.5 range. It is the great skill of the narrator that elevated the story. A real talent. Sure, her Scottish and Russian accents sometimes melted into one another, and neither was spectacularly executed., BUT the accents and different characters the narrator created and the feat of creating a variety of Russian, Scottish, and American (not to mention British) accents and into one story is about as impressive as it gets. Bravo Senn Annis!!!!! This is a Historical Fiction beach read. Enjoyable for sure, but not great literature. Pedestrian prose that at times verged on gauche. And yet I enjoyed it. Recommended only for those who like uncomplicated sticky sweet love stories.

wrong narrator for a Russian story

the narrator is not horrible.. but..there has got to be a Russian speaking narrator...it matters...

Sweeping international romance!

I loved the sense of adventure and changing locations - it was very cinematic. An iconic moment in history experienced through a personal story of love.

not worth the credit

i download ice swan after reading among the poppies, by the same author, and while that one engaged me this one just fell flat.
the thing that bothered me above all unfortunately were all the accent. i am not russian nor scottish so i cannot say if they were accurate, but they were distracting. at some point it's all just a jumble of (poorly done?) inflections.
as for the story, i could never connect with the characters unfortunately. i don't know what's about them but i never really liked svetlana or wynn. i cannot point to a precise thing that made me not like them but i reached the end of the book and I just shrugged. (also only the first part of the story is settled in paris, for the most part we are in Scotland. just fyi)
read among the poppies instead.