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Home Where She Belongs
Small-town romance with a dash of mystery and the promise of hope.
Tired of being a pawn for her father and an emotional punching bag for her ex-boyfriend, Sadie Stewart escapes to Abbott Island where she spent summers with her grandparents. Would the love and faith she learned from them be enough to fuel her new life? She wants to believe God's promises, yet broken trust holds her back.
Joel Grayson left the island long enough to train at the Police Academy. The community trusts him, even though he's failed. When he finds Sadie at her grandparents' cottages, his heart skips a beat. He'd love to get to know her again, but no one needs to share the hurt he harbors.
When Sadie discovers someone is sabotaging her future, she seeks Joel's help. As they are drawn together, will Joel let down his guard and let her in? Will Sadie trust the man who loves her and the Father Who cares?
Tired of being a pawn for her father and an emotional punching bag for her ex-boyfriend, Sadie Stewart escapes to Abbott Island where she spent summers with her grandparents. Would the love and faith she learned from them be enough to fuel her new life? She wants to believe God's promises, yet broken trust holds her back.
Joel Grayson left the island long enough to train at the Police Academy. The community trusts him, even though he's failed. When he finds Sadie at her grandparents' cottages, his heart skips a beat. He'd love to get to know her again, but no one needs to share the hurt he harbors.
When Sadie discovers someone is sabotaging her future, she seeks Joel's help. As they are drawn together, will Joel let down his guard and let her in? Will Sadie trust the man who loves her and the Father Who cares?
- GenresContemporary Romance
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2022
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Penny Frost McGinnis
12 books145 followersPenny Frost McGinnis, author of Home Where She Belongs and Home Away From Home, books #1 and #2 of the Abbott Island series, would live in a lighthouse or on an island if she could. Instead, she and her husband are content to live in southwest Ohio and visit Lake Erie every chance they get. She adores her family and dog, indulges in dark chocolate, enjoys fiber arts, and baseball. Her life's goal is to encourage and uplift through her writing, as she pens romance with a dash of mystery and the promise of hope.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 31, 2022
Home Where She Belongs is set on lovely Abbott Island where Sadie Stewart has come to recapture the magical summers she spent with her grandparents and to escape the abusive relationship she’s entangled in. As Sadie rekindles her friendship with Joel Grayson, now a police officer for the island community, sinister events threaten to ruin her budding romance. Likeable characters, a charming setting, and just the right touch of mystery are hallmarks of McGinnis’s writing.
May 26, 2022
McGinnis's debut novel deals with the tough topic of abuse while pointing the reader to hope in Christ. I enjoyed the setting, characters, and storyline and would recommend this read to those who like Christian Romance with a touch of mystery set in a small town.
February 18, 2023
Wow! There were times I wasn’t sure if I could finish this book, but I’m so glad I did. I’m not sure if it was the emotion written into the book, or my emotional response to the book. Several parts were quite strong, for lack of a better word. I feel like sometimes we don’t realize we’ve suppressed an emotion until it’s laid out before us so detailed. McGinnis is able to cover some very hard topics with a prayerful tenderness. I think the raw emotional parts for me wouldn’t have been able to have been read had her careful usage of them, and the way the characters faith and forgiveness was weaved into it (and greatly grown) not been as thought through as they were. Yes, the hard parts were hard to read, and some chapters took me a few days to complete simply due to my emotional response to the subject matter, but the book as a whole was hard to put down.
If you’ve had relationships with trauma or drama, and feel you’ve healed from it, you may want to read this to see if you’ve picked back up what you laid at the cross. I was shocked to find out I had picked things back up, so I’m thankful this book helped me to dig deeper with my faith to truly let go when I lay things at His feet.
If you’ve had relationships with trauma or drama, and feel you’ve healed from it, you may want to read this to see if you’ve picked back up what you laid at the cross. I was shocked to find out I had picked things back up, so I’m thankful this book helped me to dig deeper with my faith to truly let go when I lay things at His feet.
July 8, 2022
A very enjoyable read ! I love the peaceful setting of Marblehead and Lake Erie! You have a descriptive way of making the reader feel as if it is they who are there with the characters!
May 20, 2022
Emerging Christian author Penny Frost McGinnis is someone you will want to follow. Her debut book Home Where She Belongs takes us on the journey of one woman's transition from isolated by fear and circumstances to strong and courageous with the support of a loving community. Set on a fictional island in Lake Erie it evokes the atmosphere of the summer vacation retreats common in the area. Escape from a bad relationship leads to her place of childhood safety and love, now with all the adult responsibility of restoring her grandparent's vacation cabins. Her past follows her as someone threatens her and the island's safety. Love, friendship and faith give her the strength to fight back and overcome.
May 7, 2022
After a slow start, I enjoyed Home Where She Belongs. The difficult topic of emotional abuse is dealt with realistically, yet sensitively, with Sadie’s scars evident in her interaction with others. Having owned a B&B, it was fun to experience her excitement at creating her guest house, and the author does a good job of keeping it “real,” without it reading like a DIY manual. I’ve read home-improvement cozies where lengthy projects take no time at all with little effort. Joel is a wonderful hero dealing with his own issues. I love how he comes to the rescue not because he’s a police officer, but because it’s the kind of man he is. The incidents ratchet up in seriousness which kept me turning pages to see how things would work out. I was able to guess the culprit, but for the wrong reasons. Elements of faith and salvation are woven throughout the story without being preachy. A strong 4.5 star story.
March 29, 2022
What a delightful read!
This is an ideal beach read - quick enough to get finished in a week on vacation, but engaging enough to want to find out what happens next.
I’m excited that the author says there will be more!
This is an ideal beach read - quick enough to get finished in a week on vacation, but engaging enough to want to find out what happens next.
I’m excited that the author says there will be more!
May 2, 2022
Home Where She Belongs is a delightful story of love with a bit of suspense thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of Sadie and Joel’s journey to find acceptance and trust while learning to lean on God. I would love to see what the author might have in store for Marigold and Lucy!
April 4, 2022
Sadie comes back to Abbot Island, desperate for a measure of peace. The last few years have damaged – if not broken – her, and the home and cabins given her by her grandparents is her only hope. But as she rediscovers old friendships, including her old crush, Joel, a longing begins to tug at her heart.
Joel knows something is wrong with the grown-up version of the girl he fell in love with so many years ago, but she’s not talking. As he does his best to discover who is tormenting Sadie, their relationship tip-toes forward and back again, as she struggles to cope with conflicting emotions.
Faith plays a crucial role in Home Where She Belongs, and it is expressed clearly without even a hint of preachiness. Author Penny Frost McGinnis has created a setting I’d love to visit, characters who intrigue and compel, and a plot that keeps the pages turning. I truly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it. Five stars!
Joel knows something is wrong with the grown-up version of the girl he fell in love with so many years ago, but she’s not talking. As he does his best to discover who is tormenting Sadie, their relationship tip-toes forward and back again, as she struggles to cope with conflicting emotions.
Faith plays a crucial role in Home Where She Belongs, and it is expressed clearly without even a hint of preachiness. Author Penny Frost McGinnis has created a setting I’d love to visit, characters who intrigue and compel, and a plot that keeps the pages turning. I truly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it. Five stars!
June 8, 2022
Really enjoyed this easy to read book. Story of a young woman escaping an abusive relationship to return to her Grandparents home where she had many good memories. Sadie overcomes her insecurities to become a confident young woman and finds her true love. Can’t wait for the next book in this new trilogy
July 2, 2022
Mystery, secrets, family connections, faith, love, and more. All are found in this intriguing novel by author Penny Frost McGinnis. I enjoyed this story very much.
August 22, 2024
Abbott Island Series, Book 1
Sadie Stewart moves the property she’d inherited on Abbott Island, to escape her ex-boyfriend’s abuse at her father’s company. Happy childhood memories of summers spent with her grandparents are overshadowed by her fear that Bryce will follow her.
Sadie’s childhood friend Joel Grayson is now a policeman on the island. She’d once had feelings for him but can’t trust anyone now—her own father refused to protect her from Bryce.
Joel, who had fallen in love with her while in high school, is determined to protect her.
Danger escalates and it seems that Sadie isn’t safe anywhere from Bryce.
My heart went out to Sadie. I found myself pulling for the characters that I learned to love. Many twists and turns led to escalating danger.
This story kept me turning pages. Recommended!
This is a new-to-me author. It won’t be the last book I read by her!
Sadie Stewart moves the property she’d inherited on Abbott Island, to escape her ex-boyfriend’s abuse at her father’s company. Happy childhood memories of summers spent with her grandparents are overshadowed by her fear that Bryce will follow her.
Sadie’s childhood friend Joel Grayson is now a policeman on the island. She’d once had feelings for him but can’t trust anyone now—her own father refused to protect her from Bryce.
Joel, who had fallen in love with her while in high school, is determined to protect her.
Danger escalates and it seems that Sadie isn’t safe anywhere from Bryce.
My heart went out to Sadie. I found myself pulling for the characters that I learned to love. Many twists and turns led to escalating danger.
This story kept me turning pages. Recommended!
This is a new-to-me author. It won’t be the last book I read by her!
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September 2, 2023A wonderful story of returning to a place you loved as a child and feeling like you’ve come home. Sadie escapes the cruelty of her father and ex-boyfriend to find happiness. The book had enough mystery, love and friendship to give it five stars.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews