Confession: I love ghost stories! Ever since I was a young child, ghost stories have always captured my attention. Maybe it's the thought that there is something after this life, or maybe it's the feeling of being spooked by something unseen; I'm not really sure. My secret indulgences are found in paranormal television shows like "Ghost Hunters", "The Dead Files", or "A Haunting". So when I started reading this novel by Wendy Webb, I have to admit that the subject matter captivated my attention. Not only was this a ghost story, but it was a ghost story involving an old tuberculosis sanatorium!

The End of Temperance Dare has alternating viewpoints of the past and present. The characters are very likeable and mysterious (what every ghost story needs, right?). I was drawn into the story and the mystery surrounding the inhabitants of this converted sanatorium. The ending was phenomenal and surprising. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good ghost story!

Thanks Lake Union Publishing and netgalley for this ARC.

Danger, evil masterminds, and a unseen killer make this a gothic thriller that sometimes was too much of a cliche.

Many of us as readers have our guilty reading pleasure. For some it is lighter reads than we normally read, maybe bodice rippers, but or me it is ghost stories. Not so much cheaper horror but ghost stories set in spooky settings. This one fit the bill nicely. Set on the shores of Lake Superior in a building that at one time was a TB sanitarium, it is now an artist's retreat. In the past though it was a place where many died or were waiting to die. It was owned by the Dare family​ and in this book the first director not carrying the Dare name will find her hands full when a group of artists are in situ, all having ties to the past of this home, and will read involve a happening from 1952.

Chilling and creepy in parts, obvious and corny in others, but I did enjoy this though of course one must disband their beliefs if one is to enjoy this genre. I try to be honest in my reviews and some of the dialogue, especially near the end was over the top, both dramatic and corny, so I rated this a three. Since it is the type of escapist fiction I do enjoy, for my own satisfaction I am secretly rating this a four.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Eleanor Harper is ready for a change; in her job and in her life. When she takes the job as the director of a renowned artists’ retreat, she knows nothing of Cliffside Manor’s dark past as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a “waiting room for death.”

A pretty good ghost story full of creative story twists without bloody grotesque language. It's all about your imagination and I can imagine myself sitting around a campfire in the great northern woods of Lake Superior with Ms Webb as she crafts her eerie tales. I would definitely recommend this book.

3.5 ☆ rounded up to 4☆

Agatha Christie meets Linda Blair in this book of things that go bump in the night. The story has the makings of a good mystery but it is derailed by so many things. Eleanor, A recently fired crime reporter accepts a job for which she has absolutely no qualifications. How does that happen? She arrives at Cliffside Manor, a previous TB Sanitarium, which is now an artist retreat. Again, a previous crime reporter is now the Director of an Artist’s Retreat. Really? If you dispense with the incredulity you may experience as a result of the lack of a more informative background the story actually moves along with a few interesting characters and twists and turns.

If you enjoy mysteries, a little romance, characters that run the gamut from sympathetic to puzzling, and wicked ghost stories with a strong propensity to the paranormal this might be the book for you. It was a very quick read. My final reaction was that even when you suspend all rational belief not everything should be tied up in a neat package.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an ARC.

First line: They gave her the bed by the window, the one closest to the toy box.

Summary: Former reporter Eleanor Harper becomes the director of a famous artists’ retreat near Lake Superior, Cliffside Manor. Not long after Eleanor’s arrival, she finds the kindly old woman who is the daughter of the founder and who has been director of the retreat dead in her room. Lots of wonderful spookiness ensues. Strange things happen to the artists in residence, and Eleanor herself finds that she has experiences that she can’t explain. Not all those who live at the retreat are as they seem as this story unfolds.

Highlights: Wendy Webb is a master at setting a scene, and creating a wonderful Gothic atmosphere, and she is as good at doing so for Cliffside Manor as in any of her other novels. I love the way she develops her characters in this book, making it difficult to discern a person’s true character. As I was reading I thought I knew exactly what was happening, then she would reveal some small nugget of information and I would begins to second-guess myself. A few or a few dozen pages later the story would take a new twist that would leave me guessing again. I really enjoyed the suspense and the mystery of the characters in this book.

Lowlights (or what could have been better): To be honest, I pretty much never read a book looking for holes, problems or other weaknesses, and I didn’t find any in this book. My greatest critique would be in the setting in the actual building. I could clearly see in my mind the grounds around the building, and the outside of the building, but I had a difficult time imagining what the interior of the building looked like.

FYI: I don’t think there’s anything significant to be aware of about this book. It’s a slightly different feel than Webb’s other books, but I found it satisfying. It has a classic Gothic ghost story feel, but doesn’t cross the line to horror (at least by my definition).

Such a great mystery read! Couldn't put it down. FULL review to come!

In this creepy gothic ghost story/mystery, Eleanor has been drawn to Cliffside, an artist's retreat that used to be a TB sanatorium. She is given the job of director and on her first day there, the current director commits suicide. When the fellows come for the next session, she learns that they all have some sort of connection to the sanatorium, which Eleanor feels may be haunted. There is mystery, romance, and a lot of creepiness in this fun to read novel.

When Eleanor Harper is fired from her job as a crime reporter, she applies to be the director at Cliffside Manor. Cliffside was originally a Tuberculosis sanitarium but the owner, Chester Dare, turned it into a retreat for artists. His daughter, Penelope now runs it but she has decided to retire and pass the reins off to Eleanor. However, the day Eleanor arrives, after learning the basics of how the building is run, Penelope Dare is found dead in her room with an apparent suicide note on her chest. After the initial shock, Eleanor finds a letter from Penelope that says she has left a puzzle for her to solve. Once the writers and artists arrive for the four week retreat, Eleanor soon finds out that all of the fellows have prior connections to Cliffside which led Penelope to choose them to come. Eleanor is left with the mystery of why all those fellows were chosen to come to this haunted manor.

I loved this book! It was so spooky. It reminded me of The Shining, because a new person has come to run this old building, but they discover it is somehow haunted.

I really liked how everything was explained at the end. I figured out some of the twists just before they happened. But they were still exciting.

This story is also a little mysterious because you have to figure out the connection between the people at the manor right along with Eleanor.

This is a really good story, but I don't recommend reading it at night!

This review will be posted on my blog on June 9, 2017.

This book was hard to put down. From the very beginning, I knew that Wendy Webb had me hooked. What could be more intriguing? This is about an upscale writing retreat, or rather, a retreat for artists, poets and authors. The description sounds like the most peaceful, relaxing, beautiful place you can imagine... but it's anything but peaceful. It turns out that Cliffside Manor is actually the former Cliffside Tuberculosis Sanatorium.

The story starts out in 1952 describing how a father had his little girl committed to this sanatorium and how she reacted. We then skip ahead to today where the Director of Cliffside Manor invites select authors and artists to spend a few weeks at a time living there. As it turns out, the Director, Penelope Dare, daughter of the establishment's founder, has decided to retire, and surprisingly hands the reins over to Eleanor Harper who recently had lost her job as a crime reporter for a newspaper. Eleanor is excited about her new position, but has a nagging fear that she can't quite explain.

Eleanor's new job starts off with a totally unexpected event. Her predecessor is found dead, apparently from suicide. Trying to keep her nerves together and continue on at Cliffside, she decides she must continue to save the jobs of the household staff. She allows the expected group of artists and authors to come as planned.

Upon meeting the group and talking to them individually, Eleanor realizes a connection between them, and when more strange things start happening, her fear intensifies.

This may not have been the most frightening book I've ever read, but there were absolutely no lulls in the story. And the reader will certainly get a solid sense of the creepiness! There wasn't a single chapter when I wanted to put this book down. Wendy Webb drew me in and made me feel like I was right there. Each character had distinct personalities that were described so beautifully that I could easily imagine them in my head. From the ramrod straight posture of Miss Penelope Drew to the easy casual nature of Richard, I had a movie playing through my mind that was so vivid I could have been sitting in an IMAX movie theater!

I actually read this on a stormy, rainy night. I still have goosebumps.

Woah! I think I may have to sleep with the lights on tonight! The End of Temperance Dare is exquisitely crafted, revealing bits and pieces to the reader from the very beginning. I figured out some of it as I read, but not all. It made me think about evil in the world, questioning whether what I believe is accurate. As I read I thought of several friends who would enjoy this book.

This Is a well written and carefully plotted gothic (yes!) with creepy atmospherics and a good character in Eleanor. It kind of follows the classic lines of the genre= the old sanitarium, the earlier murder, the intrepid newly with a history - and it does it well. I liked the way the story spooled out slowly (I mean that positively) rather than hitting you over the head. It never gets too out there with the paranormal or the incredible. I'd not read Webb before so thanks to Netgalley for the ARC which introduced us. You'll like this if you enjoy old fashioned good story telling.

A creepy and atmospheric tale. This is one to curl up with on a stormy night. You might want to keep a light on, though. You never know what's lurking about...

Eleanor Harper is ready for a change. She's spent most of her life as a crime reporter, but it's finally getting to her. She just doesn't have the heart for it anymore. When she learns of a tempting job opening, she's excited. A long-time director of a retreat for artists is finally retiring. It's quite a departure from her journalism, but someone has to keep the gorgeous old place on Lake Superior running... why not Eleanor? She feels such a pull to the place, and hopes meeting the current director, daughter of the man who started the place, will give her an edge on the competition. Soon, she's headed off to start a new life.

She thinks she knows the director a bit, but she doesn't know Cliffside Manor. Now it's an exclusive retreat for artists, people that come to stay for a few weeks to work on their craft without being bothered. The history of Cliffside Manor is not so glamorous. It was once a sanatorium for patients with tuberculosis. Some recovered, but many died there, wasting away from the terrible disease.

Can a house store memories? Soon after Eleanor arrives, she feels a sense of foreboding. Though the manor and grounds are beautiful, she fears them. She can't wait until the next group of artists arrives for their stay and brightens up the place with chatter. But after they arrive, she begins to think the old lady chose this final group for a reason...

Some light romance, lots of chills, and a very absorbing story. My first Wendy Webb read, but it won't be my last.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Want to visit Cliffside Manor???.....well come on if you dare. I just dig a creepy story and this one fit the bill. This Manor was basically death row for these patients. I enjoyed the character and I really liked the way Ms. Webb wrote. I am a writing style snob and she did not bother me at all (which is rare). I am certain to read her previous novels.

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.

If you scare easily, this might not be a good book to read at night. A gothic mystery that is set in a repurposed sanitarium where Eleanor Harper begins a new job. it soon becomes apparent that things are just "not right" at Cliffside Manor. Recommended if you're a fan of eerie books.

I received this book "The End of Temperance Dare" from Netgalley for my honest review.

This isn't my usual type of book to read. I don't think I want to read another like this at night as it was a bit scary lol. The book is set in a sanitarium, well it used to be a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients and now is a retreat for artists. The location is Cliffside Manor and it is quite remote. Eleanor Harper takes over as director of the artist retreat and right away strange things start happening. Well strange things happen throughout the book. Will evil ever leave?

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Eleanor Harper, a journalist who has recently fallen on hard times. Overcome at many points of the day with an overwhelming fear (of what she's not sure), her career as a crime reporter has come to a screeching halt when she's fired. And then Eleanor (Norrie) sees an advertisement for a replacement director of Cliffside Manor, an artistic retreat. Norrie has thought of Cliffside many times over the years, having first been there to report on the death of Chester Dare and his daughter, Chamomile, after their car accident twenty years ago. She can hardly believe her luck when she is hired as the director, but when weird things start happening, Norrie starts to wonder if maybe she and the new guests of Cliffside are in danger.
Overall I really liked this book a lot! It was so creepy, the whole book I had goosebumps and I couldn't wait to find out what the heck was going on. I had an inkling on some of the plot twists at the end but a couple of them I didn't see coming at all, the plot was really great. The mystery took a while to figure out but every piece ended up making sense in the end. I thought this was a really well written thriller and I would recommend reading it!

Great book, easy read… Held my attention and was sad to see it end. Thanks for the opportunity to read it!

This story follows Eleanor who as luck would have it just became the director at an artists retreat. As soon as she arrives things start to eerily happen. She is left a "puzzle" of sorts to put together after the previous director commits suicide just hours after she arrives.
Things unravel quickly and I definitely wouldn't recommend reading this out in the woods or if you are easily frightened. I would definitely recommend this book to people who like the paranormal and enjoy a nicely spun story.