The brilliance of stars

Summary: Amid the chaos of the Great War, two master assassins risk it all for love. Washington DC, 1914. Taken in from the streets as a child, Ivy Olwen attends a prestigious school for orphans but soon discovers that her training goes far beyond arithmetic and spelling. In the hallowed and historied halls of Talon Academy, 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. A fellow student and top of the class, Jack takes Ivy under his wing, and the two form a bond that soon turns to love. After their training is complete, the two embark on an official mission to take down a madman who has left a trail of blood and murder across Russia while the rest of the world tumbles into war. Little do they know, their target is merely a shadow of a greater threat gaining power in the far corners of a chaotic Europe, and their foes are bent upon destruction. 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.