Review: The Whispering Sentinel by Ruth Kyser

Book Cover and Synopsis:

It's said ‘you can’t go home again’, but after a cancelled wedding and the death of her father, Sandy Martin makes the decision to do just that when she returns to her hometown of Bradford Mills. She buys her grandmother’s old house, and in the process of remodeling the house with an old friend, Tom Brannigan, Sandy discovers her house has a story to tell. While she continues an internal struggle to find the faith and relationship with God she'd had in the past, she begins a journey to find not only her history, but that of another.

My source for book: Personal Library

My Thoughts:

This is a cute story that turns into something more than you would initially expect. I always enjoy stories that involve remodels of old homes, but this one has an angle that's not often explored. I don't want to give too much away, but I think I can safely say that in the process of the remodel Sandy unearths the secret history of her old home, and it takes her on a journey she never could've imagined.

The storyline itself was good; definitely engaging enough to hold my attention and to make me curious to see how everything turned out. It was interesting to see the relationship develop between Sandy and her contractor, Tom, especially in light of their single failed date 8 years prior. I do admit that the writing style was a bit too wordy for my taste and some of the dialogue occasionally seemed a bit unnatural, but neither of these issues were enough to stop me from reading as I was quite curious to see how the story would unfold and ultimately end.

Overall I do feel the book would be stronger if it was tightened up and shortened a bit; it seemed slightly too long for the amount of story that was covered. But, if you're looking to relax with a novel that's not overly-fast-paced, this just might be the ticket you're looking for! I can easily see this being turned into a Hallmark-style movie... and you know what, sometimes that's just the type of story I'm in the mood for.

My Rating: 3.5 stars