The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose

Her amazing ability to make her story line believable and her extraordinary protagonist relatable result in an unforgettable psychic thriller.' - Library Journal A dazzling mix of history, mystery, and mystical dark arts, the second volume in Rose's paranormal historical series (after The Witch of Painted Sorrows) bewitches from start to finish. Full of romance, seduction, and a love so powerful it reaches beyond the grave, The Secret Language of Stones is yet another 'spellbindingly haunting' ( Suspense magazine), 'entrancing read that will long be savored' ( Library Journal, starred review). So begins a dangerous journey that will take Opaline into the darkest corners of wartime Paris and across the English Channel, where the exiled Romanov dowager empress is waiting to discover the fate of her family. Until one day, one of these fallen soldiers communicates a message - directly to her. In her mind, she is no mystic, but merely a messenger, giving voice to soldiers who died before they were able to properly express themselves to loved ones. Certain gemstones, combined with a personal item, such as a lock of hair, enable her to receive messages from beyond the grave. The concept is too closely associated with her mother Sandrine, who practices the dark arts passed down from their ancestor La Lune, one of sixteenth century Paris's most famous courtesans.īut Opaline does have a rare gift even she can't deny, a form of lithomancy that allows her to translate the energy emanating from stones. But magic is a word Opaline would rather not use. People say that Opaline's creations are magical. So it is from La Fantasie Russie's workshop that young, ambitious Opaline Duplessi now spends her time making trench watches for soldiers at the front, as well as mourning jewelry for the mothers, wives, and lovers of those who have fallen. In the summer of 1918, places where lovers used to walk, widows now wander alone.

But war has transformed Paris from a city of style and romance to a place of fear and mourning. La Fantasie Russie is owned by Pavel Orloff, protégé to the famous Faberge, and is known by the city's fashion elite as the place to find the rarest of gemstones and the most unique designs. Nestled within Paris's historic Palais Royal is a jewelry store unlike any other.

Rose's 'brilliantly crafted' ( Providence Journal) novel The Witch of Painted Sorrows. As World War I rages and the Romanov dynasty reaches its sudden, brutal end, a young jewelry maker discovers love, passion, and her own healing powers in this rich and romantic ghost story, the perfect follow-up to M.J.

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose