As a huge fan of The Covered Deep, I was dying to read this book and was not disappointed.

Feya is a Scotch half-Gypsy trapped by poverty among Edinburgh's slums and desperate to feed her starving family, with little thought for cost to herself---or the law. Alasdair Cairncross becomes her fateful and stalwart (and unlikely) protector.

This is a tale of revenge, redemption and grace underscored by intricate secrets and a slow, passionate journey toward love.

As with the Covered Deep, setting plays a starring role as the backdrop for the careful character development. Each is spun in Vallance's customarily competent pen and surprising handle of language.

Part adventure, and intelligently aware of its theological themes, Within the Veil is a sweeping romance and a unique and poignant treatise on love: for land, for justice, for family and for the person you least expect to fall for.

This is one of the most unique Christian historical romances I've ever read. From the Scottish Gypsy heroine to the Scottish British hero, the story has such a rich flavor.

As fascinating as the heroine is, the hero is the star of this tale. At first, he came across as quite cruel and petulant, but turned out to be one of my most loved characters in the book. He is a decorated war hero, one of Queen Elizabeth's Royal Guard, with plenty of scars--mental, physical, and emotional. He has what is modernly known as synesthesia, manifested in his seeing colors triggered by sound waves and the sight of numbers and people. Raised by a harsh father and disagreeable stepmother, all he's ever wanted is their approval and a little peace. His first encounter with the heroine Feya Broon is anything but peaceful.

Feya needs money to buy food for her young siblings, money her father has been too intoxicated to earn since his wife's fevered death in the tenements. Out of options, out of time, and suffering from fever herself, Feya decides the quickest way to get a buck besides selling herself, which her mother urged her never to do, is to steal royal valuables from Edinburgh castle.

Filled with plenty of fresh plot twists and minor characters as colorful as the heroine's personality and the hero's vision, the journey of this duo will stay with me a long time. This author never fails to take me on a journey I'll always remember.

A small negative:
A pet peeve of mine is seeing the euphemism "ar-e" in a Christian novel. I suppose it's intended as part of the aura of Scottish colloquialisms here, but spoken by a minor character, the word seemed unnecessary in this book and did nothing to aid the plot.

Fans of Scottish historical romances and Christian romances will enjoy this book. I can't wait to see what kind of story this author will present next!