Another book landed in my ever-growing pile of books dumped for content. I tend to read (for the most part – there are a few exceptions you may see in my GoodReads “Read” list) clean fiction embedded in traditional values. While I support ever author to write whatever the heck they want, I do object to editors and publishers forcing various points of view into a book, simply to meet some arbitrary quota. While I can’t ever prove that’s happened, sometimes I get that “feeling”, you know?

This one ended up on the discard pile at page 175. Prior to that I was enjoying the suspense, the mystery, the spooky, Agatha Christie, Daphne DuMaurier, and Cornish coast-like setting. Also – a tuberculosis center – that’s just not something you hear about anymore – thank goodness!

But… red flag at page 7 where we see mention of a “serial killer preying on young boys.” Kept reading, though. Got all the way to page 174 and – yep, you guessed it – a character unnecessarily mentions his husband of 70 years. No plot point reason for it that I could discern. And the discard pile grows.

Anyway, I fully support the author to make whatever choices they want, but this one just wasn’t for me and my followers who look for more classic scenarios.

Adding an extra star for getting that far in the book and still enjoying it. It was well written and I am still intrigued by the mystery involved and wondering what happens. I especially appreciated the gothic writing style. ( )

As a BIG fan of haunted houses did The End of Temperance Dare really appeal to me. I mean an artist retreat that used to be a tuberculosis sanatorium? Count me in!

Now, this book isn't particularly scary, but it's interesting, atmospheric and well-written. I like that one really gets to know Eleanor Harper and that not everything happens too fast. It's not like the story is boring, the pacing is even, and we get to follow Eleanor as she learns the ropes of being the new director. She has hardly settled in before something unexpected happens that will change everything for her and the retreat and after that, well strange things keep happening. But, is the place really haunted?

The End of Temperance Dare is the first book I have read by Wendy Webb and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. Not that I did not expect to like it, rather I hoped that the writing style would work for me since the story seemed so interesting. I think Webb did an excellent job with the descriptions of the retreat and its surroundings. Also, I came to like Eleanor Harper and I didn't even mind the kind off triangle drama that she got caught up with, even though I personally found the "impossible" romance more interesting than her flirtation with the photographer. But, that's me, a sucker for the doomed or unusual romances.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

Another book landed in my ever-growing pile of books dumped for content. I tend to read (for the most part – there are a few exceptions you may see in my GoodReads “Read” list) clean fiction embedded in traditional values. While I support ever author to write whatever the heck they want, I do object to editors and publishers forcing various points of view into a book, simply to meet some arbitrary quota. While I can’t ever prove that’s happened, sometimes I get that “feeling”, you know?

This one ended up on the discard pile at page 175. Prior to that I was enjoying the suspense, the mystery, the spooky, Agatha Christie, Daphne DuMaurier, and Cornish coast-like setting. Also – a tuberculosis center – that’s just not something you hear about anymore – thank goodness!

But… red flag at page 7 where we see mention of a “serial killer preying on young boys.” Kept reading, though. Got all the way to page 174 and – yep, you guessed it – a character unnecessarily mentions his husband of 70 years. No plot point reason for it that I could discern. And the discard pile grows.

Anyway, I fully support the author to make whatever choices they want, but this one just wasn’t for me and my followers who look for more classic scenarios.

Adding an extra star for getting that far in the book and still enjoying it. It was well written and I am still intrigued by the mystery involved and wondering what happens. I especially appreciated the gothic writing style. ( )

A well done softly spooky page turner!
February 9, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
The way the mystery was revealed and solved bit by bit was intriguing. No way could I put this ghost story down! ( )

Spoiler ALERT:

DAAANG!! I didn't see that coming. This book reminded me of the movie The Others. I've never read a book where the ghosts looked and acted like the living people and the living had no idea. The twists and turns gave me the goosebumps. I enjoyed this a lot and I am becoming more and more obsessed with Webb's books. Each one of her stories keeps pulling me to read more of her work.

On the negative side though, I was confused with the dates and time of the events and the corresponding ages of the characters; it seemed not everything was lining up. ( )