The House on Foster Hill had the makings and potential to be a suck you in mystery that keeps a reader turning pages with its creepy, abandoned house and a present day puzzle that can only be solved by uncovering the secrets of the past.
The story jumps back and forth between Kaine in present day and Ivy in the early 1900s. Both had suffered loss, causing them to question their faith, but while Ivy showed little fear and a strong determination to find justice, Kaine's constant fear and desire to run became a bit tedious. We also have the mystery of whether or not Kaine's husband was murdered, but that part of the story seems to be more filler than anything related to the goings on surrounding Foster Hill house.
The story starts off well enough with a murdered young woman and a few chilling incidents at the abandoned house, but then the tale slows down and begins to drag - more so in the modern day chapters than those surrounding Ivy, but drag nonetheless. The story does pick up in intensity toward the end, but I found the conclusion to be a bit disappointing. In the end, I found very little in the way of romance and a bit too much going on with the modern day story to keep the reader's focus. Ivy's story was much more interesting than anything going on with Kaine, and I reached a point that I felt like skimming Kaine's chapters just to get back to Ivy's harrowing situation. Overall, the book's slow pace just made it way too easy to set aside for later and the story line a bit too jumbled to compel to me keep turning the pages.
The author does show promise and this tale did have potential. With a bit more focus and less wandering, it could've been more than just an okay read.

I just didn’t mesh well with this book. It was very boring and flat for me.

As a person living in North Central Wisconsin, I thought the setting of this book would be fun. And it was, but there was so much more to this book!

Mystery, suspense, a little love (nothing too over the top!) and a fascinating weaving of 2 different time periods.

The main topic of this book brings awareness to a little known dark side of our area of the country. More awareness is always needed and putting that awareness in an intriguing work of fiction is a great platform!

The mystery is very interesting. I enjoyed reading this story.

I received an
ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Not my cup of tea--I don't think the writing is that great, and it's very much shoving the God and Religion down my throat. Not going to finish.

This book is a haunting mystery with a dual story line. The story is of two women who have a shared history that spans a century. I really enjoy stories that involve old spooky houses. There are several characters who play key parts in this story and all is so well plotted with lots of twists and turns you will never be able to figure out the ending.. This is definitely an author to watch for I would never have believed this was a debut novel It is a wonderful compelling mystery, Five stars from me!

In the book The House on Foster Hill, author Jaime Jo Wright writes about two women whose lives are connect but separated by a century of time. Kaine Prescott’s husband is dead through mysterious circumstances and she wants a new start. She buys a house sight unseen and moves from California to Wisconsin to fix up the House on Foster Hill. Ivy Thorpe loves to write the stories of the dead. When an unidentified woman is found dead in front of the House on Foster Hill, Ivy begins to dig into who she is and who killed her. Will both women find the truth before it kills them?
This was a great read. I would highly recommend this book! I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent debut novel by Jamie Jo Wright. I don't usually read dual time novels, but the cover of this book just drew me in. The book is every bit as chilling as the cover. It contains all the elements necessary for a great suspense novel - unexplained occurrences, suspicious characters, as well as the spooky old house. Wright balances these with a touch of romance for the two women who find themselves gripped by the mystery of Foster Hill House in two different times. She connects the stories beautifully. I can't wait to read more from this author.

The thing that attracted me most to this book was this book cover. The ornate staircase leading up to somewhere, with the abandoned piano. To be honest, I just now noticed the piano, and understand the significance of it being there now.

The story is two stories that come together at the end. The story of Ivy Thorpe just felt dark and oppressive. She works with her father in assisting with the dead, and for everyone who dies, she creates a death journal. Stories of who they are and why they died. A type of rememberance for the forgotten. A murder occurs at the House on Foster Hill and it becomes Ivy's quest to find out who the girl was, and becomes obsessed once she realizes that there is a chance there was a baby that was born. Fearful of the location of the babe, she makes it her mission to find the child.

The second story that we are melded in with, is about Kaine Prescott. Her beginnings aren't very glamorous, in fact, you feel quite sorry for her. Her husband died two years prior and she's been haunted by a stalker. When she makes a rash decision to buy this house on Foster Hill, she finds that her stalker has found her here. In turn, she is left fearing for her life and finds comfort in a new friend.

The book itself starts with Ivy Thorpe and the feeling that I get is very dark. It seems like it is always rainy and cloudy with mud everywhere. There is no joy and it was only by determination that I pushed through to get to the story. She doesn't care what people think about her, she only cares about those who come to her in death. I found the personality of Ivy to be overwhelming and a bit back and forth. I didn't really develop a fondness for her. The only reason I stuck with the story, was to find out the status of the supposed born child.

Then we have Kaine introduced and there were enough areas where I thought the story had just too much going on. Rather than give away what happens in the book, I just wish there were more moments of joyousness instead of the stark depression that pervaded. 

The story is published by Bethany House yet they seem to be following a trend with Thomas Nelson, in which a book may be proclaimed as a Christian novel, but you must search long and hard for any thing to truly tie it into a Christian novel. It's not like the fiction of old where it weaved and was an integral part of the book.

I might in the future give Ms. Wright another chance at reading a book. This was my first time and there was enough in it that makes me curious of how well she would do with the next. There were a lot of good ideas and plots that make me interested in reading more from her.

I received this from the publisher, via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC for my Kindle.
This is a Christian suspense novel with a little romance thrown in.
It was a good book covering 2 time lines with both time periods having unsolved mysteries. The suspense and mysteries kept the book interesting although I though it ended too abruptly.
A good book for a first one by Jaime Jo Wright.

While I am a Christian, I rarely read Christian fiction. Perhaps that is why “The House on Foster Hill” did not resonate as well with me. I was looking for a story with a Christian message (or perhaps just a few references to Scripture) and instead found myself reading a suspense book with a mystery that was, unfortunately, all too easy to solve.

This story is set in two time periods, present and a little over a hundred years in the past. The setting, Foster Hill House, is the same; however, the characters are quite different. In the past, we have Ivy Thorpe who has turned away from God after her beloved brother has passed and she has immersed herself in remembrances of the dead. In the present, there is Kaine Prescott, a young woman who has also pulled back her belief after her husband’s death.

In this, I would have liked to have seen a better redemption spiritually for each. Instead, the story is about solving the physical mysteries surrounding each situation. In and of itself, that would be fine; however, I found the constant back and forth to be very disconcerting while reading. Perhaps it is because there were similar situations for both women in the same location that made it more difficult to follow.

That I was looking for a more Christian message does not make a bearing on my review of the book. I rating is based on the confusion I felt with the format. As a new debut author, I think that Jaime Jo Wright has talent. I think that a more focused plot line and a smaller set of characters with a much tighter edit would be a goal for her in her next book. The suspense was there; it was just hidden under the multiple of plot points that made it hard to find for me.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

The theme of this book is hope, hope in knowing God’s promises are fulfilled in spite of our circumstances, not instead of them. An unidentified murder victim, who becomes known as Gabriella, leaves behind a diary of sorts that encourages that type of hope in Kaine, a victim of emotional abuse, many years later.
The House on Foster Hill is Jaime Jo Wright’s debut novel (She has had work printed in collections of stories.), but it reads like the work of a seasoned author. Fans of Christian mysteries will be interested to know that she was encouraged to write this story by well-known author Colleen Coble. Wright tackled the challenge of a time-split novel, and did so with great success. The connection among character and the smooth transition between the two time frames was well done. The mystery of Gabriella’s murder set in the early 1900s and the mystery of Kaine’s stalker and her husband’s murder set in present day are both intriguing, well-paced, and suspenseful. I will be on the look-out for Wright’s next novel scheduled to be released in July of 2018.
I recommend this book to mystery fans, especially to those who like a little romance intertwined with the mystery. I thank NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of The House on Foster Hill in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation.

The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright
The House on Foster Hill
by Jaime Jo Wright (Goodreads Author)
30817744
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's review Nov 25, 2017 · edit
liked it
bookshelves: 2017, netgalley-arc, new-to-me-author, 3-star, family-drama, historical-fiction, contemporary-fiction, murder-mystery, romantic-suspense, sandy-s-ng-nirvana, sandy-s-reading-retreat

EXCERPT: It was long rumored that the Foster Hill oak tree was not only the largest but also the oldest tree in Oakwood. While its top rose to a marvelous height, it was still dead and its branches never blossomed. The trunk was very wide at the base and split open to reveal a hollow inside. Many a child had hidden there during a rambunctious game of hide-and-seek. They wouldn't hide there any more. Not after today.

The petite body was curled into the position of a babe, inside the tree's womb. Blonde hair hung free over her cold, bare shoulders and floated out on the wind. Her torso was covered in a paper-thin dress of grey calico. It was nowhere enough to keep her warm, but it was more than the cold that tinted the young woman’s skin blue. It was death.

THE BLURB: 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?

MY THOUGHTS: 3 stars for The House on Foster Hill from me.

I was excited by the first few chapters of this book. Their tone was insidiously creepy and hinted at great things to come, but for me, they never quite materialised.

I loved the character of Ivy, author of the book of deaths, where she recorded her thoughts and memories of the people of her town who passed away so that they would not be forgotten. She is a strong willed, unconventional young woman who has not recovered from the tragedy that robbed her of her beloved brother Andrew.

I found it harder to relate to Kaine, whose story is interspersed with Ivy's, but occurring a century later. I could not warm to her and found her decisions and actions hard to understand.

Ultimately, I think that the author of The House on Foster Hill tried to make this book too many things, all being given equal billing, and as a result it all becomes slightly muddied. We have in Ivy's story, a historical, Christian, romantic-suspense, people trafficking, murder mystery. With Kaine, we have a contemporary, Christian, romantic-suspense, stalker, murder-mystery. And then there is the family connection between the two women, voila! A genealogical mystery to boot!

I applaud Jaime Jo Wright's intentions in her debut novel. If I have one piece of advice for her, it is this. Make one aspect of the novel the main thread, the star if you like, and the other aspects become side stories feeding into and supporting the main story, acting as the supporting cast, instead of all battling with one another to reign supreme.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my

Kaine is trying to live out her late husband’s dream as she feels guilty for his death. Kaine believes that her devotion to her work had cost Danny his life and now, she is trying to make amends by renovating a historical landmark. Little does Kaine realize what mysteries and stories this house holds within its walls. Buying the house online, Kaine is happy to leave California behind her and reestablish herself in an area where her family once lived. Kaine believed that her husband had been murdered and that the killer was stalking her but the California police were not convinced. Wisconsin was going to be her new start, at least that was her hope.

We are told two stories in this novel, the present-day story with Kaine moving into her new home in Wisconsin, ready to begin a new life and another story which occurred in 1906. Ivy tells this story and it begins with the discovery of a dead girl who was found wedged inside the dead tree. As Ivy assists her father, the physician and medical examiner, Ivy records her information inside her death journal, as she believes no one should be forgotten. Ivy begins her own investigation into this woman’s death which leads her to the Foster Hill House. The stories start to merge together, I loved how they twisted together, as Kaine investigates some bizarre occurrences happening at her new house. Kaine realizes that her house was once called, Foster Hill House and no one liked that house. Great debut novel and I can’t wait to see what else this author creates.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quiet mystery, moving back and forth between the past, when Ivy Thorpe is trying to discover who killed a young girl and shoved her body into a hollow tree, and the present, where Kaine Prescott has moved from California to Wisconsin to rehab a house in the town where her great-great-grandmother grew up.

The writing was not a style that I particularly enjoy and the story was still a bit rough in points. This read more like two half-formed novellas than one story. Still, it was readable and quick.



Three stars

This book came out November 21

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

What a mysterious debut!

This time slip novel told the story of current day Kaine Prescott and early 1900's Ivy Thorpe. The story was set in Oakwood, Wisconsin and primarily and the eerie House on Foster Hill.

The author does a nice job of connecting the two women's stories and I was equally engaged in the present day and yesteryear stories. Once the mysteries were solved, I found the outcomes to be plausible as well as the ending for both Kaine and Ivy.

I look forward to what the author will offer next.

I love mysteries that have dual time periods, and this was a good debut novel. I marked this down because I didn't realize this was a christian mystery, but the religious parts weren't too many. I also thought the romance between Kaine and Grant developed a little to quickly.

I thought this book was very good, but I was irritated by all the references to God and faith. This seems more like a Christian type mystery and should have been described that way. Other than that, the twin stories were good, The characters were likable. Would have given it a 4 without the constant religious references.

Having read the description on Net Galley, I was thrilled to get a copy in exchange for an honest review. I will preface this review with the idea that this is not a book for me; however, I also do not think the description of the book is accurate as to what is inside the cover. It is described as a thriller type of mystery, as a page-turner told through two different view points, one from long ago and one from today. However, the mystery seems to be secondary to the romance as well as tons of heavy Christian theology. I don't read romance, I don't want to be preached at, and I don't want to be told that faith and belief will change my life; I prefer when characters take control of their fate themselves. Thus, this was not a book for me. The mystery from a hundred years ago was by far the more interesting story and perhaps I would have liked the story better if that had been the only perspective (daughter of small town doc tries to solve mystery of murdered girl, missing baby, and creepy house). The modern story of a young widow buying the old creepy house while being stalked by her past was a bit obvious, predictable, and wrapped up in too much religion and romance.