The Memory House (2019): An I Read with Audra Blog Tour + Giveaway

About the Book

When Beck Holiday lost her father in the North Tower on 9/11, she also lost her memories of him. Eighteen years later, she’s a tough New York City cop burdened with a damaging secret, suspended for misconduct, and struggling to get her life in order. Meanwhile a mysterious letter arrives informing her she’s inherited a house along Florida’s northern coast, and what she discovers there will change her life forever. Matters of the heart only become more complicated when she runs into handsome Bruno Endicott, a driven sports agent who fondly recalls the connection they shared as teenagers. But Beck doesn’t remember that, either.

Decades earlier, widow Everleigh Applegate lives a steady, uneventful life with her widowed mother after a tornado ripped through Waco, Texas, and destroyed her new, young married life. When she runs into old high school friend Don Callahan, she begins to yearn for change. Yet no matter how much she longs to love again, she is hindered by a secret she can never share.

Fifty years separate the women but through the power of love and miracle of faith, they each find healing in a beautiful Victorian known affectionately as The Memory House.

Fifty years separate the women but through the power of love and miracle of faith, they each find healing in a beautiful Victorian known affectionately as The Memory House.

Click here to read an excerpt!

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About the Author

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times Book Reviews. She is a double RITA finalist, and a Christy and Carol Award Winner. Her book, Once Upon A Prince, first in the Royal Wedding Series, was filmed for an Original Hallmark movie. Rachel has been awarded the prestigious Career Achievement Award for her body of original work by Romantic Times Book Reviews. A member of the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers, she teaches workshops and leads worship at the annual conference. She is a past Mentor of The Year.

At home, she’s a wife, writer, worship leader and works out at the gym semi-enthusiastically. A graduate of Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) with a degree in Journalism, she’s a former sorority girl and a devoted Ohio State football fan. Her bucket list is to stand on the sidelines with Ryan Day. She lives in sunny central Florida with her husband and ornery cat.

For more information, visit www.rachelhauck.com, Facebook (@rachelhauck), Twitter (@RachelHauck) and Instagram (@rachelhauck).

My Thoughts

I adore Rachel Hauck’s novels. They are extremely well written, and filled with characters who worm their way deeply into the reader’s heart. The Memory House is no exception for it is a story I won’t soon forget. The hope and happiness the reader feels by the end of this novel alone makes The Memory House a 2019 must-read!

Beck Holiday and Everleigh Callahan are two of the best female characters I’ve ever read. Both women are faced with horribly terrible moments that change their lives forever. They both get stuck for a time in the depressed, angry, and scared zone of the grieving process, and are not sure how to get out. They both almost become forever-lost zombies merely existing in their day-to-day lives. Following Beck and Everleigh as they traverse their grief, as they come to points of clarity, and as they eventually come to the peace that can only come after surrendering it all to Jesus gave me such a sense of comfort and hope. Even though this story tackles some serious pain and suffering, and even though throughout most of the book my heart was in pain for these two beautiful, damaged women, I am walking away from The Memory House blessed.

I have never had more in common with fictional characters than I did with Beck and Everleigh. Beck is a young woman who lost her beloved father unexpectedly. Everleigh is a young woman who lost her beloved husband unexpectedly. Two and a half months ago, on January 23, I lost my dad unexpectedly. In the blink of an eye he was gone. I admit that I am not OK. I feel like my heart is hemorrhaging, and I can’t breathe. All I want to do is wrap my precious mother up in bubble wrap and put her in my pocket so I can safeguard her. I feel like life is out of control, and I don’t know how to fix anything. Everleigh mentions, in a very low moment, that “disasters had lasting effects. Ripples that ran through a person’s soul and mind, leaving marks no one could see.” Truer words have never been spoken! When will the ripples in my life, in my mom’s life, calm down? When will we be able to catch out breaths? How do we make it through?

Well, we will make it through with God. The notion that God is a good Father is repeated throughout this novel. I love this message, but it took me a moment to realize that this is the whole point of the story. To know that God is a good Father is the only way to get the ripples to calm down. Through the pain and suffering of this earth, we must realize that God is a good Father, and a good Father never hides from His hurting kids. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God’s plan for His kids is one of hope, and Psalm 34:18 assures us that God is close to those who are brokenhearted. As Beck and Everleigh realize God’s hope and closeness, and that He is the ultimate good Father, I couldn’t help but be filled with the same assurances. God is a good Dad. He will see me and my mom through this rough time. He will get us through the hurt and the fear and the drowning sadness because He is our good Father.

The Memory House by Rachel Hauck is an amazing story, one that I truly needed to read. Sharing in Beck’s and Everleigh’s journeys as they went through their stages of grief and healing was not only cathartic for me, but it really blessed me and leaves me with a sense of hope for my own healing. I highly, highly recommend this novel. I definitely believe this is a must read for 2019.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author via Audra Jennings at I Read With Audra and through NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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