**"Action! Romance! Spies! Secrets! The Brilliance of Stars has it
all. This electrifying read from J'nell Ciesielski comes to life with
historical details and sparkling descriptions that will leave the reader
begging for book two!" **--Amy E. Reichert
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
