An engaging plot that kept me guessing. I thought it was well researched and I look forward to reading more work by this author.

Bronte sisters and them being detectives. I quite enjoyed this mix of fiction and historical characters. It wasn't the quickest of reads but it was still quite good.

I struggled with this and found it to be very slow. I wasn't gripped by the story, despite an interesting premise, and I found myself uninterested in the resolution. A shame because this kind of thing is usually my bag but I didn't connect with it, and found it to be a little trite for my taste.

A fantastic concept (Bronte sisters are detectives!?).

The writing feels authentically Gothic and the mystery in this story feels exacty like it could have inspired an actual Bronte novel. Really well researched and lovingly written.

This is a fairly pleasant read, the author depicting a bit of detective work undertaken by the Bronte sisters. However, Goodreads is telling me that I started reading this in March and I have only finished it - and that's a sign the storytelling was a little slow and the storyline a little on the boring side. I'd give this 2.5 stars if I could.

Thank you to the editor and Netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

Jane Eyre is one of my all time favourite books so I was intrigued by a book focusing on the Bronte sisters, making them mystery sleuths.
I loved the way Ellis weaves historical context, factual elements and the supernatural into this story to really bring the Bronte characters to life. It is the ultimate love letter to the Brontes, their period in history and their literary masterpieces. The sister's personalities are perfectly caputered and you can really see them saying the dialogue and doing the actions.
At times, the mystery of the vanished bride is actually secondary to the Bronte characters and their interactions.
It is a superb mix of the fantastical and the historical.

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis is a mystery book with the Brontë sisters as the investigators.  Mrs Elizabeth Chester's bedroom is found to be covered in blood, and as Emily, Anne and Charlotte know the young lady who found the room in this state, they hear a first hand account, and so become involved in the mystery of where Mrs Chester is, and if she's alive or dead!

I found this to be a really interesting read as it puts you at the heart of the Brontë family, and is set both in 1851 and in 1845, with Charlotte looking back to their adventures together.  The sisters are quite separate characters, and it made me want to learn more about them, and re-read each of their books!

 The Vanished Bride  was published on 7th November 2019 and is available from  Amazon,   Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Bella Ellis on  Twitter ,  Facebook ,  Instagram  and her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Hodder Books .

Going to have to admit that I approached this book as a 'move out of my comfort zone read. Not an Austen fan as such but this book was ACE.
I liked the way that the characters of the authors were developed and made me want to find out more about them and the plot was a really sound murder mystery set in the right time and place.
Charlotte, Emily and Anne are investigating the mysterious disappearance in terrible circumstances of a local woman recently married, This book covers so many different elements of life for women in the 19th century and the pressures on them as well as a thrilling thriller with great protagonists and a difficult to read plot. Great.

Great for: Historian Fiction lovers, Murder Mystery readers and Modern Spin-Off/ Historical figure fanfic lovers and everyone who loves a good female empowerment tale.
As Bella Ellis, the author, says towards the end- there's no evidence that the Brontë Sisters were detectives, just as there is no evidence they were not. And that is a brilliant introduction to this book.
While all three of the Brontë sisters were exquisite literary minds, there is little, if not any documentation of their personal lives and personalities. This book- albeit fictional- is a plausible and thriller rabbithole that bridges a figurative gap in our minds.
The times in which these ladies lived were not condusive to women's education and acknowledgement of the profession worth of the "weaker" sex. This book provides a beautiful balance between a portrayal of that frustration society, and glimses of beautiful gems blossoming and yet safely tucked away in their worlds.
About the mystery, the circumstances of the murder and the evidences are constantly switching, making it gripping. The storyline is not entirely fictional, though. It is supported with certain instances of historal documentations and timelines. What is perhaps the most captivating in this read is the fact that all three protagonists- the Brontë sisters are equally represented in their traits, minds and thought processes. Intelligently imagined, of course.
I can see this series taking off. I for one will most definitely wait for the next mystery!

Charlotte, Anne and Emily Brontë were intelligent, passionate, imaginative, talented, ahead of their time, and authors of so many important and brilliant novels. Bringing that intellect to the solving of a fictional mystery, that seems to involve a murder, is an intriguing idea.
This was always going to be a divisive novel – it’s actually quite brave to try and portray such well-loved authors in a fictional tale. I adore the Brontës and so really, really wanted to adore this novel, because the author obviously loves them too. But, unfortunately, it fell short for me.

There’s a very thoughtful and poignant beginning. I have visited Haworth, the Brontë’s home, and the author has the details and the atmosphere absolutely spot on. And, although of course no one can be entirely sure, the way the sisters behaved, at least at first, felt ‘real’.
But unfortunately, as the story continued, I felt less and less involved and convinced. There were so many opportunities here to explore the barriers the sisters faced, but they became lost in melodrama with outcomes that didn’t feel authentic.

Lots and lots of potential here, that, for me, didn’t feel fully realised.

If you like historical fiction about real people, you will love The Vanished Bride. With plenty of nice little touches about the Brontes, this will take you back to days gone by where three unusual sisters get caught up in investigating a mystery. The plot takes you on plenty of twists and turns with a fair few red herrings making for an unpredictable finish.

Great for people who love adventurous classics!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

When I first started reading this I instantly felt hooked, but this was also due to my bias love for the Brontë sisters.
The writer had clearly done a lot of research on the Brontë family and their history because there were nice little inclusions of Brontë facts. This I admired, because it felt real and genuine.

All the characters are described exactly how I would expect them to be. Anne quiet and quaint but inside a warrior, Charlotte strong, stubborn but clever and determined, Emily unique and always seeking adventure and stories. I felt like I got to meet the sisters personally, rather than just as writer and audience.

The storyline was thrilling and intriguing with not an ounce of boredom. I didn’t guess the outcome either, no matter how much I tried, which I was very happy with because I didn’t want a predictable ending.

100% recommend this novel to fans of adventure, classic literature and to people who simply enjoy a brilliant book.

I’ve certainly got my hardcopy on preorder 🖤

So... yes I do love historical fiction (fiction!) but I do not like the use of non-fictional characters just because it boosts sales.
No, this book isn't bad, not at all! I liked it, enjoyed it actually. I just see it as a lack of imagination not being able to come up with fictional characters and build from there; there's even a complete series planned... *sigh* And that's a shame because the story is really good.

The cover: *sigh* again... the image is good but the typography a disaster. I don't understand writers and publishers do not see the importance of this. Everything in black on this cover needs to be in a wastebin!

So my points: 3 just because the story was good but everything surrounding this book is just terrible.

Yet another enjoyable adventure written by Bella Ellis about the Bell brothers ;-) Very well and thoughtful written. I liked both the characters, and the lack of loose ends, everything being nicely wrapped up in the end.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Great book. I loved reading it. Very interesting and covers alot of information

I really enjoyed the Vanished Bride and its Sherlock Holmes vibe of dark mystery. This novel features the Bronte sisters who upon hearing of a missing mother of two children in what seems to be a violent struggle decide to take it upon themselves to solve the crime.

A great and exciting read of which I was deeply thrilled upon the ending. An enjoyable fictional viewpoint of the Bronte sisters lives.

"Death was such a close companion to all of them that they should not have been surprised when he came calling time and again, and yet there was no hardening the human heart against grief."

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I truly wanted to love this book but, unfortunately, it wasn't quite the historical mystery for me. I absolutely loved Emily -- she's a firecracker of a character with so much depth to her. The same cannot be said for most of the other characters, though. I adored Rebel and Kezia, and I loved Branwell too. But the two remaining Brontë sisters left something to be desired. They felt shallow in comparison, with no interests to really keep a reader wanting to spend time with them.

Furthermore, The Vanished Bride dragged a lot for such a short book. At 293 pages, I expected something fast-paced and action-packed, but all the walks across the moors eventually got tiresome to read about. The mystery itself was enjoyable, although it took such a long time to unravel. It never truly felt like we had gathered any solid information that could help us solve the mystery. I don't think the writing style helped much, either. In places, it felt very awkward. It was a solid attempt by Bella Ellis (Rowan Coleman) to try to capture the voice of a 19th-century Victorian novel, but it was painstakingly obviously not in places. As I said, I wanted to love it, but I found I was bored by the 33% mark and simply wanted it over with.

Trigger Warnings: murder, suicide, domestic abuse, adultery.

Thank you to Becca Ellis, Netgalley, and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I was sure I'd already given feedback on this one - sorry. Absolutely lovely book. I can't say I know a huge amount about the Bronte sisters but this made me want to go and do some research. Great idea. Great story. Well executed.

This book was absolutely delightful! I can't say I know a lot about the Bronte family but this book left me determined to find out more about them. Emily was my favourite sister and I'd quite like to have been best friends with her.

I loved the feminist angle of this book and the sisters refusal to accept what it and isn't the done thing for girls of their age/standing. There's also some strong female friendships explored which was great.

A fantastic imagining of the Bronte sisters as detectives and I look forward to more in the series.

A woman mysteriously vanishes from her home, leaving behind her husband, two children, a lot of rumours and massive amount of blood. This is 19th century Yorkshire so obviously the best people to investigate is The Bronte sisters. Obviously. The thing is I quite often hate books that take a real person and put them in a situation we know didn't happen. So historical fiction based on actual happenings, yes please. But please don't make Jane Austen a vampire slayer. But something about this books cover and synopsis grabbed me. And I'm glad I put my prejudices aside as it really does bring the Bronte's to life. They, not the mystery, are the stars of this book. Their interactions are believable, warm and often quite funny and left me wanting to learn more about the real Brontes. My only criticism is perhaps they are too much the stars. Other characters do not shine through, and the mystery itself could have been more...well mysterious! But that said it's a great start to the series.