BOOK REVIEW: The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis

Yorkshire 1845

A young woman has gone missing from her home, Chester Grange, leaving no trace, save a large pool of blood in her bedroom and a slew of dark rumours about her marriage. A few miles away, the daughters of a humble parson, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte are horrified, yet intrigued.

Desperate to find out more, the sisters visit Chester Grange where they notice several unsettling details about the crime scene not least the absence of an investigation. Together the young women realise that their boundless imaginations could help solve the mystery- and that if they don’t attempt to find out what happened to Elizabeth Chester, no one else will. 

The path to the truth is not an easy one, especially in a society which believes a woman’s place to be in the home, not wandering the countryside looking for clues. But nothing will stop the sisters from discovering what happened to the vanished bride, even if they find their own lives are in great peril…

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Bella Ellis is the pseudonym for the fantastic Rowan Coleman. I love this author’s writing and I love the Bronte sisters so I knew I had to read this book. 

The Vanished Bride mixes the facts that we know about Emily, Charlotte and Anne Bronte with a little bit of artistic licence as Bella Ellis imagines the three sisters acting as amateur detectives. When they hear about Elizabeth Chester going missing from Chester Grange, they are intrigued. They know the governess there so they are able to visit and see the situation for themselves, Elizabeth Chester’s room was discovered covered in blood but there was no sign of the mistress herself. Her husband has already lost one wife in suspicious circumstances, is it just a tragic coincidence or is he involved?  

The idea of the Bronte sisters as detectives is just fantastic and makes perfect sense and therefore is entirely believable; they would be naturally inquisitive and constantly on the lookout for ideas for stories and what could be more perfect than a murder scene with no body? I was impressed with the ways in which Bella Ellis showed how the sisters were constrained by their gender; as we know they wrote under male pseudonyms and in the story they have to pretend that they are working for respectable, professional men in order to go about their investigation. This book really made me consider the amount of women who must have had so much to offer being unable to do so purely because of their gender. It was such an accomplishment of the Brontes to follow their determination and go ahead and produce and publish their work, they could easily have bowed down to society’s conventions. 

Ellis’ love of the Bronte sisters shines through and I was so impressed with the way in which she showed the individual characters of Emily, Anne and Charlotte. They can often be lumped together as though they had just one person but Ellis highlights their varied personality traits, views and interests and it is fascinating. 

I believe that The Vanished Bride is the first in a series of Bronte Mystery books that Bella Ellis intends to write, I cannot wait to see what she has the sisters involved in next! 

BOOK REVIEW: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan has been in possession of her meticulously crafted answer since she understood the question. On the day that she nails the most important job interview of her career and gets engaged to the perfect man, she's well on her way to fulfilling her life goals.

That night Dannie falls asleep only to wake up in a different apartment with a different ring on her finger, and in the company of a very different man. The TV is on in the background, and she can just make out the date. It's the same night - December 15th - but 2025, five years in the future.

It was just a dream, she tells herself when she wakes, but it felt so real... Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four and a half years later, when Dannie turns down a street and there, standing on the corner, is the man from her dream…

Publisher: Quercus

A lot of people are talking about this book and now I’ve read it, I can completely understand why. It is so well done, Serle captivates her readers from the very beginning and I flew through the pages. 

Dannie Kohan has planned her entire life- the career she wants in corporate law, the apartment in the right part of New York, the boyfriend whose plans fit with hers. She has a big day, a successful job interview and a romantic proposal from David, life, in her eyes is perfect. But she goes to sleep and then wakes up in a different apartment with a different fiance and the calendar says it is 2025, five years from now. On waking the next morning, she writes the experience off as a bad dream and books an appointment with her therapist. Yet just over four years later she sees the man from her dream and he is very real. Dannie is so confused, this man is not part of her life plan and she becomes even more committed to following the future she has in her head but life has other ideas. 

This is very much a love story but not in the way that I expected. Serle looks at different forms of love, family, marriage, friendship and even the love you have for your work. My favourite part of the book was Dannie’s relationship with her best friend Bella and this really drives the second half of the book. Dannie and Bella are complete opposites but they love each other deeply. Bella has to teach Dannie that true love is not necessarily about long term plans but instead the here and now and how we behave towards others in the moment. Dannie has become so fixated on what she should do that she has lost the ability to see that it might not be the right course of action. Bella wants her friend to be happy more than anything and she does everything in her power to show Dannie how to live life a little more and to not give your love to someone half-heartedly.

In Five Years left me with a lovely feeling, I felt like it was a gentle reminder to appreciate what you have whilst not settling for less than you deserve. I loved the exploration of friendship and how deep and significant a true friendship can be. Serle writes about loss in such a beautiful way, the language she uses is honest and poignant. 

This book is going to delight so many readers, I’m already looking forward to re-reading Rebecca Serle’s fabulous story.

Many thanks to Quercus for gifting me a review copy.

BOOK REVIEW: Jog On, How Running Saved my Life

Divorced and struggling with deep-rooted mental health problems, Bella Mackie ended her twenties in tears. She could barely find the strength to get off the sofa, let alone piece her life back together. Until one day she did something she had never done of her own free will – she pulled on a pair of trainers and went for a run.

That first attempt didn’t last very long. But to her surprise, she was back out there the next day. And the day after that. She began to set herself achievable goals – to run 5k in under 30 minutes, to walk to work every day for a week, to attempt 10 push-ups in a row. Before she knew it, her mood was lifting for the first time in years.

In Jog On, Bella explains with hilarious and unfiltered honesty how she used running to battle crippling anxiety and depression, without having to sacrifice her main loves: booze, cigarettes and ice cream. With the help of a supporting cast of doctors, psychologists, sportspeople and friends, she shares a wealth of inspirational stories, research and tips that show how exercise often can be the best medicine. This funny, moving and motivational book will encourage you to say ‘jog on’ to your problems and get your life back on track – no matter how small those first steps may be. 

Publisher: William Collins

Pages: 288

I began running in 2019 by starting the Couch to 5k programme, I started due to family health issues that I was concerned about and thought that it was about time I did some regular exercise. I was about half way through Couch to 5k when my anxiety very much got the better of me. It was terrifying. I struggled to function and it was my family, friends and medication that got me through it. Also running played a big part, it became something that I could really focus on and control whereas everything else felt far out of reach. I completed the Couch to 5k with a huge sense of achievement and now I try to run three days a week. It has a huge effect on my mental health and this is what Bella Mackies discusses in Jog On. 

Mackie hit rock bottom when her first marriage ended, she had always suffered from anxiety but it intensified and she was truly struggling. One evening she put her trainers on and ran for three minutes in the alleyway behind her house and this is what started her running journey. Now she runs most days and she fully believes this is what has helped her live with her anxiety. The book is searingly honest, it is the first book I have read about anxiety and depression where I actually felt like I could identify with the writer’s exact emotions and experiences. Mackie does not hold back or sugar coat it, she describes her darkest moments and how she can trace them back to her younger years. It really opened up my eyes to anxiety and how I had probably been masking it for a long time before my body had just finally had enough and forced me to confront it. 

Mackie’s research is impeccable and insightful. She has spoken to a whole variety of people about their mental health and how they have used exercise to deal with it day to day. This book is about running but I would also urge you to read it even if you never intend to lace up your trainers and get out there. It is about mental health and how it affects so many; it is about learning to cope with it so that you can still have a life and achieve what you want to. 

This is a book that I know I will return to again and again, it offers hope and inspiration, Mackie’s voice is loud and clear on a subject that is still brushed under the carpet by many. 

BLOG TOUR: The Canary Keeper by Claire Carson

They will see me hang for this.

London, 1855. In the grey mist of the early morning a body is dumped on the shore of the Thames by a boatman in a metal canoe. Talk soon spreads of the killer and his striking accomplice: a young widow in mourning dress.

Birdie Quinn's sleeplessness led her to the river that morning. She has always been wilful, haughty, different... but is she a murderess?

To clear her name, she must retrace the dead man's footsteps to Orkney and the far north. A dangerous journey for a woman alone, but one she must make to save her life. Publisher: Head of Zeus Pages: 384

I love historical fiction so I was very pleased to be invited to take part in the blog tour for The Canary Keeper by Clare Carson. If you, like me have enjoyed books such as The Familiars or The Silent Companions then this is one for you. 

Birdie Quinn is our protagonist and she hasn’t had it easy but she has determination and grit in abundance. In a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Bride is seen next to a body floating in the Thames and she is accused of being involved in the man’s murder. Birdie did recognise the man as he had shouted at her in the street the previous evening saying he had a message for her. She is completely innocent though but faces the threat of hanging for a crime she did not commit. 

Birdie, through her benefactor, has received a good education and she must use her intelligence and skills to clear her name. She discovers the dead man’s name and traces him to Orkney where she poses as a widow looking for a new life. She becomes tangled in a web that she had not expected and she must stay one step ahead so she can clear her name. 

The Canary Keeper is a fabulous murder mystery, Clare Carson’s writing is full of rich descriptions and imagery which create a fantastic atmosphere. I loved the two settings of London and Orkney and how very different they were. Orkney has an almost other world feel to it and I did think that Birdie was incredibly brave to go there alone. The book involves Birdie discovering about the illegal fur trade and the Esquimaux which was not a subject I was familiar with but it was so interesting and you can tell that Carson has done her research.

Birdie is great character; there are several strong females within the book which was refreshing but you still see how their power and situations are limited by their connection to men or lack of connection. 

I can highly recommend The Canary Keeper, the story is original and captivating and I was really taken with Claire Carson’s evocative descriptions. 

BLOG TOUR: The River Home by Hannah Richell

In their ramshackle Somerset home, its gardens running down to the river, the Sorrells have gathered for a last-minute wedding.

Lucy is desperate to reunite her fractured family. Eve is fighting to keep her perfect life together. Their mother, Kit, a famous author whose stories have run dry, still seethes with resentment towards her youngest child. And Margot, who left home eight years ago under a black cloud, is forced to come face to face with her darkness…

As the family come together for a week of celebration and confrontation, their relationships are stretched to breaking point. Can you ever heal the wounds of the past? Or will it always rise up to haunt you – like the echoes of a summer’s night, like the relentless flow of a river…   

Publisher: Orion

The River Home is Hannah Richell’s third book but the first I have read by this author. It is fantastic and I was completely captivated by her story. 

Margot returns home to Somerset for her sister Lucy’s impromptu wedding, their older sister Eve has gone into planning mode and their mother Kit, a famous author, is not overjoyed at Margot’s return. Margot left for Edinburgh eight years ago after her actions shocked her whole family; she has been running away from her past ever since but now she has no choice but to return to where it all happened. 

The River Home has so many elements that I love in a book, mystery, family tensions, a ramshackle family home, an author as a central character. I was hooked from the beginning and I could not believe how many different story-lines Richell weaved throughout the story. Eve, Margot and Lucy all have their own individual plots and they are linked by their parents Kit and Ted who have a story to tell too. I was impressed with how Richell linked it all together, moving from the past to the present, showing the turmoil within the family unit. We do not find out what Margot did and why until the very end, the truth is heartbreaking and not what I had expected. 

I loved how Richell presented the dysfunctional family element, it reminded me of Fleabag a little with the simmering tensions between the different family members. I liked all of the sisters but Margot stood out. As the youngest she was almost abandoned at a really hard time in her childhood, her parents had just split up with her father leaving; her one sister had left to start her own family, the other sister had left to start her own business and her mother was off in her own world writing her book. You can’t help but feel anger at them for not realising how vulnerable Margot was. She was crying out for one of them to help her but everyone she cared for was caught up in their own lives.

Hannah Richell delves into the complex nature of family relationships, the triumphs and the tragedies that are involved. Her characters leap out at you from the page, fully formed with all their flaws. The River Home is an impressive novel that you won’t want to put down. Many thanks to Orion for inviting me to be part of this blog tour!  

BOOK REVIEW: The Foundling by Stacey Halls

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London’s Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst – that Clara has died in care – the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed – by her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl – and why.

Less than a mile from Bess’ lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend – an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital – persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

Publisher: Zaffre Books

Pages: 400

I was so impressed with Stacey Halls’ debut novel, The Familiars, I knew I would have to read her latest book, The Foundling. Set in Georgian London, the story follows Bess Bright who left her daughter Clara at the Foundling Hospital when she was just hours old. Bess saves up all the money she can over the next six years and returns to claim her daughter, only to be informed that the young girl has already been claimed by her mother. Bess does not understand, who would impersonate her and why would they take Clara?

Alexandra Callard is the complete opposite to Bess, she is a wealthy widow living in comfort with her young daughter Charlotte. She only leaves the house once a week with her daughter to attend church. For the rest of the time she keeps herself and Charlotte safely indoors, the dangers locked outside. Alexandra’s world comes crashing down when a friend persuades her to take on a nursemaid for her child, the young woman is a natural with Charlotte and Alexandra becomes fearful that her secrets will be uncovered now she has allowed a stranger into her home. 

The Foundling is beautifully written, one of my favourite elements of the book is Halls’ detailed descriptions of London. She creates such vivid images in your mind by describing little details that build up to a fantastically rich and vibrant picture. 

Bess and Alexandra are from different walks of life and both have endured great difficulties. Alexandra has a lot more power due to her wealth plus the fact that her husband is dead. Bess is in a terribly vulnerable state: poor, unmarried and mother to an illegitimate child. Her situation highlights the difference  between the social classes, however hard Bess works, she can never dream of having the life that Alexandra does.

The Foundling Hospital was a real place, I had very conflicted feelings about it. That something like this was necessary is shocking on its own. The lottery of babies being chosen is abhorrent to read about. To have reached rock bottom and made the decision to give up your own child and to have to endure being made a spectacle of for the entertainment of wealthy benefactors is just horrendous. 

The Foundling is historical fiction as its best. Halls weaves a compelling story around historical fact which makes for an enthralling read. I highly recommend this book. 

Many thanks to Zaffre books for sending me a review copy. 

BOOK REVIEW: A Springtime Affair by Katie Fforde

Love is in the air in the latest book from cult romance novelist Katie Fforde. 

Gilly proudly runs her own B&B, until she meets a handsome estate agent called Leo who makes her wonder if the time has come to sell up. 

Meanwhile, her daughter Helena has a budding romance of her own… with spring approaching and the season of new beginnings, could their new loves lead to their happily ever after? Publisher: Century

I have lost count of how many wonderful books Katie Fforde has written but I am always very excited when her latest one arrives.

A Springtime Affair has two central female characters, Gilly and her daughter Helena. Gilly is divorced and runs her own B&B from her beloved family home. Helena is a talented weaver and is currently living in her landlords spare room until she can find a better home for her and her loom. It helps that Jago, her landlord, is extremely attractive and very kind. Gilly has her own romantic interests too, the charismatic Leo wants to sweep her off her feet but whilst it’s extremely flattering, she’s not completely sure that she wants to be swept anywhere. 

The dynamic between Gilly and Helena is wonderful. The mother-daughter relationship can be tense and fraught and I think Katie Fforde does an excellent job of showing the battle for both parent and child when in adulthood of being protective but not overbearing or interfering. Gilly and Helena want the best for each other but they are both grown women who need to make their own decisions and mistakes. 

My favourite part of the book was the relationship that develops between Helena and Jago. It is very sincere and loving, you can see how right they are for each other. Katie Fforde throws in a corker of a twist towards the end though which I did not see coming. 

You always know you are in for a great story with Katie Fforde’s books and A Springtime Affair is bound to delight readers. I’m so pleased that she chose to explore the mother-daughter dynamic within this book as I very much enjoyed this aspect.

I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.

Many thanks to Century for sending me a gifted copy of this book for review.