The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green

For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she'd accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father's offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York's wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.

With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York's high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.

In this rich 1920s tale, bestselling author Jocelyn Green invites you into one of New York City's most esteemed museums, where a young woman discovers secrets, betrayal, and romance.

Paperback, 384 pages

Published March 14, 2023

 by Bethany House Publishers

4/5 stars

Taking place in the 1920's,  The Metropolitan Affair follows the life of Dr. Lauren Westlake, an Assistant Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Told from both Lauren's perspective and that of her old friend, Joe, one of New York's finest.

As the first book in Jocelyn Green's On Central Park series, The Metropolitan Affair takes place just after the discovery of King Tut's tomb. The city's elite are scrambling to get their hands on relics from Egypt, but when forgeries start popping up Lauren and Joe team up to track down the culprit.

This book is not just a historical story, but also delves into Lauren's relationship with her father, who has been absent for most of her life, as well as her complicated past with Joe. The story weaves through politics, women in the workforce, police procedures, family, and grief, making for a truly entertaining read.

The Metropolitan Affair even features cameos from historical figures, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the story. With enough Egyptology to satisfy this history buff, this well-written book kept my attention with a mystery that twisted and turned kept me on my toes.

My thanks to Graf-Martin Communication for a print copy in exchange for a honest review.

Review: Veiled in Smoke (The Windy City Saga #1) by Jocelyn Green

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.

Paperback, 416 pages

Published February 4th 2020

by Bethany House Publishers

****

Ever since reading The Mark of the King, Jocelyn Green has become one of my go-to authors.  She writes her books around real historical events that haven't been getting much attention.

Coming in at 400 pages there is great detail to the aftermath of The Great Fire, not all of it necessary but it did paint a picture of what life was like, the struggles that were encountered with the winter approaching.

But it wasn’t just about the fire, it was about people struggling with their own internal demons. It’s about PTSD back when it was called a Soldier Heart, the treatment and social stigma that went with it. It’s the story of two sisters, who run a bookshop, searching for love and meaning. When the dust settles it’s also about a murder and the search for truth.

Once again Jocelyn Green has done extensive research and written a compelling story based on historical events. I love how she has taken me off the beaten path with a unique book that appears to be the first in The Windy City Saga. Released last month it is readily available in all formats.

This book was part of my 2020 reading off my shelf challenge.

Review: Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green

The daughter of a Mohawk mother and French father in 1759 Montreal, Catherine Duval finds it is easier to remain neutral in a world that is tearing itself apart. Content to trade with both the French and the British, Catherine is pulled into the fray against her wishes when her British ex-fiance, Samuel Crane, is taken prisoner by her father. Samuel asks her to help him escape, claiming he has information that could help end the war.

Peace appeals to Catherine, but helping the man who broke her heart does not. She delays . . . until attempts on Samuel's life convince her he's in mortal danger. Against her better judgment she helps him flee by river, using knowledge of the landscape to creep ever closer to freedom. Their time together rekindles feelings she thought long buried, and danger seems to hound their every mile. She's risked becoming a traitor by choosing a side, but will the decision cost her even more than she anticipated?

 Paperback, 400 pages

Published February 5th, 2019

by Bethany House Publishers

*****

If we don’t know sorrow, joy holds no meaning at all. We need to feel our losses so we can deal with them. 

Between Two Shores is my third Jocelyn Green book, having loved The Mark of the King and A Refuge Assured I was giddy with anticipation to read this one. To further my excitement this is Canadian HF, a favorite genre of mine and one I want to read more of.

What is courage? But moving forward in the face of fear? If there’s nothing to be afraid of, we would have no need to be brave.

This book takes place in the year 1759 as the British and French fought, taking place on the Canadian side, it’s a time and place I haven’t seen much of. I loved this book, it had the historical elements that I love - from the author’s notes it’s easy to see to what extent she went in her research and it shines through. The way of life, the struggle to survive in the harsh environment, the relationship between Mohawk, French and British, both good and bad shined through.

There were twists and turns in the plot that took me by surprise and I love it when a book does that. The authors writing style weaves a wonderful story of adventure, emotion, and faith, of relationships and finding oneself. Definitely a book I highly recommend.

Review: The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green

After being imprisoned and branded for the death of her client, twenty-five-year-old midwife Julianne Chevalier trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling 1720s French colony of Louisiana, where she hopes to be reunited with her brother, serving there as a soldier. To make the journey, though, women must be married, and Julianne is forced to wed a fellow convict.

When they arrive in New Orleans, there is no news of Benjamin, Julianne's brother, and searching for answers proves dangerous. What is behind the mystery, and does military officer Marc-Paul Girard know more than he is letting on?

With her dreams of a new life shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous, rugged land, despite never being able to escape the king's mark on her shoulder that brands her a criminal beyond redemption.

Paperback, 416 pages 

Published January 3rd 2017

by Bethany House Publishers 

*****

The Mark of the King made my 'best of 2017' list. I am giving this book 5 stars, if it was possible to give more I would.  It's been a while since I've read a book that was so spellbinding right from the beginning that I had a hard time putting it down.

There are so many things that I loved about this book starting with the cover.  It just spoke to me and gave off that warm vibe calling my name.

Right from the very first scene when Julianne, an experienced midwife, encounters tragedy at the birth I was hooked.  As the next scene plays out her time in prison the author didn't hold back and made me feel her distress and helplessness in a situation with no hope of a positive outcome.

The French colony is Louisiana in the 1720's is a very harsh, lonely and dangerous place, which Julianne finds out rather quickly.

The author's writing style was fabulous she wrote of the lifestyle in a wild and dangerous land, whether it was from the weather with its scorching heat and over abundance of bugs and dampness to the conflicts between the natives, British and even amongst themselves.  She didn't rush the story but made me feel what was going on nor did she mince words and painted an authentic print of Louisiana.

The Mark of the King is a story of survival, heartache, forgiveness, redemption and love.  Marked as Christian fiction but don't let that scare you off.  Someone once told me that as a Christian I should only be reading Christian fiction.  My response to that was if there were the type of books I love to read in that genre then I would jump at it.  Historical fiction is my favorite and I haven't really found too many books in that genre that satisfies what I love.  History can be brutal, raw and heartbreaking, I love books based on real life events and people, there needs to be depth of character and they need to be authentic and believable.   The Mark of the King is exactly what I want in both HF and CF.  It was realistic, heartfelt and genuine.  I think this book would be a hit for those that don't usually read this genre.

The book concluded with some wonderful author's note, going into detail about her motivation for writing this story.  In the writing I could feel the author's passion for this story and it's evident that she did a lot of research. It's a part of history that I didn't know existed, not only did I learn a lot about the time period with the struggles between French, natives and British but also what life was like for the early settlers.

I have already searched and ordered more books by this author and highly recommend this one.

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"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."