Return to Tradd Street by Karen White

About the Book:

Facing her future as a single mother, psychic Realtor Melanie Middleton is determined to be strong and leave her past with writer Jack Trenholm behind her. But history has a tendency of catching up with Melanie, whether she likes it or not.…

Melanie is only going through the motions of living since refusing Jack’s marriage proposal. She misses him desperately, but her broken heart is the least of her problems. Despite an insistence that she can raise their child alone, Melanie is completely unprepared for motherhood, and she struggles to complete renovations on her house on Tradd Street before the baby arrives.

When Melanie is roused one night by the sound of a ghostly infant crying, she chooses to ignore it. She simply does not have the energy to deal with one more crisis. That is, until the remains of a newborn buried in an old christening gown are found hidden in the foundation of her house.

As the hauntings on Tradd Street slowly become more violent, Melanie decides to find out what caused the baby’s untimely death, uncovering the love, loss, and betrayal that color the house’s history—and threaten her claim of ownership. But can she seek Jack’s help without risking her heart? For in revealing the secrets of the past, Melanie also awakens the malevolent presence that has tried to keep the truth hidden for decades.…

****************

I was very excited to receive a package a few days ago from  Karen White! (She's the author I recently met at a dinner when she was here in New Orleans.) It was an ARC of Return to Tradd Street, the fourth installment of the Tradd Street mystery series which will be available in January 2014. If you enjoy a mix of mystery, ghostly pasts, and a spunky heroine, you'll love Karen White's books set in the gorgeous, sultry Charleston. Her writing is very charming and witty and lyrical --- perfect for a quiet autumn evening. 

Books in the series:

The House on Tradd Street

The Girl on Legare Street

The Strangers on Montagu Street

Retun to Tradd Street

Author Dinner in New Orleans

This weekend I had the pleasure of going to dinner in the French Quarter with some friends and two fabulous authors, Karen White and Susan Crandall.

Welllll, truth be told, I crashed the party.

Let me explain.

 A dear friend of mine belongs to a book club that was formed yeeeaaarrs ago, and she's mentioned it on occasion. (I'm still waiting for an invitation into this club, but that hasn't happened!) Anyway, about a year ago, Tish happened to mention to me that one of her book club members was a long time friend of author Karen White; in fact, they were college roommates. When the club chose to read a Karen White novel, they arranged for the author to come to Tish's house for a book club get-together. Now, my dear friend knows I will go all over the country to meet my favorite authors (I've been to Phoenix, AZ and NYC to meet Diana Gabaldon, Lauren Willig, Susanna Kearsley, Deanna Raybourn, etc...) and I was floored that she had Karen White at her house. At her house!!! And I am finding out about this after the fact!

So, I told my dear friend that if they EVER had another get together with an author that I admire, could I pretty please tag along? Duly chastised, she agreed to let me know. Fast forward to now, the club chose The Time Between and arranged another get together with Karen while she was in New Orleans attending a book convention. And this time, I  coerced -- I  mean, I was invited! So thank you to the club for letting me join in the fun!

The dinner was actually a two-for-one club meeting. Besides the beautiful Karen White, we were treated to the company of Susan Crandall, author of the acclaimed novel Whistling Past the Graveyard.
The Time Between and Whistling Past the Graveyard go well together; they are both charming and poignant novels with rich southern settings and stories that will tug at your heartstrings. Highly recommended!

Here's a bit about each book:

From an award-winning author comes a wise and tender coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old girl who runs away from her Mississippi home in 1963, befriends a lonely woman suffering loss and abuse, and embarks on a life-changing roadtrip. (from Goodreads)

A stunning new novel of betrayal and forgiveness from the New York Times bestselling author.

Thirty-four-year-old Eleanor Murray is consumed with guilt for causing the accident that paralyzed her sister—and for falling in love with her sister’s husband. But when her boss offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt, Helena, Eleanor accepts, hoping this good deed will help atone for her mistakes.

On the barrier island of Edisto, Eleanor bonds with Helena over their mutual love of music. Drawing the older woman out of her depression, Eleanor learns of her life in Hungary, with her sister, before and during World War II. She hears tales of passion and heartache, defiance and dangerous deception. And when the truth of Helena and her sister’s actions comes to light, Eleanor may finally allow herself to move past guilt and to embrace the song that lies deep in her heart… (from Goodreads)

                                 The lovely and funny Karen White opening a gift bag of goodies.

            
                                                     And passing around books and inscribing them.

  Lovely and gracious Susan Crandall signing her books (as the waiters in the background were bringing in platters loaded with delicious southern cuisine).

                                                                        With Karen White........

                                                                           and Susan Crandall



I'd like to mention that if you are a fan of Karen White, she said she has several books coming out in 2014 and that some of her long out-of-print first novels are getting an update and a fresh new look! Many good things to come from Karen, including a new Tradd Street mystery!

P.S. If you are ever in New Orleans, stop by the La Petit Theatre in the French Quarter and have dinner and cocktails at The Tableau....the peach margarita with mint was to die for!

The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

Book Synopsis:

Practical Melanie Middleton hates to admit she can see ghosts. But she's going to have to accept it. An old man she recently met has died, leaving her his historic Tradd Street home, complete with housekeeper, dog and a family of ghosts anxious to tell her their secrets.

Enter Jack Trenholm, a gorgeous writer obsessed with unsolved mysteries. He has reason to believe that diamonds from the Confederate Treasury are hidden in the house. So he turns the charm on with Melanie, only to discover he's the smitten one...

It turns out Jack's search has caught the attention of a malevolent ghost. Now, Jack and Melanie must unravel a mystery of passion, heartbreak and even murder.

My thoughts:

A solid beginning to a mystery series featuring Melanie Middleton, ghost-seeing real estate agent extraordinaire in Charleston, South Carolina. Part ghost story, secrets from the past, and a bit of romance made this a really fun experience and I can't wait to move on to the next installment, The Girl on Legare Street.

Melanie's a prickly heroine and it is a bit hard to warm up to her at first. She holds everyone at an arm's distance, but as the story unfolds the reader learns of her painful childhood memories that makes her fearful of exposing her vulnerabilities. There's enough playful teasing and joking at her expense from the other players in the story that lightens up an otherwise uptight and stoic Melanie.

 When she strangely becomes the recipient of a beautiful but neglected historic home, a wonderful cast of quirky characters gather round to help restore this charming southern mansion.......that just happens to be inhabited by a woman ghost and her ghost child, as well as a malevolent figure that is intent on driving everyone away. Mix in a few good-looking guys who both have their reasons for wanting to charm their way into Melanie's life and you have just the right amount of spice to the story. Tragic pasts, secret letters and hidden treasures......pour some sweet tea with lemon and enjoy the journey.

I'm adding Karen White to my  "favorite author" list!

4.5/5 stars

Sea Change by Karen White

"For Ava Whalen, a new marriage and a move to St. Simons Island means a new beginning. But what she doesn’t realize is that her marriage will take her on an unexpected journey into the deep recesses of her past that will transform her forever…

For as long as she can remember, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-five, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier, and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope, and Ava moves to Matthew’s ancestral home on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia.

But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness continues to elude her. There is much she doesn’t know about Matthew, including the mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death. And her new home seems to hold as many mysteries and secrets as her new husband. Feeling adrift, Ava throws herself into uncovering Matthew’s family history and that of the island, not realizing that she has a connection of her own to this place—or that her obsession with the past could very well destroy her future."
(book description from Goodreads)

My thoughts:

What a surprise this book turned out to be!

 I wasn't sure if this was going to fall into the category of "beach read" as that is not the kind of book I typically read. Fortunately, I read a great review by Laura at Laura's Reviews  and she described Karen White as one of her favorite new authors. Intrigued, I kept on reading her review and was surprised to see that Sea Change is indeed right up my alley. It's actually a blend of a little history, suspense, layers of mysteries, love stories in the past and present, all blended against the backdrop of a lovely southern setting of St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Karen White's writing style is easy and breezy and she grabbed me from the get-go and kept me moving through the story, intrigued by the enigmatic characters and the secrets they were holding close to their hearts. I always enjoy a dual-time storyline as a plot device, and Sea Change has a compelling love story and mysterious legend from the 1800's that has significance for the characters in the present time. This is a heartwarming  story of families and  hope and second chances with  stunning revelations  that is sure to please fans of romantic suspense. Very reminiscent of Susanna Kearsley's style of novels.

Highly recommended! 

Karen White has a lovely book trailer that is worth checking out to get a sense of the beautiful setting.

5/5 stars