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.

The end of temperence dare by Wendy Webb.
Eleanor is of to a new job at cliffside manor. She will be the new director fierce Penelope retires. It is a getaway for artists to get away from it all. Cliffside is known all over the world. Penelope father built it in 1925 originally for Tuberculosis patients.
This was a very eerie and spooky read. I just had to continue reading to see if my suspicions were true. I loved Eleanor and Richard. They were my favourite characters. OMG shocking or what. I definitely didn't see that coming. My mouth dropped to the floor. Definitely worth more than 5*. Netgalley and lake union publishing.

3.5 Stars There are a lot of strange happenings going on at Cliffside Manor when Eleanor Harper arrives there to take over the director's position. She notices strange things and feelings of impending doom and this is even before things start happening.

First off, the outgoing director commits suicide the night after Eleanor takes the reins. Her note, while strange leaves no doubt it was her decision. Then, other strange notes start appearing. There are noises, things moving - all the ghostly phenomenons.

The upstairs bedroom (the former director's rooms) and its adjoining rooms are really creepy. One looks like a playroom and it has a rather large dollhouse that looks just like Cliffside Manor. Are you getting goose pimples yet? I am.

An entertaining, creepy, haunting, very strange ghost story that I wish to thank Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

I would like to thank Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and Wendy Webb for the ARC of "The End of Temperance Dare" by Wendy Webb for my honest review.
The genres of this novel are General Fiction (Adult), Women's Fiction, Para Normal, Mystery and Suspense.
I like the way that Wendy Webb describes the setting at Cliffside Manor, a former Tuberculosis Sanatorium, now a place for Artists and Writers to retreat to. Between the beauty of the grounds, and the dark and weird descriptions of the large mansion, I get a feeling of good and evil. The Tuberculosis Sanatorium used to have the reputation as a "waiting room for death"
The characters can be described as complex, complicated, strange, quirky, good and evil. The story takes place mostly in the present with references to the past.
Eleanor Harper,is a former crime reporter and has come to "Cliffside Manor" to be the director of the Artist's Retreat. This retreat was set up by the Dare family. Despite the dark past of Cliffside Manor, Eleanor has a strange and haunting feeling that something is not what it should be.
The former Director is found dead, and things seem more sinister and evil. There are accidents and strange incidents, that Eleanor finds herself dealing with.
This is a unique and unusual read, and I appreciate that the author has used so many genres. I like the way the author weaves this dark story. There are twists and turns, and surprises.
I would highly recommend this intriguing story.

I was capture from the first page of this book and could not put it down. It was filled with mystery and intrigue. The language used gave me a vivid picture of Cliffside and I could almost imagine being there. The characters were colorful and lively, the twists and turns kept my interest throughout.

A dark Gothic style horror. I didn't find it too scary but I'm not easily frightened! For me it was an OK read, I've read better. Not really my type of book.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

I usually don't read scary books so this was a change for me. I really enjoyed it. I will be checking out Wendy Webb's other books. Eleanor Harper becomes the director of an artist's retreat that used to be a tuberculosis sanitarium in the 1950's. From the moment she starts working there she has a lot of bad feelings. When the artist's show up for their session, the secrets of the house are exposed and Eleanor needs to save herself and the artists. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Wendy Webb for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Check reality at the door and fall into this ghost story - it won't disappoint! Just make sure to keep the lights on!

Eleanor has just obtained a new job as director of Cliffside Manor, an artist retreat in an old TB sanatorium (yes, cue the creepy music). When she was first starting out in journalism, she investigated the case of a death of the founder of the retreat and his daughter from a semi-suspicious car accident. She finds herself back 20+ years later as director.

But from her first day, everything seems to go wrong and Eleanor is faced with protecting the artist fellows who arrive for their stay as well as her own life.

A true ghost story that really keeps you glued to the book until the final page. This is the first book I've read by this author - certainly makes me want to go back and read more!

Cliffside Tuberculosis Sanatorium - waiting room for death. "When Death takes hold, he seeps into the very foundations.”

Eleanor Harper used to be an investigative journalist until she was overcome by an overwhelming sense of dread and doom and ended up getting fired. So when she sees that Cliffside Manor, an artist's retreat that used to be a TB sanatorium, is advertising for a new director, she feels immediately drawn to apply for the job. She had been at Cliffside Manor 23 years ago investigating the deaths of the current director's father and sister. The current director, Penelope Dare, remembers Eleanor from 23 years ago and hires her to fill the position she is retiring from.

This book brought back memories of younger years to me. I used to read a lot of gothic romances and mysteries many, many years ago and this is definitely a gothic mystery.

Creepy things start happening almost immediately upon Eleanor's arrival at Cliffside. Not long after she arrives, the five recipients of the fellowship endowment for the current session - artists and writers - get to the Manor and events start spiraling out of control.

Ghosts and mysteries abound in this atmospheric chiller. It was a nice change of pace and the characters were detailed and believable and the story was well done, scary without melodrama.

I received this book from Lake Union Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

If you frighten easily at all, do not make my mistake and read this book in the dark in an unfamiliar house. Wendy Webb's latest Gothic style mystery is set in a repurposed tuberculosis sanitarium in the North Woods, where Eleanor Harper has just begun her new position as the director of Cliffside's artist retreat program. Very quickly, she finds herself out of her league as the new challenges of the position compete with a sense that something is very much so not-right at the house. The tension in this book builds slowly, letting the reader experience growing discomfort and distrust along with Eleanor, until the dramatic conclusion. The influence of stories like Rebecca and The Haunting of Hill House is clearly evident, but Wendy Webb continues to show that she is one of the modern masters of the style.
Seasonal style readers, take note of this one and save for the fall! It is a satisfyingly eerie read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book which means I will not be able to review it. I truly appreciate the opportunity and apologize for the inconvenience the lack of review may cause you.

I gave up after about 20% of this. The premise was excellent, but the writing was so bad. Too many icy shivers down the spine.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publishers Lake Union Publishing and netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.

This book reminded me of those made for tv horror films of the 70's and 80's (like Crow Haven Farm and the ilk) and was deliciously creepy and crazy. The End Of Temperance Dare has a repurposed sanitarium cut off from the world, foggy weather, a mysterious sister, deaths and ghosts and a decades old mystery to solve. It hooked me right from the get go and kept me reading into the early hours.

The story starts fairly benignly, but strange occurrences, eerie noises in the night and a link between the inhabitants of Cliffside Manor soon started to ramp up the tension. My spine was tingling and at one point I had to check under the bed!

The ending was fantastically over the top, and I mean this in a good way. The tension by this point had reached such a level, that it could only explode out in the way that it does.
Thankfully it also meant that I could turn the light out and sleep soundly that night!

I will definitely be seeking out other books by this author.

I have really enjoyed Wendy Webb's previous gothics, and her newest page-turner did not disappoint! The End of Temperance Dare is a true ghost-story about a haunted TB hospital that is now operating as an artist's retreat. Eleanor Harper, a former journalist, arrives at Cliffside Manor to take over the reins from the longtime director, Penelope Dare, whose family founded Cliffside in the 1950s. Before Eleanor has been in the house for 24 hours, she discovers that her predecessor is dead of mysterious causes. Despite some grave misgivings about remaining in such a forboding dwelling, Eleanor decides to stay and investigate Penelope's death. The plot thickens when she finds a letter from Penelope that closes with the ominous statement, "My nightmare is over." When the five fellows arrive for their retreat, the group joins forces in an attempt to figure out exactly what is happening at Cliffside. The reader must be willing to suspend some disbelief and just go with it; if you are willing to do so, you are in for a fun and exciting ride! Highly recommended for fans of gothic mysteries and horror.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the preview copy!

A well written ghost story set in a former TB hospital. Just imagine the ghosts.

I really enjoyed this gothic mystery set in a tuberculosis sanitarium. It is now a retreat for writers and artists and Eleanor Harper has just been hired on as the new Director. From her very first day on the job she realizes that things are not as they seem at Cliffside Manor. This book has a cast of creepy characters and they are all assembled together to unravel the mystery. This book was a great spooky story to read with all the lights on .

I received an advanced copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks!
This is a true ghost story in the vein of the Victorian style- think Wilkie Collins and the modern Susan Hill series. Atmospheric and engaging, I could not put it down. I loved how it reminded me of Clue and even The Westing Game: a group of individuals invited to a spooky place to figure out 'the game.' How are they linked? Will the mystery be solved?
This was a fun read. I was all up for a 5-star review until the end which dissolved into silliness that was accepted fully by all of the characters, which, I felt, was out of character for many of them. It almost felt like the author had an image in her head of what she wanted the ending to be and almost worked backwards. It was a shame because it was a truly fantastic horror yarn. I would still recommend it for the story, even if the ending was lacklustre.

2.5/5*s
I was given an e-copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I liked the ghost aspects of the book and found them to be entertaining but the beginning of the book was rather boring. I also thought the ending was a little silly and I was uninterested at what was going to happen at the end. If you like ghost stories this may be a book for you as we all have different tastes in reading.