THE JEWEL THIEF
A lush, slow-burn romance set in 17th century France, and based on the history of the Hope Diamond--The Glittering Court meets Alex and Eliza.
Her story begins . . . in Paris. The only daughter of the King's crown jeweler, Juliette marvels at the large, deep-blue diamond Louis XIV has commanded her father to make shine like the sun. But Jean Pitau has never cut a diamond quite like this, and shaping it is a risky endeavor. As Jean spirals into depression, Juliette takes it upon herself to cut the stone, and with every misstep, brings her family closer to ruin.
Her story resumes . . . in a cold, dark cell of the Bastille prison. Charged with stealing the King's diamond, Juliette has but one chance to convince him that her motives were pure. If she fails, this night may very well be her last. Though, death wouldn't be her worst fate. Because recording Juliette's confession is René, a court-appointed scribe, and the man she loves. But René holds his own grudge against Juliette, and this is her one and only chance to win back his heart.
"Mobley crafts her own Hope Diamond legend, one filled with romance and intrigue . . . her attention to the political and social tensions of the time, particularly the treatment of Jews in 17th-century France, adds a pointed layer of consequence to the novel."--Publishers Weekly
"Mobley skillfully combines real events and people with a fictional teen protagonist forced to make her thief's confession to her horrified true love. The romance inherent in diamonds and royalty is enhanced by the young lovers' story, and is also augmented by a (multicultural) plot thread involving the Jewish jewelers, who were notoriously badly treated in Europe at that time (the 1600s)."--Booklist
"Juliette emerges as a realistically flawed heroine . . . A winding tale of jewelry-based intrigue."--Kirkus Reviews
May 26, 2020
Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN 1984837419
A lush, slow-burn romance set in 17th century France, and based on the history of the Hope Diamond--The Glittering Court meets Alex and Eliza.
Her story begins . . . in Paris. The only daughter of the King's crown jeweler, Juliette marvels at the large, deep-blue diamond Louis XIV has commanded her father to make shine like the sun. But Jean Pitau has never cut a diamond quite like this, and shaping it is a risky endeavor. As Jean spirals into depression, Juliette takes it upon herself to cut the stone, and with every misstep, brings her family closer to ruin.
Her story resumes . . . in a cold, dark cell of the Bastille prison. Charged with stealing the King's diamond, Juliette has but one chance to convince him that her motives were pure. If she fails, this night may very well be her last. Though, death wouldn't be her worst fate. Because recording Juliette's confession is René, a court-appointed scribe, and the man she loves. But René holds his own grudge against Juliette, and this is her one and only chance to win back his heart.
"Mobley crafts her own Hope Diamond legend, one filled with romance and intrigue . . . her attention to the political and social tensions of the time, particularly the treatment of Jews in 17th-century France, adds a pointed layer of consequence to the novel."--Publishers Weekly
"Mobley skillfully combines real events and people with a fictional teen protagonist forced to make her thief's confession to her horrified true love. The romance inherent in diamonds and royalty is enhanced by the young lovers' story, and is also augmented by a (multicultural) plot thread involving the Jewish jewelers, who were notoriously badly treated in Europe at that time (the 1600s)."--Booklist
"Juliette emerges as a realistically flawed heroine . . . A winding tale of jewelry-based intrigue."--Kirkus Reviews
May 26, 2020
Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN 1984837419
THE DIAMOND KEEPER
A thrilling tale of the elusive Hope Diamond's journey across Europe during the French Revolution, with gorgeous, absorbing writing from Jeannie Mobley!
Eighteen-year-old Claudie Durand's future is planned. She'll take over the family inn, watch her much prettier younger sister, Mathilde, married off to the butcher's son, and live out her days alone, without the hope of finding a love of her own. Her mother ran off to the cloister when she was young, and her gruff, abusive father has deemed her unmarriageable, a nuisance, and only good for hard labor.
But outside their small village in Brittany, a revolution is brewing. When the Army of the Republic seizes their town, and Claudie finds herself at the center of the conspiracy, she and Mathilde must flee their sheltered life and take up a cause that, up till now, had always seemed like a distant conflict. As the sisters carry out a dangerous mission for the resistance: delivering a precious item to the mysterious Rooster of Rennes--Claudie's conscience is torn between the longing to return to her predictable, lonely existence and the desire to carve out a new future, reaching for the life--and love--she never dared dream of but knew deep down she truly deserved.
Coming, Nov. 16, 2021
Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN 9781984837448
A thrilling tale of the elusive Hope Diamond's journey across Europe during the French Revolution, with gorgeous, absorbing writing from Jeannie Mobley!
Eighteen-year-old Claudie Durand's future is planned. She'll take over the family inn, watch her much prettier younger sister, Mathilde, married off to the butcher's son, and live out her days alone, without the hope of finding a love of her own. Her mother ran off to the cloister when she was young, and her gruff, abusive father has deemed her unmarriageable, a nuisance, and only good for hard labor.
But outside their small village in Brittany, a revolution is brewing. When the Army of the Republic seizes their town, and Claudie finds herself at the center of the conspiracy, she and Mathilde must flee their sheltered life and take up a cause that, up till now, had always seemed like a distant conflict. As the sisters carry out a dangerous mission for the resistance: delivering a precious item to the mysterious Rooster of Rennes--Claudie's conscience is torn between the longing to return to her predictable, lonely existence and the desire to carve out a new future, reaching for the life--and love--she never dared dream of but knew deep down she truly deserved.
Coming, Nov. 16, 2021
Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN 9781984837448