The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni (review)

Fifteen years after leaving her home, Verity Boone returns to the small town of Catawissa, Pennsylvania, recognizing nothing and almost no one. Service in the Civil War has left her father cold and distant while Nathaniel McClure, Verity's betrothed and the reason for her return, is shy and unsure, not at all like the witty, charming man he has been in his letters. Even more upsetting is what she finds in the local cemetery: the graves of her mother and aunt, both of whom died of a mysterious illness when Verity was young, are located on unconsecrated ground with huge, wrought-iron cages surrounding them. Verity's questions on the matter only bring more silence from her father and vague warnings from her fiancé; undeterred, She continues to look for answers but her findings reveal some uncomfortable truths about her family and the town. Verity is a true romantic heroine in the vein of Jane Eyre, teetering at the edge of social propriety with both her progressive social values and her impulsive actions, but remaining authentic and relatable as she struggles to balance her desires with what she knows to be right. The hint of supernatural activity (noises in the graveyard, strange, prophetic dreams) adds a bit of a chill, but since the villains are relatively obvious from the get-go, this is less a gothic thriller and more a cozy mystery—a highly successful one at that, with a climactic confrontation with the bad guys and an undeniably happy and romantic ending. This one's perfect for a rainy night, a comfy blanket, and a cup of tea.