On a mission with high stakes and hidden passion, one man and one woman take a chance on a reckless choice. Constantinople, 1845 Amir Qureshi knew his life would never be the same the day he met Naděžda Ollerton-Cerná, much to his chagrin. With her sharp wit and brazen charm, Naděžda is as infuriating as she is irresistible, and Amir cannot stop himself from falling in love with her—even though … himself from falling in love with her—even though they can never be together.
As an ally to the Order of the Crystal Daggers, under the command of Naděžda’s indomitable mother, Amir knows there is no place for love in the life of a spy.
When they are sent to Constantinople to investigate a missing shipment of weapons, Naděžda’s life is endangered, and Amir races to save her, knowing he cannot deny his heart any longer.
But Amir is not the only one who is keeping secrets …
Night of Blood and Beauty is a companion novella to The Order of the Crystal Daggers, a historical spy romance series from C. S. Johnson.
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I was given this book for free. It’s the first one in this series I have read. I love CS Jones writing however & this one did not disappoint. I am anxious to read the series now. I’m not sure its better to read this first or start with #1 because I was a little lost how it fits into the series. You will like it I believe. This is my honet voluntary opinion.
“Wishes are oddly burdensome things.”
This short story is lovely. Having not read- although I own -Kingdom of Ash and Soot Amir and Naděžda are not characters I know, but this story of a mission with The Order of Crystal Daggers allows us to watch a snippet of being a spy during the time of Queen Victoria.
While I read about Lumeire and helping(?) hindering(?) Amir, I kept seeing a cross between Jack Sparrow and The Pirates of Penzance. Amir could have been played by a young John Rhys Davis or Morgan Freeman. And Naděžda could be a young Kathleen Turner.
That’s the beauty of a story like this: a chance to peek in a window of a not-so-serious, slightly campy situation and draw our own conclusion. 5/5
[I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
The only issue I have with this book is that it’s too short for me. I could read on and on and I love the characters that C.S. Johnson is developing. I enjoyed this novella but wish it were a full length novel. The action is fun and the characters have a way of burrowing themselves into your heart.
The Order of the Crystal Daggers Series, book 2.5 a well written story that kept me turning pages. Amir Qureshi and Naděžda Ollerton-Cerná’s story of suspense, drama, danger, villains, missing weapons, and romance. I want to read more in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a beautiful forbidden romance with strong characters and an intriguing story line. The author does a great job describing her characters and scenes in vivid detail. It’s well written,moves quickly and smoothly and I enjoyed reading and am looking forward to the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
I red’d this book as an ARC from the author and in return I would leave my honest review. This book was amazing. I love this book and the characters in it. This is the first book that I have read by this author but it will not be the last.
I am soooo glad she put out this novella. You know from the first book that the tale of Amir and Naděžda was a tragic one, but this was amazing. Once I started it I couldn’t put it down so I guess I’m lucky it was only 76 pages. This story tells the tale of when Cerná and Amir finally gave in and accepted that they loved one another. Now I can’t wait to pick up book 2 and get back into this series!
C.S. Johnson writes so well and fluidly! Night of Blood and Beauty will transport you to another place with a mix of cultures and another time – Constantinople 1845. There’s spying, lying, kidnapping, and more in this romantic adventure. The characters’ thoughts and feelings seem so real. The dialogue is natural. The only thing that didn’t seem realistic was Naděžda casually talking while being stitched up.
This is a bittersweet prequel novella and the characters will become better known in the series. If you like historical fiction with rebels, spies, and romance, then you’ll enjoy The Order of the Crystal Daggers!
I received an eARC and this is my honest and voluntary review.
I am SO excited that the author decided to write this companion for her Order of the Crystal Daggers trilogy! It was so very delightful and had me inwardly squealing at all the Easter eggs and cameos! To say it was “fun” is an understatement.
However, that ending was tragically beautiful and really made my heart break for Amir even more so than it did in Prince of Secrets and Shadows. He’s a good man. <3
Definitely a must read for fans of this series!