THE BELL TOLLS AT TRAEGER HALL by Jaime Jo Wright, Hosted and Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #PartnersInCrime

THE BELL TOLLS AT TRAEGER HALL

by Jaime Jo Wright

October 20 - November 14, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

An abandoned estate encased in stagnant darkness . . .
A haunting legacy intent on silencing all within reach . . .

In 1890, the ominous tolling of the bell announces that death has come to Traeger Hall, leaving orphaned Waverly Pembrooke to piece together the puzzle behind her uncle's and aunt's murders. Bound by the terms of her uncle's eccentric will, Waverly finds herself alone in a manor shrouded by death and questioning the reasons for her uncle's paranoia. A madness hovers over Traeger Hall, and Waverly--as well as the people of nearby Newton Creek--are ill-prepared for the woe that has descended.

In present day Newton Creek, whispers of a family curse still cling to the century-old, abandoned property of Traeger Hall. When Jennie Phillips takes possession of the estate after her mother's passing, she is intent on solving the mystery of the Traeger murders. Yet a modern cold case suggests that untimely deaths and mysterious occurrences still plague the property. And as thorny truths surface, Jennie realizes the dark legacy threatens not only the town and the Traeger descendants . . . but also, chillingly, Jennie herself.

Book Details:

Genre: Dual Timeline Gothic Suspense
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780764243806, paperback
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub | Baker Book House

PAULA'S REVIEW:

What a wonderfully spooky dual time story. Traeger Hall had all the atmosphere of a strange mansion with a very troubled past. In 1890, Waverly had the unsettling task of keeping vigil over her aunt and uncle for seven days before their burial according to the terms of a decidedly unusual will. Their murders, the bell tower, and the sealing of the mansion had repercussions long into the future.

Jennie Phillips inherited Traeger Hall and finds that past events are still affecting the present in the town of Newton Creek, Wisconsin.

Ms. Wright crafts a complex story with incredible characters- even a mortician with an acerbic wit- Titus Fitzgerald is the unlikely hero in 1890. And Foo the cat is an added bonus.

The present day setting was just as interesting and included not only danger and a bit of romance but it realistically featured an autistic boy who was very brave.
Mysterious, intriguing and tense at times, the plot was expertly woven between the past and the present.

This might be my favorite book by Jaime Jo Wright. It definitely will not be the last . I am hooked.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through PICT Tours and via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*Beyond 5 stars and an underlying faith thread

 

Read an excerpt:

 

 

Author Bio:

Jaime Jo Wright is the author of thirteen novels, including Christy Award-winner and ECPA bestseller The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award-winner The House on Foster Hill, and Carol Award-winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. Jaime has also written two Publishers Weekly bestselling novellas. She lives in Wisconsin with her family and fabulous felines.

Catch Up With Jaime Jo Wright:

JaimeWrightBooks.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads - @JaimeJoWright
BookBub - @JaimeJoWright
Instagram - @JaimeJoWright
Threads - @JaimeJoWright
YouTube - MadLit Musings
Spotify - MadLit Musings

 

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THE BELL TOLLS AT TRAEGER HALL by Jaime Jo Wright (book + gift card)

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STILL WATERS by Patricia Johns, Reviewed by Trixi Oberembt #ReleaseDay

The Amish of Shepherd's Hill Series #2

An Amish Christian Fiction Romance About Family Secrets, Faith, and Community

TRIXI'S REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this story by a new-to-me author! First of all, Amish is a favorite genre I like to read in and secondly, I love the message of trying to find our place in the world but discovering the truth that wherever God has placed us is where we’ll find home.

Beth Peachy has a lot of unanswered questions that make her feel restless for something she thinks she longs for: freedom and opportunities in the English world she doesn’t have being Amish. Her family has never shared stories of her family, especially her Daet (dad), and she longs to know his history. She’s determined to find those answers when she stays with her Mammi (grandma) for the summer to help care for her. But will those answers satisfy her, especially when she begins to harbor feelings for a certain Amish man she’s known since childhood. Will love be enough to make her stay?

Danny Lapp is wholeheartedly Amish and content with Gott’s (God) lot in his life. He loves his family, his place within his community, and is firm in his faith. There’s only one thing he longs for; the love of a good woman and eventual kinner (children). That woman happens to be Beth—his childhood friend who visited with her family during the summer months. Can he convince her to commit to the Amish faith and his heart before it’s too late?

There’s also Danny’s brother Zach who has left the Amish faith and Tabitha the Amish veterinarian who came back to her Amish faith and life after her English husband died. These made for great secondary characters who added so much to the story! I didn’t read the first book, but I had no trouble keeping up because the author gave enough backstory to Green Pastures. The ending was so surprising and satisfying that I can’t wait for the next installment! This certainly won’t be my last book by Patricia Johns; I already love her writing voice. She kept me engaged the entire book and longing for more.
*I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers & Interviews and Reviews through Netgalley. No favorable review was required and all opinions here are mine alone. *

BackCover Blurb
Their hidden past brings questions about their future . . . together.

Unsure of her future within the Amish community, Beth Peachy arrives in Lancaster County for the summer to care for her ailing grandmother. Yet with dementia threatening to steal away Mammi's memories, Beth's visit quickly evolves into an urgent search for answers to questions that her relatives seem determined to avoid. How can Beth possibly make a lifelong vow to the Amish church when her own family is concealing so much of the past from her?

Beth's childhood friend Danny Lapp faces his own dilemma as his ex-Amish older brother turns his back on their family upbringing, dishonoring his Plain heritage. Struggling to find some sort of connection with his brother despite their deep difference of opinion, Danny is determined to find a solution before church leadership becomes involved. As Beth and Danny reconnect and seek to help each other in their search for answers, they find themselves stirring up not only surprising revelations about the past, but questions about a possible future--together.

Bethany House Publishing, November, 2025

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

Buy STILL WATERS at Amazon, Christianbook .com, or Baker Book House

THE RED COTTAGE by Hannah Linder, Reviewed by Rebecca, Paula, and Trixi #ReleaseDay

REBECCA'S REVIEW:
"If God were a mind to take memories, He should have taken them from them both."

Following a delicious night of playful flirtation, stolen kisses and innocent dreams of a red cottage surrounded by lilac bushes, Tom McGwen dropped off the love his life, Meg Foxcroft, at her uncle's home under the cover of darkness, and headed back to his room over the blacksmith shop. Only to be interrupted by her scream of terror. Turning back was just the beginning of Tom's nightmare, Meg was nowhere to be found and her uncle was dead.

Awakening in a beautiful room surrounded by the whispers and faces of strangers, Meg Foxcroft could not remember a thing about herself. Upon finding her battered body lying helplessly under a tree, Lord Benedict Cunningham had carefully transported her to his estate, where his personal physician and household staff was seeing to Meg's every need. As the details emerge about that fateful night, a brutish young man declares them to be the closest of acquaintances, scaring Meg into sending him away, then later musing that there was something hopelessly familiar about his handsome face and steady gaze.

This is by no means an ordinary romance, rather it's an extraordinary tale featuring misunderstandings, vicious criminal intentions and carefully veiled details. Beautiful word flow carries the narrative around every twist and turn, the author penning exceptionally layered characters with pasts entangled through wisps and whims of memory, and slips and slivers of faith, leaving readers poised to wonder if the past will be ever be remembered, and if so, will it even be enough.

Another ingenious, intriguing atmospheric romance which takes advantage of every opportunity to tell its story.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing. The opinions stated above are entirely my own. 4.5 stars

PAULA' S REVIEW:
I am a fan of Gothic Regency romance and The Red Cottage by Hannah Linder checks all the boxes. With her atmospheric descriptions, I was put right in the story of Meg, Tom and the uncle who raised Meg after her parents died. 

 

A tragic fire finds Meg miles away at a prosperous estate with a Lord willing to care for her and marry her. Her memory has failed her and things get complicated and dangerous. Someone is out to harm her. It remains to be seen if she will succumb to the riches of Lord Cunningham or remember her first love, humble Tom who promised her a red cottage and lifelong love. 

 

What Meg has not lost is her faith and she prays through her troubles and danger.
 

This was a wonderful tale full of well-drawn characters. The story showed faith and redemption as well as foibles and a mystery that kept me guessing.
 

For fans of historical gothic stories, it reminded me of The Price of Privilege series by Jessica Dotta.
* A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Barbour Publishing and via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.* 5 stars and an underlying faith thread 

TRIXI'S REVIEW:
Hannah Linder doesn’t disappoint when it comes to gothic tales of mystery and intrigue! I’ve read every story that she has written so far and I keep coming back for more.

Tom and Meg have known each other from childhood leading to a promise of marriage someday. Then an unthinkable tragedy happens to Meg and her uncle, which results in losing her memory of who she is. The amnesia angle added an extra layer to an already immersive read and also to the danger lurking just around the corner. With each turn of the page, things get even more complicated and tense….and I loved every moment of it. I definitely had a hard time putting this down because SO much happens!

The main reason I give it 3.5 stars was for the amount of violence displayed at the end of the book. It was extremely hard for me to read through those parts.

All in all, if you enjoy gothic tales full of mystery, danger, intrigue and that hard won happily-ever-after, then look no further than The Red Cottage.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. *3.5 stars 

 

BackCover Blurb:
She forgot she loved him.
He would die to make her remember.

Meg Foxcroft has never minded the tattling village gossip or her uncle’s ill-tempered rebukes. After all, she has Tom McGwen—and one day, they will build their own cottage, paint it red, and live a wonderful life.

But then the unthinkable happens. Meg is attacked, her uncle’s apothecary shop goes up in flames, and when she wakes up in the arms of an eloquent lord, she remembers nothing. Not even her own name.

In a frantic race against time, Tom plunges into dangerous water, bent on sheltering Meg from harm and discovering who wants her dead. Even if she despises him. Even if it’s now the handsome lord she casts her smile upon.

As danger swells and truth comes crashing around them, Meg must confront the past and decide who she trusts—and loves—before the enemy makes the final strike.

Enjoy other Gothic Style Regencies from Hannah Linder:
Beneath His Silence
When Tomorrow Came
Garden of the Midnights
The Girl from the Hidden Forest
Never Forgotten 

 

 

 AVAILABLE FROM BARBOUR FICTION in paperback, and digital ebook!

HER PRETEND HOLIDAY BEAU by Susanne Dietze, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise #ReleaseDay

An Uplifting Inspirational Romance (Home to Foxtail Book 2)

 

PAULA'S REVIEW:

It was fun returning to Foxtail Farm during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Sadie Dalton, who inherited Foxtail Farm with her cousin and sisters, is best friends with Mick the veterinarian. There are matchmakers around who would like them to become more than friends. Fearing that one of their elderly friends has a health problem and not wanting to disappoint her, they make a pact to fake date until the New Year. 

 

Things get complicated when their true feelings emerge. Shades of a Hallmark moment!  

 

Ms. Dietze pens a cozy story around Christmas events that warm the heart. The main one is a living nativity that Sadie has agreed to help Mick organize. A few problems crop up, including what they each see for their future occupations. Sadie and Mick are determined to bring the message of Christ to the community. And in the process, they are more open to let God lead them.

 

This was a great story that captured my heart. I look forward to more from Foxtail Farm. 

*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Love Inspired on behalf of the author. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.* 5 stars and a solid faith message

BackCover Blurb:

Will a fake arrangement
prove they’re a perfect match?

Faced with planning the town’s Christmas nativity event, veterinarian Mick Larson turns to his childhood friend for some much-needed help. But florist Sadie Dalton requires something in return: a wedding date. It’s the perfect solution to avoid her now-engaged ex and some well-meaning matchmakers. That is, until a kiss under some mistletoe results in a giant misunderstanding. Now they must pretend to be a real couple through the holidays. But as their friendship slowly blossoms into something more, can they keep up the charade…when they start believing it themselves?

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

Home to Foxtail
Book 1: Mountain Homecoming
Book 2: Her Pretend Holiday Beau 

Love Inspired, October 2025

Available in digital ebook, paperback

Buy HER PRETEND HOLIDAY BEAU at Amazon, or Christianbook .com