Where We Belong + Giveaway

Four lives from Kansas and New York cross paths in a joyful novel of love, determination, and the unbreakable bonds of family—from the beloved and bestselling author of Hope’s Enduring Echo.

As a widow who never had children of her own, Hester Haak never imagined she’d open her home in Kansas to not just one but three kids from the bustling streets of New York. But when the Children’s Aid Society unexpectedly allows her to take two sisters and a young boy her care, she rises to the challenge. Hester is determined to provide a safe, loving home for these children, even as the shadow of them potentially leaving looms over her.

Callum Holbrook struggled with despair after losing his wife. Grieving and unable to provide for his family, he made the agonizing decision to entrust his daughters to an orphanage, promising it was only temporary. Now, stable with a secure job, he is horrified to learn his daughters have been sent halfway across the country. With newfound determination, Callum sets out on an arduous quest to bring them back home.

Where We Belong is a poignant tale of resilience and redemption. As Hester and Callum navigate their paths, they discover that family and love can be found in the most unexpected places, and that the journey home is paved with hope.

My Review:

The kind of story you settle into with a happy sigh of bookish delight. Sawyer’s storytelling is spellbinding. The way she creates a compelling plot as she merges the lives of very distinctive characters is phenomenal. Each has their own heartbreaking past and emotional baggage but when they come together magic happens….though not always right away!

Attention is in the detail and that’s what this author delivers. So many lush layers to explore and my emotions were all over the place because this story could have gone in so many different directions. My heart ached for both Hester and Callum, not to mention the children and the quandary they are all in. And it never ceases to amaze me how cavalier child welfare services were back then, dropping the children off willy nilly at train depots and letting anyone scoop them up!

An emotionally charged, character-driven story that delivers equal doses of heart and faith and left me immensely satisfied by the end…and a little teary-eyed too.

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘Where We Belong’. Jennette Selig’s talented narration added to my appreciation of theses characters and their stories. She did a marvellous job capturing their unique qualities, bringing each one to life which, in turn, made the story that much more memorable for me. Highly recommend the audio edition if you are a listening kind of reader.

My thanks to RB Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy – winner’s choice

Canada – ebook or audible copy – winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Where We Belong, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 25 2026

48 thoughts on “Where We Belong + Giveaway”

  1. Where We Belong sounds really good. I need to up my historical reading and gasp…I’ve never read a Kim Vogel Sawyer book! This will help in two areas. No wait, it will also help with my personal challenge, I decided last month to try to read through all 50 states. Kansas would be #37. I haven’t had to look for the others yet, just went back and checked off all the states I’ve already read. Some of them might be a bit harder, we’ll see.

    Thanks for the giveaway Kav 🙂 tracey14567 atgmail.com

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    1. I’d been neglecting my historical reading too and decided to be more deliberate in choosing more historicals even though my suspense and cozies keep beckoning me! 🙂 Wow, with all the CF books you’ve read, you haven’t met any Kim Vogel Sawyer characters? This lot would make for a great introduction. I’ve tried for years to read through all the states and haven’t succeeded yet. Rhode Island is always a challenge and Mississippi and Delaware and West Virginia. Oh, and Iowa. Those are the states that I haven’t found as a setting these last two years. Good luck, Tracey!

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      1. I first got the idea from you because you and Diane are always sharing during RC week about all the diverse places you’ve been to while goal reading. So, I’m putting on my reporter hat and giving you a suggestion for historical state settings. Melissa Jagears Inspirational Historical Fiction Index blog. I get her newsletter every month with the newest historical fiction. On the right side of the page you can filter by state, city, time periods, etc. You could locate any hard to find state or location instantly and there are multiple books to choose from. It’s a great resource/ Here’s the link, if it doesn’t come through right, just go to melissajagears.com and her blog link is at the bottom. And that’s my report for the day 😉

        https://inspirationalhistoricalfiction.com/books/miscellaneous/author-visits/?acps_post_type=books&countries_and_continents&states&major_cities&places&decades&time_periods&histori

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      2. I have been suggesting Inspirational Historical Fiction Index for years! I just communicated with Melissa and she made the form for adding books simpler at my suggestion.
        It is a great place to find historical Christian books of a certain era or range of years, event, etc. you can also leave reviews in the comments .

        She has contests every month too. She features book by the current release month.

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      4. I looked up all your hard to find books, Deleware is by far the hardest with only 2 books showing. One is an Elizabeth Byler Younts. Didn’t we just talk about her and her Amish books? I may need to read that one myself!

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      5. I have sent myself down a few rabbit holes today, lol. I just found Hannah’s Daughters by Emma Miller, LI Amish series is set in Delaware, so that would be a good fit for the state and more Amish, win/win!

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      6. I think I’m following you down those rabbit holes, Tracey! 🙂 And we did talk about Elizabeth Byler Younts on Amish day. Interesting that she shows up with a book set in Delaware. I see that you can look up books by country and continent too which is helpful for my read around the world goal. What a fun find!

        Emma Miller has a whole LI Amish series set in Delaware now that you mention Hannah’s Daughters. I’ve read them all so I can’t count them for this year’s tally unless I choose to do some rereading.

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  3. Oh my, WHERE WE BELONG sounds like a thought provoking, emotionally charged, gotta read book. The beautiful cover alone would grab my attention. You review has me biting at the bit for the opportunity to read it. Sounds like the perfect have supplies on hand, reading all day (or night), unputdownable book. The kind of book you are always looking for, but aren’t all the abundant.

    Thank you so much for the wonderful chance to win a copy.

    May today start you off on a wonderful week! While sunny, it’s dropped down to chilly this morning. Perfect weather to grab a light blanket, hit the recliner and read a while. Chores can wait until it warms up.

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Yes, unputdownable but so beautifully written you don’t want it to go by too fast. Such a conundrum. Yes, we’re back to chilly too. Brrrrrrr. The birds are still singing though. I always feel sorry for them during our wonky springs. I’m sure they are wondering weather they should stay and start nest building or migrate south again. lol Good luck, Kay!

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  6. Good morning everyone. This sounds like a wonderful story to start off this new week. I’ve been gone for 2 weeks and I came home last night to most of our snow gone except those drifts on the side of the house where the sun doesn’t rest more then an hour. Feels so good to have spring come already. It’s been a long winter here in Canada. Hope you all have a great day.

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    1. Yay for spring in Canada! This year all my snow is gone already! We had really warm days in between really cold ones so I guess the melting was gradual this year and then suddenly – poof – it was all gone. 🙂 Good luck, Becky!

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  7. Good morning from a frosty Kentucky. I just added Where We Belong to my VERY long TBR list. Kav, thanks for the chance!

    Connie

    cps1950ATgmailDOTcom

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  13. This was a heartwarming story that reminded me of When the Heart Calls and the new series Hope Valley 1874. I enjoyed it! No need to put my name in the hat.

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  15. Though I have many of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s books on my shelf and I’ve actually met her a few times with my book club, it’s been awhile since I’ve read her new releases. Other books just keep getting in the way. Where We Belong sounds like the book to stop that trend.

    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

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  16. Believe it or not, Kav, I’ve not read one of this Kansas author’s books even though I live in KS too. This sounds like a geat one to try. Count me in, please! 🙂

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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  21. I feel like all your books this week are new to me authors, which is pretty cool. I’ve seen this one floating around on social media a bit.

    Blessedmommy3x AT gmail DOT com

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