Held in the Rising Smoke, The Lost Pages (Hymns of Blue Hollow #3)
Kemma MarShall
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
4.75
· Steam/Spice level: 4 of 5
Explicit open door [?]
· 4 ratings · 491 pages · Published: 11 Jul 2025
Esther has always lived by instinct. Hide. Protect. Endure. But after the devastation left in Clive’s wake, her quiet life in the hills of Tennessee has turned to ash.
Forced to flee, she finds herself a world away from the Blue Hollow Hills, swept into the electrified streets of 1940s New York City. Skyscrapers. Bright lights. But even there, shadows follow—especially for a woman carrying secrets... and a child.
Her husband, Ian, has risked everything for her, but as a German-born man in the wrong place at the wrong time, he’s viewed with suspicion. With his freedom hanging by a thread, he clings to the hope of building something safe with Esther. But nothing feels certain anymore—not in the city, and not in a country that can’t decide who its enemies really are.
Ian’s brother, the magnetic and reckless Freddie, offers Esther a world of glittering escapes. Nightclubs. Laughter. The thrill of being seen. But the glamour fades quickly. And the past they tried to outrun begins to call them home.
Back at the Old Reed Estate, the hills whisper warnings. The ATU and the moonshiners are circling like a pack of dogs. Both want what Clive once had. And Esther is the only one standing in their way. This time, she won’t run. She’ll protect what’s left, even if it costs her everything.
As danger mounts and loyalties are tested, Held in the Rising Smoke delivers a heart-wrenching, slow-burn romance set against the backdrop of WWII. This emotionally layered, character-driven novel is rich with atmosphere, smoldering tension, and the grit of Southern resilience.
Step into a historical fiction saga where heroes are brave, the stakes are high, and trust can be as dangerous as the threats closing in. Gripping and evocative, it’s a story rooted in the strength of Southern women—where every choice carries a cost, and the past never stays buried for long.
Sponsored links / Remove ads
Tagged as:
- historical 2
- 20th century 1
- funny 1
- suspense 1
- m-f romance 1
- age gap 1
- class difference 1
- multicultural 1
- height difference 1
- love triangle 1
- slow burn 1
- war 1
- survival 1
- african-american 1
- sassy heroine 1
- sweet/gentle heroine 1
- early 20s fmc 1
- working class heroine 1
- alpha male 1
- bad boys 1
- sweet/gentle hero 1
- in his 30s 1
- fighter hero 1
- working class hero 1
- Add topics
- content warnings
- past abuse 1
- third party abuse 1
- geography
- north america 1
- usa 1
- tennessee 1
- new york state 1
- germany 1
- united kingdom 1
- england 1
- Format
- third person pov 1
romance tags
The 'Hymns of Blue Hollow' series
4.77 · 22 ratings- Hymns of Blue Hollow by Kemma MarShall Book #1
- Where the River Settles, The Lost Pages by Kemma MarShall Book #2
- Held in the Rising Smoke, The Lost Pages by Kemma MarShall Book #3
- Forged by Wind and Song, The Lost Pages by Kemma MarShall Book #4
- Lost Beneath a Stone and Sky, The Lost Pages by Kemma MarShall Book #5
fighters · explicit-open-door · 20th century · slow burn · tennessee · survival · north-america · usa · historical · in-his-30s · early-20s-fmc · age difference · suspense · m-f · alpha male · sassy heroine · working class hero · third-person-pov · multicultural · class difference
Hymns of Blue Hollow reading order and complete book list ❯
