Women of Midtown: Book 3
Publication Date: January 20, 2026
They lost each other once before; now the clouds of war may give them a second chance.
As teenagers, Delia Byrne and Finn Delaney fell in love while flying kites and dreaming of a future together—until betrayal tore them apart. Now, as America enters World War I, Delia works for peace as a paralegal and pacifist. Her values forbid her from supporting the war effort, but she volunteers for a relief organization trying to save millions of lives in famine—stricken Belgium.
Returning to America as a decorated war hero, Finn is eager to get back to the front but is assigned to use his fame to raise funds instead. To his surprise, this mission will bring him face—to—face with Delia, the only woman he ever loved and once hoped to marry. As their shared mission draws them together, old sparks of romance begin to stir—until duty sends them behind enemy lines in occupied Belgium. Will the greatest danger be the conflict raging around them—or the possibility of falling in love again?
Set during WWI, Beyond the Clouds is the third book in Elizabeth Camden’s The Women of Midtown series. The book deftly addresses pacifism, criminalization, the imprisonment of ordinary citizens during wartime, and political concessions. The crux of the story is American support for the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB).
The story opens as Delia Byrne offers administrative support to her boss and current love interest, Wesley. He runs a law office, but more importantly to Delia, most of their cases are defending immigrants from anti-German hysteria, and they are both active supporters of the Commission for Relief in Belgium.
Belgium is caught in the crossfire of the war. Since it is an industrial country rather than an agricultural one, its citizens are starving. Delia is shunned by the other women in the town because of her pacifist views.
Soon, those views will be put to the test. Delia’s first love, Finn Delaney, has been shot down very near a German airbase. By the grace of God, a young mother has found him and dragged him to the safety of her home. But will this keep her and her children from harm? Can she hide Finn from the Germans?
Finn is returned to the States, and the CRB decides to use his new status as a war hero to serve as the face and catalyst for donations to keep their organization afloat and feed the citizens of Belgium.
Although this is the third in a series, the reader quickly catches up to the history between Delia and Finn. How the pair puts aside their differences to work toward a common goal keeps the reader engaged in the history of Belgium’s unfortunate place in history. The affection between Delia and Finn is rekindled, and their love story gives a personal feel to the tragic retelling of this time in history.
Although the story takes more than a few chapters to completely pull the reader in, reading a historical war novel that puts humanity front and center pushed this to 5 stars for me. I was stunned to discover the identity of one of the major players for the CRB. He played a huge part in post-war America, yet I had no idea of his philanthropic involvement. I won’t spoil the surprise!
Beyond the Clouds is not the typical historical fiction war story. Its main characters are fighting for a lifelong love for each other while also trying to feed a war-torn nation and literally trying to keep alive to see the war’s end.
Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in Gilded Age America, featuring clever heroines and richly layered story lines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won Christy, Carol, and RITA Awards and have appeared on the ECPA Bestsellers list. She lives in Citrus County, Florida, with her husband.
