How many secrets can one house hide?
Kenzi Brannon has always dreaded going down to the dark basement of the old Brannon house she grew up in. Now an adult, she’s returned home to find her apprehension has intensified. She avoids that locked door and the secrets beyond in hope that ignoring the problem will keep long-forgotten horrors buried.
A neighbor’s obsession with her house and history … obsession with her house and history has rekindled Kenzi’s old fears. And reconnecting with someone from her past may force her to face what she’s been running from her entire life.
And that might not be the worst of it.
The garden her family is restoring could conceal something far more terrifying than anything inside the house. Something that could rip her newly found family apart.
Some people say the truth will set you free. Kenzi can’t help but feel that it will destroy everything.
The Darkest Garden is the third standalone in the Brannon House series, an exciting and hair-raising domestic thriller by USA Today bestselling author Stacy Claflin. To get the most enjoyment from the series, the books are best read in order – you can start with The Perfect Death if you haven’t read that yet. Or start here, if you prefer.more
The Darkest Garden – a review by Rosemary Kenny
Kenzie, Ember and Claire Brannon are women with a dark upbringing that would make you shudder. After romantic and familial complications make relationships break down, or come to light, the final secrets of the eponymous garden (and the hideous sights in the basement), could make you almost believe you’re in the real-life ‘murder house’ of serial-killers Fred and Rose West in the UK some years back.
What will the results be for Kenzie’s on-off love affair with Graham?
Who else knows about it?
What’s Graham’s relationship to Ember?
How does Kenzie now feel towards Dayton?
Stacy Claflin never fails to satisfy your noir mystery inclinations and I would highly recommend this book to fans of Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Willow Rose.
Get your copy today, so you can escape into The Darkest Garden and learn its secrets!
Searching for a book that you can’t get enough? Look no further than this series, I’ve read each book and have read each one of them in less than a day. Amazing characters, including the house, mystery, lies, reunited with family members, some mild violence by a neighbor (too many adjectives to describe him), some twists n turns, and so much more! I am SO looking forward to the next book in this series!
Can Kenzi and Ember discover more terrible things in the Brandon House? Will Kenzi find her half sister Billa? Is Jack going to adjust to his new life? Will Ember tell Graham he must be her father? More mysteries to solve in a rollercoaster of emotions. Great reading.
Doesn’t that eerily beautiful cover just say it all?!
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Stacy Claflin’s vivid setting portrayal and character mastery have managed, once again, to keep me up most of the night! She has brought the haunted house genre to new highs with the latest book in her Brannon House thriller series, The Darkest Garden!
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Kenzie and Ember, aunt and niece, rediscovered one another under the unfortunate circumstances in book one and have managed to grow together and be just what the other needs since then. They have become quite the pair, shedding light on their ancestors’ dark past all the while navigating their newfound roles… and family!
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The title, The Darkest Garden, is more than fitting as this may possibly be her darkest book yet! The whispers and haunted vibes are one thing, yes, but that neighbor and the garden at the Brannon House, shrouded in sinister familial history, increase the overall chill factor in more ways than one!
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I can’t honestly think of a single element about this story that I did not like. I’ve enjoyed getting to know these characters and hope their stories continue on, unwrapping the Brannon House mysteries one-by-one. The Darkest Garden was an easy 5-star rating for me, Stacy knows just how to pique my interest with her fast-paced works of twisted thrills. If you haven’t yet started this series and need a quick read, maybe a change of pace from your usual reads – pick this up. I’ve no doubt that you’ll soon be converted into a fan, racing to follow it all up with her Alex Mercer Thriller Series and his many exploits. Don’t just take my word for it though – go find out for yourself.
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Many thanks go to the author, Stacy Claflin, for providing me with a complimentary copy of The Darkest Garden in exchange for an honest review.
Beware!
Definitely not the series to read late at night if you have a basement! Brannon House continues to reveal secrets and so do those who are entangled with it, both near and far. This latest book is the creepiest yet as the suspense ebbs and flows at a waterfall pace at times. It also reminds me of static electricity here and there, you can’t see it but you can sure feel it! We learn even more about our curious cast of complex characters, with new relationships and older ones revealed. No spoilers! Highly recommend reading the series from the beginning!
Another chilling chapter to the Brannon house. While Kenzi and Ember deal with their love like, their neighbor gets very stalky about the house. New surprises and a grisly discovery upends their lives. And when Ember let’s Graham in on the information she found it affects his relationship with Kenzi. Anxiously awaiting the next installment. I received a complimentary copy and I am giving a review voluntarily.
OMG I absolutely love this series! Just when you think things can settle down and life can maybe try to be normal it all blows up in your face, at least that’s what it must seem to to Kenzi! There’s more mystery and suspense and twists and turns, secrets that need to be found out as well as a nosey neighbour and a new sister and what is in the basement!?? I read this in one sitting as I got so lost in this gripping plot that I didn’t notice day turn into night!! I just cannot get enough of this series!
Very good, intense read…definetly leaves you wanting more, can’t wait for book 4!
So much is happening in the book!! Another mystery, villain, new family member, a new romance and a pause on another relationship. Wow. This was definitely a page turner for me – liked this one even more than book 2. Kenzie is my favorite character and love her personality. Looking forward to book 4. I have changed my mind about who I want her to end up with.
Kenzie is trying to find her sister Billa after her mother told her the truth. She decides that calling the people on the list will the best bet. She is caring for Jack that seems to like the garden, he is doing good. Ember is getting closer to the delivery kid, things are will get complicated.
Kenzie is having a hard time with the noises and voices. She keeps having nightmares and memories that are hard for her. Everything is getting to be to much. Kenzie also wants Ember to tell Graham about being her dad. Kenzie feels that Graham is pulling away from her. The neighbor is becoming even more . She can’t take him any more.
Things will be changing in the Bannon house, secrets will come to light. Kenzie will have to make decides in regards to her job, her private life that will put her heart on the line.
This book was so good, the build up the secret reveal. Her relationships with Dayton and Graham. Ember going through her own hardships. There are so many great moments in this book. I can’t choose who I would want Kenzie with. I thought making Graham her father was an easy out, but will see where things go from there. I highly recommend this book/ series, it is that good.
I received an ARC copy of this book, this is my honest opinion.
Mystery voices and slamming doors: haunted mansion or a heroine going gaga?!
Boy, this Brannon House gets creepier as the series progresses! Kenzi and her orphaned teenage niece Ember seem to be living in a huge house of unsettling noises, bad memories, chilling mystery and rumors of murder and disappearances! Kenzi does not believe in ghosts but the alternative does not bear thinking about as she’s already experienced life in a psych ward as a child. Ember is enmeshed in teen drama and uncertainty about seeking out her probable biological father. There are a few uncomfortably odd characters as well pushing them to learn more of their mansion’s secretive history.
The last half of the story really took off and the action climax was fast and furious. The book’s opening, however, keep me confused for quite a long time as the story keeps referring to people and actions from the earlier books in the Brannon House series. I’ve read both prior books but the references to earlier events often were not detailed enough to jog my memory or clue in a reader new to the series. I think I would have enjoyed this story more if I had just finished reading those previous books. It’s really not a standalone.
Is there more to come? I felt the main plot points were resolved by the book’s conclusion so it’s not a cliffhanger, but I can see room for future developments especially on the romantic front.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review and opinions expressed are completely my own.