I really enjoyed Eve and Julius's story! This was my first in the Emperors of London series, but I didn't feel like I had needed to read them to enjoy this one.

I really liked watching Julius and Eve fall in love. Their attraction to each other was instant, but Connolly did a great job of showing how it developed.

I think I'm going to have to go back and read the rest of the series when I can find the time.

There was a plot here. Somewhere. 

Veiled in Blue follows Julius Vernon on his quest to find a granddaughter of the Old Pretender. He can't believe his luck when the beautiful woman (Eve Merton) he spies from his window in the opening scene is the woman he's seeking but in the process he falls madly in love with her.

Lust, more accurately, but the book calls it love. Hmm.

This was one of the first historical romances I've read where I enjoyed the setting more than the characters and story. The author added in a note about the historical facts surrounding the story and where she took it from there to create the Emperors of London series. I don't often see strong attempts to make the setting historically accurate, at least in part, so that was interesting. 

I can't say the same for Eve and Julius. They're attracted to each other from the moment they meet and Julius goes out of his way to continue seeing her, but much of the motivation seems to come down to her beauty which she's constantly remarking on, how she's cursed to be so pretty and so on. That got on my nerves but she was an alright heroine beyond that, fairly strong-willed but tempered in the way that many romance heroines don't seem to be (they always seem to fall in the rebellious lady or damsel in distress, while Eve fit somewhere in the middle). But I really didn't like Julius. He keeps HUGE secrets from Eve for a good chunk of the book because of his own selfishness and I was happy to see it come back to bite him (though for only a short time which was disappointing). 

There's an underlying story of Julius and his family seeking the kin of the Old Pretender which seems to continue from the previous books in the series. I didn't read them before Veiled in Blue but didn't find that to be hindrance as this book works well enough as a standalone. But I think reading the previous ones would fill in the other characters' backgrounds more like Alex and Connie (their story is in the first book of the series). 

This book didn't really focus on that part of the story as much as the romance and I think it was worse for it, especially since the romance felt a bit too insta-lovey for me. But it's a quick read. The writing's decent. I might check out the previous books in the series if I get the chance, though I wouldn't consider them high on my TBR list if this book is any indication. Veiled in Blue was alright but not amazing.

Julius, Lord Winterton, a.k.a Mr. Julius Vernon, is a widower with a six-year-old daughter named Caroline and a sister named Helena. The girls are currently staying with his mother. She has been imploring him to get a companion for Helena and keeps reminding him that he also needs to get remarried to one of the women that she has chosen for him. His mother is also threatening to use Helena as an unpaid companion. It angers Julius for his mother to try and manipulate him.

Currently, he is on a secret mission to find the legitimate children of the Old Pretender and provide them safety. One of the people he seeks is Miss Eve Merton, who is has been raised as the daughter of the late Reverend and Mrs. Merton of Appleton. He decides to visit his brother, Alex, for a few days and search for Eve at the same time. Riding his horse on his journey, he happens upon a young lady who has twisted her ankle while walking along the road he is traveling. He assures her that is a trustworthy man, so she agrees to ride on his horse with him to her destination. He is delighted to find that she is the Eve Merton whom he seeks. Upon arrival in town, Julius ensures that Eve is safe in her home. He then decides to stay at an inn in town under the name of Mr. Vernon.

When he meets with his brother, he shares his mission with him. He also shares that he thinks there is a spy in town and they have to flush him out.

As Julius is quite taken with the lovely Eve, he calls upon her and her mother. He enjoys walking and talking with her. Eve feels that at the age of 27, and a woman with no dowry, her prospects for marriage are behind her and she prepares herself to be a spinster. Even though Mrs. Merton has told her the truth about her background, Eve doesn’t believe it.

Julius calls upon Eve but finds he has competition in that other men are interested in her. Realizing she will have to marry someone, she thinks she should accept an offer from Sir Henry although she doesn’t care for him. When Eve and Julius are discovered kissing, Julius immediately announces that they are betrothed. Yet things are not rosy for them as they both face enemies that need to be identified and conquered.

The story was OK for me but it tended to drag in parts.

Connie for b2b