I must iterate as I often do at the beginning of any review in this genre, I am not a natural horror genre reader. In any given year, I am tempted to try a few and those are always an experience.

This is horror in its own vague way. Since I’ve never actually pinned down what qualifies in the genre with me, I’ll stick with just having an inexplicable evil entity in the narrative being the primary factor.

It’s 1925 America and our leading lady is not one with the strictest of morals. When her current dubious life choice crashes around her, she decides to jump on a train to help her wealthy great aunt. There’s more than a little selfishness involved, at least in the beginning. Although once at the grange, Sadie finds new depths in herself. Life is not helped by a mysterious man who seems to control a lot of things.

I may not have liked the ‘set’ in the centre of the narrative much, the decadent lifestyle seems at odds in general with the struggles of the average person, but I liked the author’s writing style.

The author had mentioned invested in the outcome and to root for morally ambiguous protagonists.

I would recommend this book to fans of the time period and the genre.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience

The Artist of Blackberry Grange by Paulette Kennedy
I am giving this one, 5 stars purely because I enjoyed it so much! It was engaging in so many ways! Magical realism, time travel, love stories, and more!
My favorite quote: “But our memories, precious and clear, are beyond time. Eternal. They go on forever. And perhaps, some small part of us goes on too. It must.” – from the Epilogue
In 1925, Sadie’s life is upended with a failed engagement. Sadie finds that her great-aunt Marguerite is suffering from dementia. In hopes of finding new purpose, Sadie becomes a companion for Marg.
On an Arkansas bluff, Marg has a grand estate where she paints. Her portraits are hauntingly breathtaking.
Blackberry Grange holds childhood memories for Sadie and a world of family secrets with a past Marg is held captive to.
This one had so much! Lost loves, family secrets, betrayal, an endearing love story, magic, time travel and more! I loved every page! It captivated me- I couldn’t put it down! 5/5⭐
I would like to Thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review and ARC of this novel.

I just don't know about this one, man. It might be a case of this just not really being my thing but the paranormal aspects all felt weird and random and there wasn't like, a clear enough vision of this world's understanding of magic or whatever to make it all make sense. Like there are ghosts but the MC isn't really scared of them upon first encounter, there are pictures you fall into and it's like sure okay fine, depending on who you are the pictures let you either observe the past or change it (what?), the MC later meets a witch who helps her keep away a bad ghost using the powers of grave dirt and praying to a saint (witchcraft and Catholicism! as one does I guess!).

And the main character is just...yikes. We're introduced to her when she's in the midst of a long-term affair with a married man, which, okay, but just when you think she's starting to feel bad about it and grow as a person she starts fucking a ghost (???) despite the fact that the last person who fucked the same slutty ghost ended up dead. So it's like, I guess she's just a horny moron? And I'm all for more representation of women who are also horny morons but good god. Her final romance of the book was I think supposed to redeem her taste in men, but since she was such a flighty weirdo otherwise it more felt like she was just incapable of not fucking and so turned to the nearest available dick. Like girl what is your vision of the future on the outskirts of Nothingville, Arkansas? Come on.

I almost DNFed at 60% but decided to power through in case the book decided to discover the joys of a sensibly paced narrative and cut back on the unnecessarily plentiful sex. It did neither, and the sex scenes continued to not even be sexy. This is more of a huffy 2.5 stars but I'm feeling surly today and rounding down. It's clear this author has a lot of fans, but I do not foresee myself becoming one of them.

It’s been an established trope from the very first Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto: portraits of the dead that can come to life and roam the halls. In Paulette Kennedy’s The Artist of Blackberry Grange, the home of an elderly painter living with dementia is haunted by her portraits of figures from her past. This historical Gothic, which came out last week, uses traditional tropes of the genre to explore themes of generational trauma, temptation, toxic relationships, regret, and overcoming all of these obstacles to find true love and contentment.

It is the summer of 1925 and Sadie Halloran’s life has fallen apart. For the past few years, she has been carrying on an affair with a married man who promised he would eventually divorce his wife so that they could be together. But Ted was only stringing her along, and when he dumps Sadie shortly after her mother’s death, Sadie is left both penniless and directionless. That’s when she hears about Great-aunt Marguerite’s failing health and the difficulty the family has had with keeping staff and carers at Blackberry Grange to look after her. With nothing keeping her in Kansas City, Sadie hops on a train to the Ozarks to take care of her great aunt. She’s unprepared for what awaits her in the grand house she remembers visiting as a child: rumors of ghosts abound and most of the staff have been scared away. On top of that, Aunt Marg’s health and moods are unpredictable. Sometimes she is the brilliant firecracker of a woman that Sadie remembers; at other times, she is agitated and angry, plagued with paranoia and delusions, and unable to remember Sadie’s name. What at first was a somewhat selfish plan to get room and board and a chance at inheriting a grand estate becomes a true passion for Sadie as she becomes invested in Aunt Marg’s well-being and learns the difficult skills of caring for someone with dementia. Sadie has also become invested in the eerily life-like portraits Marguerite painted throughout her lifetime, especially one of a gorgeous dark-haired man who resembles the ghost-like figure Sadie has spotted in her attic bedroom. Then there’s the brooding but secretly soft-hearted gardener who keeps trying to warn her away. But Sadie isn’t going anywhere. Even as she becomes increasingly mesmerized by the seductive portrait and finds her own health and mental state slipping, Sadie is determined to unlock the secrets of Marguerite’s past and help her to find peace in her final months.

The painted spirits that haunt Blackberry Grange embody and complicate a variety of tropes. First there is Weston, the handsome rake that draws an obvious parallel to Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray. Like Dorian, Weston’s beauty and charisma help to disguise his corrupt nature. Sadie even begins to question whether Weston truly once was a real person, or if he is some sort of demonic entity summoned by her ancestors in an unintentional Faustian bargain. But in line with more traditional ghost stories, Weston is also a spirit with a grievance. He targets the loved ones of those who wronged him, appearing most often to vulnerable young women. Iris, on the other hand, is a much friendlier spirit. This portrait of one of Marguerite’s former lovers appears like a classic “woman in white” ghost, but her goal is to help both Sadie and Marguerite. Iris’s spirit is ultimately the one who points the two women in the right direction to break the curse that has haunted their family.

Apart from literal ghosts, one of the key ways that the present is haunted by the past in many Gothic novels is when there is a past wrong, committed by previous generations that must be resolved in order for future generations to find happiness. Often, the younger generation is cursed to relive or reenact the same tragedies as their ancestors until the curse is broken. In this book’s case, many things went wrong during Marguerite’s young adulthood. She and her two sisters betrayed each other, fought over a man, and became the worst versions of themselves. For decades afterward, they kept many things from this time in their lives a secret, burying unresolved feelings and grudges. Now, as she nears death, Marguerite has the chance to quite literally right the wrongs of the past by revisiting certain moments in time through her paintings. But altering the past can have unintended consequences on the present. Ultimately, Marguerite must learn that the only way to resolve some past wrongs is by accepting them and embracing forgiveness.

The Artist of Blackberry Grange is at its core a story about family. About the messy relationships between siblings that love each other despite it all. And about the beautiful bonds that can be built across generations, even during the difficult time near the end of one’s life. Layered on top of that is a tale of temptation and romance, plus all the Gothic tropes you could wish for.

I’ve previously read Paulette Kennedy’s three other books and loved them. Now having read this one, I have to say that she’s become one of my favorite authors. If you want the short and sweet version of it: I loved this one. It’s a cozy read perfect for reading on a summer night while sipping tea. So if you’re like me and you’re in a reading slump and are desperately looking for your next good book, pick up one of Kennedy’s books.

Now, for the nitty gritty of it all:
In this book we follow Sadie Halloran in 1925. She has just lost her mother and had her heart broken by a man. Sadie decides to be a caregiver to her great aunt, Marguerite, who suffers from dementia. At Blackberry Grange, Marguerite paints strange, lifelike paintings. All is not what it seems as Sadie finds herself drawn into the past where she must uncover dark secrets that have haunted her family for generations before it’s too late.

This felt different from the other books from this author. I appreciated that she tried something new. I think it definitely paid off. The Artist of Blackberry Grange follows Sadie’s family during different points in their life. I have to be vague here but there’s some “wibbly wobbly, timey wimey” stuff in this that I really enjoyed. No, I won’t elaborate. You’ll just have to read the book for yourself to see what I mean.

As far as the writing goes, Kennedy did an excellent job at bringing to life characters that felt real. Her characters aren’t always likeable and they have flaws. My favorite character in this book is probably Beckett but I also really liked the character development that Sadie had throughout the book. I loved the setting of this book too. Apparently Blackberry Grange was based on the C. W. Terry house in Eureka Springs. After looking up pictures, I found that the descriptions of the house really fit what I envisioned (although Blackberry Grange isn’t meant to be an exact copy). As always, Kennedy’s books aren’t just about ghosts or witches, or the supernatural. This one dealt with themes of generational trauma and what it’s like to be a caretaker, among other things. I’ll leave out details and just say that the ending was just right. I also loved the inclusion of the little easter egg in this book.

The author mentioned that she was inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray and Wuthering Heights and I can definitely see that. I love both of those books so of course I’d love this one. This is another book that I can see myself coming back to again and again. I’d recommend this to those that enjoy historical fiction, gothic novels, and books that feature strong female characters. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and the author for providing me with an ARC for review.

This was an unexpected fun read. It’s got family mysteries, magic, and multiple timelines…

If you want a historical romantic mystery this is worth the read.

I’ve been wanting to read Paulette Kennedy since her first book came out a few years ago, and have finally started with her latest novel, The Artist of Blackberry Grange. Set in 1925, it follows Sadie Halloran just after her relationship with a married man ended badly. She ends up going to her great aunt Marguerite’s home, in part to care for her in her dementia, but also because she simply needs a place to go. But what Sadie uncovers at her aunt Marguerite’s home is more than just dementia; it’s a haunting, brought on by past regrets and traumas, and it threatens Sadie’s very safety unless they can put a stop to it.

What I Liked:
- Women who didn’t fit in with their time. Both Marguerite and Sadie were women who eschewed what was considered “proper” in their time and for their social class. Marguerite, in the late 1800s, fell in love with “the help,” then traveled around Europe, sold paintings, and had women as romantic partners. Sadie, in 1925, was a flapper and has been called “loose” by some in her family, but she’s confident in going after what (or whom) she wants.
- Portrayal of dementia. A large part of why Sadie is spending time with her great aunt after all this time is to care for Marguerite in her late stages of dementia. It’s a painful but honest look at how memory and recognition get muddled. Though in Marguerite’s case, there may be more truth to what she’s saying, odd as it may sound…
- Dreams, hauntings, curses, and addictive ghost lovers! Marguerite feels haunted by a man, Weston Chase, but soon Sadie starts seeing him and is quickly seduced. When she slips into these dreams, these portals into the past, readers get to view them as third-person interludes (in contrast to her first-person narrative the rest of the time). These elements give the novel a wholly gothic flare, much like the often-referenced Wuthering Heights that Sadie is reading.
- The darker side of family. As this book progresses, the web of lies, greed, and covered up wrongs spreads, showing a family that is troubled in many ways. Back in the 1880s, Marguerite and her sisters had significant issues revolving around Weston. Now in 1925, Sadie has suffered so many losses and feels disconnected from everyone in her family except Marguerite. It’s a layered depiction of intergenerational trauma and the repercussions of past mistakes.
- Rapidly changing narrative and understanding of events. A lot happens over the course of this book, from Sadie’s three different romantic relationships to the many past traumas that Marguerite strives to correct. It can be disorienting (both for readers and for Sadie herself!). While this at first felt like a drawback in the storytelling, it actually ended up being a strength. It adds to the story and its ephemeral portrayal of memory and family connection.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed The Artist of Blackberry Grange. It’s a feverish gothic that changes course rapidly, but the stories of family tragedy, regret, and trauma come together for a reflective and heartbreaking tale. Ultimately I loved how everything came together by the end, even if it was at times hard to keep track of where things stood. I’m excited to dive into Paulette Kennedy’s other novels, starting with her debut, Parting the Veil. I’ll also look out for her next book, The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael, due in 2026.

The Artist of BlackBerry Grange is an atmospheric gothic story set in the Ozark. Whilst I didn’t enjoy it as much as her other works I delighted in the beautiful writing and world building.

As for why I didn’t enjoy as much as Paulette’s other works, it didn’t seem to draw me in as much and it felt a little disjointed/confusing in parts. But perhaps this is was simply my personal reading experience.

I enjoyed that Paulette took inspiration but really made this her own story. It was also clear to see some inspiration was drawn from her own life and I appreciated this vulnerable share into the deeply personal world of grief and loss.

Sadie is a fascinating, flawed and complex character. I found her interesting. I didn’t feel very invested in the romance though.

It’s always such a pleasure to read Paulette’s work!
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my eARC.

I loved it all!! The Ghost mystery, the family dynamics, and the historical setting, everything blew me away.
The atmospheric and gothic vibes of the story made me so invested in the story that I couldn’t put it down.
This is literally what I love to read and see in my books.
The twists really had me gasping and I enjoyed reading about these complex and intriguing characters. Also the writing was so beautiful and detailed I felt so immersed in the story it felt real. Paulette Kennedy has a new loyal reader as of now😍

4.75 stars

Sadie is a headstrong, independent young woman, which makes life a bit difficult for her in 1925 Kansas City. Nursing a broken heart, Sadie learns that her great-aunt Marguerite is in need of full-time caregiving at this late stage in her life so she decides that 'family should take care of family' and uproots herself to the Ozarks where her aunt's estate is located - Blackberry Grange. While it takes a bit of time to settle herself into her new life, Sadie is happy to be spending time with Marguerite, although she realises quickly that her great-aunt harbours quite a few secrets about her early life, especially in regards to the rest of the family. Marguerite was a talented artist but is now suffering from dementia and seems to be losing her grip on reality at an alarming pace, however Sadie soon discovers that her great-aunt's works are imbued with a mystical quality. Sadie becomes entranced but she is completely unprepared for the possible dangers that await her. Can Sadie help Marguerite face her tragic secrets before it's too late for everyone involved?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The supernatural elements of Marguerite's paintings make for a delightful framing device for the plot to develop. (See what I did there? "Framing" device, get it? *Sigh* I'll see myself out...) But for real, having the story jumping back and forth between historical points was a fascinating journey into the minds and souls of the characters involved. I enjoyed the pacing and structure overall and would definitely recommend this one to anyone who's a fan of paranormal romance and unburying family secrets.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Paulette Kennedy, and Lake Union Publishing for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

I honestly cannot believe how disappointing this book was. Having read and greatly enjoyed two of the author's previous books, I was confident this was going to be an amazing read. And for many reasons, it ended up being a very mediocre one.

First of all, the plot was not well structured. The author presented a conflict that seemed to go in a certain direction, but then changed it to the point that it lost its reason for being introduced in the first place. You may attribute this to the plot twist, but I think it was lack of consistency.

The main character was unnecessarily unlikeable in my opinion. All the aspects that are covered in the story to make her grow don't justify the way she was written. She's not good at admitting her mistakes and I cannot support a woman who behaves like she does. And no, I don't think I'm being judgemental or closed minded. She simply is not a girl's girl. Her intentions are selfish, not genuine and she got far better than she deserved. All in all, not a character I could ever root for.

As for the romance, that was another disaster. Too much lust, too little real passionate, tender romance. The relationship with one the her interests was ridiculously fast and based purely on last. The other one was mere convenience. She kept being thrown together with the other man basically because he was handsome and under the same roof. Put in a simple word: forced.

The fantasy element and the paranormal one did not blend. They made the story feel disjointed, which ties to the fact that the author didn't handle the plot, the pacing nor the twists very well.

The writing did not stand out, no beautiful prose or even memorable quotes. Nothing was truly shocking or entirely unexpected. An event that should have had more relevance was barely touched on and the book felt way longer than it actually was.

I don't know what happened with this novel because it did not live up to what I expect of a Paulette Kennedy book. It's truly sad because I honestly though I was in for a great time.

This is my first Paulette Kennedy novel, and I really enjoyed it. It takes place in the 1920s. Sadie has just endured a broken engagement and her financial situation is grim when she learns that her Aunt Marguerite is in poor health and needs a caregiver. Her aunt is an artist and struggles with dementia. The story has some supernatural touches also and Marguerite’s health problems were handled perfectly. The story gives Sadie plenty of opportunities to learn family history and since her mother recently died, she has scant resources for this. Marguerite has some staff already there, thank goodness, and Sadie admirably steps up to the responsibility.

This was a time when family members cared for their elders, and I enjoyed that part as well. Sadie took on a difficult job and didn’t grumble. The ending was beautifully done.

Four beautiful stars!

I received a copy of the digital ARC via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This is a gorgeous book. ❤️

From page 1, I was transported to a different time and setting, and I completely forgot that I was even reading.

I loved everything about this book. The core mystery was gripping, the suspense & tension were ON the whole time, and I refuse to believe that these characters are not real!

PS: I’m not a big romance fan, but this had one of the most tasteful and beautiful romance subplots.

Also, this book had some of the BEST VIBES and atmosphere I’ve ever encountered. If old, remote mansions, rainy summers, ghosts, family secrets, and a bit of romance and spice is your vibe, you’ll love this one.

I love a book with time travel / time slip elements. This one is well-written and kept me intrigued. So many secrets and scandals. I couldn't care less about the romance part though and I admit I find some of it cringeyy but thank goodness not enough to dnf 😂
This novel is inspired by a few classics like Picture of Dorian Gray, Wuthering Heights, and The House on the Strand. I'm not a big fan of classics but good to know the inspiration behind this novel and I hope I find the willingness to read them someday ☺️

I always enjoy this author's books. While this was not my favorite it was still good. A creepy, gothic, ghost, sensual, type story. One that gave me goosebumps.

While I did not like the main character, Sadie, at all, the story was good. I thought Sadie was too much. First of all she had been having an affair with a married man. The parts where she meets his wife were unbelievable. No woman ever truly wants to meet the other woman. Or one of the many other women as the case may be. Besides this though Sadie just grated on my nerves. She decides to go to Blackberry Grange and stay with her aunt who is suffering from dementia. The first night she's there she is left alone with her aunt. What was up there. Did Aunt Marguerite always stay alone at night. As she suffered from dementia I would not think so. But it's fiction right. Still...

I liked Aunt Marg. She was something else. An artist. And what an artist she was. Her portraits were so lifelike you could almost find yourself inside them. I felt bad for Marg. She seemed to be so lonely until Sadie arrived. Except for the gardner/driver and the nurse there was really no one there. No family. Just her and her paintings. Marg has a lot of secrets though. A whole lot...

You meet Sadie's relatives and oh my what a group. All seem so selfish and self-centered. I didn't like any of them. Not even their awful, spoiled, bratty, kids. Destructive little creatures is what they were. I kind of liked Beckett. He was Marg's gardner/driver and he cooked. Seems he was a great cook.

This story has a lot of ghostly things going on. A lot of sexual tension it seems. I didn't much find parts of that believable either. I mean, a ghost. Really? But again it's fiction. And gothic. And a horror story too. Anything can happen in a fiction story afterall... And boy does it.

I did enjoy this book. It was well written and in places edge of your seat scary. While some characters, most of them, I didn't like there were some I did. Even though parts were unbelievable it was still very good. This author has a way of pulling you into her books and not letting you go until the very end. And what an ending. That part made me cry. It was perfect...

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

After a broken engagement and the crushing loss of her mother, Sadie Halloran is emotionally adrift. In a desperate search for meaning, she moves to Blackberry Grange to care for her great-aunt Marguerite—a once-celebrated artist now in the throes of dementia. What begins as a story of healing and caregiving quickly shifts into something far darker and more surreal.

Marguerite is no ordinary patient. She spends her days feverishly painting portraits—of former lovers both adored and despised—each canvas dripping with a strange, otherworldly energy. These aren't just memories—they’re hauntings. And the spirits born from these paintings begin to seep into the house and Sadie's mind, blurring the line between memory and madness, past and present.

This gothic thriller was beautifully eerie—at times dreamlike, at others deeply unsettling. The supernatural elements were chilling without being overdone, with spirits that felt like metaphors for repressed trauma as much as literal ghosts. At the heart of the story is Sadie, a character I genuinely connected with. Her grief, her resilience, and her vulnerability made the strange happenings at Blackberry Grange all the more compelling.

Amid the dread, there's also unexpected tenderness in the slow-burning romance between Sadie and Beckett, the gruff and grounded groundskeeper. Their connection brought warmth and balance to a story otherwise steeped in shadow and sorrow.

While the mystery kept me guessing, it was really the emotional core—Sadie’s growth and Marguerite’s unraveling legacy—that carried the weight of the novel. If you love haunted houses, generational secrets, and stories where art is both salvation and curse, The Artist of Blackberry Grange will leave a mark.

⭐️ 4/5 – Haunting, lyrical, and quietly devastating.

After a broken engagement and the crushing loss of her mother, Sadie Halloran is emotionally adrift. In a desperate search for meaning, she moves to Blackberry Grange to care for her great-aunt Marguerite, a once celebrated artist now in the throes of dementia. What begins as a story of healing and caregiving quickly shifts into something far darker and more surreal.

Marguerite is no ordinary patient. She spends her days feverishly painting portraits, of former lovers both adored and despised each canvas dripping with a strange, otherworldly energy. These aren't just memories, they’re hauntings. And the spirits born from these paintings begin to seep into the house and Sadie's mind, blurring the line between memory and madness, past and present.

This gothic thriller was beautifully eerie, at times dreamlike, at others deeply unsettling. The supernatural elements were chilling without being overdone, with spirits that felt like metaphors for repressed trauma as much as literal ghosts. At the heart of the story is Sadie, a character I genuinely connected with. Her grief, her resilience, and her vulnerability made the strange happenings at Blackberry Grange all the more compelling.

Amid the dread, there's also unexpected tenderness in the slow-burning romance between Sadie and Beckett, the gruff and grounded groundskeeper. Their connection brought warmth and balance to a story otherwise steeped in shadow and sorrow.

While the mystery kept me guessing, it was really the emotional core, Sadie’s growth and Marguerite’s unraveling legacy—that carried the weight of the novel. If you love haunted houses, generational secrets, and stories where art is both salvation and curse, The Artist of Blackberry Grange will leave a mark.

⭐️ 4/5 – Haunting, lyrical, and quietly devastating.

“‘Sometimes I think I sold my soul for a handful of penny candy— as if some unseen devil heard Florence’s wish and granted it, using my talents as a vehicle for evil.’”


This is not my typical genre— gothic horror—and there were definitely parts that were not my favorite, but it had some redeeming qualities. I liked the second half a lot better than the first half.

I’ve probably only read a few ‘horror’ books so I don’t know what is normal for that type of read. For this book there were supernatural things happening and hauntings, but it wasn’t a super dark or gory story. Because it was set in 1925 the haunting part felt more like an atmospheric element than anything that was supposed to make me feel scared.

I would say it’s more gothic than horror.


The premise: Sadie, on the wrong end of a terminated affair with a married man leaves Kansas City, seizing on the opportunity to care for her great aunt in Arkansas, Marguerite, who is deteriorating with dementia.

“Marguerite was spirited. A chimera. An artist who broke rules and paved her own path in life.”

Family secrets come to light when Sadie experiences the supernatural through her aunt’s haunting portraits she’s painted of people now deceased. Sadie can see them walking in the house and can even be sucked into the paintings— portals to the past.

“‘This old house holds many ghosts, my dear. Some of them are mine.’”

The lure of the paintings centers on Weston Chase, the subject of one of the portraits who is also a womanizer. He seduces Sadie to carry on an intimate relationship through the painting portal.

“Weston Chase. Like something out of a tawdry romance. He’s a hunter, my dear. He chases. You fell right into his snare. But there’s a price to his pleasures. A price you’ll never be able to pay.”

But Sadie soon realizes something happened in Marguerite’s past that reveals these hauntings are part of a curse that must somehow be reversed before the rage of Weston kills them all.

“‘There’s a reason for her anger. Her pain. She just has trouble remembering what caused all of it.’”

“For the past few weeks, so much of what I thought I knew about my family has changed, as if I’ve been looking at them through distorted glass for all these years. Now I see them more clearly. How their well-bred ways were a facade for a well-hidden darkness.”



Okay, so the first half of the book felt largely unpleasant to read. Sadie was not my kind of girl. Carrying on an affair with a married man and then entering into another lustful endeavor with a ghost knowing the dangers surrounding it felt just very immature and selfish. I thought the whole book was just going to be about these supernatural escapades and how it deteriorates Sadie’s perception of reality. And if that’s all it was— and it did feel like it wasn’t really going anywhere— it was going to be a waste of my time.

Once I pushed through that part, we see some character development in Sadie as she recognizes that what she is doing is wrong.

“I’ve realized I’m not really in love with Weston. I’m addicted to him.”

She starts to have feelings for Beckett, the man on grounds who helps care for Marguerite— who is single by the way and not a ghost— and realizes what real love looks like.

So the main conflict becomes Weston’s rage when Sadie stops the relationship. He haunts the house and causes chaos and destruction. Even when they destroy the painting, it shows back up in the house. How can they stop him?

Then we have the portraits of the other people in the past that start showing Sadie Marguerite’s memories. Something terrible happened on a bluff in California and may be the key to reversing the curse if she can figure out what it was.

“‘But there are some things I’ll never tell you, child. I may be losing my mind. But I’ll take some of my secrets to the grave.’”

“The only way you’ll ever be free of him is by discovering the root of the curse. You must confront the wrongs of the past and make atonement— or the one who wronged him must, if they’re still alive.’”



I was glad when what I thought was just going to be a story about lust turned into more of a mystery about what happened in the past and that it was more centered around Marguerite than Sadie. Did she really have dementia? What memories could we trust? How do you kill a ghost?

The tension and conflict in the book built up a lot more and I really liked the ending. I thought it had a good balance of justice and redemption and allowing the grief of loss to linger. It’s not a completely happy ending, but it did resolve in a way that was satisfying.



Sadie’s selfishness turns to authentic love and care for her aunt and Beckett. She bears the burden of a lot of loss in her life, including her brother dying at a young age from illness and finding her father after he committed suicide on the day of her coming out party. Having been unable to save either of them, she feels compelled to do all she can for her aunt.

There is a discussion to be had here in terms of abusive relationships.

“Ted and Weston share many similarities. Passionate. Possessive. Dominant. And perhaps… duplicitous… What Weston offers me is familiar. But familiarity isn’t always good. Familiar can be dangerous.”

I was glad to see this growth in Sadie— not only that she recognized she didn’t want to be a mistress but that she realized she turned around and pursued a similar man, out of comfort of the familiar, which is not always good. Well, also he was a ghost, but you get it.



In the author’s note, Paulette says she was actually setting out to write a book about caregiving since she had some personal experience with it and wanted to highlight the challenges caregivers face and how our loved ones “teach us about living well and dying well in the process.”

But as she was writing, it kind of morphed into something more:

“While this is still a story about caregiving, it’s also one about generational trauma, and how the echoes of our actions filter down to our descendants.”

I thought this was interesting because I’ve recently been listening to Alisa Childer’s podcast series talking about demonic oppression and generational curses so for a generational curse to pop up in a fiction book I was reading was timely.

One of the ways Sadie attempts to combat Weston was to see a fortune teller where she got something to sprinkle in doorways, a charm to wear, and a prayer to recite. These are similar things to what is discussed in the podcast— what is demonic oppression and how do you deal with it?

I don’t usually choose to read books that have supernatural elements because some things depict reality and others dramatize or exaggerate for the story. I don’t want to romanticize, trivialize, or catastrophize the spiritual world.

If you are a Christian reader and you’re not sure what to think of things like this, I would recommend Childers’ podcast as a launching point to thinking more about these kinds of things.


Supernatural world aside, I do think that there is something practical to be said of family legacies and the things we pass down to future generations. Paulette chose to depict this using a curse. I don’t believe in curses, but I do think that how we parent our children is relative to how we were parented and will be relevant to how our children will parent their children. Abuse has been seen to be passed down. How we treat people. Our beliefs. Our way of seeing the world. Our values and priorities. The way we use our time and our money. All of these things influence future generations for good or bad.

And it’s not to say we can’t make mistakes, but what do we do with our mistakes? Do we cover them up or lie about them? Or do we confess and repent and teach people from our own mistakes?

It is right to think about the legacy we might leave for others. Are we leaving them a blessing or a burden?



A couple other random comments:

- I wish we had gotten more information as to what turned the paintings into portals. Was it something in the way Marguerite painted, was there an event that triggered it? Perhaps it would have been too complicated to integrate well into the book, but it’s something that just has to be accepted and I would have preferred a better explanation.

- We never did tie up the comments surrounding the Blaylock family and the death that occurred in the house. Was that just to add to the eerie vibes or was it meant to be some sort of plot point that got forgotten?

- I agree with another reviewer that I’m not sure I really felt the chemistry between Beckett and Sadie. I was not wanting the lustful connection Sadie had with Weston, but I do think there was something missing from Beckett’s character to connect the readers to him and Sadie’s relationship.

- I will also include this quote from the author’s note for readers more savvy than me: “Savvy readers will notice my nods to The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier, all of which helped inspire certain aspects of this story.”

I actually hated Wuthering Heights and am not a big ‘classics’ fan in general so I obviously didn’t pick up on the cues, but maybe you can!

- This book does have a touch of time travel and the idea that we have to be careful changing the past because we don’t know what it will affect in the future. That’s the thing about mistakes and regrets. They still shape who we are and our experiences that lead us to people and discoveries that we otherwise wouldn’t have.

- Based on the author’s content warning printed at the beginning of the book, she attempted to bring a lot of things to bear in this story. Some more so than others. I suppose it makes for book club discussions, but sometimes I think authors can try to shove too many hot button topics into one book. To be honest, though, most of these were so subtle that I didn’t even notice them or feel overwhelmed by them … other than when I read the whole list before starting. Luckily, I forgot about them pretty quickly.



Recommendation

This one is hard to know how to recommend. I’m not a fan of the lust and sexual content, or the first half of the book in general, but I was glad with the turn the book took and some of the themes that eventually shone through.

I think there are both reasons to read it and reasons not to read it. I think I’ve provided enough information for you to know if this is a good fit for you.


[Content Advisory: 0 f- or s-words; there is sexual content, nothing drawn out but a few sex scenes and lust is a main plot point; supernatural elements and a demon/ghost; LGBTQ+- Marguerite had several female lovers]


**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

After a broken engagement and her mother's death in 1925, Sadie Halloran learns that her great-aunt Marguerite, needs a live-in companion. Blackberry Grange is Marguerite’s mansion in Arkansas, where she is compelled to paint eerie, hallucinatory portraits of old lovers. Time seems to shift in the mansion, and Marguerite had secrets. Now, Sadie must uncover the secrets before Marguerite’s memory slips away.

Sadie doesn't have anyone she can truly rely on at the start of the novel; engaged to a married man, she's the pariah in a family set on making good impressions in Kansas City society. She hears of Marguerite and figures it's a place she can go to lick her wounds and regroup, but learns to truly care for her. Marguerite had a scandalous past of her own, secrets she keeps even from herself, and dementia. The house seems haunted, and some of the paintings that Marguerite made have the ability to draw people into them, experiencing the past like a ghost. While Sadie is drawn into this world, it also takes its toll on her and can be potentially deadly.

The author noted that Marguerite is meant to have Lewy Body dementia, a form that comes with hallucinations and behavior changes more often than the Alzheimer's type. Even without knowing that, the picture of what it was like to be a caregiver is very clear. Sadie sees glimpses of the woman beneath the illness and hears stories about what life had been like for them in the Gilded Age. The present Roaring Twenties aren't too much better for Sadie, but she soon realizes that Marguerite is hiding things and blaming her dementia for keeping secrets. The magic with the paintings allows her not only the guilty pleasure of travel and a relationship, but to also see Marguerite and her sisters as they were, which allows her to eventually get to the truth. The secrets kept became something of a generational curse, and it was going to affect Sadie if left unchecked.

I was drawn into the story due to the level of detail and care that was taken in describing Marguerite’s life and ailing memories, as well as Sadie growing up more while in that household. I enjoyed it, and had to keep reading until the book was done.

This one had so much potential for me. I loved the time period, the setting, and the main character. Sadie was an interesting character and I loved that she had lots of flaws. The plot requires a lot of suspension of disbelief (and yes, I say this as a well versed gothic and fantasy reader), however, and it dragged quite a bit for me in the middle. Nevertheless, it was a solid gothic historical read!