Guest Post (and a Giveaway)!: Jocelyn Green & The Metropolitan Affair

Posted March 14, 2023 by meezcarrie in Author Interview, Christian, giveaway, historical, Jocelyn Green, romance / 60 Comments

I’m so excited to have author Jocelyn Green here to talk about her new book, The Metropolitan Affair, and give us a tour of the NYC setting! The Metropolitan Affair has been getting some fantastic early reviews from places like Library Journal, BookPage, and Publishers Weekly, AND an Starred Review from Booklist!

THE METROPOLITAN AFFAIR by Jocelyn Green
SERIES: On Central Park #1
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023
PAGES: 393

Bestselling author Jocelyn Green sweeps you away in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance within one of New York City’s most esteemed museums.

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.

 

affiliate links used

on location with The metropolitan affair

by Jocelyn Green, author of The Metropolitan Affair

One of the great things about writing a novel set in 1925 Manhattan is that many of the settings are still around and can be visited today. If you’ve not been there personally, I hope this virtual tour of some of the sites will help you picture the scenes in The Metropolitan Affair.

Let’s start with the obvious: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is where the protagonist, Dr. Lauren Westlake, serves as an assistant curator of Egyptian art. It’s a gigantic structure on Central Park, as are all three institutions featured in this new series—hence the series name, On Central Park.

Speaking of Central Park, you’ve probably seen many movie and/or TV scenes set here already. It’s a lovely green oasis in the heart of a bustling metropolis. Lauren’s apartment building is on the opposite side of the park from the museum, so she walks through it every day to get to work.

On one corner of Central Park, The Plaza Hotel rises up like a massive French chateau. Afternoon tea at the Palm Court inside was a special indulgence then—just as it is now. This was one delicious research outing! I’m pictured with my faithful research-and-travel assistant and friend, Mindelynn Young Godbout.

Our hero, Joe Caravello, is a detective with the NYPD. He works out of the headquarters building at 240 Centre Street, which today houses posh apartments. What a gorgeous police building!

I couldn’t resist setting a few scenes inside the New York Public Library. If you are ever in the city, please make this one of your stops. The Rose Reading Room is featured in the novel, although back then it was just called the Main Reading Room. The murals on the ceiling are hard to appreciate in this photo, so plan to see it yourself when you can.

Another Manhattan landmark I used for a few scenes was Grand Central Terminal. This is Vanderbilt Hall inside it, with the ceiling painted to look like the night sky with constellations. In 1925, the paint wasn’t nearly so bright, though, since it was stained and dingy with cigarette smoke. Thank goodness for restoration!

Of course, as with any novel I write, my goal is to pick you up and plop you right into the setting, even if you’ve never been there and don’t have access to photos. I hope you’ll come along with Lauren and Joe as they traipse around Manhattan and the North Shore of Long Island on their hunt for the forger! Even with all the dazzle of Prohibition-era New York City, you’ll find that the most dramatic landscape is the unseen terrain of their hearts.

Jocelyn Green (www.jocelyngreen.com) inspires faith and courage as the bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including the Christy Award-winning The Mark of the King and Drawn by the Current and her On Central Park series.

Other Featured Books by Jocelyn Green

 

Bethany House is offering a print copy of The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green to one of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green? Have you been to any of the places on our location tour? If not, which of the places would you most like to see in person?

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60 responses to “Guest Post (and a Giveaway)!: Jocelyn Green & The Metropolitan Affair”

  1. Katrina Dehart

    The book sounds really good! I haven’t been to any of the locations, but the Metropolitan Museum of art would be exciting to visit.

    Reply
  3. Steph

    It sounds like a great plot. Art forgery and Egyptian artifacts should make for a really interesting story.

    Reply
  7. Roxanne C.

    I love inspirational historical romance that includes mystery or suspense. This sounds quite exciting.

    Reply
  13. Jocelyn Green

    Carrie, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog on my launch day! It’s very special to be here with your wonderful readers. (Waving at all of you, too! Thank you for being here and for all the kind words!)

    Reply
  15. Julie Pripps

    I’m a fan of Jocelyn Green’s books so I’m sure this will be another winner! I’ve been to several spots in NYC but never to the New York Public Library.

    Reply
  16. anne

    The Metropolitan Affair sounds captivating, intriguing and memorable. I would love to visit The New York Public Library.

    Reply
  17. Pam K.

    I love all of Jocelyn’s books and was happy to receive my copy of The Metropolitan Affair in the mail today. It’s fun to see these photos of the locations.

    Reply
  19. Suzanne Sellner

    I remember visiting New York several times in my lifetime. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was a favorite. The book sounds fascinating!

    Reply
  20. Anna Xu

    I am looking forward to reading The Metropolitan Affair, it’s already on my Goodreads list. I love historical fiction, and the plot setting seems very intriguing. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos! I visited Grand Central Terminal in 2013 – it’s probably one of the most beautiful train stations in the world.

    Reply
  22. Amy Donahue

    Such a great time period and I love reading about Egypt and New York high society! Definitely adding to my want to read list.

    Reply
  26. Lynsay Forsyth

    Sounds like a good book and I’ve loved everything else by Jocelyn that I’ve read.

    Reply
  27. Faith Creech

    I have been to NYC so many, many times. There are always so many interesting places to visit. The book sounds like it would be so good since I’ve been there so many times. Thanks you for the chance to win.

    Reply
  35. KellyL

    I would love to go to the Plaza Hotel for afternoon tea. What a fun part of your research for the book. It sounds wonderful and I’m adding it to my TBR list now.

    Reply
  36. Darla Kidder

    Because I just watched the heist of The Natural History museum on the History Channel on The World’s Greatest Heist .

    Reply
  40. Naomi Shores

    I want to read it because of all of the historical buildings and I love a great detective story.

    Reply

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