The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor - Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor by Amy M. Reade

Rating: 3 Stars

Source: Blog Tour - Visit the tour page for links to more reviews and giveaways

Description: Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, behind hanging curtains of Spanish Moss at the end of a shaded tunnel of overarching oaks, stands the antebellum mansion of Peppernell Manor in all it's 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 supposed 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. (from Goodreads)

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: Ghosts and home restoration are my kryptonite

Giveaway: I'm giving away 1 copy of this book in e-book form!  If you're interested just leave your email address in the comments and I'll draw a random number at the end of the tour.  Giveaway ends May 3.

My Impression: There's something about an old house being restored to it's former glory that I can't resist and Peppernell Manor did not disappoint.  The house was beautiful, rich with history both good and bad, and with a number of outbuildings including the old slave quarters.  I would pay serious money for a few hours to poke around the house - especially in the basement and attics.  The restoration talk was fascinating and I loved learning about not only the grand ballrooms but the slave quarters as well.  I enjoyed watching Carleigh try to navigate work while also finding time for her daughter and I could've reached into the book and hugged her when she took steps to get her daughter out of harms way when things started getting grim around the manor.  The hurricane scene toward the end of the book was interesting.

BUT...
 This wasn't quite the book I expected.  From the blurb I was expecting ghosts and creepiness and atmosphere on top of atmosphere and this read as more of a light fiction.  As well some of the mystery aspects felt a little rushed and didn't feel fully explained.  While I understood who did what I was missing some of the reasoning - especially one of the major issues.   I also had a hard time with Evie's mother Vivian.  She was really said some awful things and treated people very badly but then a few pages later she and everyone else would act like nothing had happened.  I had a bit of a harder time forgiving and forgetting than the other characters.  Honestly, if I had been a couple of the characters she would've ended up on the body count.

Overall: If you're wanting a gothic-y read with ghosts and restoration read Barbara Michael's House of Many Shadows.  If you want a book about a nice woman trying to get her on her feet after a divorce, with a nice little girl, and a fascinating business in architectural restoration than give this a try.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: I have an earlier book by this author which I'll read but I'm not sure about after that.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you're looking for a creepy mystery than probably not.  If you want a likable character with some interesting history than you might enjoy this one.

Challenges Met?