Behind the Veil

I had a ton of fun reading this. The writing was atmospheric and gothic and I really loved our main character. The cover caught my eye scrolling through Netgalley, and after reading the synopsis thought to give it a try and I'm SO GLAD I did.

A book with paranormal and ghost entities as elements speaking of war times. The book is so well written that it will suck you in and let you out only when you finish the last. If you are interested in paranormal stuff,this is a must read.

A fantastic book about a young woman with a powerful ability that she uses to see how people have died.
Her ability is so powerful that once upon a time it made her lose her unborn child, and nearly cost her her life.
It's a beautifully written book, full of suspense and mystery.
What I really enjoyed about this book, was that there's no big reveal about her past. The central plot involves a missing child, and her romance with the child's uncle.
The details of her past, and why she's so afraid of her abilities that she hides herself, is revealed slowly, in little flashbacks, and confessions throughout the book.
I would definitely recommend this book.

Letitia Hawking has just suffered through several traumatic events, crossed the line of sanity and with the help of a kind nurse has worked her way back. She is taken to Scotland where she is given instruction and guidance on nurturing and protecting herself especially her mind from the dangerous that her “gift” can cause. She has moved on to Los Angeles where she brings closure to families who have lost loved ones. All is well until Alasdair Driscoll appears in her door way with a shadow behind him. She soon finds herself going against all her teachings and breaking down the walls that she has built around her heart.
E.J. Dawson’s Behind the Veil is an incredible work. Her vivid descriptions and development of Letitia makes it easy to feel like you are in the same room with her as the story unfolds. The story moves well, the climax makes it almost impossible to put down until the last page is read. The cover is amazing and a definite eye catcher. Thank you E.J Dawson, BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for my review.

This Gothic occult suspense was not set in the usual Victorian era, but last just after World War I. With its blend of romance and macabre tale of the darkness that taints from the Otherside, all the death that is associated with this time frame fits rather perfectly with this story. Mothers, fathers, sisters, and wives are all longing to reconnect with the thousands of men who lost their souls on the battlefields near and far.

This book isn't just a book about talking a woman who took a stroll with mysticism; she fought it, bled; lost a part of herself to it, almost died, and come out the other side changed by her experience. Leticia can now pull back the veil between the worlds, but it is her fear of looking into the evil that holds her back from doing more than just helping loved one glimpse final moments, to bring them some peace in their grieving.

It was changed when she is confronted not only by a request to help a child that is being tormented by a dark spector, but by the requestor, the broody Mr. Alasdair Driscoll. He stirs her ire and awakens her long dead passions. Together they must face the darkness that has attached itself to his family and now is out to do harm.

The proise of this book tends to meander. With the blend of genres of suspense, maybe thriller, some mystery, the romance between Leticia and Alasdair felt . . . almost like a hesitant addition or a change to the story later. It didn't feel natural. The story could have easily survived with them as friends. I don't know. It made me as confused as the character acted about her wanting a romance. I didn't enjoy the mystery of it, though it was good there were warning as not every one like to read about murder and such.

I love Gothic horror and I’m pleased to say this one was a delight. Intrigue, romance, horror, it has everything you want for a spooky read.

Thank you to Netgally for a copy of this book.

This has me hooked from the first page! It literally jumps in with a haunting tale. Meet Letitia, young woman from London and now in the US for a fresh start. She is a medium and can see ones death after it happens. She eases the pain of the loved ones left behind and answers their questions. However she does not do murder cases. She is very sensitive to those and could cost her life has well.
I do not want to spoil anymore than I have. I love this book. It is everything I want in a book. Spiritual, haunting, murder, mystery and the history!! Its set in the 19th century the perfect time for this kind of book. Also has a touch of romance involved. I never really knew what a Veil is. Or why some call it that. After reading this book I watched a movie. And in that movie the woman was explaining her daughter unique gifts. She told her she had the Veil. Thats what Letitia uses during her summoning. A black Veil and black gloves.

Bravo to the author. You killed it on this one!!!!

A chilling tale full of ghosts and the darkest parts of humanity…

Behind the Veil has all the things I love in a gothic horror. I found the 1920’s setting to be unique to this particular genre and it added a richness of the story. Letitia has lived through something horrific, yet despite her fear of the darkness coming for her again, she knows she must use her gifts to help others. But when girls start vanishing, and she realizes they’re dead, she gets sucked into the murder investigation.

I enjoyed the romance between Letitia and Alisdair. It didn’t overtake the story but added another layer that kept me interested in the characters. I loved that after all Letitia had lost she’d found someone to love.

If ghosts, murder, intrigue, and romance are your idea of a thrilling ride, Behind the Veil is a must read! I simply couldn’t put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to review Behind the Veil.

Atmospheric tale of ghosts and intolerance - the believers and the non, and how they interact when faced with what they don't understand. A time when women were more "subjugated" than now, and their independence almost frowned upon. Ultimately a tale of the strength of love and trust, on many levels.

4 Stars

1920, Los Angeles: Letitia Hawking has sailed from England a few months ago to bury her past and lead a new life. She spends her days traversing the path between the living and dead. Her clients want some closure after their loved ones die, and Letitia offers them that. However, she is genuine material with strong powers and has strict rules about what cases she would take up and which she wouldn’t.
Alasdair Driscoll is tormented. His niece Finola has been seeing horrible things, and none of them know how to save her. Letitia is annoyed by his rude approach and terrified by the dark shadow haunting him. She doesn’t want to tangle with shadows again.
But she decides to take a step forward and help Finola. The girl needed saving, and Letitia could at least try and prevent the girl from being further tortured.
Time moves on, and before she knows it, Letitia is in the middle of a criminal case for helping a grieving father. Driscoll and his lawyering services come to her aid. Undecided about the growing attraction between them, Letitia is rather torn about what to do.
However, things take a turn for worse, and Letitia realizes that she needs to open the closed part of her if she wants to defeat the malicious shadow that’s hurting little kids. But is she strong enough to venture into a territory she swore never to enter? Will she succumb as she did the last time? What price does Letitia have to pay for interfering with the presence of evil?
The book starts on a steady note and progresses quite well. The setting is atmospheric, with a few lighthearted scenes added to the mix.
Letitia’s character has been crafted with care. She has her insecurities and vulnerabilities but is assertive and authoritative when required. Alasdair starts out as a rich rude man but shows his good side soon enough.
I think Abby was that one character I wasn’t too happy with. Her reactions were unexpected and either too demure or too excessive. Luckily, she doesn’t have a major role, and I could ignore most of it.
The final confrontation scene stretched over a good number of pages, and that worked in the story’s favor (at least for me). Of course, the ending could have been better though there is HEA. That complication felt unnecessary and seemed like it was used to tick off a trope from the list.
As a horror story, the book does very well and balances atmosphere with action, and is suitable for newbie horror readers. The author didn’t opt for explicit gore even though she could have done it. I appreciate this move as it made the book a better read.
To sum up, Behind the Veil is an engaging read with a steady pace and a good storyline. It’s nothing unusual or unique, but the overall effect is satisfactory, and that matters to me.
The book comes with content warnings. That said, the author doesn’t use any graphic descriptions. The themes, however, might trigger a few readers. Please read with caution.
Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial, for the ARC.

A deliciously dark gothic tale with fascinating characters and a captivating plot. What more could one ask for? I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially since it's not what I would usually pick up. Definitely recommend!

Coming out 01 Oct 2021, Behind the Veil by E.J. Dawson is a horror novel with a slice of romance in it. It was set in America but the writing is more to British English.

Letitia Hawking is a woman with a tortured past. She is convinced to live the rest of her life alone. She left London for Los Angeles to leave her past behind. About 6 months settling in just fine or so she thought, enter Alasdair Driscoll. He believed Letitia was the one who can save his niece, Finola from her haunting nightmares. The ever so persistent and charming lawyer stormed his way into her life and he made it very clear that he doesn’t take no for an answer.

I’m forever a fan of horror movies but for as long as I can remember, this is the first horror novel that I have read. I guess it’s true that there’s always a first time for everything.

So glad I picked this book up as I’m experimenting for a new genre because it does not dissapoint. I have zero complaint about the story as everything falls perfectly just to my liking. Seriously, it was horrifyingly entertaining!

Triggers warning for miscarriage, suicide, pedophilia, death, murder, rape, and possession.

This is a voluntary review in exchange for the e-ARC I received. I’m truly grateful to the NetGalley team and BooksGoSocial for the chance. Thank you.

I am in awe of E. J. Dawson’s writing.
Behind the Veil, the story of a woman that can sense the supernatural, and the dire situations she sees herself involved in, especially after some girls start disappearing without a trace, is a great supernatural horror book.
The writing style was gripping and made me want to read more and more each time. The plot and the characters were intriguing, and their development was a mix between fast paced action scenes, tainted with a creepy spine tingle horror, and slow burn discovering of the many secrets of each character.
However, make no mistake, not only for the Victorian feel to it, this book IS a dark book. It has some difficult topics, such as self-harm, suicide, miscarriage, loss of a loved one, violence against women, among others, so should be approached with care.
If you do like supernatural horror and hadn’t seen a well done spirit/medium horror novel in a while, this one is for you!

Behind the Veil treats readers to some rich world-building. The author immerses readers in the post-war lives of Americans in Los Angeles in the 1920s. It’s a time for optimism, but also a time of change, and that resonates in the pages in multiple ways. The author draws from real-world events, such as the Spanish Flu, to inform the story, making it feel anchored. Dawson also draws on the sentiments of the era, using attitudes about people with psychic gifts to create real tension for Letitia.

One thing that stands out in Behind the Veil is the author’s efforts to develop rich characters. Both Letitia and Alasdair have rich backstories that are both plausible and compelling. It’s easy to accept their motivations and actions because of the painstaking character development. It was also easy to like them. They’re both flawed, but driven by good intentions, making it easy to champion their causes. And when their objectives were at odds, it was tough to know who to root for.

It was, perhaps, a little tougher to accept Abby at times because we didn’t know her as well, and sometimes she seemed to react unpredictably. With Letitia, there was the sense of a strong woman who was not caught up in all of the gender conventions of her time; she was as tough as any man and capable of confronting trauma and taking care of herself. However, with Abby, it seemed like the slightest thing turned her into an irrational woman in need of her smelling salts.

This is a historical paranormal horror story with a criminal investigation and romance. Dawson shows her skill at weaving multiple genres together, which isn’t always easy to do. Dawson strikes me as an author with tremendous potential and I look forward to seeing her grow in her craft. The thing with this story, for me, was that it lingered on my brain for days after I finished. To me, that tells me the author did a great job of building a compelling world and telling an engaging story with characters that feel real.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. Letitia was an amazing main character. She was complex and not perfect by any means which made it easy to relate and sympathize with her. She showed amazing and realistic growth throughout the story. The chemistry and romantic plot line was perfect. I loved the banter and relationship between Alasdair and Letitia. I was really happy that the book turned out as good as it did.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

It is the 1920s and Letitia Hawking has moved from England to Los Angeles. She has a gift to help others see the last moments of their loved ones lives. Life becomes complicated when Alasdair Driscoll shows up needling her help.

I couldn’t put this down. The descriptions of the locations made me feel like I was there. Letitia seemed cold at first, but it became clear why she was so protective of herself and had her rules. This story was spooky and contains some heavy subjects.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Do you believe in psychics and mediums?

Letitia is a psychic in 1920s Los Angeles, giving her clients peace of mind by revealing their deceased loved ones’ last moments with her scrying bowl. Letitia chooses her clientele carefully, as there is danger in seeing another’s death. Word of mouth brings Alasdair Driscoll to her door looking for help she doesn’t feel safe providing. A web of serial killings and otherworldly possessions bring Letitia and Alasdair together to untangle the mysteries casting darkness upon their lives.

This book has all the makings of a great period gothic suspense story. The skillful writing pulls you into the supernatural aura surrounding Letitia in her rented rooms. Darkness envelopes you as Letitia reaches into her past looking for answers to bring the current evil to heel. Your heart will pound as she and Alasdair race to confront the maleficent spirits together before it’s too late. The suspense will have you breathless right up until the very end.

You will turn the pages of this masterful novel! It’s a great period story with lots of paranormal action, suspense, and romance. The writing is immersive and the story will send shivers up your spine!

Behind the veil by E.J. Dawson.
Can she keep the secrets of her past to rescue a girl tormented by a ghost?
A very good read with some good characters. Letitia was my favourite though. I loved the cover that's what drew me to read this book. 5*.

At this time of the year especially I always look for chilling stories, book to countdown the days to Halloween in style. Behind the veil, by E.J. Dawson was the perfect book to send shivers down my spine while at the same time intrigue me with some romance anche mystery.
Downside: this story was too short!

Straight away I knew I was going to absolutely ADORE this book, and I was right! I wasn't sure whether to categorise this as a horror or thriller, because it had aspects of both - which definitely added to my love of this book.

We start off by meeting Letitia, who I could not fault as a character, she was deep and interesting and was the perfect main character for a story of this much mystery and intrigue. The other characters just fit perfectly with the story too, Alasdair, Mrs Finch, Imogen and Finola were all integrated into the story wonderfully and added so much value.

The only character I had an issue with was Abby, I felt the way she was written was in complete contrast to the other characters and their nature, it seemed a bit odd to me.

And talking of things adding value to the story, the atmosphere of Behind The Veil was impeccable. Whilst I was reading it felt as though all my senses were heightened, waiting for something to go bang and disturb the tension of the book.

It was the same with the intrigue that the author built up, I couldn't fault it, at no point did the book become boring or feel like I was trying to hurry it along to get to another part of the story, it just kept that pace right through to the end.

To top everything off the writing and the plot were out of this world!

The writing was incredible, so descriptive, I felt as if I was in the story alongside our characters. The author formed the most amazing sentences and paragraphs, whether it be while Letitia was dealing with her families looking for closure, or when she was trying to help Finola, or when Alasdair and Letitia were flirting. It seemed no matter what the nature of the chapter or topic, the author was pulling it out of the bag with truly excellent writing.

And the plot, OH MY GOD it was amazing. Behind The Veil was an interesting and well-balanced read, it had everything you could want from a horror/thriller/mystery book.

I couldn't fault any part of the story, but the last 15-20% where we reached the crescendo and ending of the book was just impeccable. A combination of plot and writing meant we finished Behind The Veil feeling fulfilled, thrilled, and full of enjoyment from what was an amazing book.

On the whole, I can't fault Behind The Veil by E J Dawson, it had everything I could want from a book!

Again, thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC of this book to read and review.

Praise for the way this book started. It had me right away. Meet Letitia, a young woman from London and now in the US for a fresh start. She is a medium and can see one's death after it happens. She eases the pain of the loved ones left behind and answers their questions. However, she does not do murder cases. She is very sensitive to those and could cost her life as well.
Letitia was an amazing main character. She was complex and not perfect by any means which made it easy to relate and sympathize with her. She showed amazing and realistic growth throughout the story. The chemistry and romantic plotline was perfect. I loved the banter and relationship between Alasdair and Letitia.

I think this book is well layed out thought out well. The pacing was great and as I have not read anything from ej Dawson before I was a little sceptical but I enjoyed the book although not my usual genre and I very much will look into more books created from her. I felt attached to the characters and immersed in the story

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a great read. Meet Letitia Hawking, an English war widow who moves to Los Angeles in the 1920s for a fresh start after a very traumatic time in her life. She is a medium and has the ability to experience the last moments of a person’s life. She uses this skill to give closure to families who have lost loved ones. But Letitia sets her own limits: she won’t accept any murder cases or cases when death was sudden. Enter A. Driscoll, a well known, rich lawyer who desperately needs Letitia’s help for his niece, Finola, whose dreams are quite literally haunted. When he asks for her help, he goes about it in the worst possible way, with the arrogance of the rich, for whom everyone and everything can be bought.

This story was at times sad, at times scary. Probably the scariest part for me was the realisation that not all monsters live in the realm of the supernatural. Some are living, breathing people. But this was also a story about how we can let go of our own ghosts and allow hope and light back into our lives. Letitia, whose name means joy, is not exactly unhappy at the beginning of the book. She is not happy either. She seems to be settled on “content”, keeping what feels like a tenuous inner peace, a truce with herself, by fulfilling her penance for past errors and helping people. But she doesn’t allow herself getting too close to anybody. She is a complex woman, with a past that weight very heavily on her life and all her decisions. Seeing her grow as a character and overcome her fear and her past was a beautiful experience. I loved all the characters in the book, but Letitia Hawking is the one that will stay with me the longest.

The story is well paced, the culmination is not rushed, in accordance to a time when life moved a bit slower than now, even in a busy city like Los Angeles. This pace goes very well with the gloomy time after the Great War. So many dead. Letitia’s flat is quiet, tidy, very few of her possessions are superfluous. Her clothing reflects the more subdued English dress code, not the freer and noisier American fashion. Her life, her habits, her work have to do with death, grief, sadness and the need to comfort. The whole book has this quiet quality to it, even when it turns into a ghost story, even when romance begins to be a possibility. I have to say, it is beautifully written.

Trigger warning: (not explicit but alluded to or talked about) Rape, kidnapping, pedophilia, murder, possession, miscarriage, suicide.

This book gripped me from the very beginning. The characters are remarkable - all of them - and I kept wanting everything to turn out good for them. There is a fantastic plot that keeps me turning the pages. The author does a great job with building the story and suspense. I feel they sometimes included too much information that could be trimmed down to make it flow a little faster. All in all, it's a fantastic book that I'm happy I read.

Letitia Hawking is special, she has a gift where she can read the veil between life and death. She uses it to help others find their deceased loved ones during their last moments. When she is approached by Mr. Driscoll for help, she quickly denies when a dark shadowy figure is following him. A persistent Mr. Driscoll convinces her to meet his niece, and Letitia knows she must help because Letita is reminded of her dark past she’s tried so hard to hide. When young girls around the city begin to go missing, Letitia knows she must dig past her comfort zone and lean in to her gift to help. She knows she must face her deamons, and try not to fall for Mr. Driscoll at the same time.

I really enjoyed Latitia’s character. She is tough, and brave even though she’s scared out of her mind. She stands by what she believes, and will fight for it. That alone makes a great heroine in my opinion. This book got quite dark for me, the body possession alone is enough to scare me! Be sure to check out the triggers in this before reading.

Letitia Hawking has the power to view beyond the veil between life and death. She helps people with the death of her loved ones by doing readings in 1920's Los Angeles telling them the moments that led up to their deaths. Letitia has a strange request from a family member of one of her clients, Alisdair Driscoll. He would like Letitia to examine his niece, Finola; however, Letitia senses a dark presence around Alisdair and refuses. Eventually Letitia agrees to see Finola. Letitia sees herself in the young woman and helps her with the dark presence surrounding her. In helping Finola, Letitia might have connected the force that haunted Letita with a string of disappearances of young women around town.

Behind the Veil is a paranormal mystery with just the right amount of romance. I was pulled in by Letitia and her readings. Her sensitivity, caring and power of her gift shone through. It was really interesting to see how she conveyed the deaths of people's loved ones and gave me a great insight into her head and way of thinking. Since Letitia's past is revealed slowly throughout the story, it builds suspense and adds to her air of mystery. Once Alisdair enters the scene, more of Letitia's past is revealed as it seems to echo what Alisdair's niece is going through. I was really engrossed in Finola's experience and abilities that she discovered. The story built as Letitia discovered the presence attached to Finola. I enjoyed the story behind the spirit as well, creating a well rounded story. The romance was just the right touch with Letitia and Alisdair both respecting boundaries and taking the time to get to know one another. With a high stakes, exciting ending and hints at more to come for Finola, I hope to read more with these characters.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Letitia is burdened with a past consumed in tragedy. Within this tragedy she was able to find herself and her gifts. Letitia is able to look into the veil, and through this she is able to bring peace to families that have lost a loved one. Through her practice, she is able to help heal. But, when others find out that she is the real deal she is sucked into a world of murder and dark spirits from which she was not prepared.

On the surface, Behind the Veil is a paranormal suspense novel. But under the layers, it is so much more. It is about healing, confronting the past, and becoming stronger. In the beginning Letitia is fragile. She went through a great loss before her move to the States and she's just trying to get through each day. She atones for her the sins she perceives by bringing comfort and finality to grieving families. But, she knows her limits and she knows when she cannot help people. Unfortunately, there have been a string of disappearances of young girls in her town. When a grieving father approaches her, she can only tell him that his missing daughter is no longer among the living. This may be enough information for him, but it is not enough for the next grieving father of a missing girl. Mr. Driscoll also needs her help as well, as his niece is being plagued by constant night terrors. But, what do these events all have in common?

I loved the relationship between Mr. Driscoll and Letitia. I felt like he was the balm to her soul, and she was the person he needed to figure out his nieces terrors. They fit together and both gained from the relationship throughout the book. I was constantly rooting for them to come together. I really enjoyed Letitia's character development. She went from frail and meek to courageous and protective. It was a good look for her.

Overall, I feel that this book was very well written. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys paranormal, mystery, suspense or anything in between.

Thank you to Rockstar Book Tours for providing a copy of this book. These opinions are my own, and were not influenced in any way. I was not obligated to provide a review.

From the very first page, this book grabbed me and didn’t let go. I was instantly intrigued by Letitia and her world as well as her gift. Alasdair Driscoll was an engaging, maddening and seriously endearing character.

As a ghost story, this works. There’s enough of the eeriness and creep factor within these pages to make many shivers run up and down your spine. Letitia’s reaction to the first taste of real darkness we come in contact with was enough to have me sleeping with my closet light on.

As a thriller, this story also works. There’s enough of a who-dun-it to keep you guessing as to why girls went missing and what happened to them as well as Finola’s fate, how it’s all tied to the missing girls as well as Letitia’s fate and who will survive when it’s all over.

The undertone romance between Letitia and Alasdair was nicely written. It was just that - an undertone; a subplot that didn’t subvert or take over the main plot of the story in any way. It was weaved through the main plot so nicely and so lightly and yet, it was almost pivotal to the outcome of the story.

I really loved all the glimpses in the readings Letitia did for others as it gives us a view of her gift from the inside. The character of Letitia is strong, broken, vulnerable, and endearing. I loved to see her growth as the story progresses.

While the ending wasn’t necessarily a shock ending, it provided enough answers to the questions I had to satisfy my desire for a complete outcome. I was very content with how this story ended.

All in all, this is a wonderful story that’s beautifully written. It’s a fast=paced read perfect for chilly winter nights, wrapped up with a blanket and a nice cup of tea.

I was given a free ARC. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers. I am leaving my honest review.

It rook me a while to get into this book but I was happy I stayed for the whole ride.

The plot has elements of a gothic ghost story but it is the fortitude and compassion of the MC rhat takes center stage. Her anguish and struggle was depicted well and added a richness to the book.

I'd love to read another book and learn more about her..

I loved the book. It had a very gothic vibe to it which I enjoyed.
The characters were well written and the narration was on point. This book had me hooked right from the get go. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy paranormal mysteries.

This was an intriguingly dark read full of unexpected turns, chilling crimes, loveable characters, and all set within the world of the paranormal — which is exactly what I’d been hoping for when requesting this book. The main character is a well-developed and strong woman in 1920s Los Angeles with an interesting, traumatic back story that makes her complex and easy to empathize with. Her psychic abilities drive the story’s narrative in eerie, unsettling, wonderful ways. The writing was immaculate description- and action-wise, which only made it all the more enjoyable. There was also a nice dash of romance, which I of course adored, and I was so satisfied with how Letitia and Alasdair’s story ended (or, really, begun). They were the light at the end of this dark tunnel. I did find the pacing a little bit slow to start off with, but the last 40% of the book more than made up for the drawn-out build-up, and I was on the edge of my seat as it all came to a head with an unusual, ghostly villain and an awful set of crimes. If you enjoy horror, crime, thrillers, and the paranormal, you’ll enjoy this one!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

I was very excited about this book, both because of the genre and the time period in which it is set. While the book was a bit slow in the beginning, it really started picking up about halfway through, and the ending definitely made it worth a finish. The story is dark and twisted in ways I didn't expect, which I absolutely love. Definitely a fun read for a spooky Halloween night :-)

Definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys:
-a good mystery with a touch of horror
-looking for a good escape
-murder type mysteries
-romance
There are some trigger warnings throughout the book, so definitely look into those before diving in. Even though the story does touch on some very heavy topics, they are covered very well and tie into the context of the story.

E. J. Dawson's "Behind the Veil" is a captivating journey into the supernatural mysteries of 1920s Los Angeles, where Letitia Hawking grapples with her ability to read the veil between life and death. This atmospheric novel weaves together elements of love, secrets, and the paranormal, creating a haunting narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Set against the backdrop of a post-war Los Angeles, Letitia's unique ability to experience the final moments of the deceased becomes both a gift and a burden. The author skillfully develops Letitia's character, portraying her as a complex and haunted individual driven by a penance for her own unspeakable past in England. This adds layers of depth to the protagonist, making her journey all the more compelling.

The central plot, involving Letitia's attempt to help Alasdair Driscoll save his niece Finola from night terrors, serves as the catalyst for a series of events that unravel dark secrets and old fears. As Letitia encounters a shadowy figure attached to the Driscoll household, the narrative takes unexpected turns, keeping the reader in suspense and eager to unravel the mysteries that lie behind the veil.

The exploration of grief, loss, and the toll of supernatural abilities on Letitia's sanity adds emotional weight to the story. The author expertly blends the paranormal with a touch of romance, as Letitia finds herself falling in love with Mr. Driscoll while grappling with the release of a part of herself she had locked away.

E. J. Dawson's writing style is evocative and atmospheric, transporting readers to the 1920s Los Angeles with vivid descriptions and a keen sense of historical detail. The pacing of the narrative is well-executed, creating a sense of urgency that propels the story forward.

In conclusion, "Behind the Veil" is a four-star read for its enthralling plot, well-crafted characters, and the seamless blend of the paranormal with historical romance. E. J. Dawson delivers a haunting and atmospheric tale that will appeal to readers who enjoy mysteries with a supernatural twist. If you're looking for a novel that combines love, secrets, and the mysteries of the beyond, this book is a must-read.