Creative Blog Tour: Parting The Veil by Paulette Kennedy
Parting The Veil by Paulette Kennedy
Well, WOW. That’s all I have to say. I just loved this story! Parting The Veil by Paulette Kennedy is a twisty gothic mystery set in the late 1800s in England. There’s a haunted mansion and a spicy romance. A moody viscount with a truly mysterious past, family rivals, and jealous courtiers, an intoxicating courtship and secret elopement. And spooks and haunts and things that go bump in the night. I couldn’t put it down — I had to find out the mystery behind the mysterious Havenwood Manor! And you definitely will too. Today is my creative blog tour stop with MTMC Tours. I’m so excited to talk about all things Parting The Veil and introduce you to this haunting, gothic historical fiction novel! So, let’s dive in.
“I wooed you, I courted you, I loved you, and I married you.”
About The Book
Parting The Veil is a suspenseful historical gothic novel featuring a haunted manor with dark secrets and a heroine inspired by Isabel Archer & Jane Eyre. It’s set to be published on November 1st, 2021 from Lake Union Publishing. Check out the book details and synopsis below.
Book Details
Title: Parting The Veil
Author: Paulette Kennedy
Publication Date: November 1st, 2021
Genres: Adult, Historical Fiction, Gothic Romance
Purchase a copy: Amazon | Book Depository | Indiebound | Blackwell’s | Barnes & Noble
Add on Goodreads!
Synopsis
Some houses hold secrets that are meant to be kept forever…
When Eliza Sullivan inherits an estate from a recently deceased aunt, she leaves behind a grievous and guilt-ridden past in New Orleans for rural England and a fresh start. Eliza arrives at her new home and finds herself falling for the mysterious lord of Havenwood, Malcolm Winfield. Despite the sinister rumors that surround him, Eliza is drawn to his melancholy charm and his crumbling, once-beautiful mansion. With enough love, she thinks, both man and manor could be repaired.
Not long into their marriage, Eliza fears that she should have listened to the locals. There’s something terribly wrong at Havenwood Manor: Forbidden rooms. Ghostly whispers in the shadows. Strangely guarded servants. And Malcolm’s threatening moods, as changeable as night and day.
As Eliza delves deeper into Malcolm’s troubling history, the dark secrets she unearths gain a frightening power. Has she married a man or a monster? For Eliza, uncovering the truth will either save her or destroy her.
“But... you’re supposed to be dead. I saw you, in your coffin.”
The Story
spoiler-free
Wow, okay. So this story is just the perfect vibe and setting for the spooky and autumn season! I was hooked fairly early on and once I got to all the mysterious haunted manor happenings, I could NOT put the book down! So, essentially, we follow Eliza as she embarks on a new life, fresh start, and adventure in Hampshire, England. A distant relative and family friend has willed their estate to Eliza and wanting to leave her painful, haunted past in New Orleans behind, Eliza sets out for the old world with her sister, Lydia, in tow. Once they arrive in England and begin the process of taking over their new estate, Eliza discovers that as part of the conditions of her aunt’s will, she must find a husband and marry within three months. At that time, only, will she be able to have full access to the fortune and estate being left to her. She has dreams of independence and entrepreneurship through horse racing and stables.
And so ensues a brief but necessary entry into Hampshire society where gossips, prejudices, and rivals run amuck, something both Eliza and her sister were hoping to avoid, but where new friends and contacts are also made. Eliza quickly meets the mysterious Malcolm Winfield, viscount of Havenwood Manor - a man and place steeped in dark rumors and a sinister past - and soon begins an exclusive and infatuated courtship with him while continuing to manage and refresh her new estate. Despite rumors and suspicions from both her sister and fellow courtiers, Eliza and Malcolm’s courtship quickly turns into an elopement and before we know it, Eliza is viscountess of Havenwood Manor, a crumbling, run-down mansion in need of love and repair. Not long after she leaves the safety of her sister and the lovely rural estate she just inherited next door, strange and frightening happenings begin to take place.
As Eliza works to uncover the mansion’s dark secrets, she also begins to realize Malcolm may not be who he seems… and she quickly begins to question the man she married fighting back against both him and the house. Determined and headstrong, she strives to uncover the truth, but the real question is will it save her or destroy her?
Filled with unexpected twists and turns, a spicy love story, and a mystery you’ll be dying to decipher alongside Eliza, Parting The Veil is your next autumn and spooky season read!!
The Characters
Eliza, our story’s heroine, is a force to be reckoned with through her independence, self-assuredness, and determination.
Malcolm, Lord & Viscount of Havenwood Manor, is a doting yet temperamental man who is not all who he seems and you won’t be able to help but question his motives.
Lydia, Eliza's half-sister and most trusted confident, is protective and sure, our steadfast figure and embodiment of a conscious in this story.
Society Friends - Eliza and Lydia quickly form a small group of diverse and trusted local friends through their entry into local Hampshire society.
Society Foes - There are many, but only a couple who stand out the most in Eliza’s story. You can’t help but wonder at times, do they actually have Eliza’s best interests at heart?
The Mansion and Its Haunts - There are several, all with backstories of their own, and we have a chance to meet them all!
Steamometer
💃🏼 - ooh we spicey
This story definitely gets some sassy spices! The romance between Malcolm and Eliza is full of infatuation and intense attraction. They both have a hard time keeping their hands off each other and while the steamy side of the romance is mostly closed door, we do still get sooome of that spice on the page.
For those who are unfamiliar with my Steamometer, check it out below (it’s ever-evolving lol)!
❤️ NICE AND SWEET
💃🏼 SASSY SPICE
🔥 STEAMYYYY GOODNESS
🥵 MY OVARIES ARE BURSTING
🌋 my whole body is on fire and I’m melting
🖤 SMUTASTIC
Book Aesthetic
So, for my creative piece of the tour, I put together a book aesthetic! I love creating these aesthetics and seeing the embodiment of the book come to life through graphics. I’ll be sharing a reel on Instagram later today, that I’ll come back and share here as well, and I also have a board over on Pinterest with even more graphics 😍 I get a little obsessive with these aesthetics. They’re so fun for me. But, here are my top favorites that really represent the book’s tone, atmosphere, and haunting mysteriousness. All graphics are from Pinterest and can be found at the link below.
check out my full Pinterest board here
check out my Instagram reel here
Content Warnings
Paulette has a great list of content warnings at the back of the book in her Author’s Note as well as on Goodreads, and I thought I’d outline them here. As mentioned by Paulette and I’d agree after reading, “most are only referenced briefly and not in great detail on the page”. Here's the breakdown per Paulette and can also be found on Goodreads here.
Self-Harm and Suicidal Ideation — on page and referenced
Implied Incest — referenced
Child Abuse (non-sexual) — referenced
Sexual Abuse/Domestic Abuse/Marital Rape — referenced for a character in the past
Verbal Abuse
Consensual Sexual Content — not graphic
Forced Captivity
Murder
Racist and Colonial Dynamics in Historical Context — not centered
Assault/Mild Violence
Mild Drug Use/Alcoholism
Arson/Fire
Dead Bodies and Death
Drowning
Child and Pregnancy Loss — brief
Yellow Fever Outbreak
War — referenced
Blood — mild
Sexism and Misogyny
Abandonment
Toxic Power Dynamics
Overall Thoughts
I LOVED IT. The twists, the turns. The spice! The deception and mystery! Everything I love in a novel and more. It's like Crimson Peak meets The Haunting of Hill House with a touch of Outlander. From the mysterious, foreboding, and ominous tone to the puzzling mystery behind Havenwood Manor that requires your rapt attention ... I was dying to uncover the truths of the Manor right alongside Eliza. And I’m still reeling from the plot twists - jaw-dropping and shocking, they were - and I just can’t get the book outta my head. Honestly, the other night, I woke up just before 3 in the morning and all I could think about was Eliza doing the same at Havenwood Manor. It was so eerie!
“Houses have a certain power, don’t you think? Almost as if they’re people—or perhaps characters in a play.”
About The Author
About Paulette Kennedy:
Originally from the Missouri Ozarks, Paulette Kennedy now lives with her family in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles.
When she's not writing or homeschooling her daughter, she enjoys tending to her garden, knitting, and finding unique vintage treasures at thrift stores and flea markets.
As a history lover, she can get lost for days in her research—learning everything she can about the places in her stories and the experiences her characters might have had in the past.
This dedication to research infuses her world-building with realistic detail and creates a cinematic, immersive experience for the reader.
Paulette’s current work-in-progress is a witchy southern gothic set in rural Northern Arkansas during the Great Depression.
International Blog Tour + Instagram Giveaway
blog tour giveaway
Enter the Rafflecopter below (click the button to be taken to the giveaway page) to win a paperback copy of Parting the Veil! This giveaway ends on October 30th, 2021. The winner will be announced in the Rafflecopter & contacted via email by MTMC Tours.
Instagram giveaway
Head over to my Instagram account (@LeahsLittlePleasures) to enter ANOTHER tour giveaway where you can win a paperback copy of Parting the Veil (2 winners)! The giveaway ends on October 30th, 2021. The winner will be announced on @mtmctours’ Instagram account.
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Oh hey, friend!
I’m Leah. Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Yoga pants, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a homebody at heart with a knack for content creation, flatlays & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
I love this feeling when I’m reading a book. Nothing compares! This sense of being completely immersed and lost inside the pages of the story — like you could live there endlessly, never get enough of the plot and characters and yearn to get more of the story once you’re finished. Here are the last 3 books that made me forget I was reading.