Cover Image: The House on Foster Hill

The House on Foster Hill

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When I requested this book I thought the author was one I read before, so I was excited to start it. Turns out I remembered a different author. This is Jamie Jo Wright's debut novel, but now I am a super fan. Clean, mysterious, kept me on my toes and wanting more. The storyline wasn't perfect, but it was a story I really enjoyed...although at night was a little tougher just because it could get a little scary. :) I highly recommend this one!

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If you've ever made a rash decision out of fear you'll be able to relate to Kaine Prescott. She's experienced a series of events that have led up to her choice to flee to a new start. Her husband recently died and Kaine is convinced he was murdered and the murderer is now stalking her.

Sight unseen she buy a house in her grandfathers hometown. She should have done a little more homework before writing the check. The term money pit it an understatement. The house is in such pitiful shape that she can't even stay there until she does some repairs . . . starting with adding a front door.

Running from her problems doesn't seem to be working. She thinks her husband's killer has followed her and the house itself holds a mystery from the past.

I enjoyed this debut novel from Jaime Jo Wright. It is a romantic suspense so there's a hunky guy involved but that relationship doesn't take anything away from the mystery and intrigue. I loved Kaine's tenacity in the face of mounting adversity. Most women would pack their bags but Kaine put on her big girl panties and faced it. If The House on Foster Hill is any indication of Ms. Wright's skill we're in for a treat with her forthcoming novels.

I recommend this book to anyone that's ever been in over their head with a home improvement project, scared out of their wits by something out of their control, or just plain loves a suspenseful story. This one is a delight with two different storylines that converge into one.

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A great mystery spanning between two time periods. Well plotted, great and relatable characters.

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I wasn't sure what I was getting into, with the spooky tones, but I really, really loved the mystery that is strewn through the story, parallel in the two time frames as each character (Ivy and Kaine) probes into the mysterious secrets surrounding the deserted Foster Hill house. There are quite a number of creepy passages, melodies from an abandoned house, "ghosts" in the halls...but it's not sensationalized. The focus remains on the house's mysterious past rather than the creepy phenomenons. I liked having an engaging mystery with a touch of the shiver-y to keep it compelling, and I actually enjoyed both timelines equally.

Thanks to the publisher for a free ebook for review.

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My eyes see beyond today, beyond my circumstances in a world jaded and scarred by sin. I see into Heaven. And it is beautiful. And it is good. It is my future. There is no despair in eternity, in God's presence, in His perfection. There is only hope. He is my hope.

After much loss and fear, Kaine Prescott has left California to Wisconsin and bought a house. A house with a horrid history and a mystery that has been unsolved. Kaine knows about the unsolved. Her husband's apparent accident was no accident but a homicide that has not been resolved.

In Wisconsin, she has befriended a few locals that know about the history of the House on Foster Hill. A woman found murdered on the grounds and Kaine's relative Ivy Thorpe determination to find out what happened and why.

The narration is told in turn by the present and the past. Ivy's struggle with the death of her brother and Kaine is haunted by the death of her husband. The similarities of these women thou 100 years apart is striking. They both have purpose. Kaine helps women in abusive relationships and Ivy helps her father in his practice and when he is called to the murdered woman found on the grounds of Foster Hill, Ivy is determined to find out what happened. Both have these women have determination.

There is much going on with these two women. Relationships and the issue of trust in those relationships, however, what brought it together for me is how the past and the present came together. Where hope may not be found, hope is what was being fought for. Hope gets me every time.

A Special Thank You to Bethany House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

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A must read debut novel....Experience it. Treat yourself. Five stars.

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Kaine Prescott is no stranger to death. Her husband died two years ago and she’s convinced that he was murdered. The police believe otherwise and her pleas for them to investigate further into the cause of Danny’s suspicious death fall upon deaf ears. When she tells them that someone, maybe even Danny’s killer, is stalking her, entering her home, they think she’s imagining things because of the stress from losing her husband. Between her grief from losing Danny and her growing fears from her stalker, Kaine is in desperate need of a fresh start. Impulsively, she buys a house to renovate in her grandfather’s Wisconsin hometown and moves halfway across the country. It only takes one look at the eerie, abandoned house to have her questioning her rash decision. It doesn’t take long for the dark, disturbing history of Foster Hill House to start coming back with a vengeance, forcing Kaine to realize that she truly has nowhere to hide. A century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When the body of an unidentifiable woman is found on the property, Ivy is compelled to find out her identity and the identity of her killer. She begins working with a man from her past to unravel the mystery of the girl and how the house on Foster Hill fits in but every step she takes puts Ivy more in danger from the killer. Can they solve the mystery before any more lives, including Ivy’s, are lost?

The House on Foster Hill is the debut novel from author Jamie Jo Wright, and it’s outstanding, marking her as an author to watch. The storyline was very well written and she managed to go back and forth between both Kaine’s and Ivy’s perspectives and times seamlessly. Despite both women sharing some personality characteristics, they both had a distinct voice and personality of their own, so there was never any question as to which we were seeing through. This is definitely a good thing because while most of the time there was a header to let you know if you were in Kaine’s or Ivy’s timeline, there were a couple of places where the header was missed. Even in those chapters, there was no confusion. The other characters were also incredibly well written and enjoyable, even the villains. Wright also did an excellent job of keeping the story suspenseful and holding your attention without overdoing it. There was one thing that could have was been “a little too much” that I don’t want to name because it would give too much away. But, in my opinion, it was handled well and managed to fit into the story without being overly dramatic or overdone. All in all, I can safely say that I really enjoyed this book and will be watching for more from this particular author.

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The House on Foster Hill is Jaime Jo Wright's debut novel, but you would never know if from reading the book. This book reads like the work of a seasoned author who has years of experience weaving complicated stories. With two heroines and two plot lines separated by many years, this book is full of suspense. I highly recommend this book. The world needs many more books by this author and I hope to read many more in the future. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

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For me, there was a great divide in how I felt about this book, depending on which part of the story was being told. I loved Ivy and thought the initial chapters were full of really great atmospheric writing that made me want to curl up and read this book until the final page, but then, everything changed and I felt I lost the connection with the story somewhere along the way.

While this has an interesting premise and does have some great writing and certain places within it are filled with very beautiful prose, I didn't feel a connection to all of the characters. I enjoyed reading some parts of this book much more than others and looked forward to when the story would shift back to those portions.

Overall, I thought this was a decent book and would recommend it to others who enjoy mystery stories with a lot of character-based events.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

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Dual timelines must be all the rave now. It seems like every time I turn around the book I am reading is set in dual timelines. I found myself interested in one story line more than the other, and think that both should be able to hold their own in a sense. This just didn't ring true for these. It was quite interesting to read about Ivy and her father's job, and how Ivy documented everything in her death journals aka obituarys. It was also quite interesting that Kaine (the main character) purchased a house sight unseen so soon after her husband's death. If I were in her shoes, I would have run! Crazy!

While I only gave this book three stars on goodreads and amazon, it wasn't a bad book. It just started off a bit slow, and it was an effort for me to pick it up each time to finish it. It was a good story line, and I did like the ending but, don't expect to finish this one in one setting.

This is Jaime Jo Wright's debut novel, and I look forward to reading her next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

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Very fast paced and very intriguing. I enjoyed how it kept me hooked and it was an original story. Nowadays so many books read the same. Highly recommend

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I enjoyed The House on Foster Hill. It is a nice solid story.

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The House on Foster Hill has remained abandoned for years. The small town of Oakwood has a rich history with the house, but most of it has been lost through the years.
Kaine Prescott I seeking a new beginning after the tragic death of her husband. She lives in fear of a stalker, but the police pass her off as suffering from PTSD.
To flee the danger she feels, Kaine buys Foster Hill House and moves across the country. But once there, she discovers the place is a dump and the stalker may have followed her to Oakwood.
Kaine meets Grant and Joy and Megan on her first day in Oakwood. Together, they work to restore the house and uncover the secrets it still holds.
One hundred years previously, a dead girl was found on the property of Foster Hill House. Ivy Thorpe became obsessed with finding out what happened to her and the baby they believe she delivered. Ivy finds danger more than once in trying to uncover the story.
With surviving family members, Kaine and Grant discover the ugly history of Foster Hill House and the gruesome lives it ruined.
This book started out extremely slow. I would read a few pages then put it down for a while. It just didn’t hold my interesting.
We first see Kaine driving to the new property she just bought. We are told of Danny’s murder and the happenings with a stalker. But that’s it. This woman has a huge, amazing ministry helping abused women. We don’t get much of that, we also don’t receive much about her and Danny’s relationship.
For me, the flashback history is way more interesting than the current story. I devoured those pages. The present day segments were too slow for me. Only toward the end when things started to be pieced together did the story really pick up and I enjoyed the ending.
Overall, it was a good Christian thriller.
The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright receives 3.5 stars.
On the blog 3/14/2018 brittanyspages.wordpress.com

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I was curious about this book and was not sure if I liked it. I persevered to discover intrigue, suspense, and romance. The further I read, I grew to care about the characters and their dilemmas. The House on Foster Hill contains two story lines about the same home from different periods, the present and the 1800s.

Kaine seriously seeks a new beginning but finds the home she purchased, sight unseen, a dilapidated money pit. It seems her past has followed her across the country and danger lurks in her new surroundings. Will this be her home or should she abandon her refurbishing plans?

Ivy finds a dead girl on the Foster Hill property. What can she do to solve the murder mystery and the obscure home? Who wants her to stop investigating? Are there unknown secrets to uncover?

~I received a copy from Net Galley. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts are my own.

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Interesting book on the future and the past of a house and the events that have happened in it.

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The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright is a story about healing, facing the past and moving forward. It opens in Oakwood, Wisconsin in 1906 Ivy, the daughter of the local doctor and sometimes medical examiner, and her father are called to the scene where a young woman’s body has been found. Fast forward to present day Oakwood, as Kaine Prescott is arriving to start her new life after leaving a horrifying situation back home in San Diego, California. She has purchased the Foster Hill House in the hopes of restoring it and finding a new life in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, she learns that her troubles from home have seemed to follow her to Oakwood. The story is told from Ivy in the past and Kaine in the present, as the mystery of the young girl’s death and the events surrounding Kaine seem to be connected. Will Kaine find the truth and put the mystery of the house on Foster Hill to rest?
I enjoyed The House on Foster Hill. It was a fast read as it holds your attention and you eagerly read chapter after chapter for clues. It is a wonderful story with lots of twists and turns of a great mystery. I enjoyed all the characters as they had their part in the story which seems to fit. Even when the individual behind the strange happens around Kaine is revealed it is not the person you thought of and always a good sign of a great mystery. I would like to reread the story and see if the author gave any subtle clues to his or her identity that I didn’t pick up before. I highly recommend The House on Foster Hill.


The House on Foster Hill
is available in paperback and eBook

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The house on foster hill by jaime jo wright.
Kaine Prescott is no stranger to death. When her husband died two years ago, her pleas for further investigation into his suspicious death fell on deaf ears. In desperate need of a fresh start, Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather's Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house's dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide.
A good read with a good story just slow in places. 4*.

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5 stars- What a debut for Jaime Jo Wright! This was an intriguing story that was fast paced, heart felt and heart pounding. I fell in love with the characters, from both then and now. Ivy and Joel’s story was my favorite of the two but both stories were great. Ivy Thorpe was such an emotionally deep character and I couldn’t help but be drawn to her. And I just wanted to give Joel a huge hug. The struggles of both Ivy and Kaine, both physical and spiritual, were written with wonderful depth. My heart literally hurt for each of them and the struggles they faced and were facing. The mystery was very well done and I loved the dual timeline. I won’t lie and say I was totally surprised by the ending because I had already put the pieces together by then, but it didn’t matter. The story was so well done I think it was the author’s goal for you to piece the puzzle together just like Ivy and Kaine did. The author did a great job of providing you with just the right clues at the right time to give you the perfect aha moments.
Both Ivy and Kaine’s struggles with their faith were extremely genuine and I loved how the author wove that aspect so beautifully into the story. I cannot wait to read the next book by Ms. Wright. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well written, fast paced mystery.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.

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Honestly I wanted to read this story because of the beautiful cover but from the first page I realized I had found a wonderful story . Jamie Jo Wright wove different generations of women together to create something exciting. There was twists and turns throughout this story. The story line was a tough subject but Jamie did it in such a way that showed you that God is the saving grace in anything that you allow him to be in.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

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Suspense is not my go to genre when reading but do enjoy a good suspense once in a while. I have read Jamie Jo Wright's novellas in collections with other authors but this is her debut full length book and I would never know it's a debut by her writing. Very intense scenes and the mood was really set up well. Beautiful faith filled elements kept the book on track and running well.I am very impressed and look forward to reading the next coffee fueled book by this author.
Pub Date 21 Nov 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

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