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!

An absorbing, atmospheric dual-timeline novel set in a circus town. I enjoyed both the historical (1928) and the current-day stories, which intersected in surprising and satisfying ways. As soon as I finished this I jumped into another book by this author, who I haven't read before. Recommended!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

First book I have read by this author - recommended and very good. I am not a big fan of multiple timelines but this is well done and contributes to the story arch. There were too many ‘quirky’ characters and so I ranked 4 stars. Story at points was just too unrealistic, in the sense of connecting with the 2 main women and their interactions. I am going to read older books by this author.- great writing style overall.

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus is an exciting thriller that is definitely worth reading! I also think the cover of this book is beautiful and would love to purchase the hard cover copy. I wasn't previously familiar with this author and am definitely interested in reading more of her books.

Hard to get into but worthwhile once you get going. Loved the tone of the book and perfect for an Autumn read.

I was given a copy of the story in exchange for an honest review.

Great world building, vivid imagery.

Mystery, intrigue and a bit of paranormal thrown in for good measure.

The adventure is action packed.

This is a great book. The characters are well developed. I enjoyed it very much. It is not so much about the inner workings of a circus but mystery built around the circus. The story goes back and forth between two women one in the early twentieth century and the other in the present time. I don't usually enjoy this back and forth but the different times are so well woven with each other that it seemed natural.

The thing about a dual timeline story is it’s two stories in one. And Ms. Wright is a master of intertwining the seeming disparate threads into a single unified narrative.
Pippa Ripley and Chandler Faulk didn’t know each other. They weren’t related. But their lives were very connected. Tangled together by mystery and suspense and intrigue, letters and murder and a stalker.
A stalker who masquerades as a ghost.
But Chandler doesn’t believe in ghosts. And she’s determined to find out who the murderer was—and is. I appreciated the reality of a character with a “silent disease,” and her unseen struggles. This reader also suffers from an autoimmune issue, making Chandler very relatable.
Pippa, too, carried wounds I could relate to—feeling invisible and unloved. Her journey to find her identity—and the truth—took her to the depths of human depravity and darkness.
But Ms. Wright wove light into the darkness, and beauty in the ugliness, truth from the lies. And Pippa’s bond with Lily has birthed in me a love of elephants!

ROBIN’S FEATHERS
ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Saturday, #TRD, Book Review, The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus, Jaime Jo Wright, #TheHauntingatBonaventureCircus #NetGalley

This was an interesting mystery - in the early 1900's a circus town in Wisconsin needs a baby elephant to survive, and only the circus managers' adopted daughter can save it. She is lame and sheltered, she is receiving messages from a mysterious character in the circus who may hold the key to her future.
This story shifts to today, Chandler Faulk and her uncle want to turn the circus buildings into shops and restore them, but someone is breaking into the buildings, when Chandler tries to find out who it is she and a friend find a dead body that is linked to the mysterious character. Then, her 7 year old son mysteriously disappears...
You will have to read the story to solve the mystery.

It won’t let me copy and paste. I reviewed this book on good reads. I love this book! Amazing job with the story and characters. So many twist and turns

I do not recall requesting this book however it seemed to be one that I requested when I first joined this site. I have tried to read this book a few times and have not gotten into it. That is not a criticism of the book. It just isn’t for me. However I will continue to read more and see how it goes.

I think this is my new favorite Jaime Jo Wright book!! Even though it’s still 100 degrees in my state, I know that it must be feeling like fall somewhere, and this spooky mystery definitely was the perfect book to get some fall reading rolling. I started this late at night which is always a "mistake" for Wright's books; I couldn’t put it down! I don’t usually enjoy stories about the circus, so I was very pleasantly surprised by how fantastic this book is. Goes to show I should never underestimate Jaime Jo Wright. I loved the relationships amongst the protagonists in this time-slip story, and the mystery in both timelines kept me guessing until the very end (my favorite type of mystery!)

Reviewed at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFBwsMEDTc_/

1928. The Bonaventure Circus is a place for misfits and outcasts, but even they pushed Pippa Ripley from their midst. When someone known as “Watchman” starts sending her mysterious messages, she sets out to find the shadowed stranger and the truth behind her birth. Her search places her in the path of a serial killer that has been haunting the circus.

Present day. Real estate project manager Chandler Faulk holds the fate of the old circus train depot in her hands. Whether it’s demolished or restored for historical preservation depends on convincing her uncle and boss all while learning to navigate her auto-immune disease and the responsibilities of being a single mother. As she delves into the history of the depot, Chandler discovers chilling details of unsolved murders, their long-reaching fingers creeping into the present.

The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus delivers another spine-tingling read as past and present collide and evil lurks from the shadows. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Jaime Jo Wright brilliantly crafts her stories that snatch the reader’s breath without ever crossing the line into horror. Utilizing vivid imagery and settings that almost become characters in themselves and gripping storytelling, the author hooks her audience for the long haul.

Someday I will say I solved a Wright mystery before the end. Today is not that day. No matter how convinced I am to have pieced together the events, and no matter how many things I did figure out, there is always so much more that I didn’t. I love it! In hindsight, I can see all the breadcrumbs the author left, making it a simple case of being outsmarted by the author and not that it was an unsolvable mystery.

I didn’t connect with the heroines of this story as much as with the ones from previous books, but that’s to be expected. A reader will never relate with every character to the same level. Each for their own reasons, the heroines are both extremely fearful and often let others dictate the directions of their lives. I can understand that. However, when they finally stood up for themselves, they seemed to go from zero to a hundred, to the point where they almost became disrespectful and rude in the way they went about it. Personally, I would have liked to see something in between. I wanted to see them standing up for themselves without unleashing years of pent-up emotions. Though if perfectly honest, it probably mirrors what often occurs in real life.

In addition, I struggled with Hank (present-day hero). I understand his background (you’ll have to read the book to find out). However, more than once, he overstepped boundaries in ways that if he were not the hero, we wouldn’t be quick to forgive — namely, in regard to invading Chandler’s privacy and undermining her authority as a parent.

All this to say, none of the above prevented me from devouring The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspenseful mysteries. Without a doubt all of Wright’s stories go on my re-read list.

First of all, please don't expect the book to give you scary vibe, even if the title looks spooky. It’s all about life, actually. Many lessons learned, it’s indeed a deep-thinking read journey. With a little mystery story as a spice. Umm, and a little bit ghost stories too.

The story is set in 1928 with Pippa Ripley’s PoV and in present day with Chandler Faulk’s PoV. At first, it will feel slow because I can’t find what’s making this two women connected in the first place. It turns out that Pippa’s story holds some secrets to be revealed in Chandler’s story. But it was a gripping and fascinating story to read. And while the story involves two distinct eras, the writing does not confuse and it had no jumpy feeling at the time gap as the PoV change. In fact, the story is quite continuous as it relates in two different eras in turns. I also love that each character has their own uniqueness, given that maybe it’s involved Circus life, so there was no difficulty in distinguishing which one of which one.

So the downside. First one, I found some spiritual messages are confusing and maybe it can be misleading for teens to read. For example, when a character quotes her grandmother's words, "If we were all good and flawless, then Jesus wasted His blood." And then it leads to justify their sinful life instead of seeking forgiveness from God and changing their way of life. It was actually a very good quote, though. But it would be very dangerous to interpret otherwise.

Second one, there was some ghost talk like I said before, but in the end it left unresolved. Well, I’m not happy with that. It would be even more interesting if that ghost story had been finished as well.

There was some romance too, but it’s a slow-burn one, and I loved it. Overall, it was a great read about life, and it has many good-spiritual-messages that left me with a meaningful smile as I closed the book.

This Haunting at Bonaventure Circus starts in 1929 and now to present day. Starting to figure out why all the strange sounds and all the mystery surrounding this old forgotten circus until they start to dig deeper into this history of all the people who used to work for the circus. The story takes you back to 1929 and tells you the story and background of everything that happened them and to try and find out about the missing people,the killings and is there a serial killer back them and what has all this have to do with today and their lives. It's a spooky story it was for me,had to read during the day! You will see It's a really exciting story by a author I do not know,Jamie Jo Wright and will look for more of these books just in time for a good old fashion spooky mystery! Received from Net Gallery!

Pippa is the adopted daughter of the circus's owner after being abandoned as a baby by one of the circus workers. She is receiving mysterious messages from someone called "The Watchman" who says he knows the truth about her heritage. Wanting to know the truth, Pippa searches for The Watchman and starts becoming more involved in the circus life than her father or her fiance would like. She finds out that there may be a serial killer in the circus and her search for answers may put her in danger.

Chandler is a real estate developer whose company just bought the abandoned circus train depot with plans to renovate and restore the historical site. But with it's dark history, the depot may be more of a project than she expected - raising questions about the murders from the 1920s but also a missing local woman more recently. Chandler is a single mom with an autoimmune disease and a huge chip on her shoulder, thinking that she needs to do everything for herself and that everyone else in her life wants to see her fail.

Overall, I liked this book just fine. I was really intrigued by the dual timelines and the serial killer / haunted circus premise. The two main characters were well developed and complex and the story had good ~spooky~ vibes. However, I found the ending just a bit unsatisfying - the dual timelines made it feel like it wasn't as high stakes as I would have liked (further explanation below).

The slow and steady build up in this book was fantastic. Jamie Jo Wright did a great job of giving us just enough of one timeline before switching to the other which really helped pull me along through the narrative. The first third of the book was really setting up who these two women are, what their worlds look like, and what they are searching for. I found Pippa a little annoyingly naive and Chandler a little annoyingly jaded but overall, I did like their characterizations. They were so different from each other which I really enjoyed. The middle third was when the eerie elements started coming in and I'll admit I got spooked a few times while reading. There wasn't anything overtly scary that happens, but there's a general spooky vibe going on which was exactly what I was hoping for. The setting of the circus was really atmospheric. All the side characters were circus workers and they all had individual reasons for working at the circus none of which were particularly happy reasons. We find out pretty early the identity of one person who will be killed and we know the killer was caught and was a member of the circus. This really heightened the suspense because the reader knows from the present day plot that some of the characters we are following in the 1920s plot aren't who they say they are and it was really fun trying to figure out who would end up being the bad guy.

The last third is when everything started really ramping up and I was super on board but this is where I found the dual timelines were hindering the suspense. I've liked this same mechanic in other books in the past so I'm not sure why it didn't work for me here, but I felt like the times where the narrative cut back and forth weren't at the ideal times to boost suspense (if that was what the author was going for). It was almost like each break in the timeline came just a bit too far after a reveal. So I would be reading along and then *something would happen* and there would be a bit more plot after of the characters just starting to deal with the *event* and then it would cut back to the other time. The little bit of the characters starting to deal with what just happened took away from the drama and then I wasn't as stressed about getting back to that timeline because there was a bit of a resolution after the plot point was revealed. I think the overall plots of both times were really suspenseful and thrilling and I thought the timing of the switching timelines for the first 2/3 of the book was fantastic, the last third just didn't click as well for me.

I really enjoy reading split timeline books and it is a mechanic I think works really well in thrillers, especially. The best praise I have for this book is that both timelines were so entertaining and interesting that I would have read either of them as a stand alone book. I find in a lot of dual timeline books, one is the 'main' story and the other is mostly there for context or to build suspense and so one timeline seems to be less developed or interesting than the other. Not so in this case - in fact, I really wanted more build up with both of these timelines, more suspense during the investigation, more red herrings revealed. I wanted to sit in each world longer and really get into the deep underbelly of this circus.

I also enjoyed how the ending isn't 100% resolved for all the characters (though it is resolved for the reader). The characters in present day get exact answers to some of the mysteries they were investigating, but one mystery they have only a theory on and no exact proof. The characters talk about how hard it would be to prove something that happened so long ago but overall they are satisfied with their conclusions. We flash to the 1920s characters and have that theory confirmed. I thought it was a realistic touch that one set of characters wouldn't be able to find with 100% certainty something that had stayed a secret for so long.

A final note is that one of this book's genre is listed as Christian Fiction. That isn't a genre that I gravitate toward and honestly didn't realize it was a Christian fiction book when I initially requested it. I felt like there was a good amount of discussion between the characters about their faith and their views on God's role in their lives. However, I didn't feel like these discussions were very smoothly incorporated. It felt to me like the discussions were added in after the rest of the story was written as an extra layer (or maybe they were much lighter initially and then boosted up during the editing phase). Based on some of the GoodReads reviews I skimmed over, a lot of people really liked the faith discussions in the book so this just might be something I'm not used to since I don't read this genre very often.