Veiled in Smoke + Giveaway

RANDOM RETRO RE-READ

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:

published in 202o

I admit to being a cover snob and this one completely draws me in. The sepia tones and the haze of smoke shrouding the city’s ruins…just wow…totally sets the mood. And with the heroine standing on the edge — visual imagery of the precipice she’s teetering on as her whole life tumbles down around her. Whew! What a powerful lure to the unsuspecting reader. (And I might be a tad giddy over the embossed lettering on the cover. I’m tactile nerdy that way.)

This is the first book in The Windy City Saga series and, wowsers, saga is right! It reads like an epic classic with rich descriptive prose and an involved plot that carried me away to another time and place. Jocelyn Green is known for her impeccable research and the historical details in this novel add such rich layers to characterization and plot.

Drama, mystery, intrigue and even a touch of romance — my bibliophile senses are still swimming. This is the kind of book you lose yourself in. Seriously, I barely came up for air and lost sleep because I couldn’t leave these characters to sort out their lives without me there to encourage them on. 🙂 It’s kind of left me tongue-tied, actually. Definitely the kind of multi-sensory delight a reader needs to experience for herself.

Gobsmackingly good!

(This is my second read through — this time I listened to the audible edition expertly narrated by Leah Horowitz.)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Gently read paperback (has been stored in a bookcase with glass doors so it still smells new!) available TO ALL READERS — INTERNATIONAL INCLUDED. YAY!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Veiled in Smoke, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 20, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

28 thoughts on “Veiled in Smoke + Giveaway”

  5. Yes, you got me wanting to read this one to now too. I’ve read a few stories on the Windy City, but Jocelyn Green is a new author for me.

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  7. I’ve fallen missed out on this series because for some reason I have book 3 and I hate to read it out of order. I enjoyed the review and know that I love Jocelyn Green’s novels. She is never afraid to write about the tough stuff in life!

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  8. What an amazing cover on a fabulous sounding book! Since I’ve never read anything “yet” from this author, I would love the opportunity to start with this one.

    Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  9. Don’t enter me but just chiming in that I enjoyed your review. And I always think about that old tale about the cow kicking over the lantern whenever this historical event is mentioned.

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    1. lol — I remember singing a song about that in Brownies! Totally forgot about that…and now it’s rolling around in my mind on a never ending loop. Thanks for that. 🙂

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  10. thanks for your review. I so agree, such a lovely cover. It shows a lot of what happened during that time. My husband grew up in Chicago and there are a lot of stories and speculations about the Great Chicago Fire. I grew up in CA and have found all of this fascinating. Cant wait to read this book. Thanks. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  12. I really enjoyed this whole series, which isn’t surprising since I’ve become a big fan of Jocelyn Green’s books. Don’t enter me in the giveaway, I already have the book.

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