Welcome to my stop on the blog tour celebrating the paperback release of The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis! Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the invitation! Isn’t the orange gorgeous on the new cover? I also have the hardback cover in my review below.
About the Book:
Before they became legendary writers, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë were detectors in this charming historical mystery…
Yorkshire, 1845. A young wife and mother has gone missing from her home, leaving behind two small children and a large pool of blood. Just a few miles away, a humble parson’s daughters–the Brontë sisters–learn of the crime. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are horrified and intrigued by the mysterious disappearance.
These three creative, energetic, and resourceful women quickly realize that they have all the skills required to make for excellent “lady detectors.” Not yet published novelists, they have well-honed imaginations and are expert readers. And, as Charlotte remarks, “detecting is reading between the lines–it’s seeing what is not there.”
As they investigate, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne are confronted with a society that believes a woman’s place is in the home, not scouring the countryside looking for clues. But nothing will stop the sisters from discovering what happened to the vanished bride, even as they find their own lives are in great peril…
My Thoughts:
In this charming and suspenseful first installment in a new series, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte are “lady detectors” a.k.a. detectives!
In mid 1840s Yorkshire there’s a missing mother. In her place is a pool of blood. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne live just a few miles away and are upset and eager to know more about the crime.
They have not yet published their novels, but they are experts with details and have wild imaginations.
Of course women are not typically detectors during this time period, and the sisters are met with resistance at every turn. No matter, they are too invested to let this case go. They have to find out what happened to the vanished bride, despite the possible cost.
The Vanished Bride is a complex and engaging mystery that kept me rapt! If you are a Bronte fan, this book is extra fun visiting the sisters in a different way and getting to know them better.
Even if you aren’t, the author has delivered a well-planned historical mystery that kept me guessing and never showed all its cards.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
About the Author:
Bella Ellis is the Brontë-esque pseudonym of Rowan Coleman, an acclaimed author of numerous novels for adults and children. She first visited the former home of the Brontë sisters when she was ten years old. From the moment she stepped over the threshold she was hooked, and embarked on a lifelong love affair with Charlotte, Emily, and Anne; their life; their literature; and their remarkable legacy.
As always, stunning photo and review. I love the idea of lady detectives during that time period. Curious to know what it was like for them. Adding this one to my TBR.
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Thank you, Diana! It’s such a good historical mystery. I hope you get a chance to read it!
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Lovely picture, fantastic review, and blog tour, Jennifer! Cannot wait to read this historical mystery. Happy reading! ❤️📚🌹😘💕
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Thank you so much, Virginia! It’s a great story! I hope you get a chance to read it! ♥️
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I think I prefer the hardcover cover 🤔
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I just so rarely see orange covers that I’m really drawn to the new one. I’d love to see it in person! But I do love the detail and the purple of the original one, too, Kelly! 💜
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I love when authors spin an alternate tale about famous authors. This really sounds good!
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Me, too, Tammy! This one is so creative, smart, and fun!
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Lovely review,Jennifer, and stunning book cover(s). A historical mystery featuring the Bronte sisters – definitely going to my TBR. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Thanks so much, Debjani! It’s a great historical mystery, and I hope you love it, too!
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Ooh I like the sound of this one! Fab review 🙂
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Thanks so much, Hayley! I could imagine you enjoying this one!
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amazing work
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Thank you!
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I haven’t read it but it looks good! I’ll add it to my tbr!
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It’s a wonderful start to the new series!
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Ah what a lovely concept! I really like the sound of this one, Jenn. Great review.
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Thanks so much, Stephen! It is such a great historical mystery with a literary flair!
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Oh!! The premise of this reminds me of the Lady Sherlock series! I do love when authors take the Bronte sisters and reimagine them into different roles. Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Jennifer 😊 Also, I’m peeking at your Instagram and seeing THREE copies of Circe? Ahh have you read it yet?
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I love the Lady Sherlock series, too, Kathy! This is such a fun start to the series. I had to buy every edition I could of Circe once I finished it because yes! I finally read it- yay! Now I still need to read The Song of Achilles!
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Yes!!! I’m so glad you loved it! ❤ And I hope you enjoy The Song of Achilles too – it’s one of my favourites of all time, even though it leaves me a sobbing mess every time.
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This is a fun read! 🙌😍
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It’s so much fun, Carol! ♥️
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P.s…..wouldn’t you guess it….today you showed up in my Reader feed! So glitchy!
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I am pretty sure it’s because the reader can’t show you all the blogs you follow. It’s kind of like your instagram feed. Instagram/Wordpress choose what to highlight for you. Once I started following more than maybe 50 blogs, I noticed I didn’t see all blogs each day, and I moved away from it and found the notifications. ♥️
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That’s soooo helpful Jennifer! Thanks!
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You’re welcome! Another tip in case you run into any problems – click on the notification, and because I know you use your iPad, choose “Open link in safari,” then you are viewing via web and can share to twitter that way. Last thing, make sure your WordPress and Twitter apps are completely up-to-date because I ran into problems when they weren’t. Really, last thing, 😂 just in case you don’t use it, there is always an arrow on the top left hand corner that says “return to X,” like Safari, WordPress, and it will take you back to the page that you were before you shared. It’s so super easy but I am sure there’s a bit of a learning curve to start.
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Thanks so very much for your generous tips Jennifer! 🙌🙌🙌
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What a creative idea for a book! This sounds really intriguing. Glad that you enjoyed it and wonderful review, Jennifer!
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Thank you, Darina! It’s so much fun to have the Bronte sisters presented in this way!
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Wonderful review Jen! Sounds like you really enjoyed it!💜
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Thanks so much, Sus! I really did! ❤️
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What a creative way to infuse literary icons in a historical fiction piece. This seems like it was a suspenseful read and I like the way that societal norms (at the time) are challenged – especially given that these women were already challenging conventional thinking at the time as authors!
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That’s so very true, LP! I loved how the author did this and featured these clever sisters!
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I like the sound of this one!
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It was a wonderful read, Colline!
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Wow! 😍 This sounds so exciting.
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Thank you! I really enjoyed it!
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Sounds ike a wonderful premise. Glad it was a good story, Jennifer!
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Thank you, Marialyce! I really loved it!
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Excellent review, Jennifer💜 What a “novel” idea for the Brontë sisters😏
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It really was, Jonetta! ❤️ Thank you so much!
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I love the idea of this one ! Great review.
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It’s so well-done, Jules! I just loved it!
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Hey Jennifer! Glad to stumble upon your review! This one is definitely going on my TBR for the sisters!
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Thank you! I hope you love this one, too, Purvasha!
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