Never the Bride is the first in the Brenda and Effie series by Paul Magrs. The books are set in Gothic Whitby, the sea-side town with the rolling mists and tales of vampires.
Brenda runs a Bed and Breakfast whilst her best friend Effie lives just next door where she runs a cluttered junk shop. All sounds pretty normal doesn't it? Don't be fooled, Brenda is hiding a terrible past, she knows that she will soon have to explain the intricate scars covering her body and the fact that she doesn't appear to age.
Never the Bride introduces us to these two women's wonderful friendship. They are quite happy going for quiet walks and sharing fish and chip suppers so it comes as quite a surprise to them that the gateway to Hell is situated in Whitby and they are the chosen guardians.
I instantly fell in love with the characters of Brenda and Effie. These two ladies take everything in their stride, from murder to martians and vampires. Paul Magrs offers his readers such an original story set in the beautifully atmospheric Whitby with it's dark alleys and age-old myths.
Never the Bride is full of dark, witty humour and I found myself completely carried away with the story. It's so exciting to find a new series of books to read and I can't wait to start the next one.
Have you read any of the Brenda and Effie series? Do you have a particular favourite?
