Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green

Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green ISBN-13: 9780764233302 Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: Bethany House Released: February 4th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop and care for their father, Stephen, a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. But when the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago's business district, they lose much more than just their store.

The sisters become separated from their father, and after Meg burns her hands in an attempt to save a family heirloom, they make a harrowing escape from the flames with the help of Chicago Tribune reporter Nate Pierce. Once the smoke clears away, they reunite with Stephen, only to learn soon after that their family friend not only died during the fire--he was murdered. Even more shocking, Stephen is charged with the crime and committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum.

Though homeless, injured, and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life, but prove her father's innocence before the asylum truly drives him mad.


My Review:
Veiled in Smoke is a Christian historical romance mostly set in October to December 1871 in Chicago. The historical details focused on the Great Fire, the rebuilding, the struggles of the survivors, the Civil War (especially the prisoner of war camps), how the traumatized veterans were treated, and about what the insane asylum was like. These interesting details were woven into the story.

The main characters were interesting and reacted realistically to events. The romance between Meg and Nate progressed from friendship and spending time together into romance. They supported and helped each other and worked well together. I was disappointed by the mystery, though. I was able to quickly figure out whodunit and why, though it was realistic that it took the characters a while to piece it all together. However, the confession didn't seem to entirely match the facts that had been gathered throughout the story. The murder seemed to consist of a series of highly improbable circumstances, all happening during and immediately after a citywide fire.

Several main characters learned to trust God to help heal them from trauma. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this book to fans of historical romances.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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