I wasn't sure what to expect of this book, but I was absolutely delighted with what I found. From the beginning, this charming tale, using the real Bronte sisters, to investigate the apparent murder of a wealthy neighbour, is a joy to read. The author clearly loves the Brontes, and does a great job to depict them as three individuals, each with their distinct personalities. Having visited the parsonage at Haworth I was able to picture where the events unfolded. I highly recommend this book.

The first book in the Bronte Mysteries series. An entertaining and nicely written mystery with the Bronte sisters as self appointed 'detectors'. Certainly an engaging and imaginative read with well researched background and rounded characters. A perfect puzzle of a read for any Bronte fan.

I adored this book. It’s just wonderful.

Coleman has written a mystery packed with twists, clues and unreliable characters that romps through to a satisfying conclusion. It’s Gothic-inspired tone is articulated through dark, creepy mansions decked with haunting portraits of porcelain-skinned women. It’s the perfect book to read on a cold winter’s night.

The relationship between the Brontë siblings is one of the most delightful things about this book. Charlotte, Emily and Anne tease and support each other as only sisters can, while Branwell’s drunken inadequacy is the perfect comic foil to his sisters’ intellectual superiority.

If you’re a fan of the sisters’ writing, you’ll be thrilled with the way Coleman has woven elements of their work into The Vanished Bride. Threads of this story – wild moorlands, gypsies, violent proprietors of stately homes who lock their wives in the attic – are clearly posited as inspiration for the Brontës’ most famous novels. It’s like a literary treasure hunt to gather all of those narrative breadcrumbs while reading. Coleman also cleverly attributes traits from the novels to the sisters’ fictionalised characters, with Emily in particular embodying the passionate wildness seen so infamously in Wuthering Heights.

The Vanished Bride has something bigger to say about the importance of the Brontë sisters as staples of the literary canon and feminist pioneers. Their father continuously encourages the girls to support their brother’s potential as the sole son, and therefore future, of the family, and the social pressures that attempt to force the sisters into the moulds of wife and mother are prevalent throughout. The strength of conviction in pursuing their writing passions and shunning social norms is hugely inspiring to a modern reader. Make sure you read Coleman’s note at the end of the novel where she explains why Charlotte, Emily and Anne are so important to her as a writer and a women.

I can't wait to read the next instalment.

I was pulled to this book for two reasons. Wuthering Heights being one of my favourite books and I do love a good mystery. Set before the Brontës published their stories, this book picks up the characters of each of the sisters showing how much they were full of spiritedness and intellect. The mystery of a wife, mother and step mother missing with only a room covered in blood in its wake had me glued from the first page. I loved delving into the period and how the sister "detectors" investigated even with the odds stacked against them. The story is brilliantly written with the ending both unexpected but believable also. I didn't figure out the ending at all. A rare feat for me! Brilliant book and would happily recommend for those who enjoy a good mystery.

I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it. I thought the writing was exquisite and the storyline was well researched and fascinating. I loved everything about it and look forward to the next in the series.

The Bronte sisters are all at home for once when they find themselves being drawn into a possible murder mystery. Theres a room if blood but no body. Can they work through all the clues and hints to figure out the truth of the missing bride.

I love the Bronte sisters so was curious to see how this would be and I found myself really enjoying it, I love that it's not all fiction, many of the sections about their lives were based on facts from the time which added more to the story. The mystery itself was very clever, there were many twists and I didn't figure them all out. The story was interesting, the ending was so clever and left me wanting to see the sisters out detecting again. I found myself instantly liking Emily the most though I had expected to like Charlotte more as she was always my favourite sister. I hope for more stories of their adventures.

I enjoyed reading this book and enjoyed the connection with the Bronte family and their activities. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy reading books linked to this era.

I always love stories that re-imagine famous stories or involve real people so I was very intrigued by this book and the idea of the Brontë sister’s as detectives!

Firstly the author does a great job of setting the scene so that the reader feels completely transported to the 1800s and into the Brontë’s lives. I loved the little details the author includes from how women were expected to dress and spend their time to how people expected them to behave, which I found very interesting. It made it very easy to picture the Brontë’s in that life and to warm to them as characters.

The story is told from the point of view of each of the sisters which I thought was a nice touch as it gives the reader a chance to get to know them all individually. They are three very different women who each have different skills to bring to the investigation. My favourite was Emily who often made me laugh with her witty outbursts and actions but I enjoyed learning more about each of them. The banter and arguements between them were very amusing and made them feel much more realistic. They started to feel like old friends as the story progressed and I was quite sad to finish the book and leave them behind.

The mystery part of the story was well plotted and I enjoyed watching it all develop. It’s surprisingly gripping and the sense of anticipation of what might happen had me simultaneously wanting to read on to find out what happens but also not wanting to as I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. The author has cleverly included little hints about the stories the sisters would write into the story which I thought was a nice touch and, as a huge Brontë fan, gave me great pleasure. I really hope there are more books to come.

Huge thanks to Steven Cooper from Hodder Books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you are a fan of historical mysteries then I think you will enjoy this book.

This wonderful slice of historical mystery fiction sees the Brontë sisters as amateur 'detectors' solving their first mystery - the eponymous Vanished Bride. A young wife and mother has disappeared from her home leaving no trace except for a large amount of blood. As friends of the family's governess, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne become entangled in an intriguing mystery.

I loved it. I am a big fan of the work of the Brontës and I have read lots of books about their lives. The author of this book obviously did a great deal of research evidenced by the fact that their characters rang true. I am especially fond of Emily. The research is also woven into the story, along with lots of details which readers of their work would notice as possible inspiration for characters, plots, and places in their novels. It was very cleverly done. I would definitely read more in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Hodder and Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A clever, surprising and very satisfying read. The Brontës voices rang true, and the murder mystery premise worked perfectly.

Credit where credit is due, this book had a decent plot, some great characters and characters interactions. Add with that some good humour, history, and a dash of the unexplained and you have yourself an enjoyable read.

Unfortunately this just isn’t a genre I could enjoy.
My fault, not yours 

Thanks NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.

Great fun-a sort of 'what if?' novel which casts the Bronte sisters as amateur detectives,called in to help a friend when the mother of the children she looks after disappears without trace,leaving only a trail of blood.
The author is clearly a big fan of the Brontes and obviously knows a lot about them,as there are all sorts of references to their lives and characters which really bring the book to life.There is a lot of humour in it too,with the constant dialogue between the sisters and their reprobate brother Branwell.
The plot itself has elements of Gothic horror but also cleverly hints at things that might have inspired the plot lines of each of the sisters' novels ,although at this point we only know about their poetry.
There are going to be more books in the series,and I look forward to reading them.

Although the outcome of this story was a surprise and will keep you guessing until the end, I found the pace too slow for me. There were too many thought processes about future writings by the sisters. The dynamics of the family was portrayed well and the sensibilities of the time, particularly the role of women, were apt for this era. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Writing under the very Brontë-esque pen name of Bella Ellis, Rowan Coleman has come up with a delicious premise for a new series featuring the Brontë sisters before they became published authors. The Vanished Bride is their first outing as detectors.

I’m always a little wary when someone reimagines or writes a mashup of a classic novel but when they’re done well, as in the case of Jo Baker’s Longbourn or Alison Case’s Nelly Dean, they can add a new dimension to the world and characters of the original, as well as being enjoyable in their own right. Happily, given how deftly she achieves both these things in the first of her Brontë Mysteries series, I can now add Bella Ellis’s The Vanished Bride to this list.

Bella Ellis writes the landscape so well and breathes life into the parsonage at Haworth that I had little difficulty in accepting her version of the sisters at work and leisure, and from there, it wasn’t too much of a leap to follow them into these new roles as detectors. I had fun spotting landmarks from their real and imagined geography and personal items I either remember reading about or having seen at the museum in Haworth. I also liked how some scenes in The Vanished Bride suggest where the inspiration for key scenes in the sisters’ own books might have come from.

I think The Vanished Bride works so well because its author doesn’t skimp on any of the elements that go to make up the story, so one doesn’t suffer at the expense of another or ever feel flimsy. Both the central mystery and the depiction of the sisters and the world they inhabit are equally satisfying and strong strands that each hold their own throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Bella Ellis imagines the Brontës, their household and relationships with one another, together with those around them, while also pitting myself against their formidable collective imaginations – as well as that of the author! – to try and solve the mystery before they did.

If you’re a fan of one or more of the Brontë’s books, have ever visited Haworth and the family’s former home, now a museum dedicated to them, or are familiar with the landscape surrounding it in West Yorkshire, you’ll enjoy reading this.

The Vanished Bride is a novel that’s clearly written by an author who has an abundance of love and respect for the Brontë sisters and their original works. It’s not only a fitting tribute to them but also a wonderful adventure in its own right. I read it as an ebook for review but when it came out this week, I couldn’t resist buying the beautiful hardback version for myself and a friend who’s a fellow Brontë devotee.

'The Vanished Bride' is a gem of a find for me. The Brontës were an incredible family whose legacy will deservedly live on forever. Chuck them into an interesting mystery and I was sold. I loved that the siblings were so distinct and fitted in nicely with my personal view of their characters. The speech occasionally became a little modern, but wasn't jarringly so. The nods to the Brontës' various works and inspirations were a delight to spot. A delicate touch foreshadowed the fate of the family, often bittersweet but not too sad. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

A crime to solve and my favourite writers turning detectives? Count me in! When I heard that The Vanished Bride, written by Bella Ellis (a brilliant pseudonym for author Rowan Coleman) featured Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Brontë together with their brother Branwell investigating a gruesome crime I knew I had to read it and I couldn’t put it down.

It’s the year 1845, and it’s the first time that all Brontë siblings are together at Haworth. Following the Robinson scandal, Branwell and Anne had to resign their posts and move back home, while Charlotte is back from Belgium and away from her feelings for Monsieur Heger. They still haven’t published their novels under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, when they become involved in a mysterious case. Their school friend Mattie is a governess at Chester Grange. Following the suspicious death of his wife Imogen, Robert Chester remarried, but now his second wife, Elizabeth, has disappeared and in her room is found a worrying quantity of blood. Is she still alive? Curious and determined to find out the truth, the Brontë sisters start investigating even if it means putting their own lives at risk…

I am a huge fan of the Brontë’s novels. I have read all Anne, Charlotte and Emily’s novels and it was fun to see the famous novelists turn into detectives to solve a dark and creepy mystery. I loved how the author mixed well-researched real life events with fiction: Charlotte’s feelings for her professor, Branwell’s love for a married woman and his downfall, Anne’s resentment at being forced to leave her post as a governess following her brother’s scandal blend well with the mystery of the story. Emily is described as curious and impulsive, while Charlotte is more cautious and a leader of the family. Within Anne’s chest beats “the heart of a fierce warrior” and Branwell is fun and witty, although, following the scandal of his affair with Mrs. Robinson, he spends his nights drinking and gambling and his sisters are worried about him.

The plot is gripping, suspenseful and gothic and there are a few twists that will take you by surprise. Although, The Vanished Bride is mostly a mystery novel, the author perfectly manages to insert social themes in the story. Through the female characters in the novel, the author captures the frustration of the women who don’t have any status in society and are expected to obey their husbands or their father, to have no education or job.

I loved the surprising and well-executed ending, the bleak atmosphere and the slow pace of the story and now I am looking forward to read the next book in the series!

I enjoyed this and thought the story itself was very good, great twists, nice style, the only criticism I have is the characters felt a bit flat at times and the language couldn’t decide if it was in the past or present. An enjoyable light read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A book with a difference and one I grew into. Taking famous authors of the Bronte sisters and giving them a new challenge. The author uses historical facts but then adds her own twist. So, follow the 3 sisters and their brother discover the disappearance of Elizabeth or is it a murder? I'll not tell you the end but once you get into the book you can't put it down as I certainly needed to know the truth and see it to the end

Yorkshire, 1845, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are all at home at the parsonage when they hear that Elizabeth Chester 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. Desperate to find out more & to comfort their friend Matilda French, who is governess to the Chester children the sisters visit Chester Grange, where they notice several unsettling details about the crime scene: not least the absence of an investigation.
I was unsure about the Bronte sisters becoming detectors but I’m so glad I read this well written intriguing book. It does start slowly but the pace does increase & so did my interest. There are lots of twists & turns & I was surprised at the end. It also makes a believable read about the Bronte family. I thoroughly enjoyed it & hope there are more books to follow
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Bronte Sisters Mystery #1

Yorkshire 1845. Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte call themselves "the detectors". They are not offical law enforcement officers. Their friend Maddie tells them that her mistress has went missing and that there was quite a lot of blood in her bedroom. Maddie also tells them that Mr. Chester is a cruel man. The sisters are intrigued and decide that they will try and solve this mystery. The sisters brother, Bram is very supportive of his sisters and he helps them out when he can.

The story is told by Charlotte, Emily and Anne's perspectives. It took me a little while to get into this story. There's a strong underlying feminism theme. I quite liked the idea that the sisters were amateur sleuths before they were talented authors. It was nice that the author included their brother into the story. There are references to the books they wrote but you need to look out for them. The book is different to the historical fiction I normally read. An enjoyable story.