Jack and Ivy

Amid the chaos of the Great War, two master assassins risk it all for love. Washington DC, 1914. Ivy Olwen knows how to survive on the streets without two coins to rub together. But, when she finds herself whisked into a secret society that seeks to maintain the balance of good and evil in the world, she can't believe there's more to life than just surviving. In the hallowed and historied halls of Talon, she learns European languages and ballroom dancing, as well as demolitions and sharpshooting-in short, everything a spy and assassin will need to survive in the field. The first day Jack Vale meets Ivy, he knows she is not to be underestimated. The second day, he knows his heart will belong to no one else. Between sparring bouts and constellation gazing, Jack takes Ivy under his wing, and the two form a bond that soon turns to love. While the rest of the world tumbles into war, the two embark on an official mission to take down a madman who has left a trail of blood and murder across Russia. Little do they know the unfathomable peril waiting in the wings of a chaotic Europe. When Jack and Ivy are thrust into encounters each more terrifying than the last, Ivy must determine how far she will go to save the man she loves. Equal parts historical fiction and adventure novel, Ciesielski's epic tale of espionage and romance will leave readers both enchanted and thrilled.

This white-knuckled conclusion to “The Brilliance of Stars” takes readers on a breathless adventure from the speakeasies of America to the Horse Guards Parade in London, an ancient cemetery outside Paris, and back to the Eastern European strongholds where the Vales' tragedy first began."Fate is fickle and the stars are silent, but I do know this: No matter how difficult the circumstances or how savagely the world tries to tear us apart, I am here with you." 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.