Paulette Kennedy’s words become brush strokes of a layered, atmospheric novel that will steal your breath and leave you guessing until the very end.

When Sadie discovers the family mansion is haunted by not just ghosts, but by a family past she cannot fully comprehend, her mission to discover the truth is inhibited by the danger that surrounds her at every moment.

Highly recommended!

I finished this book in one sitting. I loved the magical realism and the strange events happening at Blackberry Grange. It had great gothic vibes and an eerie feeling. I loved Sadie’s involvement even though I thought she wasn’t making the best decisions at first. Marguerite was misunderstood at first and I felt bad for her circumstances. The representation of being a caretaker for a loved one was well done. The historical elements and family drama, I loved it all.

Thank you @pkennedywrites @amazonpublishing @otrpr for the gifted copy.

Thank you @otrpr @lakeunionauthors #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

This was a first for me by this author and I am happy to report I really liked this one. It ended up being much different than I expected but in such a great way! This book mixes mystery, historical fiction, gothic fiction and one of a kind art. I thought Paulette painted the most beautiful and interesting setting in the English countryside. Adelaide is a distant relative of the owner of the estate and she escapes to the country once she has a set of unfortunate events that happen to her. When she arrives she slowly becomes accustomed to her surroundings, characters and artwork. Let’s just say there is more than meets the eye. 👀 I absolutely adored the hidden history behind the art and of course the mystery behind the estate and its inhabitants. I think this book is perfect for anyone looking for an atmospheric and haunting story with complex family dynamics and a touch of magic!

This book was dazzling! I loved being sent back in time to an era when women had so many more challenges to overcome. The supernatural element made my skin tingle. It was spicier than I expected! But not gratuitously so.
The way the flashbacks were handled was skillful. I would definitely read more by this author!

Liked it . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I wish I could write a review that comes even close to capturing what The Artist of Blackberry Grange represents. It's a Gothic horror novel, yeah, but it's also a romance, and it's also a historical novel, and it's also a thriller. Its influences are many, but especially steeped in Gothic romances of the past, familiar to readers of the Brontës.

But it's also so much more than just a collection of tropes and roots. It's a book about growing old, it's a book about confronting the truth in complicated pasts, it's a book about love and loss and privilege and classism, a book about finding oneself and reflecting on our vulnerabilities and failings. Although packed with all kinds of strangeness (there's ghosts in here, time travel, hypnotic art, witches and flappers), it is profoundly interested in character, especially women who must deal with prejudices both interior and exterior.

There was no point in reading this one that I felt like the book wasn't trying something new or building nuance into its exploration of the main themes of the book. If it feels hard to boil down, it's because the book feels so committed to trying to unspool all of the tangled threads of a life lived as it just begins and as it ends. I could not stop reading it, and even when I had to for other interruptions, I couldn't wait to fall back into its spell. Coming out of the book was an emotional affair, and I don't think any Gothic novel has ever hooked me quite as easily as this one.

So it's a love letter to the Gothic, but it does so much more with its concepts and its pretenses than many novels like it, wholly committed to its conflicts and its characters and the human lesson at its core: that running from the past cannot resolve anything, and that our future is built on how we confront our selves present and past in making meaning of the world. The book is yet more than that, too, but to explore more would require greater length than a review and might spoil the experience of reading for oneself.

But this is easily a contender for a Top 10 of 2025, and maybe my favorite Gothic novel to date.

Paulette Kennedy is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors! I don't just read her books; I devour them in one sitting!

The Artist of Blackberry Grange is perfectly gothic, and I couldn't get enough of it! I'd love to spend some time in that house as long as Weston doesn't bother me. I love how the author mentioned Tin Mountain, a previous book of hers. I like when authors create a world without it being over the top.

I ordered a copy of Parting the Veil after finishing this one because it's the only one I haven't read yet. I can't wait to read more from the author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, Paulette Kennedy, and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity. I have written this review voluntarily and honestly!

This was a unique book that I enjoyed. Sadie, having just been tossed aside by her married fiancé, decides to go care for her great aunt who is an acclaimed artist suffering from dementia. This book touches on generational trauma, caring for loved ones, a bit romance, you’ll meet some ghosts of the past and watch characters evolve. I’d definitely recommend reading this book.

I loved this novel, it has elements for everyone ! The protagonist is independent, multi layered, and is well developed by the author . The book includes complex relationships, secrets, a relative with dementia, entanglements with ghosts, all set in the backdrop of the midwest in the 1920’s.This book had a great vibe that kept me reading way past my bedtime!

THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE is gothic horror full of generational trauma and complicated families.

This is a tale about three generations of women, focusing mostly on the oldest and youngest generation. It's a tale about romantics, platonic, and familial love, how sisters can love and hate one another in equal measure. It is about loving the older members of one's family and the pain of watching them decline - while fiercely treasuring the time you have left with them.

It is a heart breaking portrayal of dementia and the decline that comes with it. There is so much grief and love bound up in the portrayal of Sadie and her great-aunt's relationship, the inability to remember who someone is at times, the periods of hallucinations. Some of the scenes brought me to tears, remembering similar events with my own grandfather. I loved that her great-aunt was shown to be so much more than her illness, a woman with a life - and secrets - of her own. Not only is that a true reflection of a person, but there is also a dignity in that, not reducing someone down to their illness.

The fleshing out of her great-aunt also came through the inclusion of the other timeline. While much of the book is set in the "present", told from Sadie's perspective, she also falls through time into her great-aunt's life through her paintings. These scenes are non-liner across the late 1870s and early 1880s, and told from a third-person perspective. They really bring the sisters to life, and the danger of Weston Clark.

This tale very much fits into that gothic sense of unease. This is a big, old house. Things move, there are tales of ghosts and chill presences. There is a painting that cannot be destroyed. It slowly builds up the atmosphere, doling out information about the past until the book reaches the point where neither the reader - nor Sadie - can back out.

In all, another brilliantly tense gothic from Paulette Kennedy.

Paulette Kennedy, the Author of “The Artist of Blackberry Grange” has written a powerful, edgy, chilling thriller. The varied Genres are: Occult, Horror, Women’s Historical Fiction, Gothic, Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense, and Ghost Stories. The timeline for this story is set in 1925. The setting is in a large mansion in Arkansas. Paulette Kennedy vividly describes eerie and frightening scenes and quirky, unbalanced, and dramatic characters. One of the female protagonists, Sadie Halloran becomes a companion for her elderly eccentric great-aunt Marguerite. She does receive warnings from some people in the mansion, that it is dangerous and haunted by ghosts. After some tragic upsets in her life, Sadie feels she has no choice, and she has to stay and help the elderly aunt.

Marguerite seems to be exhibiting signs of dementia, but is obsessed with painting. Sadie feels the paintings are communicating and speaking to her. Some characters from the paintings seem to be directly seeking Sadie out. Sadie senses that the “spirits” from the ghost-like characters are looking for something. Sadie also discovers that there were some unfortunate accidents before she arrived at the mansion. .How can Sadie stop the haunted danger that she senses is headed her way? It was difficult for me to put this book down. I highly recommend this intense novel with twists and turns, and secrets.

"Artists are here to disturb the peace." (James Baldwin)

And nothing disturbs life more than the one grasping the brush.

Paulette Kennedy creates a kettle of artistic fish here. Who exactly is gripping that easel of various colors and shades to portray what that life was in the past and what it will be in the present?

Sadie Halloran has reached bottom. She's sporting an engagement ring that has absolutely no value. Her fiance has dumped her and there's no light except from what shines from that unlucky ring. With no other options, Sadie decides to enlist herself as a live-in companion for her great aunt Marguerite in Arkansas. So Sadie packs up what little she has in Kansas City here in 1925 and invites herself when uninvited.

Marguerite suffers from dementia. As a result, she has good days and bad. She barely remembers her great niece who has wedged her way into her household. Marguerite was once a renowned artist. But those days are much into decay.......much like this mansion.

As the days pass, Sadie finds a particular room that doesn't seem to have been opened in eons. She finds a painting. That painting will introduce her to Marguerite's early days of her youth. And in addition, it will find her in the presence of an enchanting man who holds many, many secrets.

The Artist of Blackberry Grange is well told by Paulette Kennedy. I have not read her before. There's plenty of back and forth in time periods here that expand the storyline. The character of Sadie is more complex with droplets of Good Sadie and Not So Good Sadie. Kennedy takes us readers on a journey into the past where human nature and family issues lay down the bricks for the future and its relationships. An entertaining read.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Paulette Kennedy for the opportunity.

This isn't normally a title I would pick up (i.e., historical fiction), but I'm so glad I did! Great tale about making amends with your past set within a gothic backdrop.

Beautifully layered and compelling. Paulette Kennedy has a gift for blending traditional gothic tropes with vibrant characters and unique storylines. In THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE, Kennedy’s writing shines as she explores the deeper complexities of time, relationships, and the choices people make in the name of love, both good and bad. I loved every gorgeous minute of this book.

You know I love a good gothic mystery - haunted mansions, eerie paintings, family secrets creeping out of the past. "The Artist of Blackberry Grange" gave me all that, but with a few bumps along the way.

Sadie, our main character, is in a rough spot. Her mother just died, her engagement is over, and she’s basically an outcast in 1920s society. So, off she goes to her great-aunt’s crumbling mansion in Arkansas, where things immediately get weird. Marguerite, her aunt, is losing herself to dementia, but her paintings? They have a life of their own. Literally. Sadie finds herself slipping through time, uncovering dark family secrets and, of course, getting tangled in a messy romance.

The atmosphere? Chef’s kiss. Dark, unsettling, and full of that slow-burning dread I crave in a gothic novel. But the romance felt a little...off. Rushed, maybe? And while the book played with some really interesting themes; family trauma, caregiving, how the past shapes us. I wanted to feel more inside the characters’ heads, especially with all the lies and manipulations flying around.

Still, it kept me turning pages. If you love gothic historical fiction with a supernatural twist, this one’s worth a read. Just be prepared to roll your eyes at Sadie once or twice.

Thank you Netgalley & Lake Union Publishing for the digital copies to review

#TheArtistofBlackberryGrange #NetGalley.

Thanks to Net Galley for the digital ARC of this lovely book! This was my third book by Paulette Kennedy, and just like her other two, The Artist of Blackberry Grange was written beautifully and with care. Kennedy’s characters are flawed and wholly realized, and her stories, though with some fantastical elements, stay grounded in a sometimes harsh reality.

Sadie, the main character, was a little hard to pull for at first, but as I better got to know her, I couldn’t help but love her and her plucky, go-after-what-you-want attitude.

If you haven’t picked up a Kennedy novel yet, I highly recommend it. I would describe each of her books as perfect entries in the “good for her” historical fiction realm.

I loved the spooky time-slips in The Artist of Blackberry Grange! Though Marguerite’s mind and body are failing, her evocative paintings catapult great-niece, Sadie, back into their family’s troubled past. Down-on-her-luck flapper Sadie is a captivated voyeur, striving to decipher these visions and learn more about the sexy ghost who bedevils her present as much as her female relatives’ past. But will she be able to resist him, or befall the sinister fate of her predecessor at the gothic mansion? Eerie suspense abounds at Blackberry Grange, with chilling scenarios both within and beyond the haunted paintings, interlaced alongside a sweet, tentative new romance. A great addition to the gothic genre!

Highly recommended for fans of gothic historical fiction!
Here’s a captivating tapestry of gothic atmosphere, suspense, and hidden family trauma, drawing the reader into a world where paintings become bizarre portals into the past. Paulette Kennedy masterfully crafts a character-driven narrative, allowing the long-buried secrets of a family to creep to the surface with the stealth and power of a lion stalking its prey. Just when you think you have a grasp on the unfolding mystery, the plot twists and turns, that will leave you captured.
The story centers around the FMC Sadie, who finds herself entangled in the unraveling of her family's shadowed history. The gothic setting, rich with evocative imagery, creates a palpable sense of unease, perfectly complementing the suspense that permeates every page. The paintings have a strange and unsettling life of their own. They serve as more than just objects; they become windows into a past that refuses to stay buried.
"The Artist of Blackberry Grange" is more than just a gothic thriller; it's a poignant exploration of caregiving, generational trauma, and the enduring impact of our actions across generations.

With historical fiction, I search for evocative atmosphere and original characters, and I found both in Paulette Kennedy's latest novel. Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and its old houses yield a fascinating atmosphere. I would really love to see one of these houses built in the late 19th century! To me, though, the chief attraction of The Arist of Blackberry Grange was its main character, Sadie. The author has the ability to make me care about someone and root for her when she is full of flaws. Recovering from a sordid affair with a married man, she is far from proud of herself. She goes to Eureka Springs to take care of a great-aunt mostly because she feels chased out of her hometown and has no way to support herself. She's messed up her life and while fairly young, the mistakes are starting to add up. The description of Aunt Marguerite's dementia feels very real, as is Sadie feeling overwhelmed. But along with these realistic problems a Gothic mood takes hold and the possibility of the supernatural. You would think that the plight of the unmarried sexually active woman in the 1920s, the exhaustion of caregiving for the elderly, and financial problems would have trouble blending into a story of the dead possibly appearing again. But it all works very well! I cared very much what happened to Sadie and I found the other characters well drawn. At the end of the Author's Note she shares some of the novels that influenced her, I see The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. That novel also had an original approach with blending past and present. The Artist of Blackberry Grange will stick with you after reading it...

4 🌟

'The Witch of Tin Mountain' was an unexpected delight to me when I read it a few years ago, so I was more than happy to get my hands on this book.

In true gothic fashion, this is a roller coaster ride of the mysterious, the slightly spooky, and the just plain weird.

Most of the time I was more than happy to suspend my disbelief and get carried away by this tale - I absolutely love an old house full of secrets, tragic pasts coming back to haunt, inexplicable magic, etc, and this book abounds with those tropes in the most delightful way. Occasionally, I found myself rolling my eyes at Sadie and her decision-making skills, but overall I enjoyed the drama and my time with this read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!