Grape Brandy Wine

by Elizabeth Jane Atkinson

On the misty morning of September 22, 1949, in the courtyard of the grandest Victorian Antebellum Hotel in East Texas, lay the dead body of thirty-four, year old, Troy Faulkner. Was it murder or was it an accident? For over seventy years, rumors of hauntings and dark secrets, swirled and reverberated around the hotel, and in the undertone of the small town of Murry Texas, of Hellerson County. This is a spellbinding witty story of a town full of a mirage, of colorful eccentric characters from all walks of life. All with their own quirks, kinks and personalities.

In the lush beauty and murky swamps of East Texas, this story will beguile and enchant. Go on a wild ride with an aging belly dance teacher and get spellbound, by the hauntingly beautiful Tanna MacDougal. Why is she being drawn back to the home of her past, the home that was a hotel, The Murry Hotel? The hotel that she had grown up and lived in, with her Indian/Creole Grandmother Tara.
Get ready for a seductive read, with unpredictable twists and turns, of witches, ghosts and vampires. For Tanna MacDougal, life has never been, NORMAL.

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2023

Reviews

[Suzanne Fisher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I had such high hopes for a good haunting.

Spoilers

Instead of an East Texas Haunting it was a belly dancers semi-autobiography/diary of daily living while remodeling. For instance, the set up was pretty good. A hotel near a cemetery that was haunted, the child possibly being able to see ghosts. Sounds good!!

What we got - she grows up to marry an Elvis look alike, let’s the hotel completely fall apart with rot and vandalism, and then gets into an irrational fight with the mayor and city council. There is an entire chapter about visiting Jefferson for no apparent reason. There is another chapter about performing at the Renaissance Fair and getting fired for being too old. Where is the haunting? Where is the mystery? What happened to the ghosts? More stories about the hotel, flashbacks to ghosts, something more!

The point seemed to be if you are different than the collective others, you get bullied but you can show them by belly dancing and being irrationally hostile…

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this spooky mystery set in East Texas. The characters in this book are so fun and colorful. Tanna’s strength and perseverance as she worked to restore a special place to her was a joy to read. I adored the ladies in this book and want to learn more about them.

[Kaitlyn Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read in one sitting. I loved it. Can’t wait for book 2!