Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy

Release: November 1, 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Source: HFVirtual Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, TBD, Indiebound

Some houses hold secrets that are meant to be kept forever…

When Eliza Sullivan inherits an estate from a recently deceased aunt, she leaves behind a guilt ridden past in New Orleans for rural England and a fresh start. Eliza arrives at her new home and finds herself falling for the mysterious lord of Havenwood, Malcolm Winfield. Despite the sinister rumors that surround him, his melancholy charm and his crumbling, once-beautiful mansion attracts Eliza. With enough love, she thinks, both man and manor could be repaired.

Not long into their marriage, Eliza fears that she should have listened to the locals. There’s something terribly wrong at Havenwood Manor: Forbidden rooms. Ghostly whispers in the shadows. Strangely guarded servants. And Malcolm’s threatening moods, as changeable as night and day.

As Eliza delves deeper into Malcolm’s troubling history, the dark secrets she unearths gain a frightening power. Has she married a man or a monster? For Eliza, uncovering the truth will either save her or destroy her.

About the Author:

Originally from the Missouri Ozarks, Paulette Kennedy now lives with her family in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles.

When she’s not writing or homeschooling her daughter, she enjoys tending to her garden, knitting, and finding unique vintage treasures at thrift stores and flea markets.

As a history lover, she can get lost for days in her research, learning everything she can about the places in her stories and the experiences her characters might have had in the past.

This dedication to research infuses her world building with realistic detail and creates an immersive experience for the reader.

Paulette’s current work in progress is a witchy southern gothic set in rural Northern Arkansas during the Great Depression..

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Parting the Veil Review:

“Parting the Veil” is a fantastic debut by the author and one of the best gothic novels I read this year.

I still cannot believe that this is the author’s debut novel because it is SO good! In the beginning, things seem normal as Eliza goes to her aunt’s estate. However, it is only once Eliza steps into Havenwood Manor that things get so interesting. The author takes you on a wild ride as we have scenes with tarot reading, strange noises, secret diaries, mysterious apparitions, and even a suspenseful seance event! I particularly loved the scenes where Eliza starts reading Ada’s diary entries as we get more background into the Manor history. There are also some intense moments as Eliza hears the noises and sees the specter!

The author adds so many twists and turns that I was not able to put this book down. I had no idea how the story was going to progress, and the author executed it wonderfully! Eliza is lovely in the read as she tries to figure out what she got herself. I loved her intense relationship with Malcolm. Malcolm was also an interesting character, as he was unpredictable, and you didn’t know what would set him off. I also enjoyed some of the other strange characters like Charles and Una. Una, in particular, was creepy too, with her hostility towards Eliza. Frankly, I hope the author continues to write many such excellent novels, as she has a beautiful talent for gluing you into the tale.

Overall, “Parting the Veil” an excellent, suspenseful, gothic, historical fiction, and I would highly recommend it to those who are fans of the genre.