The Manhattan Confessions by Jocelyn Green

The Manhattan Confessions
by Jocelyn Green

ISBN-13: 9780764239656
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: April 7, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Ivy Malone, the New-York Historical Society's librarian, is dedicated to preserving Manhattan's rich history, but when society grand dame Adeline King anonymously reveals her shocking life story, Ivy finds herself holding a highly coveted secret. Burdened with the responsibility of keeping Adeline's identity hidden, Ivy finds the matter increasingly complicated when two men claim ties to the elderly woman--one of them accusing Adeline of involvement in a crime.

Another dilemma brews when Ivy's cousin, Gina, is detained at Ellis Island for lack of proper documentation. Hoping an immigration service can resolve the misunderstanding, Ivy employs their help but is instead thrust into a dangerous world. With time running out, she must unravel the tangle of secrets that bind Adeline's past, Gina's freedom, and her own safety. How far is she willing to go to protect those she loves?


My Review:
The Manhattan Confessions is a Christian romance set in 1926 in New York City. It's the 3rd in a series but works as a stand-alone. Ivy lost her family when she was young, so she idealized family and was constantly looking for people to fill that void and provide her with an assurance she won't be abandoned again. Tom was dealing with lasting trauma from his war experiences. Tom protected Ivy against danger. Ivy's drawn to Tom's kindness toward others. Ivy and Tom built each other up and supported each other.

The main characters were well-developed and engaging. Interesting historical details were woven into the story, mostly about how some people were taking advantage of poor immigrants. I anticipated some of the "twists" but enjoyed the story. I was disappointed by the ending, though: Ivy's told by her friends that doing something sounded like a bad idea but she did it anyway, then she realized the "lure" wasn't genuine and she might now be vulnerable to the bad guys, yet she STILL decided to go off by herself to a dark area (where the bad guy had been waiting for some time). It felt forced: make the heroine act foolishly so the hero could come to her rescue! Then, in the epilogue, we have very pregnant (about to give birth) women skating! Why make heroines randomly throw all sense out the window? (My mother lost a baby due to a short fall, so maybe I'm extra sensitive about this.)

By the end of the story, Ivy realized that God was what she was looking for in human family. He'll never leave her. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.


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.