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Tipsy Collins #3
Palmetto Rose
Clairvoyant single mom Tipsy Collins spent the last year focused on her kids and her artistic endeavors. No dating. No fighting with her irascible ex-husband. No ghostly shenanigans. Life is drama free, but it feels stagnant, personally and professionally.
Enter a new supernatural mystery and a new beau, both replete with potential complications. After her teenage daughter ends up in the psychiatric ward, domineering retired executive Jillian Yates hires Tipsy to rid her historic Charleston mansion of spirits. The Victorian ghost-in-residence, Thomas Bonneau, is a charmer, but Tipsy senses something hiding behind his unusual amiability. In the meantime, her unexpected romance with psychiatrist Scott Brandt—her ex-in-law—stokes her former husband’s wrath.
Tipsy struggles to trust her heart, and friends and loved ones—living and dead—offer support as old insecurities threaten to keep her moribund. In order to truly blossom, Tipsy must conquer her fear of life’s thorns.
"Five Stars...Stephanie Alexander has perfected the cozy paranormal genre with the Tipsy Collins Series, and [Palmetto Rose] triumphs in every aspect....engaging and mysterious...the character development of Tipsy, her clients, and her new love interest was... superbly realistic and light-hearted." -Readers' Favorite
Palmetto Rose is the highly anticipated third installment in Stephanie Alexander's award-winning Tipsy Collins Series (Charleston Green & Haint Blue).
Enter a new supernatural mystery and a new beau, both replete with potential complications. After her teenage daughter ends up in the psychiatric ward, domineering retired executive Jillian Yates hires Tipsy to rid her historic Charleston mansion of spirits. The Victorian ghost-in-residence, Thomas Bonneau, is a charmer, but Tipsy senses something hiding behind his unusual amiability. In the meantime, her unexpected romance with psychiatrist Scott Brandt—her ex-in-law—stokes her former husband’s wrath.
Tipsy struggles to trust her heart, and friends and loved ones—living and dead—offer support as old insecurities threaten to keep her moribund. In order to truly blossom, Tipsy must conquer her fear of life’s thorns.
"Five Stars...Stephanie Alexander has perfected the cozy paranormal genre with the Tipsy Collins Series, and [Palmetto Rose] triumphs in every aspect....engaging and mysterious...the character development of Tipsy, her clients, and her new love interest was... superbly realistic and light-hearted." -Readers' Favorite
Palmetto Rose is the highly anticipated third installment in Stephanie Alexander's award-winning Tipsy Collins Series (Charleston Green & Haint Blue).
- GenresCozy MysteryContemporary
415 pages, ebook
Published November 15, 2022
49 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Alexander
8 books184 followersStephanie Alexander writes enchanting, fantastical book club friendly stories for thoughtful, modern women. She is the author of eight (8) published novels, including Charleston-based Mean Low Water (Red Adept Publishing 2024) and Tipsy Collins Series (Charleston Green, Haint Blue, Palmetto Rose, and True Indigo), as well as The Cracked Slipper Series (The Cracked Slipper, The Dragon Choker, and The Glass Rainbow), a fractured fairy tale retelling. Stephanie’s work always features strong female protagonists, relatable emotional journeys, and a dash of magic. 250,000 copies of her books have been downloaded to e-readers and audiobook libraries, or sit on old-fashioned bookshelves.
Stephanie grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Drawing, writing stories, and harassing her parents for a pony consumed much of her childhood. After graduating from high school in 1995 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She returned to Washington, DC, where she followed a long-time fascination with sociopolitical structures and women’s issues to a Master of Arts in Sociology from the American University. She spent several years as a Policy Associate at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a think-tank focused on women’s health and economic advancement.
Stephanie embraced full-time motherhood after the birth of the first of her three children in 2003. Her family put down permanent southern roots in Charleston in 2011, and she returned to the workforce as an Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston. Beginning in the Fall of 2015, as a single working mother, she attended law school on a full academic scholarship, earning her juris doctor with honors from the Charleston School of Law in December 2017.
She currently practices family law in Charleston. She has appeared on local and national media and regularly joins with book clubs for discussions of her work. Her personal experience rebuilding her life after divorce inspires both her legal work and her fiction. Stephanie and her husband live in the Charleston area with their blended family of five children and their three miniature dachshunds, Trinket, Tipsy, and Ophelia.
You can learn more about Stephanie and her work at www.stephaniealexanderbooks.com, or follow her on Instagram or TikTok (@stephaniealexanderbooks).
Stephanie grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Drawing, writing stories, and harassing her parents for a pony consumed much of her childhood. After graduating from high school in 1995 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She returned to Washington, DC, where she followed a long-time fascination with sociopolitical structures and women’s issues to a Master of Arts in Sociology from the American University. She spent several years as a Policy Associate at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a think-tank focused on women’s health and economic advancement.
Stephanie embraced full-time motherhood after the birth of the first of her three children in 2003. Her family put down permanent southern roots in Charleston in 2011, and she returned to the workforce as an Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston. Beginning in the Fall of 2015, as a single working mother, she attended law school on a full academic scholarship, earning her juris doctor with honors from the Charleston School of Law in December 2017.
She currently practices family law in Charleston. She has appeared on local and national media and regularly joins with book clubs for discussions of her work. Her personal experience rebuilding her life after divorce inspires both her legal work and her fiction. Stephanie and her husband live in the Charleston area with their blended family of five children and their three miniature dachshunds, Trinket, Tipsy, and Ophelia.
You can learn more about Stephanie and her work at www.stephaniealexanderbooks.com, or follow her on Instagram or TikTok (@stephaniealexanderbooks).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 27, 2022
great book. love the whole series
Easy read. Would highly recommend the series. Fell in love with all the characters. Sad that there will only be one more book in the series .
Easy read. Would highly recommend the series. Fell in love with all the characters. Sad that there will only be one more book in the series .
December 18, 2022
My favorite Tipsy Collins story so far! I loved seeing Tipsy reclaim her power and embrace her talents and abilities, even when the people around her are a bit... Difficult. Bless their hearts. A fun mystery with a ghostly conclusion 👻
December 19, 2022
This is such a fun, fabulous series! Tipsy Collins, clairvoyant divorced mom of three kids is such a “real” character. My daughter went to C of C and I marvel at the way Stephanie Alexander pulls together the customs and history of Charleston. If you’ve never visited, you really should. You’ll fall in love. She weaves the history of the area in with the “definitely Charleston” society with perfection. Tipsy Collins, a clairvoyant thirty’s something divorcee and mother of three, is surviving the balancing act of being mom, friend, artist and clairvoyant, all on a shoe string budget. This is the 3rd book of this series so definitely read books 1 & 2 before reading this one so you’ll properly understand what’s going on and the main players. I highly recommend this series and I’m happy I was finally able to read book 3, awaiting book 4, the completion of the series. ❤️Definitely a 5 Star read!
November 15, 2022
This is an interesting ghost story.
According to this book and also local lore, Charleston, especially Down Town, was a town with many ghosts. And Tipsy, our heroine, not only sees and converses with ghosts, but also speaks with the spirit of her departed Grandmother in her head, all the time. And no, she doesn’t have any mental issues, although truthfully, sometimes people in her situation, are thought to be either hallucinating or having mental breakdowns.
Tipsy, however, comes from a long line of women who can converse with ghosts, including her grandmother, who brought her up.
Ghosts come in many varieties it seems. Some that are tied to a particular venue and have no physical power, and others, like Henry who lives with Tipsy and is her firm friend, can not only affect physical objects, but can also, for short periods of time, move from one location to another.
Tipsy is an artists working part-time at her friend’s gallery and also, occasionally, acting as a ghost whisperer - helping them to move on to the next place. Not exorcism, but rather a way of working out their issues for remaining as a ghost and getting them to address them. Henry sometimes helps her with them.
And this is where the storyline really begins.
Tipsy is asked, for a large sum of money to help a young girl and to rid a house of a malevolent ghost. In the course of undertaking this commission she discovers a second ghost at the house, and a linked ghost at another house. The closed circle of up town Charleston and their interactions in their social life and marriages etc from the previous centuries have a strong influence in this linkage.
It is worth mentioning that at times there is some strong behaviour from the ghosts that can be a little scary but over the story a lot of past misdeeds are addressed and mysteries solved - for the ghosts.
Now, you may wonder where the Title of the book comes from. A Palmetto Rose is a fake flower create from sweetgrass and woven by the Gullah-Geechee people, who also make woven baskets from sweetgrass. No-one outside their community knows how to make them. They are not integral to the story but pop up every now and then as gifts etc.
The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of West and Central Africans who were brought as slaves to North and South Carolina, Florida and Georgia to work on the plantations of rice, cotton and indigo. Sweetgrass is an aromatic herb native to North America and considered sacred by many indigenous peoples. Usually known as Hierochloe odorata the smoke from a small bunch is often used as a smudge for healing and meditation purposes. The scent is like vanilla in essence.
What did I think of this book?
This was my first story I had read by Stephanie Alexander but it is part of a series about Tipsy Collins and her ghost interactions. This being the 3rd in the series. However, I did not find that I had needed to read the previous 2 books as enough was explained that I could make sense of the previous occurrences in Tipsy’s life. Book 4 is planned to be the ending of the series and is, according to the author's blurb in the book, intended to have more of Henry’s story in it.
According to this book and also local lore, Charleston, especially Down Town, was a town with many ghosts. And Tipsy, our heroine, not only sees and converses with ghosts, but also speaks with the spirit of her departed Grandmother in her head, all the time. And no, she doesn’t have any mental issues, although truthfully, sometimes people in her situation, are thought to be either hallucinating or having mental breakdowns.
Tipsy, however, comes from a long line of women who can converse with ghosts, including her grandmother, who brought her up.
Ghosts come in many varieties it seems. Some that are tied to a particular venue and have no physical power, and others, like Henry who lives with Tipsy and is her firm friend, can not only affect physical objects, but can also, for short periods of time, move from one location to another.
Tipsy is an artists working part-time at her friend’s gallery and also, occasionally, acting as a ghost whisperer - helping them to move on to the next place. Not exorcism, but rather a way of working out their issues for remaining as a ghost and getting them to address them. Henry sometimes helps her with them.
And this is where the storyline really begins.
Tipsy is asked, for a large sum of money to help a young girl and to rid a house of a malevolent ghost. In the course of undertaking this commission she discovers a second ghost at the house, and a linked ghost at another house. The closed circle of up town Charleston and their interactions in their social life and marriages etc from the previous centuries have a strong influence in this linkage.
It is worth mentioning that at times there is some strong behaviour from the ghosts that can be a little scary but over the story a lot of past misdeeds are addressed and mysteries solved - for the ghosts.
Now, you may wonder where the Title of the book comes from. A Palmetto Rose is a fake flower create from sweetgrass and woven by the Gullah-Geechee people, who also make woven baskets from sweetgrass. No-one outside their community knows how to make them. They are not integral to the story but pop up every now and then as gifts etc.
The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of West and Central Africans who were brought as slaves to North and South Carolina, Florida and Georgia to work on the plantations of rice, cotton and indigo. Sweetgrass is an aromatic herb native to North America and considered sacred by many indigenous peoples. Usually known as Hierochloe odorata the smoke from a small bunch is often used as a smudge for healing and meditation purposes. The scent is like vanilla in essence.
What did I think of this book?
This was my first story I had read by Stephanie Alexander but it is part of a series about Tipsy Collins and her ghost interactions. This being the 3rd in the series. However, I did not find that I had needed to read the previous 2 books as enough was explained that I could make sense of the previous occurrences in Tipsy’s life. Book 4 is planned to be the ending of the series and is, according to the author's blurb in the book, intended to have more of Henry’s story in it.
October 12, 2022
Tipsy is hired to rid an old family home of a ghost where a young woman is struggling with mental health issues, as had her aunt before her. The ghost, however turns out to be quite the gentleman but Tipsy has an uneasy feeling about him while everyone else sings his charms.
With the young woman she’s helping being under psychiatric care, Tipsy runs into her ex husband’s new wife’s ex husband, Scott Brandt, who is the attending physician. Soon Tipsy is chasing ghosts and romance. Now the question is who can she really trust? Her gut that tells her the ghost isn’t what he seems and that Scott is the mean of her dreams, or everyone else who seems to think the ghost is kind and Scott is not for her? Only time will tell if Tipsy tips over and loses her paycheck and shot at romance or whether her gut has right all along.
This is the next to last book in this series and while that makes me sad, it makes for a lot of action and tying up of some story lines. Well written with a protagonist that is a strong single mother, artist, friend and clairvoyant, it’s going to be hard to say good bye to this series with the next book.
With the young woman she’s helping being under psychiatric care, Tipsy runs into her ex husband’s new wife’s ex husband, Scott Brandt, who is the attending physician. Soon Tipsy is chasing ghosts and romance. Now the question is who can she really trust? Her gut that tells her the ghost isn’t what he seems and that Scott is the mean of her dreams, or everyone else who seems to think the ghost is kind and Scott is not for her? Only time will tell if Tipsy tips over and loses her paycheck and shot at romance or whether her gut has right all along.
This is the next to last book in this series and while that makes me sad, it makes for a lot of action and tying up of some story lines. Well written with a protagonist that is a strong single mother, artist, friend and clairvoyant, it’s going to be hard to say good bye to this series with the next book.
January 17, 2023
This is the third installment in the Tipsy Collins series. Clairvoyant single mom Tipsy Collins spent the last year focused on her kids and her artistic endeavors. No dating. No fighting with her irascible ex-husband. No ghostly shenanigans. Life is drama free, but it feels stagnant, personally and professionally.
Enter a new supernatural mystery and a new beau, both replete with potential complications. After her teenage daughter ends up in the psychiatric ward, domineering retired executive Jillian Yates hires Tipsy to rid her historic Charleston mansion of spirits. The Victorian ghost-in-residence, Thomas Bonneau, is a charmer, but Tipsy senses something hiding behind his unusual amiability. In the meantime, her unexpected romance with psychiatrist Scott Brandt—her ex-in-law—stokes her former husband’s wrath.
I loved this story. I need to read the others in the series but this was the perfect introduction to the series. Loved the story and the characters.
Enter a new supernatural mystery and a new beau, both replete with potential complications. After her teenage daughter ends up in the psychiatric ward, domineering retired executive Jillian Yates hires Tipsy to rid her historic Charleston mansion of spirits. The Victorian ghost-in-residence, Thomas Bonneau, is a charmer, but Tipsy senses something hiding behind his unusual amiability. In the meantime, her unexpected romance with psychiatrist Scott Brandt—her ex-in-law—stokes her former husband’s wrath.
I loved this story. I need to read the others in the series but this was the perfect introduction to the series. Loved the story and the characters.
Read
November 1, 2022Great! Now i have to go back and read the other Tipsy Collins books. I love this woman. She;s so layered and unique. I never felt like I'd read her or her story before.
Tipsy is an artist. She's also a mother, a divorcee, a friend, and a clairvoyant. When someone comes to her with a job and offers her 100K to clear out a ghost Tipsy knows she's the woman for the job. With the help of her ghost friends and her abilities she navigates through the mystery at LeGrange House and finds out how it all comes together while still doing pick up and drop off for her kids and seeing her friends and exploring a potential romance with her kids stepmother's ex-husband.
I loved reading about these characters and Charleston is the perfect setting for this story. You can tell this book is also a love language to this beautiful city and now I need to book a trip back!
Tipsy is an artist. She's also a mother, a divorcee, a friend, and a clairvoyant. When someone comes to her with a job and offers her 100K to clear out a ghost Tipsy knows she's the woman for the job. With the help of her ghost friends and her abilities she navigates through the mystery at LeGrange House and finds out how it all comes together while still doing pick up and drop off for her kids and seeing her friends and exploring a potential romance with her kids stepmother's ex-husband.
I loved reading about these characters and Charleston is the perfect setting for this story. You can tell this book is also a love language to this beautiful city and now I need to book a trip back!
October 26, 2022
This is the third installment of the TIpsy Collins stories and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all! I was saddened to learn that the fourth book will be the last in this series.
TIpsy is on the hunt for another ghost that is disturbing a family in their home - only to fnd out that there is actually two ghosts haunting the family. She's also stirring up a new romance with Scott Brandt, her ex-husband's new wife's ex-husband...try to keep up with that! I liked getting to see her personal life expand, with a new guy and her painting career taking off so grandly. And Henry, gosh I love him and his ways and was glad to see him make peace with his mother after so long.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.
TIpsy is on the hunt for another ghost that is disturbing a family in their home - only to fnd out that there is actually two ghosts haunting the family. She's also stirring up a new romance with Scott Brandt, her ex-husband's new wife's ex-husband...try to keep up with that! I liked getting to see her personal life expand, with a new guy and her painting career taking off so grandly. And Henry, gosh I love him and his ways and was glad to see him make peace with his mother after so long.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.
November 22, 2022
I have really enjoyed the Tipsy Collins series and am so happy to learn there will be at least one more book. In this third book, Tipsy seems to finally have found a good man, and of course Ayers is not happy. He tries to bully Tipsy into submission, but she finds her courage and thinks like Ayers in order to find a way to bring him around (with a little help from her ex sister-in-law and ex mother-in-law)! The ghosts in this book are the most complicated and challenging Tipsy has dealt with, but as her understanding of her gift grows, she finds the strength to send them on, with a little supernatural help from her ghostly friends.
March 8, 2023
An emotional third book in the series
Tipsy deals with three different ghosts in book 3. The first mystery was easy to figure out, but how there were unexpected connections between the three ghosts that kept me puzzled. There was also an interesting twist of a family dealing with mental health issues over generations that dovetail in,to Tipsy's history.
As always, the best part is the exploration of Tipsy coming into her own as an independent woman. She started the first book as a newly divorced mother, afraid of confrontation and hating herself for being a doormat in front of her ex-husband. It was nice to see her start to trust herself.
Tipsy deals with three different ghosts in book 3. The first mystery was easy to figure out, but how there were unexpected connections between the three ghosts that kept me puzzled. There was also an interesting twist of a family dealing with mental health issues over generations that dovetail in,to Tipsy's history.
As always, the best part is the exploration of Tipsy coming into her own as an independent woman. She started the first book as a newly divorced mother, afraid of confrontation and hating herself for being a doormat in front of her ex-husband. It was nice to see her start to trust herself.
December 18, 2022
In the third installment, Palmetto Rose by Stephanie Alexander, Tipsy Collins is balancing work at the gallery with her painting and raising her children. Tipsy, who helps ghosts pass through/over is approached by a friend who wants her to help a young troubled girl that is being tormented by a male ghost and the mystery begins. Fast paced cozy mystery- looking forward to the next in the series.
March 26, 2024
An artist that is up and coming. Messy home life with domineering ex- husband and still wants control of who she sees. AND she sees ghosts. Not just the one at her house. She sees others too. So she has a side hustle of clearing ghosts from houses. To help them leave she must find how and why they died. What a story. Interesting connects as she works through the mystery of death. I enjoyed the book.
May 24, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. This is my honest review.
This was a super cute read. I would highly recommend reading this series because it was easy to love. A ghost story that just makes you love ghosts. Read this book it’s a must! Mental health comes into play in this book and I like the way it was represented.
This was a super cute read. I would highly recommend reading this series because it was easy to love. A ghost story that just makes you love ghosts. Read this book it’s a must! Mental health comes into play in this book and I like the way it was represented.
September 4, 2023
Fun book series! This is the third book in a series about Tipsy Collins, a clairvoyant living in Charleston. The series is an easy and entertaining read …. Perfect give yourself a break between some more serious reads. The author has announced the next book will be the last so only a 4 book series. I will miss following these adventures.
November 9, 2024
Number 3 did not disappoint
I stumbled across the first in this series on KU and was immediately hooked. I enjoy low country books as easy reads between thrillers. The paranormal twist with these has made for some missed sleep as I cannot put them down. I will be sad to finish the last book and say goodbye to Tipsy, Henry and their friends.
I stumbled across the first in this series on KU and was immediately hooked. I enjoy low country books as easy reads between thrillers. The paranormal twist with these has made for some missed sleep as I cannot put them down. I will be sad to finish the last book and say goodbye to Tipsy, Henry and their friends.
November 20, 2022
Captivating
This 3rd book is even more engrossing than the first two. Tipsy and her trials grab hold of the imagination and don’t let go. Read the whole thing in 2 days! I couldn’t put it down!
This 3rd book is even more engrossing than the first two. Tipsy and her trials grab hold of the imagination and don’t let go. Read the whole thing in 2 days! I couldn’t put it down!
December 9, 2022
I enjoyed other books in this series and enjoyed this one, a solid mix of cozy mystery and paranormal.
Had fun and enjoyed the plot and the characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
Had fun and enjoyed the plot and the characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
January 3, 2023
I really liked the story and the mystery, however I am not loving the current relationship with Tipsy's new guy, I am still waiting to see if he is who she thinks he is. Cannot wait for book 4 in this series.
January 21, 2023
I have read all the books in this series and love everything about them. Great characters- you can't help but fall in love with them. Stephanie Alexander has become one of my favorite authors and I can't wait for more.
July 1, 2023
A spirited uplifting novel of love and insight.
I’ve enjoyed the entire series, this story in particular. Our girl finally stands up for herself. Shows herself to be a capable strong person who deserves the good things that happen to her.
I’ve enjoyed the entire series, this story in particular. Our girl finally stands up for herself. Shows herself to be a capable strong person who deserves the good things that happen to her.
July 6, 2023
I found this to be a really good read. Charleston must be the place to be if you are a clairvoyant. I liked the introduction of a psychiatrist to the story whose insights into the innumerable different ways each individual’s brain may function added to the plausibility of Tipsy’s “gift”.
December 3, 2022
You did it again
Fresh as each of your books are. I have not felt like there is any formula in your book. That is very important to me. So again I thank you for a great read.
Fresh as each of your books are. I have not felt like there is any formula in your book. That is very important to me. So again I thank you for a great read.
December 22, 2022
Loved loved loved this series!
Great characters and story line. I enjoyed every written word and can't wait for the next book. Thank you MS Steffy😁
Great characters and story line. I enjoyed every written word and can't wait for the next book. Thank you MS Steffy😁
December 28, 2022
love Tipsy & gang! so glad there will be another!
January 1, 2023
Good read. Still enjoying this series. Won’t be disappointed if there are more to come.
March 5, 2023
I really enjoyed all three books in this series!
March 30, 2023
Have loved this series. Sorry to see the next book will be the last one.
November 26, 2023
The Tipsy Collins books are like a breath of fresh air—well written heart-warming stories with interesting characters. I’m really enjoying the series.
May 1, 2024
Palmetto Rose
Loved all your books and looking forward to the last of 4 . Thank you for writing such fascinating novels.
Loved all your books and looking forward to the last of 4 . Thank you for writing such fascinating novels.
January 3, 2025
Charleston area based book. Ghosts. Easy read. Kept me interested
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews