I really enjoyed this book. It was well thought out and well researched. I enjoy historical books about events in history that I was unaware of. I recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This is my own opinion.

Horrible fire changes the life of a painter.. The main character loves to paint but the fire leaves her blind. This is book 6 of a series about different disasters.
I never read from this author and I enjoyed her writing style.

When the Sky Burned
October 8, 1871
by Liz Tolsma
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Series: A Day to Remember, Book 6
Rated: 3
Obtain: Borrow or buy
Back of the Book: “A Tornado of Fire and Embezzlement Sweep through a Community
Enjoy a series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.
Promising painter Mariah Randolph longs to have her canvases displayed in the world’s best museums, and Hollis Stanford, the heir of a railroad tycoon, is her ticket to success. The railroad’s bookkeeper, Jay Franklin, discovers discrepancies and is convinced that Hollis is stealing from the company. But any proof of his dirty dealings go up in smoke when fire utterly destroys the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, October 8, 1871.
The fire leaves Mariah blind, but Jay befriends her and even helps her to start painting again. But a trip to Chicago to return Hollis’s daughter to him could put both Mariah and Jay in more danger than even the fire that devastated the town and their lives.”

Impressions: This was a haunting story with romance woven in. I cannot imagine my town and the people of it burning like those in the story did. I thought the romance was ok. Something was missing to make this story more suspenseful. I feel like Hollis's character was not given enough depth to make this story convincing. Did he even like Mariah? He loved his wife so much that he couldn’t be around his daughter who reminded him of her? There was not enough content delving into Hollis's background to understand his character's choices. The facts didn’t build the story up well enough. Mariah's blindness to Hollis’s behavior was also strangely portrayed. She loved painting so much that she didn’t care about not being in love with Hollis or she was in love with painting so much that she didn’t know what love for a man might look like? The story was understandable, and I enjoyed reading it but I found my questions along the way distracting from being enthralled. I was excited to learn something new through the true historical events of this book as I’ve enjoyed this series.

Quotes: “Better to be wise and look foolish than to be proven a fool.”

“But how would she know if she didn’t take a chance?”

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, which I shared here.

Oh my what a rollercoaster of a ride this one was!
Just now finished this one and it definitely deserves 5 stars!
I knew of the Great Chicago fire but had no idea about this one.
When the Lord closes one door He really does open another but at the time, we might not see it.
Wonderful characters that will leave you thinking about them for a long time to come. Too bad there won't be a sequel to this. Mariah still has a lot to tell.
She's one amazing and strong woman. Maybe a woman ahead of her time. However; she is still human. I felt all of of her emotions come rolling off the pages at me. Times she even made me cry.
I loved this one the best. It will be on my favorite shelf of books.
This sad and beautiful story had all the emotions that really affected me. I really felt like I was there.
5 stars from me for keeping me invested from the beginning. I highly recommend this series but especially this book.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.