One central theme in Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest book, Unveiling the Past, really spoke to my heart, Even though Meghan (the main character) has lived most of her life with the fact that her father wasn't a presence in her life, she held on to the assurance that her heavenly Father always was and had always been an enduring part of her world.

I received this advance reading copy as a part of the Waterbrook and Multnomah launch team for an honest review.

Unlike Meghan, I grew up with a wonderful man for a father in my life who was present for my first 37 years, but upon losing him I felt bereft, that I was suddenly abandoned, but my faith and knowledge that though I had lost my earthly father to the ravages of cancer, my heavenly Father would always be with me, and never leave me, and this honest truth has always given me great comfort. I think that is one reason Sawyer's novel really spoke to my soul.

While reading Sawyer's book, I felt such comfort and joy in the story of Meghan. She grows up as an only child, raised by her single-parent mother, later joined and encouraged by her spunky and wise grandmother, finding her true love Sean and eventually meeting her absentee father Kevin and building a relationship that will enrich all their lives. She is a cold-case detective and through her work, she learns to tackle her anxieties about motherhood, and parenting as she befriends and cares for a young woman whose father went suddenly missing in the past. The end result is a richer life for everyone.

There were so many layers of love and support in Vogel's story. I love the way she weaves real-life struggles into her character's stories and supports it all with God's unfailing love and grace. It feels so natural to follow the plot and live vicariously for a short period of time in the lives of her characters.

I have never been disappointed by any of Sawyer's books and enthusiastically recommend Unveiling the Past to anyone in search of a heartwarming story.

This read had several stories that we follow, and yes, answers are forthcoming on all, but we take it day by day until the end.
The author gives us a young Christian woman who is living her faith, but has stumbled as far as having children with her husband, and why? That is part of what this book contains, and we journey here for reasons and answers.
What an interesting job Meghan has along with her husband, she looks at Arkansas's cold cases, and some that become personal to their supervisor. How many lives are changed here, and I loved that the author gave us some chance meetings!
From beginning to the end, I loved this book, and saw how God worked in the lives of believers.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Waterbrook, and was not required to give a positive review.

I really enjoyed this Christian Mystery. Reading the book and unraveling the mystery, as well as reading about Newlyweds Sean and Meghan’s personal issues on having a baby or not, was very interesting. It all boiled down to the love of the true Father in most instances.
Sean and Meghan both work in the cold case detective division. They were working on cases together but in this instance they were pulled apart to work with different partners which they really didn’t think they would enjoy and fought against, but in the end they found that working with different partners on different cases brought new and interesting angles to think about as they worked each day. I would absolutely recommend this book for those who enjoy this type of mystery.
I received this book in kindle format as an advance reader copy promotion from Waterbrook and Multnomah through Netgalley.com. All comments and opinions of this book are my own freely given. #UnveilingThePast. #KimVogelSawyer.

Description as found on Netgalley.com:
Mysteries, family secrets, and the love of a true Father are found at the heart of this gripping novel from the bestselling author of Bringing Maggie Home

Newlyweds Sean Eagle and Meghan DeFord are no strangers to pain and loss. As cold-case detectives, they know intimately the anguish family members endure after the murder or disappearance of a loved one. But when a new case hits too close to home, it threatens to pull loose the fragile cords of their young marriage.

Sheila Menke was just a girl when her father left for work and never returned. An investigation revealed he had embezzled enough to start a new life elsewhere, but Sheila could never accept the court’s criminalization of her father. Meghan reluctantly takes the case, secretly fearing it will stir up buried feelings about her own biological father. And while Sean investigates the mysterious death of two young brothers, he longs to start a family. But Meghan worries that with a negligent mother and an absentee father as her parenting examples, she might never be fit for motherhood.

As they delve deeper into the past, both Meghan and Sheila must choose to either stumble along the road of bitterness and resentment or walk the difficult path toward forgiveness and healing. When the cases begin to break wide open, these young women are poised to discover that while earthly fathers may fail, there is one in heaven who is a father to the fatherless.

Sawyer brings DeFord and Eagle into a new story in a fantastic way! I love the fresh look at how each character has grown since they were introduced back in 'Bringing Maggie Home,' but Sawyer builds on their weaknesses again and creates a compelling story of faith and how your past affects the vision you have for your future. I enjoyed the parenting advice, the stories of personal responsibility, but especially the idea that we need to look beyond people's actions to see the person underneath - the one whom God created. Our actions often don't reflect our intentions, and this is important to understand. Sawyer shades in layer upon layer for each character, developing a real and dynamic cast of characters that are truly fantastic.

I loved the way that Sawyer wraps such deep truths in funny anecdotes. Each character had a bit of comedian in him, and that brought much needed relief to the weightiness of the story.

That humor, along with their determination to advance despite fear or uncertainty is why I'd like to know these characters. They seem like really great people, and they pick fantastic places to eat! I was wanting to go to DeFord's favorite pizza place throughout the whole book! Seriously, though, their caring and compassionate nature would make anyone lucky to have them as friends, and I love reading about great friendships.

It would be tough to say which book I liked better, "Bringing Maggie Home' or this sequel; but they're definitely my favorite Sawyer stories thus far. If you haven't read her books or are looking for your next meaningful read, give 'Unveiling the Past' a try. It won't disappoint.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. All opinions are my own.

This was a great book about how somethings things are not what they seem! It starts clear enough - a relatively newly married couple who is struggling with the decision to have children. Meghan and Sean are cold case investigators and are getting comfortable with their life together. They are looking to open their own investigation company. Meghan was raised by her single mother and would like answers about her father who she has never met. Her mother doesn't want to open up the old wounds but understand her daughter's need to know. The plot twists keep coming. This is a story of discovery and hope that we can all overcome whatever our upbringing was. We are not limited by our past but we need to create our own future in our own way. I really enjoyed this book. It had plot twists that I did not predict but truly enjoyed the journey of discovery for Meghan, Sean and their families. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher but was not compensated in any way for my review.

Family secrets and mystery are found in this interesting story. I plan to read more stories by this author. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

The mystery and conflict in this book kept me engaged. The ability to tie all the loose ends up in the end was outstanding, too! Good advice for all types of relationships woven throughout this book!

It had been a while since I'd read one of Kim Vogel Sawyer's book. This was an interesting book, full of emotion and action. I enjoyed this book very much. It wa an easy read, full in intrigue and written very well. A daughter without a father would make a girl wonder who her father was. By the end of the book, I liked her father. I would read this book again and again.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

This was my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed her. There was such a nice mixture of faith, family and mystery in here! I definitely look forward to reading more of her books!

It was great to spend time with Hazel, Diane and Meghan, three generations of women that were featured in Bringing Maggie Home. I loved seeing the progress they had made in mending and building relationships.

Meghan and her husband Sean work toward solving two cold cases in Unveiling the Past. What happens in the end with both cases is completely plausible. Having a family member of one of the cold case victims included in part of the investigation seemed a little odd to me, but perhaps that is how it's done in reality.

What I loved most is that the characters professing to be Christians were not afraid to share their faith even if they knew the receiver was going to get angry or laugh at them. That takes bravery and obedience to hear the nudge of God and to take action even knowing there is going to be a painful result. God knows that it might just be what the person needs to hear and it might make them one step closer to opening their heart to Christ.

3.5 stars

I've read a number of books by this author, and they're always well written. Themes of forgiveness and redemption are key. The story is told from multiple POV's, which does make it a bit hard to feel truly connected to any one character, but it does give a full view of the story unraveling. The faith element is noticeable, but it's not preachy.

Another great book! Unveiling the past of two cold cases and discovering forgiveness and redemption and bringing family together sums up this book. I really enjoyed the intriguing mystery of both cold cases. I would recommend this to anyone who is wanting a thought provoking, interesting story to read!

A multigenerational novel of love, relationships lost, and relationships regained, will delight readers. When Margaret Diane DeFord got pregnant in college, the father walked away without another word. Diane chose to keep and raise their daughter and worked hard to finish school and become a teacher.

In her quest to not follow in her mother’s footsteps and act overprotective, Diane often falls short in her parenting. Decades later, her daughter Meghan DeFord-Eagle feels uncertain about her own ability to parent based on her absentee father and hands-off mother.

Meghan and her husband Sean work for the Little Rock, Arkansas cold case division, and they’ve been partners on the job for years and partners for life for three years. Sean wants to start a family. Meghan doesn’t think she’s ready.

As part of their job, Meghan gets assigned to a special case that takes her to her birth father’s hometown. Once she makes the decision to reach out to him, a series of unexpected events catapult Diane, Meghan, and Sean into the unknown.

Why You’ll Love this Book

If you love multigenerational stories told from multiple points of view, you’ll love this book. The cold cases Sean and Meghan work on add tension to the multi-layered relationship stories.

During this time of being quarantined at home, it is really nice to be able to immerse myself in a good book. I found Unveiling the Past drew me in, made me care about the characters, and had me eager to see how the story would end.

This book is part of a series (the first book is called Bringing Maggie Home), but I was able to read and enjoy it as a stand alone novel. There are a few different stories going on in this book, that are all interconnected. The first is Meghan's desire to get to know the father who chose not to be in her life. Then, there is the relationship development between Meghan's mother, Diane, and her father, Kevin, after Diane reaches out to him to let him know that Meghan wants to meet him. 

Meghan and her husband, Sean, are detectives, and ironically, Meghan is assigned to a case where she has to find out what happened to a girl named Sheila's father. Did he embezzle money and willingly leave the family? Or was he the victim of foul play? Meghan is working on this case as she struggles through her own emotions about her father, and this draws her and Sheila into a friendship.

While all of this is going on, Meghan's husband, Sean, is working on a case of his own about two twins who were murdered. He is forced to work on the case with a detective who is abrasive and not very well liked. However, the more Sean works with him, the more he discovers the pain behind the man's actions. 

This is a feel good story, with the stories wrapped up in the end. I love happy endings where everything comes together, so I liked that aspect of the book. This book is definitely a Christian book, where the characters evangelize to each other and come to Christ. I personally enjoy that seeing that in a book. 

If you need a warm but yet intriguing book to keep you busy, I definitely recommend checking this book out! I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Waterbrook and Multnomah, through Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

Meghan was raised by her mom, Diane, with no father in the picture. As a married adult, she wants to find her father and see if they can build a relationship. Her mother has given her his name, Kevin. Meghan and her husband Sean work for a Cold Case Investigative Unit and are asked to take on a new case. Meghan, Sean and a couple other detectives (Dane and Farber) are assigned a couple cases that add to the mystery of the story. We also meet Sheila, and a few others who have minor roles. Page turning story between the cold cases and the relationships between Diane, Meghan, Sean, Kevin and Hazel. This story takes place in Arkansas and Nevada.
A complimentary copy was provided by Waterbrook via NetGalley. A review was not required and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have enjoyed becoming aquainted with a new author. Kim threads the story of Meghan and her husband Sean around their career as Detectives. They had always worked together and for a while had contemplated starting their own business; until Meghan is chosen to head a case to look for Sheila's father. Meghan had herself had been toying with a similar personal venture. Kim embraces the journey of Meghan's mother and Meghan's need to forgive when Meghan's father responds to her search to reconnect while uncovering the truths that surrounded Sheila's father's disappearance.

I have loved every book that I have read from these four authors. It is a wonderful collection of stories of the early western days. The book is totally Christian and I love that. Nice, clean and very enjoyable. A book not to miss! And I love Texas stories!

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This book was just so amazingly good! The characters just came alive as they lived their faith out. I loved watching them naturally share their faith and impact the people around them. This book is a sequel and the story seems to pick up just a short time (couple of years) from when the last one (Bringing Maggie Home) left off, but the focus is more on Meghan and her husband Sean as she learns about her father, and less on her grandmother and mother. I am afraid to tell too much because I do not want to spoil any of the twists the book takes. But you really do want to read it since it is so very good. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I am freely writing a review - all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sean and Meghan DeFord Eagle are cold case detectives in Arkansas. While they continue to work the case of twin boys who were murdered, they are called in on another case. Sean decides to continue with the case of the twin boys while Meghan is assigned the case of a missing father. The man was accused of embezzlement and was never found. This case is dear to Meghan as she has never met her own father who chose not to be a part of her life. Meghan knows the name of her biological father, should she attempt to contact him? Will Sean finally be able to find justice for the twin boys? A pleasant Christian mystery that rotates between the two cold cases that the detectives are trying to solve. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook & Multnomah through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This sequel to Bringing Maggie home is both compelling and thought-provoking. (You will enjoy this one more if you have read the first novel.) Cold-case investigators and husband and wife Meghan and Sean star in this sequel. Due to her upbringing Meghan feels inadequate and ill-equipped to become a mother which is causing some strife in her marriage to Sean. Sean longs for a lifestyle similar to the one in which he grew up. Meghan is also curious about the father who deserted her mother before Meghan was born, but unsure whether she wants to contact him. Meghan’s mother, Diane is back in this story—learning how hard it is to forgive a wrong. Sub-plots include Kevin’s adopted son, Kip; Sean’s interactions with Tom, who criticizes Sean’s faith; and Sheila, who can’t accept that her father stole money and left her and her family 15 years ago. Sawyer weaves all the stories together to a very satisfying conclusion. Here’s hoping there might be a 3rd entry in the series.