Peppermint Park by Stephanie Harte book review

Peppermint Park written and self-published by Stephanie Harte is available NOW in ebook format.  The ebook is also included in the kindleunlimited scheme.

To buy link:

Product Details (as per amazon page)

The tree-lined street in the affluent suburb of Chigwell, Essex was made up of extravagant mansions. Peppermint Park looked picture perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors, it was a different story. It concealed a life of torment, where family secrets were hidden from public view.
In the swinging sixties, Violet boards a plane bound for San Francisco with her boyfriend Bradley, to start a new life at Happy Acres, a hippie commune. Once they stepped inside the boundaries, they entered a different realm, one without clocks and calendars. Where naked yoga sessions and howling at the moon were compulsory activities, and people experimented with marijuana, magic mushrooms and moonshine as a daily pastime.
Violet and Bradley were having the most amazing time of their lives. They were living the dream. But was their amphetamine-fueled existence about to come crashing down around them? Surely you can never have too much of a good thing, can you?
Join Violet and Bradley on their journey as they take a leap of faith into unknown territory in search of a new beginning, set against the stunning backdrop of Northern California.

I’d like to thank the author, Stephanie Harte, for a copy of this ebook in return for a review.

The first thing with this ebook that caught my eye was the cover, it was such a calming image of the minty green large townhouse against the lavender backdrop.  However, once I started reading the book there was definitely more to this gorgeous property … appearances were undoubtedly deceiving.  This beautiful property held secrets.  Violet and her mother were living in constant danger with an abusive father and husband.  As this abuser held a high position in the police force and was a pillar of the community the women felt they were trapped by this outside view of their lives.  Violet did however, gain enough strength to escape and she fled the country with her boyfriend Brad to set up home on a commune in rural San Francisco.

I loved reading about Violet’s escape to San Francisco, this carefree, organic, free spirited life back in the 1970’s.  It all sounded so colourful and serene.  We follow Violet’s journey coping with this new lifestyle which took a little getting use to at the beginning but with having Brad by her side experiencing these new days made her feel more at ease.  Since escaping her troubled past Violet was learning to love life and love herself again.

Years passed by blissfully for Violet and she grew to become a key member of the commune.  Unfortunately, the free access to drink, drugs and free love was too much of a temptation for some.  Violet’s happiness was cut short and her past was beginning to haunt her again.

This was an enjoyable story set in the 1970’s on a commune in rural America.  It was quite a different life and I believe it’s what was needed at the time for Violet to break away from her past.  The hope and optimism the members of the community gave Violet the much needed strength to carry on.  The author dealt with a serious issue effectively giving colour and light to outweigh the dark times and managed to bring hope, optimism and love to Violet and her mother to help them move on from their hellish past. 4/5*

To find out more about Stephanie Harte and her writing please visit the following pages:

http://stephanieharte.com/