1. The House That Love Built
    Beth Wiseman
    Thomas Nelson / 2013 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$15.29 Retail Price$16.99 Save 10% ($1.70)
    4.8 out of 5 stars for The House That Love Built. View reviews of this product. 27 Reviews
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    Stock No: WW548894
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  1. MEJ99
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Awesome Mystery/Romance
    August 18, 2013
    MEJ99
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Language: None.

    Other objectionable: Mention of an affair, kissing, flirting, mention of using illegal drugs, an abusive father, and a mother leaves her kid.

    Suitable for: Well, it's adult fiction, so I'd say adults and highschoolers would enjoy it.

    Pros: I loved the mystery combined with the romance. It made it interesting, more than your average "boy meets girl, boy dates girl, boy proposes to girl, boy marries girl" type of fluffy romance. The mystery surrounding the house provided a little bit of purpose to the story. Owen & Brooke are great characters coming from similar backgrounds (one divorced, one widowed) but I think that Brooke's healing process was more developed than Owen's because she leaned heavily on her faith. Owen basically gave up on God. The extra characters also enhanced the book by providing backstory and a little side action other than the main plot.

    Cons: I do hate how the house was bought by Owen just to spite his ex-wife since Smithville is her ideal hometown. That's a slap in the face to her. I wish the house had been bought with no ulterior motives, but would that be too surreal to be true?? I don't know. That's the only thing I can think of.
  2. Its About Time Mamaw
    Cleveland, Texas
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A Restoration of the Heart
    May 17, 2013
    Its About Time Mamaw
    Cleveland, Texas
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Brooke Holloway would like give in to the desire to stay in bed and grieve the loss of husband but she has two active children and a business to run. Her mother helped for a while but she had become to dependent on her now it was time to face life head on. Her daily routine keeps her focused on her job but memories of her deceased husband still occupy most of her thoughts. Just like now when her thoughts were interrupted by Owen Saunders the new man in town. He recently bought one of the biggest old mansions in town that was in need of much repair and since she owned a hardware store he would become a frequent customer. Her coworker keeps pushing her to find a new man even though she keeps telling her and everyone else that she is in no hurry to start a relationship. But brother if she were looking, which she isn't, this handsome guy would fit the bill.

    Owen Saunders admits to himself he may have, as the saying goes, "cut off his nose to spite his face", by purchasing a huge old house that is turning into a money pit. This is the house his cheating ex wife had dreamed of owning, so he bought the house just to rub into her face. He was determine to finish the house as close to the original as possible. He must admit he will probably never get it to original since he knows nothing about renovating anything. So here he is renovating this old house when his is heart probably in worse condition than this old house. He has had to make many trips to the hardware store owned by a very attractive lady. The more they see each other it is apparent they are building a friendship but they both made it clear they were looking for nothing more. God tends to have a say in what is planned for our life's plan. Maybe He wants them to start anew letting go of the bitterness and pain from their past and to trust in love.

    The author adds many other interesting characters to the mix like two precious children, two grandmothers, a missing grandfather, a rebellious teen, a couple of crack head parents, a stray cat and well intended friends.

    I found this an endearing story of love lost, bitterness, revenge, trust issues, tribulations and reconciliation. In the author's writing I could see God's plan in restoring the lives of His children. The author also writes about how the characters let anger, abandonment and fear eat away at their lives until they slowly and sometime quickly turning from God yet proves He never turned from them.

    In one part of the book Owen advises Brooke on the importance of forgiveness and she points out," Isn't that kind of like the pot calling the kettle black". It is like seeing the err of our ways through another person's eyes or better yet by reading a great book like this one.

    I highly recommend this book. It would be a great book for a book club and/or reading group. There are some very enlightening discussion questions at the back of the book.

    Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson/Litfuse Publicity Group for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. This review is my honest opinion.
  3. Alicia
    New York, NY
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Lovely Indeed
    June 3, 2013
    Alicia
    New York, NY
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    Two years later, Brooke Holloway is still grieving the death of her beloved husband. Both God and her children have kept her from sinking into despair. Freshly divorced, Owen is bitter and has ruled God out of his life. When he makes a decision to buy a huge fixer- uper with rich history both paths cross. As they both struggle with grief and bitterness, they find themselves closer to God, healing and second time love.

    I highly esteem Beth for her creative writing talent. This is her second contemporary novel and I have enjoyed both this one and the first. She dealt with big topics, forgiveness, bitterness, grief, and wrote a beautiful tale of redemption and love. I loved the second stories that she includes as well. They add a fresh perspective towards the topics already included.

    The characters were very well developed. I got to know each of the many characters at a 'personal' level. The book had all that you would want in a story: romance, rich history, mystery, conflict, bad guy turn good guy, the Bible, and a good ending.

    I received a complimentary copy from BookSneeze in exchange for my independent and unbiased review.
  4. Jodi
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Charming!
    March 6, 2013
    Jodi
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    This review was written for The House that Love Built - eBook.
    Widowed mother of two, Brooke Holloway, has carved out a new life for herself running her family's hardware store in the town of Smithville. Her late husband, Travis, was her one true love. Irreplaceable. She isn't looking to give her heart to another man, despite her mother's prodding to find love again. When Owen Saunders purchases the mysterious, old, Hadley mansion; Brooke strikes up a friendship with him in an attempt to see if what she'd heard about the house was true.

    Owen Saunders, betrayed by his cheating ex-wife, bought the old house in Smithville purely out of spite. It was the kind of house his ex had always wanted and now she couldn't have it. Owen is bitter and vows that he is done with women. Forever. He meets Brooke Holloway while venturing to the hardware store for supplies. A new found friendship with Brooke, might have him rethinking his views on women. Forever.

    On the whole I prefer to read historical or Amish fiction over contemporary fiction. However, I am discovering that a truly well written story can be enjoyable regardless of its genre. I've read almost all of Beth Wiseman's Amish novels, and I have loved each one. The House That Love Built is the first of her contemporary novels that I've read and I was not disappointed. Beth Wiseman is truly a gifted storyteller. The House That Love Built is a wonderfully written story about family, faith and forgiveness. I laughed out loud, was intrigued by the mystery of the Hadley mansion and was shocked when Beth Wiseman threw in a few jaw dropping plot twists that I never saw coming.

    The House That Love Built, by Beth Wiseman will be available for purchase from your local or online book retailer April 2, 2013.

    Thank you Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for the free advanced copy of The House that Love Built to read in exchange for my honest review.

    I would recommend this book to fans of Beth Wiseman and anyone appreciates a great story.
  5. MaureenT
    Syracuse NY
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Interesting and Surprising
    April 29, 2013
    MaureenT
    Syracuse NY
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Once you have finished this book the title becomes totally clear to you.

    Brooke Holloway, has lost the love of her life, her husband. She is raising two children, who are her salvation. She did state, that if it weren't for them, she would have thrown in the towel.

    When Owen Saunders, purchases the old Hadley mansion. His path crosses with Brook, as she owns the local hardware store, and he has a lot of work to do in restoring his new house. Owen is fighting his demons, he has lost his wife, Virginia, but to another man not death. He needs to forgive his ex, but can't find his way to do so.

    Brooke, is also struggling with forgiveness, her father left her family when she was a young child. He now wants back in her life, and Brook is determined not let him.

    There are a few other character in this story that will warm you heart, and some you will despise for the way they have treated a child. Throughout all, we find God seems to be in control of their lives, and all they have to do is listen.

    Some parts made me want to cry, they were so sweet. This is not a book to be missed, and the important word is "Family". I loved it, and wish I could continue on in their lives. There are really some interesting and very surprising things that happen here. Don't miss this!

    I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Group, and was not required to give a positive review.
Displaying items 1-5 of 27
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