Wasn’t sure at first how I felt about this book, but I did end up enjoying it. The book is split into two stories with different time periods. One being during the circus in the 20s, the other story present day. It has a fairly good mystery, and a spooky element to the book. Parts did drag some for me, and other parts of the story really had me interested. I think I liked Pippas story the best with the historical element to it. I loved how the author connected to the stories. It was well done. Thanks netgalley for the chance to read and review this book! I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author.

Dude. That...wow. That was a wild ride. I'd never read a Jaime Jo Write book before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but her covers really made me wanna try it out. And I'm so glad I did!

Chandler and Pippa were two different characters nearly a hundred years apart, yet the way their stories intertwined was so cool. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy the book—the word haunting should give you a hint as to why—and while the ghost talk made me uncomfortable, there was only one character that actually made it an obsession, and the rest of the talk about it didn't completely make me dislike it, sooooo.

(I'm having a really hard time organizing my thoughts, I shouldn't have waited two weeks after I finished reading it before I reviewed, haha)

BUT. I did love Chandler's character! She was so relatable, and so was Pippa (actually, Pippa was the more relatable one for me, I'd say)! Can you believe I actually found a book where I loved both female protagonists?! Actually, I think I liked them better than the male characters. *GASP* Yes, you heard that right. While I loved Jake (and Clive and the other circus dudes, for that matter) and enjoyed Hank (once I saw past his ego), my favorite characters were Chandler and Pippa. Pippa especially. So may we all just stand and applause Ms. Wright for accomplishing this?!

Okay, so, the plot. *grins and rubs hands together* the plOT! Duuuude. So, I don't remember the last time I read a historical mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. Couple that with the modern-day mystery that hinted at the past, it made me want to SCREAM because THAT person was going to die and I just wanted to go back in time and warn the characters.

The mystery with Pippa was centered around the Watchman. This part confused me a bit, as I wondered just how she knew that he held the key to her past. But, he did, and duuuude. So, like, I had my suspicions about the serial killer. I thought I had the culprit pegged close to the beginning of the book. But then I thought "Nah, I don't think so." And ya know what? I WAS RIGHT. Liiiiiike...#mindblown And then to find out the rest about Pippa's past, and who the Watchman was, andandand *deep breath* Did I mention that this was a wild ride??

Okay, so, Chandler's mystery. Not quite as nail-biting—at least, not until she broke through the wall. (those that have read the book KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING.) Every time I thought we'd get to the bottom of the mystery, a new development would pop up and screw everything and make my head spin. Aaaaaand then we find out who the bad guy is. And I was NOT expecting that and so once again, #mindblown

Sooooo, the last part to talk about is the romance. Actually, it wasn't so much that I would take it down a star! There were a couple scenes (especially that one with Pippa) that I could've done without, but the rest of the book made up for it.

All this to say, Jaime Jo Wright did a fantastic job on her latest book!


*I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

Very well written story following the lives of two women. It isn’t an easy read due to the things that happen but it is very well developed. I am glad I read it.
Thanks for the advanced copy from netgalley and the publisher.

“The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus” by Jaime Jo Wright is extremely well written. The author’s ability to connect two timelines and two heroines, Pippa Ripley and Chandler Faulk, who are nearly a century apart, is fascinating. Ms. Wright’s skill as a writer is without question. The content of the book, however, was simply not for me. It nestles much too closely with darker imagery and loose religiosity to be to my liking, or for me to recommend as a Christian novel.



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable Review. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright! It was such a good read; gripping, mysterious, sincere, thought provoking, and of course, a little spooky! 

This novel is gold! It tells two stories; one story is set in the present and one in the 1920s, but they are fused together by the history and a haunting of the circus depot. The protagonists, Chandler in the present and Pippa in the 1920s, are equally haunted by the mysteries and secrets of the crimes at The Watchman and the Bonaventure Circus. Some mysteries really do take a century to solve and most secrets hurt no matter when they are discovered.

The parallel stories are creatively twisted together with excellent writing and exceptional detail.

Interestingly enough, the stories are strikingly similar but it never feels repetitive. It’s intriguing. Chandler and Pippa are crippled by fear, loneliness and the never ending torture of feeling less than or never good enough for the people around them. They struggle with loss and physical health handicaps, they experience abandonment and a longing to belong. And they are both struggling with their faith.

While the characters and personal journeys are developing, a gripping mystery is simultaneously unfolding. The writing is skilled and so vivid that you can create the whole scene in your mind’s eye with little difficulty.

Thank you NetGalley, Bethany House Publishers, and Jaime Jo Wright for a copy of this book for review. 

Possible triggers: domestic and societal mistreatment of women, mentions of God and faith, murder and some gore.

This book was about the parallel lives of two women in different times and situations, struggling to find themselves. Good story line.

I received a complementary copy from the publisher and netgalley in return for my honest review.

Past and present collide in this amazing story. In the past, during the height of the Bonaventure Circus, Pippa struggles with her past and is pursued by the mysterious Watchman. As clues come together and the body count climbs, Pippa learns the truth of her history. In the present Chandler struggles to raise her son singlehanded while rebuilding the grandeur of the fallen Bonaventure Circus. Break-ins and sabotage mar her progress and things get personal as the story progresses. In the end everything comes to light and the mysterious Watchman is unmasked after years of fear and uncertainty.
This story flows extremely well and draws you in right from the get go. I enjoyed the back and forth as things were revealed little by little. The ending wraps things up nicely and explains things so that there are no loose ends. A nail biting thriller of a mystery until the very end. I highly recommend.

I absolutely loved this book and it very well be one of my Top Ten of the year, if not of all time. It was a real page turner and it kept me guessing until the end (which is rare to do).

I loved the circus backdrop of the book. I loved the characters, especially Chandler and Pippa, and I could identify with their struggles. I liked the variety and type of characters and that the author did not shy away from writing about them. There were spiritual warfare struggles (mainly Lottie's medium escapades) and struggling with being enough.

The story was very gritty with it's mystery and as a reader I appreciate that. I was able to keep up with the time slip aspect of the novel and it is VERY well written. The message I got through the book is that even we feel like no one sees us, God ALWAYS does and that we may not be able to escape our past, but God can redeem it--no matter how bad.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book! I have also posted this review on GoodReads.

I loved the creepy story line and the setting of Wisconsin which was familiar to me as my native state. Kudos to Jaime Jo Wright for writing a very atmospheric book. I hightly recommend, not much I would change.

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright is a fascinating and truly gripping mystery with deep themes of grace and light shining through darkness. With equally riveting time periods and compelling characters, this story draws the reader into the world of the circus, its people, and a unique look at how history has far-reaching threads into the present.

I really appreciate how both timelines and the heroines mirror each other in many ways. Pippa is learning to champion her independence while Chandler is fiercely fighting to maintain hers. Both heroes play crucial yet subtle roles, too, complimentary to each heroine. Both heroes are strong and protective, yet actively letting the heroines prove their capability. The colorful and unexpected cast of characters imparts both wisdom and insight into the web of mystery.

Wright’s style, a balance of creepy and lyrical, highlights the contrasts of human nature and grace, the evil lurking in the shadows and bright light of hope. I appreciate the way the realities of redemption, flaws of humanity, and the gift of being seen by those we care about the most was interwoven in a thrilling way.

I had my mind made up about 60% through of just WHO the culprit(s) were in the shadows. I was completely wrong! I love how Wright surprises me with every. single. one of her mysteries. Bravo!

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for the review copy. This is my honest review.

Really loved the plot of this book, it's a great mix between historical fiction, mystery, and thriller. And I really did not see the plot twist coming which doesn't happen very often, so kudos to the author on managing that!

The bits I didn't like about this book though was mostly one of the main characters. I found it really hard to empathize with Chandler because to me she just came of as delusional, bordering on actually paranoid. She is so dead set on believing the whole world is against her, when people are so clearly just trying to help, it just became extremely annoying.
On top of that there was a lot of catholic influence in this book and a lot of "what is God's plan" babbling. In the beginning I could could skip those bits easily enough but they became more and more frequent by the end of the book. I wouldn't have minded those at all if they had actually served a purpose but they don't, it's just the author pushing her religion into a story that would have been a lot more approachable without it.

**I got this book as an ARC on NetGalley.

In 1928, Pippa Ridley received messages from the "Watchman," and hoped to find a connection to her birth, when she was rejected from the Bonaventure Circus. While she finds a man seeking justice for his murdered sister and a serial killer, she has to determine if finding her past is worth the risk of being in the killer's path. In the present day, Chandler Faulk digs into a circus depot's history to see if it should be preserved as a historic record or dismantled. She's balancing this job against a new medical diagnosis and single motherhood, and is caught up in a deadly story darker than she thought she would find.

From the beginning, the language used to describe the locations in each timeline was gorgeous and evocative. I was fascinated by the strict limits placed on Pippa by everyone around her, yet she still ran around the Bonaventure Circus and could bond with the newborn elephant, Lily. She's very innocent, so much of the circus folks' lives occurs outside of her understanding and people push her in every which way. Even so, she still wants to find a sense of self and belonging, and continues to do so despite efforts to shut her down.

In the modern timeline, Chandler is dealing with what is essentially chronic Lyme's disease and psychogenic seizures. Because her parents had been so disappointed with her getting pregnant in college and not knowing who the father was (this is mentioned many, many times), she pulled away from them and tried to raise her son Peter alone. This is difficult to do even though she's working for her uncle. The renovation project is important to her because she feels undermined by one of her uncle's employees, and the railroad depot's haunted reputation doesn't help matters when someone keeps breaking in.

Small towns are notorious for everyone knowing everyone else, and for lives to intertwine. Many modern day people are descended from the circus folk, so that the notorious killer of Pippa's time is still known and his descendants were shunned. Family lineage is still important; it's the reputation that matters, not the potential affluence, it's for that reputation that people are willing to kill. Chandler is new in town, at once folded into the small town life and held back from it. The renovation project opens up secrets revealed in the final quarter of the book. That's where it takes on a more breakneck pace, until we reach the conclusion.

The storylines build slowly with time, and are laden with details. The reader ultimately knows more about the situation than Pippa or Chandler do, and that's where the tension lies.

Behind the glitz, glamour, and glitter of the circus lies an unspeakable darkness—a darkness so malevolent that its evil stretches across the decades to murder again. Told in split time, Jaime Jo Wright’s latest novel effortlessly travels between the Gilded Age and modern day. Deliciously gothic, richly detailed, and with an ending you won’t see coming!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The parallel lives of two women struggling with finding themselves, in completely different times and circumstance. This book did keep me guessing, to find out “who done it”.

Thanks NetGalley for this review copy. I really wanted to get into the spooky season mood with this one and it worked.
This book is Told by two perspectives pippa’s in the 1920’s and chandler in present time’s almost 100 years later .
Chandler moves to a fictional town called Bluff river home to the bonadventure circus which has been marred by murder and death over the years .
Pippa ‘s story takes place while the murders are taking place and a mysterious figure called the watchman who says he is watching over her tries to meet her. She starts to realise there is something sinister about him.
Through Chandler and Pippa’s stories we see the mystery pan out and like so many unsolved cases there are no answers when questions are asked years later .
This spooky read really had me pretty gripped and I loved the character of Pippa.

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright is a parallel time novel. Pippa Ripley has been abandoned years ago at the Bonaventure Circus, but she is receiving cryptic messages from the Watchman who teases her that he knows the secret behind her birth. As she investigates, she discovers another murder and the search for truth begins. In the present day, Chandler Faulk is restoring the circus train deport and uncovers clues to the murders of the past. Can Pippa and Chandler solve these murders, or will the murderers escape?

"The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus" by Jaime Jo Wright is truly an extraordinary novel! It is way more than a simple ghost story-it is a story of love and loss, of triumph and regret, and of faith and love. The story is beautifully written and the plot is entertaining and engaging. I loved how the women in the book are able to rise above their difficulties and become strong and independent woman, capable of molding their own destinies in a world where it is not always easy for women to do so. The story is brilliantly told through two different timelines, the 1920's and the present day, and revolves around a series of mysterious murders. The author's talent with words makes the characters come alive from the pages and creates an atmosphere so real, I could almost smell the smells and hear the sounds of the circus. I was captivated from the very first page and didn't want the book to end.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and to the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this fabulous book in exchange for my honest review. This is my first book by Jamie Jo Wright, but it definitely will not be my last!

The synopsis and idea of this story sounded so appealing, however upon reading it I found that it fell flat and was not as interesting as I had hoped it to be.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I've never read a Jaime Jo Wright book that I didn't love! This book is no exception. Wright has a way of harnessing words, making them haunting, visual, and inspirational. I think this one is my favorite, yet!

I love the cover of this book and the story is just as great. I am very fascinated with old timey circus books, then add a murder with a haunting and I'm totally in!

The dual timelines kept this book very interesting. It's so crazy to think of how different 1928 was. Women were just able to vote, but they were still treated as the weaker sex and this book definitely portrays that very well.

I would say this book has some creepy attributes, but it is not a horror novel. This book also contains a lot of religious aspects.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!