The differing timelines, wonky aspect of Christian religion that I wasn’t super keen on a novel of “faltering faith”, and part murder mystery. This one just had too much, and not enough time to flesh it all out into a proper fun time.

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus is a book that I would strongly recommend to fans of historical fiction, Christian fiction, mystery, and suspense. It is a book that will retain your interest from the first page to the last, and that will leave you with a sense of wonder and hope. It is a book that will haunt you in a positive way.

This book had an interesting excellent concept...a haunted circus, dual timelines, a serial killer/mystery.

The 1920's timeline was the best part of the story and it may have had more impact with that being the story. The present day timeline didn't grab me like the other did. I didn't care for any of the present day characters; they weren't relatable to me with annoying or self-destructive personalities.

The main thing that bothered me was the non-committal with the Christian aspect. The passages seemed to not take a firm stand but instead were more of a way to find excuses for not living a Christian life. I think it could confuse younger readers who don't have a foundation in Christianity.

Overall, there is good detail throughout, decent character development (more so in the 20's section to me) and the story was certainly very creative. I think if fell a bit short in execution.

**Received from NetGalley for my honest review.**

Jaime Jo Wright does it again! Such a wonderful book that kept me on the edge of my seat. We follow the story of Chandler and Pippa in their respective timelines while they deal with mysteries surrounding the circus depot. Even though we are following a character in the present and the 1920s, I never felt confused. Jaime does such a great job writing that I couldn't put the book down. Reading a suspenseful mystery that was clean and had a spiritual undertone was refreshing. Definitely recommend this to others!

The Haunting of the Bonaventure Circus is written by the amazing Jaime Jo Wright. This is a time split novel, and the author does an amazing job in weaving her story together seamlessly. The author did great research to bring the 1920's alive in her story. Pippa Ripley was rejected as a baby. She receives mysterious messages from someone called the "Watchman," she is determined to find him and the connection to her birth. Present day, Chandler is working on trying to figure out what to do with the old circus depot. She also battles chronic Lyme disease. I love that the author created a character like this.

Serial killers. Mystery, baby elephants and the circus - what else could you want in a book?

Thank you to the author and netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

This was quite slow to start and then picked up and I found myself enjoying the plot a bit more. The setting was perfect of this kind of story and I could picture things as I was reading which added to the atmosphere set

#BookReview: The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright

This is a new to me author. I liked watching the circus so I picked up this book. I am not a fan spooky books so that's why it took me awhile to go through it. I could feel Pippa's search for acceptance and love. The characters struggles seemed relatable. It's also a time slip with some mentions about God and faith that I like. I liked the suspense, mystery and twists in the story but my heart was pounding a lot of times. I couldn't get past the spookiness. I'll have to reread this sometime and see if I will enjoy it better. I will check the other books by this author since the writing style was good!

Thank you to #netgalley and publisher for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub Date: 01 Sep 2020

This was not a book for me. I was not a fan of the characters or the plot. I think this just a case of my type of book.

The flow of the book was slow at first and then picked up. While I enjoyed both the stories of Pippa and Chandler, there were times where it didn't make much sense how they were connecting. Both women fighting to figure out where they fit in and be loved, not realizing there are people around them that already do if they would just reach out.

2.75⭐️

I have mixed feelings on this book. Part of that is my own fault, but I will get to that a bit later. I really enjoyed the dual-timeline, that is one of my favourite things with a story such as this one because the author gives you little jewels and pieces of a puzzle that you can start to put together yourself. I was led astray a couple of times and totally fell for it haha. I enjoyed the mix of characters and felt the cast was pretty well rounded. The story was also pretty dark and had its fair share of “bad” stuff.

When I requested this book I did not realize it was a Christian book. Not that there is a problem with that, it is just not my type of reading. God is a presence in this story, so be aware if you plan on picking this story up!

For the most part this story is pretty good. There are aspects I did not love (I cannot fault it the religious aspect as that was my error), and I feel this one is good but had the potential to be great. The plot is a great idea, and the characters fit into the story very very well. There are many little pieces of the characters lives and histories that help weave this story together, but it’s just missing SOMETHING. I’m not sure exactly what that is.

As always, pick this book and decide for yourself if you’re interested!!

Thank you to Jaime Jo Wright, Bethany House Publishers, and Netgalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story told in dual timelines of 1928 and present day in the same small town; In the past timeline we are following Pippa as she seeks answers about who her parents were whilst fearing that her father might be the serial killer known as "Watchman". In present day we are following a single mother as she tries to restore historic buildings in the town with terrible links to the Watchman and it seems as though they are being haunted.

I really enjoyed the way that there were clearly threads linking the two timelines from the beginning of the story and more threads emerged as the story progressed with a feeling of history repeating itself. This is not a particularly scary story but it does have a kind of creepy feel to it as it seems Pippa is constantly being watched whilst unexplained things are happening in the present timeline.

Overall I found the mysteries in this story gripping and they kept me wondering although wouldn't be surprised if you told me you guessed at least one of the people's identities.

The thing that really pulled me out of the story what the repeated Christianity with many of the characters coming across as preachy or seemingly doing nothing to help themselves beyond praying. The ending of the book came across as somewhat trite with it seeming to turn the story into some kind of fable to trust in God. If I had picked this book up under the expectation that it would have been Christian lit, I don't think it would have bothered me so much but I didn't feel like I got that impression from the blurb.

If the evangelising of this book does not bother you, I think this is definitely a very enjoyable read.

Just couldn't get into this one. It might be other people's cup of tea, but not mine unfortunately. I may look into the author's books in the future though.

Another great book, knocked out of the park! This book kept me guessing all the way to the end. Didn't see the ending turning out the way it did. Excellent writing, she has a way with her words. So descriptive that you feel like you are right there in the book with the characters. I cried while reading some of the book, the author knows how to make you feel the pain and anguish the characters feel. You can tell the author put a lot of heart into this book!

Welcome to the circus! Jaime Jo Wright, the master of dual timeline novels, once again has penned an amazing book. Jo has a talent of taking me through ages with a mystery I’m dedicated to solve and sends my heart spiking quite a few times. Her twists and turns I never see coming and again, she gave me a few suspects and all my guesses were incorrect.

“I think we all play different parts. I don’t think one dominates the other. We all bring something to the sky to make it beautiful.”-Patty

What do you get when you have a cute little elephant, a big top, ghosts, serial killer, and a watchman? Everything that goes with a eerie suspenseful split-time story that takes place in a small town, Bluff River, Winsconsin, that is home to Bonaventure Circus.

Step back in time to 1928 to deep dark secrets that have been haunting the Ripley family. Pippa was born to a circus family and she had a deformed leg. She was left on the Ripleys doorstep for them to raise as their own. Pippa has alway felt lost or never wanted. Her dad was strict and had rules to stay away from the circus. Pippa hears that the new baby elephant was rejected from her mother and wants nothing more than to help the baby elephant, Lily. Instantly they begin to form a bond that can’t be broken. They’ve both been rejected from their family and Pippa feels a connection to Lily. This was my favorite part of the story.

Fast forward to present time...Chandler Faulk has just moved to this small town with her son, Peter. She’s come to do renovations to the old circus train depot to bring it back to its former glory. She starts hearing eerie unpleasant sounds and she gets word that it’s linked to things that happened long ago. She wants to discover what this legend was. Who was the Watchman? She finds herself amongst the midst of it all. In the process, she meets this rugged, scruffy looking man that she really doesn’t have the time for but could his jaded heart be what she really needs.

I enjoyed everything about this story, a broken town, broken people. It’s seems that God knows how to take these broken pieces and make them whole again. All the characters fit in just right to make it happen. The author took just the right words to make this story memorable and beautiful in every way it should be. The suspense had be guessing up to the end figuring out who the watchman was. This one is gonna be one of my favorite reads this year. Yes I’m getting goosebumps as I’m writing this. I had tears in my eyes as I read the last lines of this book. You did a splendid job once again, Jaime Jo Wright. I can’t wait to see what you have for us next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the author. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review. All opinions stated here are my own.

Jaimie Jo Wright’s books get better with every new book she writes! This one had me intrigued from the very beginning and had me guessing the entire time! It was such an amazing book. I loved every minute of reading it.

Very interesting murder mystery spanning 2 time lines. Loved the duo time lines, really kept things thrilling and had me guessing until the end.

I have read other dual timeline books but this one had me captivated. I like how it was presented by the author. It was thrilling and I was not able to put it down. This is the first book I’ve read of the author, but I was glad I did.

DNF

Everyone seems to love this, but I did not.

The writing was choppy to me. The dual timelines were not interesting and the plot barely moved. I tried to read this multiple times and just couldn't get through it. There were also really weird word choices that pulled me out of the story. There was honestly nothing that I enjoyed.

A Murder mystery spanning two times. One young woman looks for her father in the circus and in the present time a murder is solved. The story is somewhat fragmented and long.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/57215461