Also by this author: A Gilded Lady, The Spice King, A Gilded Lady (Hope & Glory, #2), The Prince of Spies
Series: The Women of Midtown #1
Published by Bethany House Genres: Fiction, Christian, Historical, Romance
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Katherine Schneider's workaday life as a dentist in 1913 New York is upended when a patient reveals details of a deadly plot while under the influence of laughing gas. As she is plunged into danger, she seeks help from the dashing Lieutenant Jonathan Birch, a police officer she has long admired from afar.
Jonathan has harbored powerful feelings toward Katherine for years but never acted on them, knowing his dark history is something she could never abide. Now, with her safety on the line, he works alongside her through the nights as they unravel the criminal conspiracy that threatens her. And throughout it all, Jonathan fears what will happen should Katherine ever learn his deepest secrets.
Join award-winning author Elizabeth Camden for a sweeping and romantic adventure of dangerous secrets and wounded hearts fighting to overcome the darkness while the rest of the city sleeps.
Elizabeth Camden. When I see her name, I know I’m going to read the book. Topic doesn’t matter. Time period, I couldn’t care less. Elizabeth Camden has my attention from the first word, and she kept it throughout While the City Sleeps. Camden excels like no other when it comes to historical romance. Katherine Schneider is already a peculiar woman for being a dentist in 1913 New York City. As she works an evening shift, Jonathan Birch walks her home every night to the Martha Washington Hotel. Her life, however, turns upside down with one patient. One patient who spoke what she considered nonsense, but her life spirals into threats, explosions, death, and danger. Jonathan’s the only one she trusts to take her concerns seriously. Jonathan must fight to keep her safe while combatting his growing feelings for her and hiding his past. A past that would quickly kick him out of the police force.
While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden provides the tension necessary for a successful novel. Romantic tension, you got it. A perilous plot, one which could damage innocent lives. A conniving villain. Complicated family histories. I felt like I experienced the mob and other organized crime of the early 1900s. Camden also touched on the general…distrust that existed for certain races, as well. If you were a certain nationality, you were placed in a box that you could not escape. Truth be told, the same could often be said of today. Profiling and prejudices still exist, and whether we want to admit it or not, they affect how we live our lives. This, in particular, resonates with While the City Sleeps. Careers should be based on merit, not on family ties.
I loved Katherine. She knew what she wanted, and she pursued it, whatever that “it” was. She listened and acknowledged others’ concerns and comments, but Katherine ultimately made her own choices. Was she perfect? No. Was Jonathan perfect? Also no. They exemplified how relationships are not formed of “perfect” people. Rather, they grew to understand each other. They faced trials both together and apart. I enjoyed watching their relationship change as the book progressed, and Elizabeth Camden did a good job of portraying the ebbs and flows of discovering other people’s hearts.
I can always count on Elizabeth Camden to deliver first-rate historical fiction. Well-researched yet not overwhelming, she writes scenes that every reader of the genre will love. While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden is the perfect beginning for her “Women of Midtown” series.