Review & Giveaway: The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor by Amy M. Reade

The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor
by Amy M. Reade

The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor
Publisher: KENSINGTON (April 28, 2015)
E-BOOK 250 Pages
ASIN: B00OEW5SR0

Synopsis:

“Do you know what stories Sarah could tell you about the things that happened in these little cabins? They’d curl that pretty red hair of yours.”

Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, beyond hanging curtains of Spanish moss, at the end of a shaded tunnel of overarching oaks, stands the antebellum mansion of Peppernell Manor in all its faded grandeur. At the request of her friend Evie Peppernell, recently divorced Carleigh Warner and her young daughter Lucy have come to the plantation house to refurbish the interior. But the tall white columns and black shutters hide a dark history of slavery, violence, and greed. The ghost of a former slave is said to haunt the home, and Carleigh is told she disapproves of her restoration efforts. And beneath the polite hospitality of the Peppernell family lie simmering resentments and poisonous secrets that culminate in murder—and place Carleigh and her child in grave danger…

My Review:

I love Charleston and the South Carolina, how I wish I could visit Peppernell Manor or an old plantation house like this. This novel has been an exciting journey into the secrets of this house and its owners.

Carleigh Warner lives in Chicago, is recently divorced and is in love with her daughter, Lucy. She's a very good restorer and her Warner Restorations is a famous and respected society. She is trying to bounce back after the abandonment of her husband for a younger woman and is offered the perfect opportunity: a villa in South Carolina to take back to its former glory. An offer she can't refuse, especially since it is made by one of her closest friends in college who has not seen in time, Evie. She proposes to restructure her grandmother's house, Peppernell Manor. It's an old house, with a plantation where Evie lives with her parents, her grandmother and owns Cora-Camille, her aunt Ruby and her brother Heath, Harlan, the other brother,  lives and works in Charleston. Harlan and his mother would like to get help from some investors to pay for the restructuring, in return should only leave the house open to visitors. Cora Camille however does not agree: she has enough money to pay and wants the house remains wholly owned by the family. The renovation anyway going well, Lucy is perfectly set in the new home and new school, Carleigh is happy to live with Evie and also to be able to know Heath. But a day she will start receiving threats .........

All the characters are likeable. Carleigh is a strong woman, does his job with passion and professionality and is also a perfect mother. I love Lucy, she is a sweet little girl, lively but well-educated, curious and intelligent, it is great fun to hear her speak. I'm fond immediately even to the beloved grandmother Cora-Camille, a real lady.

It 's a really fascinating story, well written: the author is very good at describing perfectly the various details of the house and its restructuring which seems really to be there to direct  works with Carleigh. It's engaging, with so much mystery, some twists, a little paranormal and a bit of healthy romance. The pace is fast and exciting, perhaps the murders are a bit predictable but solving them is not at all boring or disappointing.

I have received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

About This Author

Amy M. Reade is also the author of Secrets of Hallstead House, a book set in the Thousand Islands of northern New York, where Amy grew up. After graduating from Cornell University, she went on to law school at Indiana University in Bloomington. She practiced law in New York City before moving to southern New Jersey, where, in addition to writing, she is a wife, a full-time mom and a volunteer in school, church and community groups.  She lives just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean with her husband and three children as well as a dog and two cats. She loves cooking and all things Hawaii and is currently at work on her next novel.

Visit her on the web at www.amymreade.com or at www.amreade.wordpress.com.

Author Links:

Website http://www.amymreade.com

Blog http://amreade.wordpress.com

Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/amreadeauthor

Twitter @readeandwrite.

Purchase Links:
Amazon

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway