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Unity House
Unity House
What begins as one man’s attempt to rebuild his life becomes a story of connection, resilience, and the fragile line between hope and heartbreak.
Tanner Dalton has gone from semi-wealthy to counting every dollar, leaving Massachusetts behind to care for his dying mother in California’s East Bay. Struggling to find direction, he crosses paths with three women who will change his life in profound and unexpected Carmen, spirited yet scarred; Tammy, his bold childhood friend; and Sophie, whose wisdom and warmth leave an indelible mark — even after tragedy strikes.
It is with Carmen that Tanner finds himself creating Unity House, a place that promises new beginnings. But the path to redemption is never simple. Secrets emerge, grief reshapes them, and danger threatens to shatter the fragile hope they’ve built.
From the fiery warmth of Es Picante, a restaurant alive with culture and community, to the shocking violence that alters everything, Unity House is a multicultural, emotionally charged novel about finding love, forging second chances, and discovering the strength to begin again — even when the past refuses to let go.
What begins as one man’s attempt to rebuild his life becomes a story of connection, resilience, and the fragile line between hope and heartbreak.
Tanner Dalton has gone from semi-wealthy to counting every dollar, leaving Massachusetts behind to care for his dying mother in California’s East Bay. Struggling to find direction, he crosses paths with three women who will change his life in profound and unexpected Carmen, spirited yet scarred; Tammy, his bold childhood friend; and Sophie, whose wisdom and warmth leave an indelible mark — even after tragedy strikes.
It is with Carmen that Tanner finds himself creating Unity House, a place that promises new beginnings. But the path to redemption is never simple. Secrets emerge, grief reshapes them, and danger threatens to shatter the fragile hope they’ve built.
From the fiery warmth of Es Picante, a restaurant alive with culture and community, to the shocking violence that alters everything, Unity House is a multicultural, emotionally charged novel about finding love, forging second chances, and discovering the strength to begin again — even when the past refuses to let go.
409 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2025
9 people are currently reading
3491 people want to read
About the author
Keith Christian Milne
2 books13 followersKeith Christian Milne is an American novelist based in western Massachusetts. His work explores redemption, human resilience, the long shadows of the past, and the delicate balance of love and loss.
His debut novel, The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay, follows Benjamin Morse Scot, a widowed lobsterman from Maine who struggles to rebuild his life after trauma, addiction, and betrayal.
His follow-up novel, Unity House, continues his fascination with characters on the edge of reinvention. Set primarily in the east San Francisco Bay area of California, it centers on Tanner Dalton, a man confronting grief, disillusionment, and economic hardship.
Influenced by authors like Ray Bradbury, Jack London, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, and Philip Roth, Keith Christian Milne crafts emotionally honest stories that explore the human condition with both grit and grace. His fiction is grounded in working-class reality, rich with introspective characters, and often tinged with psychological or philosophical depth. He writes for readers who appreciate stories where internal conflict and lived experience are just as gripping as external events.
His debut novel, The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay, follows Benjamin Morse Scot, a widowed lobsterman from Maine who struggles to rebuild his life after trauma, addiction, and betrayal.
His follow-up novel, Unity House, continues his fascination with characters on the edge of reinvention. Set primarily in the east San Francisco Bay area of California, it centers on Tanner Dalton, a man confronting grief, disillusionment, and economic hardship.
Influenced by authors like Ray Bradbury, Jack London, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, and Philip Roth, Keith Christian Milne crafts emotionally honest stories that explore the human condition with both grit and grace. His fiction is grounded in working-class reality, rich with introspective characters, and often tinged with psychological or philosophical depth. He writes for readers who appreciate stories where internal conflict and lived experience are just as gripping as external events.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 4, 2025
Another great read. The book was very interesting and informative. It takes you through this man life. The good and the bad. There were twists and turns to keep your interest. Can’t wait for his next book.
December 16, 2025
*I received this book for free in a giveaway. Thank you to the author.*
I received this for free in a GoodReads giveaway and this is self published so I feel bad for how many issues I have with it.
The story honestly makes no sense and just when things start to get straightened out something absolutely random happens and things take a 180. Multiple times.
It almost felt like Tanner was Goldilocks but instead of beds he was trying out 3 different women. Sophie is too damaged and crazy, Tammy is too wild and passionate, Carmen is too young. And then how do you make the decision easier? Just kill off characters!
I really wanted to give this a higher rating but after the absurdity of the storyline and then the random judging of people at the end just made me genuinely dislike this book.
It is both too long and not fleshed out enough. There are editing errors and incorrect Spanish in the book. The writing wants to be profound and deep but comes off simplistic and face value. They don't even talk about Unity House until the last 10 pages? Why is the book called Unity House? It's just about Tanner and how desirable he is to women but that he is also SO educated and chill and cool.
I appreciate being given the book in the giveaway but it was not at all what I expected from the description.
I received this for free in a GoodReads giveaway and this is self published so I feel bad for how many issues I have with it.
The story honestly makes no sense and just when things start to get straightened out something absolutely random happens and things take a 180. Multiple times.
It almost felt like Tanner was Goldilocks but instead of beds he was trying out 3 different women. Sophie is too damaged and crazy, Tammy is too wild and passionate, Carmen is too young. And then how do you make the decision easier? Just kill off characters!
I really wanted to give this a higher rating but after the absurdity of the storyline and then the random judging of people at the end just made me genuinely dislike this book.
It is both too long and not fleshed out enough. There are editing errors and incorrect Spanish in the book. The writing wants to be profound and deep but comes off simplistic and face value. They don't even talk about Unity House until the last 10 pages? Why is the book called Unity House? It's just about Tanner and how desirable he is to women but that he is also SO educated and chill and cool.
I appreciate being given the book in the giveaway but it was not at all what I expected from the description.
October 27, 2025
I won the Kindle version of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was very slow moving until the last 10% of the book. The writing style was very simplistic and the main character, Tanner, kept repeating the same things over and over. I had a hard time caring about any of the characters.
October 6, 2025
I won this book (Kindle version) through the Goodreads giveaways.
Kind of good things will happen to good people kind of story. Tanner has to begin again after divorce which took most of his retirement savings. His wife strung him along until it was too late for him to have a child with her. He moves back to the Bay Area to start over, staying in a very basic apartment he lived in when he was young. He reunites with an old girlfriend, Tammy, befriends a waitress, Sophie, and gets a job from Carmen at a Mexican restaurant.
He struggles with his life's direction, as well as deciding which woman he would like to be with. We go on his journey with him, with his highs and lows, and get to know all 3 women along the way. Everyone has difficulties in life. This story was about how we deal with them, how we rise above the bad to enjoy what we have. Anything else good that happens is icing on the cake.
Overall the story was nice enough. It was simply written and sometimes felt like I was reading a diary. It wasn't bad, but wasn't fantastic either. One of the characters does a 180 that comes out of the blue. It seemed like the author was trying to find a way to wrap up the story and decided to use some extremes to make it easier to finish.
Kind of good things will happen to good people kind of story. Tanner has to begin again after divorce which took most of his retirement savings. His wife strung him along until it was too late for him to have a child with her. He moves back to the Bay Area to start over, staying in a very basic apartment he lived in when he was young. He reunites with an old girlfriend, Tammy, befriends a waitress, Sophie, and gets a job from Carmen at a Mexican restaurant.
He struggles with his life's direction, as well as deciding which woman he would like to be with. We go on his journey with him, with his highs and lows, and get to know all 3 women along the way. Everyone has difficulties in life. This story was about how we deal with them, how we rise above the bad to enjoy what we have. Anything else good that happens is icing on the cake.
Overall the story was nice enough. It was simply written and sometimes felt like I was reading a diary. It wasn't bad, but wasn't fantastic either. One of the characters does a 180 that comes out of the blue. It seemed like the author was trying to find a way to wrap up the story and decided to use some extremes to make it easier to finish.
November 15, 2025
WOW! Keith Milne’s second novel, Unity House, once again drew me in to non-stop reading similar to how I reacted to his first novel, The Unlikely Angel of Casco Bay. In this novel, 60 year old Tanner Dalton was living in Massachusetts and was recently divorced from his unfaithful wife. He has to face several divorce issues of trust, loss of financial security and probably the inability to ever father a child. He decides to move back to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit his dying mother and seek a more fulfilling life where he once lived. I loved the descriptions of some of the areas he describes — Muir Woods in Marin County, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco & the vistas from Mount Diablo. The twist and turns of finding a more meaningful way to make ends meet are portrayed along with his relationships with three females. He interacts with each of those relationships in a very thoughtful, honest manner. However, there are some unpleasant realizations for him with several of those relationships and some intense unexpected drama which kept me riveted to continue reading. He continues to dig into what is the most important thing he needs to accomplish in his life and is able to progress towards that goal and make it a reality.
December 5, 2025
I won this in the monthly Good Reads giveaway and all I can say is I'm glad I didn't pay for this. I find all the 5 star reviews hard to believe. The writing style is very simplistic and the need to describe unnecessary things got old quickly. Tanner is not really the savvy character he purports to be, and it is surprising that he made so much money in the stock trading business and now finds himself at loose ends with no money at all. The women in his life are surprising too--is he really that attractive that women are falling all over him?
September 22, 2025
From the very first page, Unity House drew me in. The writing is lyrical yet grounded, making every emotion deeply felt. Carmen, Tammy, and Sophie each add layers of strength and vulnerability, reminding us how connections can change the course of a life. Highly recommended for readers who love stories of resilience and hope.
September 22, 2025
Unity House is a beautiful novel about love, loss, and the courage it takes to rebuild. Tanner’s journey is touching and real, and the characters around him feel alive and unforgettable. This story is equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting I couldn’t put it down.
November 3, 2025
Very disjointed and hard to believe story. I did my best to have something positive to say about this book, but could only come up with, "It ended happily."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews