Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green

About:

The Flames Took So Much.
She Can’t Lose Her Father As Well.

Meg Townsend and her sister, Sylvie, seek a quiet existence managing the family bookshop. Meg feels responsible for caring for their father, Stephen, whose spirit and health are both damaged from his time as a prisoner during the Civil War. Her one escape is the paintings she creates and sells in the bookshop.

Then the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago’s business district. The fiery explosions and chaos stir up memories of war for Stephen as he runs from the blaze and becomes separated from his daughters. Days later, when the smoke has cleared, Meg and Sylvie manage to reunite with him. Their home and shop are lost, and what’s left among the ashes may be even more threatening than the flames, for they learn that a close friend was murdered the night of the fire–and Stephen has been charged with the crime. After he is committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum, where they cannot visit him, Stephen feels as lost to them as the shop that now lies in rubble.

Though homeless and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life but prove the truth of what happened that night, before the asylum truly drives her father mad.

My thoughts:

I love a Jocelyn Green novel. She comes up with some of the best storylines. I’m excited that this is the beginning of a new series, too.

I really don’t know much about the fires in Chicago so reading this was very interesting and informative.

I could relate to Meg and what was taken from her (I won’t tell  you what it is), but it is a fear I deal with, not the exact same thing but something similar. I hoped throughout the book she wouldn’t loose her spirit and hope. I was curious to see how it would all play out.

I enjoyed Sylvie’s character as well. She was spunky, yet often felt overlooked.

I had my suspicions of what might have happened the night of the fire but Jocelyn did a great job of placing enough doubt about what really happene that it kept me wondering until the end.

If you enjoy historical romance or Jocelyn Green’s novels I am sure you will but thrilled with this one.

Visit Jocelyn here.

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A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.