The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams

By: M. J. Rose

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert, Caroline Hewitt

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

A captivating tale of two passionate women separated by decades but united by a shared vision. One, the famous jeweler Suzanne Belperron, fighting to protect her company and rescue the man she loves. The other, a young auctioneer whose exceptional gifts reveal a secret that endangers her very life.

"Only one thing saves you, and that is not losing sight of beauty."

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. Why has it returned now?

While inspecting the trunk, she senses it holds a hidden treasure and finds a hoard of precious jewels that provoke nightmarish visions and raise a multitude of questions. Who owned these pieces? Why were they hidden inside the trunk? Were they stolen? Could their discovery derail Paul's campaign and their burgeoning attraction to each other?

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. There, Violine will discover both her and Paul's surprising connections to the trunk—and to Suzanne Belperron, who silently and heroically hid an amazing truth in plain sight.

Told through Violine's first-person account and Suzanne's diary entries, The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams is a riveting story of magick, mystery, romance, and revenge. Inspired by the real-life legend Suzanne Belperron, it marks yet another masterpiece by New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author M.J. Rose.

©2023 M.J. Rose. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"THE JEWELER OF STOLEN DREAMS is an immersive journey filled with glittering gems, Nazis in Paris, and dark family secrets. But even more so, it is the many-faceted tale of true and inspiring heroism that proves as beautiful and unbreakable as a priceless diamond. Ravishing—M.J. Rose weaves a tantalizing tale of magic and mystery as only she can do, and readers will be transported."—Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST

Brilliant story and facts

In live MJ Rose’s research, stories and hooks to keep my interest. Plus, the performance was outstanding too

Entertaining

An entertaining historical novel, I enjoyed, despite feeling it has been grossly misclassified as belonging to the mystery, thriller & suspense genre. It would be more accurate to describe this novel in one/all of the following categories: WWII historical fiction, historical mystery, historical romance, historical fiction inspired by true events.
The novel is heavy in historical facts both recited by the characters as well as the narrator. The historical facts were dry at points and almost crossed over into annoyance. The story contained much more romance than I anticipated based on its classification and much more romance than I personally care for in a book and I’ll admit to fast forwarding through some of the long uncomfortable romance scenes (both the primary characters over analyzing/musing about true intentions and the reminiscing of intimate moments).
I did not realize prior to listening that this novel was in part inspired by Suzanne Belperron, a jeweler of historical repute, and references to significant dates, addresses and events are historically accurate. Had I known this I may have been more patient in areas I thought were overdeveloped/fact heavy.
This novel is a continuation of the author’s Daughters of La Lune series and includes the involvement of the fictional Midas Society, featured in other works by M.J. Rose. Having previously read other books in this series but not having made the connection till it’s conclusion I found my mind wondering at times (to some frustration) trying to make connections to books I’ve previously listened to.
The narration is good. There are a lot of French people, places and things referenced to - making it a semi difficult text to narrate. The narrator does a good job traversing through the languages but at moments throughout she sounds like she is “over” the foreign language and is tempted to start narrating a translation. At just over 10 hours this book is not too long nor is it too short. It is well paced, keeping the listener engaged and provides the information needed to reach conclusions, tying up any loose threads in the final chapters/epilogue. This method is preferred over being kept in the dark the entire read and have all the answers revealed in the last few chapters.
I’ve been an avid audiobook listener for more than five years with 700+ listens in audible and more across other platforms. This novel kept me entertained and provided some interesting historical information. The narration didn’t distract from the story. However it is not one of those books that will cause my thoughts to linger or be featured on any of my top ten lists.

Romance, Suspense and History.

This is a different type of story than I usually read but I found it so interesting.
Listened to this on audio and the narration was fantastic. It had to be challenging given all of the French names and places but the narrators nailed it. The story rotates between the past and present of two women whose stories are interwoven. Once I got through the first few chapters, it was easier to understand what was happening.
This is a historical story about a jeweler during WWII. The story itself is fictional, however most of the details about the jeweler herself are real. There is romance, suspense and mystery which really kept me involved in the story.
It also really reminds you of the atrocities that occurred at the hands of Hitler and the Nazis and how we must make sure nothing like that ever happens again. My heart really broke for everything the people had to endure. But Suzanne Belperron is an inspiration and I am happy to have learned about her bravery and talent.

Intriguing

This book kept you on the edge throughout the story. Although fictional there was a lot of nonfictional mixed with the story as well. Great listen and we’ll performed.

Fantastic

Loved this historical, suspense filled listen. Great story from beginning to end and I couldn’t stop listening for a moment! Highly recommend it

Wonderful

This book is a wonderful combination of historical novel, romance, and mystery with some magic thrown in for good measure.
Just back from Paris before listening to this, it was fun to hear of streets and places I had seen.
The character of Violine was voiced un-accented for clarity, but all the names and locations were beautifully French. The pathos and emotions of this narration were touching and evocative.

Seemed So Real

Wonderful book! I am a jeweler and feel about stones the way she did! My jeweler friend will love it too.

Fabulous story!

The characters in this book were fantastic. The story line brings you back and forth between 1986 and WWII. I loved the history and the mystery. I’m going back and reading the entire series!