Oh, what a beautiful book this is... and I don't just mean this wonderful cover-- though it certainly is beautiful too. The beauty carries over into the story inside. Jocelyn Green has created a story that has so much going on... in the best way possible. The historical detail was absolutely fantastic and made me appreciate the research that I know must have gone into bringing this story to life. I found the history and love of Egypt during this time fascinating, and not something I knew a lot about. It also had a great balance of romance and mystery to keep readers engaged from start to finish. There was just so much to appreciate in this story, and it had me looking forward to seeing more in this series. While I've read other books by the author in the past, I definitely felt like this one was the most up my alley!

If you enjoy historical reads with romance and mystery, this is worth checking out.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

This book was great! Entertaining, mysterious, a dash of romance, and full of the glamour of the roaring 20s.

I loved Lauren’s character and all the fascinating information on Egyptology. The message was also great- you don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love. He gives it freely.

A few of the people and events were a little confusing but it wasn’t so confusing I was lost. Overall a great book and my favorite by Jocelyn!

I really enjoyed reading The Metropolitan Affair. It is a Christian historical mystery and suspense/romance.

I requested a copy from Netgalley, and Bethany House kindly gave me an advanced ebook copy. I believe the book releases on the 14th of March 2023.

The story follows Dr Lauren Westlake, an Egyptologist working at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 1925. She had a difficult relationship with her father growing up and always wanted to go to Egypt with him.

At the beginning of the book, Lauren’s father gave her the opportunity to go on an expedition with him. However, to do this, she must prove herself to the board of his newly formed society. At the same time, she also met up with Joe, an old friend who was a detective with the NYPD. He asked her to help him find Egyptian forgeries which were being sold to wealthy people in New York.

The book followed both Lauren’s and Joe’s perspectives. The narrative focused on the criminal investigation of tracking down forgers. It also spent time showing the development of Lauren’s relationships with her father, Joe, her work colleagues and her flatmates.

I loved the characters and the emotional complications that arose from the plot. I also loved the mystery — some of which I predicted, but many other events and revelations I did not see coming.

There were only a few references to the Christian faith in this book. However, those parts were strong and gave a good message, which I appreciated.

I would like to continue with this series in the future.

(Content — the romance is clean, the mystery contains a small amount of violence)

Rating
Story Enjoyment Rating: 9/10 Christian Faith Rating: 2/3

The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green is so good. Definitely a top-ten read for the year! My favorite aspect to this story is the Mystery — so, so, so well done. I was hooked from page one and did not want to put this book down. I was so sure by the 50% mark that I knew whodunit. I did NOT know whodunit. LOL! In addition to the mystery, I really LOVED the characters. Each character is so unique and interesting. Lauren is the most relatable. No, I am not a super educated Egyptologist who works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but I do relate to her major issues with her father. All I will say about Lauren’s father (because he is a huge part to the mystery) is that he left me feeling the way I often feel when I leave a visit with my own father — really sad and really angry. Joe is a great hero and a really cool detective. I liked his character the best. I devoured his parts in each chapter because the detective work is excellent, but also because he is just cool. He is fiercely loyal, incredibly intelligent, and has a protective streak a mile long. I love when heroes are protective, and how Joe protects Lauren in this story is quite swoony. As far as relationships go, I found that Joe and Lauren’s relationship progresses nicely over the course of this story. At the start of this story, Joe and Lauren are dear old friends who have recently reconnected. Joe needs Lauren’s help identifying Egyptian forgeries. Lauren is all too happy to help her dear childhood friend. As the mystery deepens, so, too, does Joe and Lauren’s relationship as they move from friendship to a sweet, real romance. I really love Green’s storytelling talent for weaving a compelling mystery with an endearing romance with deep, spiritual and personal self-reflection and growth. A reader really does get so much when he/she picks up a story by Ms. Green.

The Metropolitan Affair is an excellent Historical Romance that I highly, highly recommend. This is a story you will not want to miss. If you are a fan of well-written and well-researched Mysteries, if you love a good, clean Romance, and/or if you just want to read a highly engaging storyline written by one of the best storytellers today, then purchase a copy of this book. I promise, you will not be disappointed you did.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Bethany House Publishers, via NetGalley in order to read and review. I also received a paperback copy of this novel from Bethany House Publishers as part of their Influencer Team program in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! This shory has a bit if everything, history, mystery, romance and adventure! I enjoyed the characters and getting to 'see' Manhattan in the 1920's. The Egyptian fever was fascinating and the forgery angle was fun to explore. I do wish we got to know more about Conner and that story. I feel like it got short changed. Overall, a nice read and not completely predictable :)

I requested to read and review this book for free from Baker Publishing Company. This story has drama, romance and mystery. Any type of reader can read this and it can be read anywhere! Family has many definitions people you are related to and friends or other individuals. Some of the great characters in this book are Lauren who has guarded herself for many years due to her past and Joe struggles to trust anyone in regards to his past. Can these two overcome their past or will it keep them from moving forward. Betrayal and lies are a real thing and can destroy any relationship. Can you learn from past mistakes whether your own or from others.

3.5 stars rounded up. I would recommend this story to fans of Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy series and Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody books. I really liked the unique premise here and enjoyed the atmospheric writing style. Although one part of the mystery I figured early on, I was still surprised by several shocking twists and turns at the end.

The heroine here is an assistant curator of the Egyptology department at the Met Museum in the 1920's, which provides an interesting view into how the discovery of King Tut's tomb led to an explosion of interest in the topic, as well as rampant forgeries to cash in on the trend. Her second-chance romance with Joe, a NYPD detective, is also sweet and well done. Lauren (and yes, it always feels weird reading a story with a character who shares your name) and Joe met as children and dated briefly as young adults but separated after Lauren left to pursue her education and career, while Joe remained in New York to pursue his career as with the police. They are reunited here when Joe asks Lauren to consult on a series of forged antiquities that are tied into an ongoing investigation. The stakes escalate quickly as Lauren and Joe discover what appears to be a widespread forgery scheme that defrauded wealthy patrons and Lauren starts to receive anonymous threats for her continued involvement. Complicating matters further is the sudden re-appearance of Lauren's absentee father -- who rose to prominence as an archaeologist and sparked Lauren's original interest in Egyptology -- claiming that he wants to rebuild bridges between them and invite her on his next expedition. Lauren struggles to reconcile her feelings about her father's past conduct and to make sense of a series of mysteries incidents surrounding him now.

Another interesting aspect of the story is the historical detail of 1920's New York. Although a few minor points were slightly off (there were several references confusing Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central with the main concourse, and as far as I know there haven't been stone lion statues outside the Met's entrance as opposed to the NYPL), overall the author does a great job of capturing the details of the city in that period. The references to Ferrara's bakery inspired me to take a trip there myself to enjoy the desserts.

I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the series. Lauren's friends/roommates each work at other museums in the city, so I assume they will get their own stories next.

Thank you to Bethany House and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

Set in New York City in the mid-1920s, The Metropolitan Affair is a wonderful Gilded Age mystery complete with the rich and famous, lavish parties, forgers of antiquities, a beautiful Egyptologist, and a German-Italian NYPD detective. The story is original, well-plotted, and contains natural sounding dialogue. The author paints vivid mental images including those that impact the olfactory and taste senses, leaving the reader's mouth watering for pastrami on rye or the best cup of coffee with a cannoli on the side. The theme is about discovering the One that, unlike friends and family may do, will never leave nor forsake you, and whose love is never conditional.

I most highly recommend The Metropolitan Affair, the first book in Green's On Central Park series, and her previous series, The Windy City Saga. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

DNF- I signed up for this books bc I love anything to do with art, museums, ancient civilizations.I can't get enough of it!. The setting was The Met which I have been to several times and greatly enjoy. I was really looking forward to this book. The author did a good job of describing the museum and it's inner-workings. However, I didn't not realize when I signed up for it that it was christian fiction. Had I known that I would have left it for someone else. I do not enjoy this genre and really do try to avoid it. It is always an unpleasant surprise when it comes up in a book. If you aren't bothered by CF, and love arty books, you might really enjoy this. I, however, could not get past it. Thanks Net Galley for this opportunity.

The premise of The Metropolitan Affair sounded fascinating to me. I love learning about ancient Egypt, and I enjoy going to museums. The 1920s is a time period that I’m not super familiar with, so I was also excited to learn more about it.

What I liked best about this book was that I could tell that the author did a lot of research about ancient Egypt and their art. She was very specific about techniques used and the history behind a lot of their artifacts.

I also enjoyed the Christian faith elements that were included in this story.

While there were many redeeming qualities for this book, I also felt that it fell a bit flat in certain areas.

First, the pacing was very slow and didn’t pick up until almost the end of the story. While I know some readers enjoy slow-paced books, I felt that I really had to push myself to continue reading this story.

I also felt that there was not very much romance or chemistry between Lauren and Joe. There weren’t many moments where they had interactions outside of the investigation into forgeries. It didn’t really feel like they had a connection with each other even though they were so close throughout their adolescent years.

The relationship between Lauren and her father was also a bit frustrating. I did not expect what ultimately occurred within their relationship, but I found this aspect of the story to be a bit boring.

Overall, it wasn’t a terrible book, but I found it to be pretty much average. If you don’t mind slower paced stories, then you might enjoy this book a lot more than I did.

I recieved an early edition of The Metropolitan Affair and these reviews are completely my own.
It piqued my interest by the cover and Egyptian history.
It was suspenseful, mysterious and had a decent storyline to keep you enthralled with it!

The book started out a bit slow and the plot took time to build but proved worth it as the story unfolded. Loved how well researched the book was, and how the writer took time to develop each character against a rich historical background. Questions and mysteries were satisfyingly tied up at the end in a less than predictable way, which is a point I appreciated and found lacking in my other recent reads.

I was given a preview copy of the book by netgalley, which in no way affected my review.

Thank you to @netgalley and #BethanyHouseFiction for this ARC. Dr. Lauren Westlake is a well accomplished Egyptologist for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Joe is an NYPD detective that has come across some Egyptian forgeries that are being sold as real. He knows he needs to get his friend Lauren involved to see who is behind this deception. Oddly enough, Lauren's father, also a very accomplished archeologist, has come back into play after being an absent father her whole life. Is all this a coincidence? I like the mystery and the romance in this book. Looks like it will be a series and I plan to read the next one. #TheMetropolitanAffair #JocelynGreen #March2023 #BethanyHouseFiction #BakerPublishing

This was a glorious read!!!

Hands down my favorite Jocelyn Green book to date (though I'll admit it's only my third). I loved, loved, loved the NYC setting (probably my second favorite city on the East Coast, behind Washington, D.C.), and the focus on Egyptology was thrilling as well. I grew up reading the Tintin comics; while not at all related to this book, one of my faves had been [book:Cigars of the Pharaoh|146122], and this read brought back all the reasons I'd loved that one--the history, the mystery, the art, everything.

Green impeccably weaves together a multi-layered mystery and romance, and of course incorporates family and faith throughout. There were several doozies of one-liners I would read and just have to sit with for a few moments as they were both so well-written and poked me between the eyes!

Very, very, very good, and I can't wait for more books in the series.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a beautiful cover and was so excited to get an ARC. I gave this a 4.5⭐️ and I need you to understand that I love museums and this was all things museums. If you haven’t been to one lately you need to go. I love historical finds and the artifacts and or finds of Egypt.
Lauren was an expert in her field and she was smart with a beautiful spirit. Joe was honorable and held true to his responsibilities that I found so charming. This mystery, historical romance was memorable and I highly recommend it. It was good.
Thanks Bethany House and Jocelyn Green via NetGalley. I really enjoyed it.

This was a delightful surprise! I don’t read many Christian books that also have an intriguing storyline. I found myself engaged in the mystery as well as the characters. I really enjoyed it!

The Metropolitan Affair marks the debut novel in the On Central Park Book series, penned by the talented Jocelyn Green. This captivating tale is a second-chance love story that unfolds against the backdrop of New York City's roaring twenties, replete with all the glitz and glamour of the era. The novel is a veritable feast for the senses, with its richly layered plot and vividly drawn characters. I was swept away by the author's masterful storytelling as she weaves a tale of love, loss, and redemption that will leave a lasting impression.

“Dead people were easy to talk to. It was the living ones that often gave Lauren trouble. Even her father. No. Especially him.” Therein lies the difficulty that Dr. Lauren Westlake has as her estranged father reappears in her life after being absent for so long. I loved this book. The ever-forgiving Lauren, fake Egyptian artifacts, mystery, romance, villains, it’s all there.

Ms. Green is a masterful storyteller weaving historical facts and an intriguing story into a book that once I began reading it was hard to put down. Here are some other things I loved about it:

1920’s era
a female assistant museum curator
a detective with right on hunches
lifelike historical details
plot twists!
redemption message

I highly recommend purchasing this book. It would be a perfect selection for a book club so that others can enjoy reading and discussing it with you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.

I have read and loved several of Jocelyn Green's books and this is definitely one of my favorites. She has proven that she is a master storyteller, adept at switching from one historical setting to another with ease.

In The Metropolitan Affair, she has penned an outstanding blend of history, mystery and romance. I adored this story set in Prohibition era NYC. With a hero who is solving crime within the dangerous mafia world of speakeasies and a heroine who is an expert on Egyptian antiquities, I found the characters well-written and engaging. They combine their talents to undercover the identity of a forger that might have connections in the art world as well as the underworld of organized crime. Joe is a true hero, a man of integrity, in pursuit of justice. Lauren is a successful Egyptologist who has spent her lifetime seeking her father's approval and love.

With a well-paced plot, I found myself glued to the pages, intrigued not only by the mystery but by the fascinating details of Egypt and its antiquities that Ms. Green wove throughout the story. This is also a story of grief and loss, of family and faith. Looking forward to reading more books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher through Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

"Sometimes people felt what they feared. And sometimes they saw what they wanted to see."

This is my favorite Jocelyn Green book to date! I absolutely adored being in 1925 New York City and seeing the city through the eyes of history. The plot was complex and engaging, with a rousing mystery regarding forgeries and stolen guns, corruption, and bribery during the era of Prohibition. There was a sweet, slow-burn romance between Joe and Lauren who shared a history, a thirst for justice, and love for art. A strong faith thread highlighting the all-encompassing love of our Heavenly Father surrounded the characters as themes of acceptance and finding home were explored. Historical details like the emergence of Egyptology as science and art as well as the structuring of the Egyptian artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art were absolutely fascinating. I will have a whole new appreciation and perspective the next time I visit the MET.

Joe and Lauren, though they seem worlds apart as an NYPD detective and PhD in Egyptology, were truly a perfect couple. Their hearts, purpose, and worlds melded so seamlessly that it was hard to believe they'd been apart for more than a decade and a half. Joe's integrity, love for family, loyalty, and devotion made him a fantastic hero. Lauren's intelligence, bravery, and compassion made her an excellent counterpart to Joe. There are some surprises along the way as Joe and Lauren chase down Egyptian forgeries and you won't be able to put down the book when the intrigue picks up speed.

It's a wonderful combination of history, mystery, suspense, faith, and romance. I received the book from Bethany House via Interviews and Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.