The Guests on South Battery

The Guests on South Battery
4 Stars

Returning to work following her maternity leave, Melanie Trenholm is pleased to have a new client determined to sell the historic home that she has recently inherited. Unfortunately, the ghostly guests within are determined to have their say and Melanie has no choice but to listen ...

Although the mystery is quite predictable, there are several very compelling twists and turns. While the explanation of Hazel Pickney's death is rather obvious, it is entertaining to follow along as Melanie and Jack uncover the clues and expose the secret that will have a profound effect on their lives.

Melanie is a very appealing heroine even though her insecurities are still getting the better of her. Jack has obviously show more found his niche as a husband and father, but he really needs to be more forthcoming both with his feelings for Mellie and with keeping her informed about important issues that affect their family. In fact, this is the most problematic aspect of the story as Jack's reticence leads to an annoying misunderstanding that almost ruins the book.

Nevertheless, the latest installment in the Tradd Street series is wonderfully engaging and the Southern Gothic atmosphere of the setting continues to be a highlight. It will be interesting to see what happens next as there are two ongoing mysteries that remain unresolved. show less

Everyone knows I'm a sucker for a good ghost story. This ghost was little too 'cozy" for me though. I liked the idea of the ghost and of someone who could communicate with it but other than than that the ghost was treated almost like the family pet. The characters were okay but I found Melanie to be a bit too obsessive to really form any bond with. I had heard many good things about this series..and I'm sure they are all true... but I don't think I'm going to pursue it in spite of the 3 stars I gave this one.

As the story opens the reader finds Melanie married to Jack Trenholm and the mother of twin who has just returned to work as a real estate agent. A client that has inherited a Charleston home on South Battery wants Melanie to handle the sale... but Melanie is reluctant at first because she has had so many problems with the house she inherited. She has gone to check the house out and is bombarded with some very strange feelings regarding the beautiful Charleston resident.

If you can't accept in theory that you can make contact with spirits or enjoy books that run to that theme...then this is NOT the book for you. However if you can go with the flow and fun of these “contacts” you will have a delightful time on South Battery. It's the show more 5th book in the Tradd Street series so you might want to start with [The House on Tradd Street]. The books all have strong plots and Karen White carries them out with diversified, delightful, often funny characters. [The Guests on South Battery] will appeal to anyone that likes a little "chill" in their reading. show less

The Guests on South Battery is the first book I have read by Karen White. Since I love paranormal stories and the American South did this book seem very promising. I also was curious to read something by Karen White, to see if her books were my cup of tea. And, I can say after this book that it worked on some levels, but it also had for me some flaws that I had problems with.

Let's start with the good things about the book. I loved the setting and the idea of the story. Old houses, ghosts, a mystery ready to be solved and family rivalry. That was great. Many of the supporting characters were quite nice, I especially liked Sophie. I think that's because we share a love for old houses. And, Melanie's mother Ginny is pretty cool. And, at show more first, Melanie was not so bad herself. However, and here come some things that bothered me, and it all started with Melanie. I love quirky characters, but Melanie's OCD was more annoying than quirky. I have battled my own OCD (Still do in some way) and I feel that I perhaps should have some sympathies. But, it was, to be honest mostly annoying to read about her control issues. I think she has a lot of issues she should deal with to let go of her anxiety. As my fellow buddy reader wrote about her when she discussed the book: "she's a bit uptight". Spot on that was my thought as well while reading the book.

However, I did in some way enjoy the book, but the plot was extremely predictable. Not surprised me since I had already predicted what would happen. Or perhaps I'm just psychic? I did like the cliffhanger ending, and I have the first book in the series so I will definitely read more by the author, despite my problems with the book. However, I do hope the next book I will read will be more to my liking.

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

Melanie is about to go back to work after having twins. Her first customer of the day completely messes with her life for many days to come. Jayne Smith is a true gift to Melanie. She becomes her nanny plus, she adds many spirits to Melanie’s already loaded spirit world.

This is your standard Karen White Tradd series read…nothing new..ghosts, historical mystery and great houses, which all meld into a great story!! Melanie is a superb character with a ghostly house, wonderful family and a hot, sexy husband! See, Melanie has a strange talent. She can see spirits. This is one of the magical parts of Karen White’s tales I absolutely adore. I love the spirits. They always have a mystery and an attitude of their own. Great show more entertainment!

I love how history is woven throughout this story all of her Tradd Street novels. With the houses and the great town of Charleston, what could be a better setting for a historical ghost tale.

Karen White always has really good reads! She has amazing and relatable characters and her animals are so freaking adorable. You just cannot help but fall in love with her books. This one is no exception. However, I am ready for her to try something new. I need a different location and different characters. But if you find something that works….leave it alone!

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review. show less

Everything is finally going smoothly for Melanie Trenholm. She's married to Jack; their twin babies are beautiful; she loves her stepdaughter, Nola; she's finally headed back to work as a real estate agent, work she loves.

There is the small issue of getting phone calls from an unknown number, at odd hours, with no one there. She has some suspicion that these calls are, like the ones from her grandmother, from someone who has died.

Then a hole opens up in her back yard, and the contractor who has been doing the restoration on the historic home she inherited says there's a cistern down there. She can't just have it filled in. There might be historically significant artifacts, and her friend, Sophie Wallen-Arasi, a professor of Historic show more Preservation at the College of Charleston, will not let her hear the end of it if she just buries them again.

Even more unsettling to her future peace of mind, though it doesn't seem so initially, a new client arrives in her office at the very start of her first day back to work at the end of her extended maternity leave. Jayne Smith looks oddly familiar, but says she just has one of "those faces," so that people often think they must have meet her before. She's an orphan from Birmingham, who grew up in foster homes and has no clue who her parents were--but she's just inherited a house in Charleston. And not just any house; it was the home of Caroline Pinckney, a wealthy and historic family. The house is also historic--and Jayne wants no part of owning an historic house. She wants to sell it as soon as possible, and buy a modern condo.

Melanie basically agrees. She's reconciled to her own historic home--now that the ghosts she and her mother, but not most of their friends and family, can see and hear, have been laid to rest. She hopes there are no ghosts to deal with in the house on South Battery.

But there are. And those ghosts are hiding a terrible secret.

This is a complicated tale of hidden relationships and characters growing and revealing themselves. We learn fairly quickly that Melanie has more than a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as being very insecure; the reasons behind this unfold more slowly. Her relationships with her parents are still rebuilding after a long separation, and much as she and Jack love each other, she's still not really secure in that relationship. Her cousin Rebecca is a special kind of torture.

And all this is before we know anything about the Pinckney family, and the secrets Melanie's mother Ginette hasn't told her. Or what the ghosts are hiding.

The characters here were satisfying and likable, though some readers may find Melanie's OCD and insecurity annoying, and the plot definitely kept me involved. This is apparently the fifth in an ongoing series, and this was clear as I was reading it, but I didn't find it an obstacle to understanding what was going on. There's enough background included to support the current story, but not enough to distract.

Recommended for a low-key, comfortable read.

I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley, and reviewed it voluntarily. show less

Melanie Trenholm reluctantly ends her extended maternity leave in the fifth novel in the Tradd Street series returning to her job as a Charleston real estate agent. Although temporary babysitting arrangements of the twins have been parceled out among Jack, her stay-at-home writer husband, and the grandmothers, a nanny needs to be recruited. As luck would have it, her first client upon return is Jayne Smith, a professional nanny recently relocated from Alabama. She moved when she became the benefactor of an old home on South Battery from Button Pinckney, a woman who Jayne never met nor knew. Enough money remained in the will to renovate the home, which Jayne hopes to do do in order to purchase a more modern home in Charleston. Although show more Jayne is hired as the twin's nanny, the presence of the mysterious and attractive young woman is disconcerting to the recently married and insecure Melanie. As in the previous novels, the story isn't without ghostly visitors whose presence interfere with the renovation.

One can tell that Karen White loves Charleston in her precise and loving descriptions of this Southern city. This novel ends with a cliff hanger letting the reader know that there will be a sixth novel in the future. I can't wait! show less