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The Haunting of Monroe Manse
Sarah Holden is a small town antiques dealer plagued by haunted dreams and gruesome visions. When she recieves a career-defining opportunity to liquidate a multimillion-dollar estate that harbors a chilling secret, she's forced to face her own insecurities as well as the ghosts of her past. But will she be able to complete the job and find the answer to a century old mystery before her time runs out? Once Sarah's ghostly dreams morph into reality, the whispers of the past cannot be silenced.
346 pages, Paperback
Published November 2, 2021
15 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Kim Poovey
17 books17 followersKim Poovey is an author, storyteller, and Victorian reenactress living in a haunted 1890s cottage with her husband and furry children. For more than 20 years she has traveled the southeast performing in period attire on 19th century fashion, mourning practices, and other Victorian era topics.
In 2011 she portrayed Mrs. Stanton, wife of Secretary of War Stanton (Kevin Kline), in the Robert Redford film, The Conspirator. Additionally, she was one of the docents featured in the 2018 documentary Beyond the Oaks by Drew Baron Films.
Her published works include Truer Words, Through Button Eyes; Memoirs of an Edwardian Teddy Bear, and Dickens’ Mice; The Tails Behind the Tale. Kim has also written for several magazines including Beaufort Lifestyles, Bluffton Breeze, Citizen’s Companion, and the Civil War Times.
Stay tuned for upcoming releases of magical realism and historical fiction.
In 2011 she portrayed Mrs. Stanton, wife of Secretary of War Stanton (Kevin Kline), in the Robert Redford film, The Conspirator. Additionally, she was one of the docents featured in the 2018 documentary Beyond the Oaks by Drew Baron Films.
Her published works include Truer Words, Through Button Eyes; Memoirs of an Edwardian Teddy Bear, and Dickens’ Mice; The Tails Behind the Tale. Kim has also written for several magazines including Beaufort Lifestyles, Bluffton Breeze, Citizen’s Companion, and the Civil War Times.
Stay tuned for upcoming releases of magical realism and historical fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 21, 2024
Bought the book in my hometown in SC when I met the author. Great read!! Loved reading and seeing places mentioned that I know. Really good story!!
September 12, 2025
Sarah Holden didn't have many friends. She had scared them all away a long time ago when she woke up screaming at a slumber party, claiming she saw a ghost. Nobody believed her, but she continued seeing ghosts throughout her life. As the book opens, Sarah has a small antique shop. She loves the mystery of old objects, but she worries a lot about paying her mortgage.
William Devereaux, the local playboy, repeatedly hits on her but he is too sleazy to ever be a friend. (I expected the usual trope about the women rejecting the guy then falling in love with him. Not here. William is sleazy to the end and his fate is a great twist in the story.).
Then, her one friend, Danni, now an attorney, calls her with an opportunity of a lifetime. Edie Monroe, the last resident of the old , historic Monroe Manse, has just died and the executors of her estate need someone to inventory and liquidate everything inside. Danni has told them that Sarah, an expert on antiques and with access to an auction house, would be perfect for the job. It is an enormous task and she has been given only a month to clean everything out so they can sell it. Sarah agrees to do it.
Due to the size of the job and the time limitation, Sarah decides to stay at the mansion so she can work early in the morning and late into the night. Of course the house is haunted; Sarah freaks out when the air feels chilly, she feels a bony finger touching her and a voice saying "He's guilty." (If Sarah has been seeing ghosts all her life, and they have never harmed her, then why does she freak out now ? You would think that she would have gotten used to it by now. She might jump when they surprised her but she seemed way too scared for someone with all her experience with ghosts.). The story got a little repetitive when the author described every confrontation with the ghost (or ghosts) the same way -- chill in the room, smell of decay (or sometimes Chanel No. 5) and a bony finger......As time goes on, the ghost becomes physical -- objects are not where they were the day before, objects mysteriously fly across the room, and one even wards off an aggressor who gets threateningly too close. Sarah eventually shouts at the ghost, asking what does the ghost want. (She should have done that a lot sooner, instead of spending so many pages scared to death. )
Then Sarah begins having dreams about Edie Monroe's great grandmother, Nora. Mystery revolved around Nora because she had disappeared without a trace shortly after giving birth to Edie's grandmother, Bitsy. The dreams form the narrative of Nora's story. I was not to comfortable with this way of finding out what happened. It seemed far fetched that they based their conclusions on Sarah's dreams. Later, we find out that Sarah is a "Dreamist", someone who can communicate with the dead through their dreams.
Nora was an only child. She was in love with the groom who worked at their stables, Charles, but her parents forced her to marry someone wealthy and more of her social standing. Nora tries to cut it off with Charles and then she doesn't. She tries to love her husband, but then she doesn't. Her ambivalence was annoying. In the end she decides to run away with Charles and starts to write her husband a note telling him that she is leaving him. That note is what led everyone to assume she had run away. Charles disappeared a few days later. But with the ghosts whispering, repeatedly, "He's guilty." it's not hard to guess what really happened. Sarah and Danni uncover the truth and solve the mystery.
There is a twist at the end. Sarah finds a note that Edie wrote, hidden in a wooden box....... It's a good twist but the result that flows from the twist is ridiculous. Maybe I only noticed it because of my legal background, but it's not plausible. It makes for a good story but it wouldn't happen.
I was going to give this two stars because a woman with Sarah's experience with ghosts shouldn't have freaked out so much. Annoyed would be more likely. Yelling at the ghosts shouldn't have taken so long. The book also deserved two stars for the repetitive descriptions of the ghosts. Also, who in 2021 didn't have a cell phone???? It deserved two stars because Nora had so little resolve and her "mystery" was too easily guessed. I ended up giving it three stars because of the twist at the end but it deserved two stars because the result of the twist couldn't happen.
William Devereaux, the local playboy, repeatedly hits on her but he is too sleazy to ever be a friend. (I expected the usual trope about the women rejecting the guy then falling in love with him. Not here. William is sleazy to the end and his fate is a great twist in the story.).
Then, her one friend, Danni, now an attorney, calls her with an opportunity of a lifetime. Edie Monroe, the last resident of the old , historic Monroe Manse, has just died and the executors of her estate need someone to inventory and liquidate everything inside. Danni has told them that Sarah, an expert on antiques and with access to an auction house, would be perfect for the job. It is an enormous task and she has been given only a month to clean everything out so they can sell it. Sarah agrees to do it.
Due to the size of the job and the time limitation, Sarah decides to stay at the mansion so she can work early in the morning and late into the night. Of course the house is haunted; Sarah freaks out when the air feels chilly, she feels a bony finger touching her and a voice saying "He's guilty." (If Sarah has been seeing ghosts all her life, and they have never harmed her, then why does she freak out now ? You would think that she would have gotten used to it by now. She might jump when they surprised her but she seemed way too scared for someone with all her experience with ghosts.). The story got a little repetitive when the author described every confrontation with the ghost (or ghosts) the same way -- chill in the room, smell of decay (or sometimes Chanel No. 5) and a bony finger......As time goes on, the ghost becomes physical -- objects are not where they were the day before, objects mysteriously fly across the room, and one even wards off an aggressor who gets threateningly too close. Sarah eventually shouts at the ghost, asking what does the ghost want. (She should have done that a lot sooner, instead of spending so many pages scared to death. )
Then Sarah begins having dreams about Edie Monroe's great grandmother, Nora. Mystery revolved around Nora because she had disappeared without a trace shortly after giving birth to Edie's grandmother, Bitsy. The dreams form the narrative of Nora's story. I was not to comfortable with this way of finding out what happened. It seemed far fetched that they based their conclusions on Sarah's dreams. Later, we find out that Sarah is a "Dreamist", someone who can communicate with the dead through their dreams.
Nora was an only child. She was in love with the groom who worked at their stables, Charles, but her parents forced her to marry someone wealthy and more of her social standing. Nora tries to cut it off with Charles and then she doesn't. She tries to love her husband, but then she doesn't. Her ambivalence was annoying. In the end she decides to run away with Charles and starts to write her husband a note telling him that she is leaving him. That note is what led everyone to assume she had run away. Charles disappeared a few days later. But with the ghosts whispering, repeatedly, "He's guilty." it's not hard to guess what really happened. Sarah and Danni uncover the truth and solve the mystery.
There is a twist at the end. Sarah finds a note that Edie wrote, hidden in a wooden box....... It's a good twist but the result that flows from the twist is ridiculous. Maybe I only noticed it because of my legal background, but it's not plausible. It makes for a good story but it wouldn't happen.
I was going to give this two stars because a woman with Sarah's experience with ghosts shouldn't have freaked out so much. Annoyed would be more likely. Yelling at the ghosts shouldn't have taken so long. The book also deserved two stars for the repetitive descriptions of the ghosts. Also, who in 2021 didn't have a cell phone???? It deserved two stars because Nora had so little resolve and her "mystery" was too easily guessed. I ended up giving it three stars because of the twist at the end but it deserved two stars because the result of the twist couldn't happen.
January 6, 2025
Enchanting
I love old houses and haunted stories; this one has that in spades. As well as a century+ mystery. The story is well written and entertaining. The author does a fantastic job setting the scene and mood - from the sound of the rain during a thunderstorm to the chill of a spirit coming up behind the lead character. Time was taken throughout this first in series - allowing me to really get to know Sarah and her best friend as they unravel history. I look forward to reading the next one! I especially appreciate the time taken at the end to decompress the discoveries and let me know where they are now.
I love old houses and haunted stories; this one has that in spades. As well as a century+ mystery. The story is well written and entertaining. The author does a fantastic job setting the scene and mood - from the sound of the rain during a thunderstorm to the chill of a spirit coming up behind the lead character. Time was taken throughout this first in series - allowing me to really get to know Sarah and her best friend as they unravel history. I look forward to reading the next one! I especially appreciate the time taken at the end to decompress the discoveries and let me know where they are now.
February 6, 2023
Fantastic book
A real page turner. I would recommend it to everyone. I also read the second dreaming book and that too is a really exciting read that I couldn't put down, Kim Mooney is a brilliant author, my new favorite
A real page turner. I would recommend it to everyone. I also read the second dreaming book and that too is a really exciting read that I couldn't put down, Kim Mooney is a brilliant author, my new favorite
October 9, 2024
I truly enjoyed this novel by Kim Poovey - it has some great characters in it and the plot was magnificent - looking forward to reading her next book
September 1, 2025
No spoilers!!! I really enjoyed this book. The ending was a big surprise to me.
June 23, 2023
Ever since I finished the Tradd Street series by Karen White I wanted to find more books similar to that series and I did! Poovey did a wonderful job with weaving the past into the present with Sarah’s abilities. Her characters are well rounded.I thoroughly enjoyed Poovey’s writing!
June 1, 2023
The story takes place in one of my favorite places- the low country of South Carolina. The author was so descriptive that I could see the story unfold before my eyes. I love a who done it and The Haunting of Monroe Manse did not disappoint. Looking forward to reading more by the author.
August 19, 2024
It’s got a little of everything - spooks, romance, tragedy, comedy. I picked it up at a local bookstore and I’m very glad I did! I loved reading about the charming local spots and history.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews