This book just didn't grab me. The dual storylines were interesting but the author failed to draw me in to the story, to make me care about the characters. I guess I judge a good book by how well I feel involved and want to keep reading. This one just didn't do it for me.

Riveting! With its dual storyline connected by a single house and the women it touched, Jaime Jo Wright delivers double the suspense, double the romance, and double the reasons to keep turning the pages far into the night. The House on Foster Hill has it all: robust characters, twists I didn’t predict, sky-high stakes, and a strong thread of hope hemming it all together. An outstanding novel from an author to watch.

This book will pull you everywhich way so much buried history.
I was glad it was fiction and not real life. A big change from most of Bethany house books, but not a bad genre to head toward.
I was on heavy meds while recovering from a knee replacement so I won't try to fill in too much of the storyline. The publishers summary will give you a better background than I can now. But well worth the time and dollars to read it. Don't miss this one!
I was provided a promotional ecopy of this book through NetGalley and Bethany House. I was not required to write a review and this did not affect my opinions which are my own.

I stayed up late and got up early to finish reading this mystery! Fiction hangover is real, and I have it now.

When I picked this one up, I didn’t initially see the Christian tag, but I was grateful for it and the security knowing I wouldn’t be surprised by something I didn’t want replaying in my mind. Doesn’t mean there weren't gobs of tension and all the hallmarks of a good, thrilling mystery!

http://www.arbeckert.com/20171010/review-of-the-house-on-foster-hill-by-jamie-jo-wright

Wonderful debut work that kept me engaged and interested all the way through

The House on Foster Hill is a great debut novel by Jaime Jo Wright. It has all of the characteristics of a great mystery-- creepiness, murder, abduction, suspense and fear. Another aspect that made this such an interesting novel was the plot of timelines of two women one hundred years apart and tied to each other by family and to the house on Foster Hill in Wisconsin. Both women are drawn to helping others that has put their lives in danger. They have had a tough life and question where God is when the bad things happen.
Ivy Thorpe lost her brother when he fell through the ice on a pond as a teenager. She, Andrew and a friend, Joel Cunningham, who lived in a local orphanage spent a lot of time together. When Joel left town right after, Ivy was left to mourn her loss without her friend. Her life has not been the same since Andrew's death. She helps her father, the local doctor and medical examiner, and keeps a record of his findings and the life of the deceased. When an unknown woman is killed and left in a tree at the abandoned house on Foster Hill, her father determines that she had recently given birth. Ivy gets involved in the investigation trying to find the missing baby and her life is in danger because someone doesn't want her near the house. Joel returns to town to help with the investigation but he finds that Ivy harbors anger for his desertion when Andrew died. He has a strong faith and wants to mend their friendship.
Kaine Prescott has spent her life helping abused women get out of their situations. But the last two years she has been mourning the death of her husband killed in an auto accident that the police believe was caused because he had drugs in his system. He never took drugs and Kaine thinks he was murdered. She feels that someone is stalking her but the police don't see any evidence of that. She needs a new break so she buys a house in the hometown of her grandfather and her great great grandmother, Ivy Thorpe. The house is the house on Foster Hill. She does not realize the connection with Ivy. Unfortunately, it appears that her stalker has followed her. With the help of two new friends in town to keep her safe, she keeps trying to find answers.
Jaime Jo Wright does a great job tying the events of both women together in a surprising and unexpected way. Both women had friends of faith helping them work through their trials. This is a great read and I look forward to reading more by this author. Her storytelling is detailed and strong with realistic characters and an interesting plot.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always hesitant to read a book from a new author that has all these rave reviews. Because I don't want to be that one person who didn't like it. But I was interested in this book (gothic, mystery, dual time plot) so I read it. And stayed up too late reading it.
This book was everything the rave reviews made it out to be. The dual time lines complemented each other without one overwhelming the other. The mystery was carried out throughout the stories and had several twists and turns to keep you guessing. I was also very surprised by some of the events in the end.
This is a well written and engrossing gothic mystery. I will be reading what she writes next.

I had a hard time with this book. The main characters are sub par and while Ivy was interesting Kaine was annoying.

This is a Christian Fiction novel, which I didn't know when I started reading it. At first this isn't a big deal, but as the time goes by I honestly expected some sort of divine intervention to help Kaine out. The Christian aspect was forced and the novel could have done without the mention of any faith to be honest.

The sub plots involving romance were dreary and not very compelling, some insta love (or lust). Most of the secondary characters needed top be fleshed out as well.

The mystery and "ghost" story was decent, the writing was very pretty in many instances, like when she's describing the house. I also love a family drama and this book lends in that direction.

The chapters in Ivy's POV were my favorite part, she really cares about the dead people she helps her father with.

It wasn't scary and the best word I can use is mediocre. I'm not sure I would read any more by this author.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Jaime Jo Wright, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

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 century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When an unidentified woman is found dead on the property, Ivy is compelled to discover her identity. Ivy's search leads her into dangerous waters and, even as she works together with a man from her past, can she unravel the mystery before any other lives--including her own--are lost?

The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright is a thrilling read with a fantastic mystery plot weaved throughout. It is exquisitely spooky for a brisk, autumn day and completely captivating enough to read in just one sitting. I quite enjoyed that it was told in dual points of view (between Ivy and Kaine) AND dual timelines (1900s and present day), and I had no trouble keeping up with the changes. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with creepy undertones.

Kaine and Ivy both are trying to learn more about themselves through Foster House! Great characterizations --really interesting people with real problems! The suspense in each century overlap and the reader just had to keep reading! Outstanding book!

Wow! This book has countless mysteries, tons of suspense, some romance, history and much more!

I couldn't believe how much was packed into this book - especially a debut novel! I have to admit I was a little unsure about it since I had heard it was a little darker than I usually read (and it was...) but it was so good. I couldn't stop reading and flew through it because I just had to know the answers to the million questions that came up. And it wasn't like they were easy answers either. I was really impressed with the depth of the historical value in this book. It was clear Wright put in many hours of research to write this well thought out book.

I'd love to tell you who I loved more. Ivy or Kaine but I think that would be impossible. I loved both of their lives in this dual time story. I loved the parallels in their lives as much as I loved their uniqueness. I also loved how in both of their stories I wasn't able to figure everything out. In fact, by the end I think I only figured out one small detail out of the many others.

I have to admit I do like romance in my books or at least some love so I was glad that this book included a little love. I really liked Joel and Grant. I was amazed at the trials that Joel went through but admired him for his perseverance. And i loved Grant's willingness to be there for someone he barely knew. Both had excellent qualities.

In the end what I think I loved most about this book was how it brought to light current day problems that actually started long ago in history but most of us haven't read about. I love how a fiction book can expose terrible atrocities that occurred long ago in the United States that to this day most people don't want to believe ever happened let alone that happen now. It was also a good book for the ramifications of what social workers and counselors deal with everyday. I appreciated that the trials they witness were depicted honestly. I also liked how orphanages were depicted in a less than perfect light. So often in novels they are romanticized and shouldn't be.

I really don't even know how to classify this book! It has elements of historical, contemporary, mystery, suspense, and even a little romance. I truly think it is a novel for everyone! I loved reading a book with so many deep emotional and difficult moments from Bethany House. I love seeing Christian Fiction branch out into deeper and difficult themes. I'm pretty sure that if I read this book again right now I'd discover even more things I loved about it because it had so many layers.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bethany House. This review is my honest opinion.

Shocking, heart-pounding, emotive, suspenseful, and deliciously creepy. Thus describes The House on Foster Hill—a novel with as many twists and turns as the spiral staircase in this eerie, abandoned old house. A house consumed with dark, buried secrets, connecting two women who lived a century apart. Kaine Prescott is a crusader for battered women, but is falling apart in her personal life. Ivy Thorpe, who lived 100 years before Kaine, is consumed by the death of her brother and a young woman found murdered at Foster Hill House. What horrifying mysteries could possibly tie these two women together?

I never guessed who the bad guys were. I stretched my brain throughout this whole book and started to wonder if even the author knew. (chuckle) The story line was so intricate, intertwining dual timelines, two different heroines, double the romance, more than one mystery...whew! How did Ms. Wright keep it all straight? Jaime Jo Wright is a new-to-me author and what a brilliant one she is. I could hardly put this book down and only did so out of necessity. Highly recommended for all suspense lovers.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Before I picked this book up, I had the chance to read some other blogger's reviews, and I basically knew going into this book that it was going to be spine tingling scary, but beautifully written, and I was excited for the chance to jump into it. After finishing it, I can honestly say that The House On Foster Hill is unlike anything I've ever read before, and it took me a few days to organize my thoughts well enough to be able to write this review.

Right from the start, this well paced, well written novel pulled me in with it's spooky setting, dual story line, and strong female characters who aren't afraid to fight for justice, and for what they believe in. It doesn't matter if it's in the past or in the present, something strange and sinister is surrounding the deserted house on Foster Hill, and it'll take two women in different time periods to get to the bottom of what's truly wrong with this house rumored to be haunted.

In 1906, Ivy is considered strange by her town's people, ever since her brother's death left her quiet and withdrawn into herself, and obsessed with remembering every deceased person in her "death journal." Her obsession turns a new light when a dead body of a young woman is found in a tree trunk by the mysterious house on Foster Hill, and Ivy can't shake the desire to bring justice to who committed this hideous crime, and fight for this young woman who's no longer capable of doing so on her own.

In the present day, Kaine Prescott is dealing with her own terrors, convinced that her husband's death wasn't an accident, and that the man who's stalking and tormenting her must have had something to do with it, she leaves San Diego for the town where her ancestor Ivy Thorpe resided close to a century before. However, the horrific events that plagued her in California seem to follow her to her new destination, and soon Kaine, like her great ancestor before her, is convinced that there's more to the sinister house on the hill than anyone could ever truly believe.

The House On Foster Hill is a spine tingling, make sure all the lights are on in the house, type of novel, and the dual story line was weaved in so perfectly that I never felt lost when it jumped from one story to the other. As well, while it doesn't have a lot of supporting characters, I really enjoyed the ones that were featured, especially Joel, Grant and Joy. The faith element is really tied into the story in exactly the right way, and I was really impressed with how well this was handled considering the scarier aspects of the book's plot line. Both Ivy and Kaine are struggling with their faith due to the harsh circumstances that life has dealt them, and both find inspiration from an unexpected source, which I don't want to spoil here for anyone but it was definitely one of the most heart wrenching parts of the book for me personally. As well, I was a little nervous about how the "haunted house" rumors were going to be handled in an inspirational novel, and I was worried this was going to be sensationalized, but this was definitely not the case, and I still ended up being quite surprised with how everything wrapped up at the end

Overall, I can't say enough about how much I loved this debut novel by Jaime Jo Wright, and I definitely think she's established herself as an author to watch for in the future. This book provides a great mystery, two beautiful developing romances over the different time periods, but most of all it focuses on hope, and how God always has a plan, no matter what our circumstances are. Two of my all time fave Christian authors are Colleen Coble and Dani Pettrey, and Jaime Jo Wright's debut novel is right up the list with theirs for me personally. I gave this one four out of five stars, and I highly recommend pre-ordering this one ASAP! This is one novel you're definitely not going to want to miss, and I'm anticipating it being a huge book to watch out for once it's officially released in November.



Thanks so much to Bethany House and NetGalley for the opportunity to have read this!

Excellent debut for Jamie Jo Wright. Although suspense is not my normal genre, the writing is evocative and beautifully atmospheric.

This is Jaime Jo Wright’s debut full-length novel. It features two linked stories set a century apart. There are a few twists along the way, but the plot is a bit hard to follow overall. The characters are likeable enough, but some things aren’t as developed as they could have been, such as the mystery angle. Parts feel a bit convoluted at times, so it was hard to feel invested in the characters. The Christian elements occasionally felt forced. I really loved the cover and thought I’d feel the same about the book. Sadly, that just wasn’t the case.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn't required to provide a positive review.

Two strong women, Ivy & Kaine, are the main characters, but a century apart. I was drawn into each woman’s life very quickly. Their storylines kept me intrigued and the secret of the house kept me wanting more.

Despite both having some very difficult life situations, they both came to an understanding that God is sovereign no matter what. They realize how truly strong they are and why — God was with them through it all.

I loved that I didn’t have it figured out like I do with most books. I wanted to keep reading. It’s an intelligent book with layers of secrets and mysteries. The ultimate secret ties into a relevant issue in today’s world. The two lead characters also reveal personal struggles, questions, and doubts that many of us struggle with and can identify with.

It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel for this author. I look forward to future novels from her, and I know there will be more.

I was given a free advanced copy of The House on Foster Hill in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic debut novel from Jaime Jo Wright she manages to capture your attention from the very beginning and keeps you enthralled all the way to the end.
Two stories set a century apart but which are somehow linked........ Ivy Thorpe a doctors daughter is a strong willed young woman who together with a childhood friend, now detective, is set to unravel the mystery of a young mothers death when she is found inside and old tree outside Foster Hill House. 100 years later Kaine Prescott a young widow who although convinced her husband was murdered and not the victim of an accident as ruled by the police escapes from her native Chicago after buying ,sight unseen, Foster Hill House over the internet. She was convinced she had a stalker in her hometown has he really managed to follow her ??
Full of unexpected twists and revelations you won't want to put this down.

An absolutely riveting debut from an author I have fallen in love with. If you are looking for a book written with great skill, characters with a lot of depth and a riveting story line than this book will not disappoint!
At first I wasn't sure what to think of this book but I quickly fell in love with the characters and could hardly put the book down! I loved the clear Christian message that had so much depth to it.

I picked this book up on a whim, and was sucked into the story immediately! It was so hard to put down, since it was the perfect blend of suspense and mystery, with an interesting combination of past and present. While parts of it are creepy, since neither Ivy or Kaine know what they are up against at Foster Hill House.
This book has some great quotes, and I especially appreciated the thought provoking dialogs on where we put our hope and where it should be. I highly recommend this one!
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.