Having just devoured the first 2 books in this series - Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully - I couldn’t wait to see what the third book had in store.

Thank-you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for sharing the first chapter of Mrs Porter Calling.

We return to Emmy on her 25th birthday and sixteen months after she married Charles. Even though there is still a war on and the last time she saw Charles was on their Honeymoon, Emmy remains the chipper and plucky girl we fell in love with in the previous books. As always Emmy and Bunty are doing their bit to help with the war effort and this first chapter sets up a promising tale of two women determined to do their bit, despite the obstacles in their path.

I’m very much looking forward to reading the third installment of this series and hope it will be as uplifting and entertaining as the first 2 books.

A fantastic chapter and I can't wait to read this when it's released. This is a great series. Promising start to the next book in the series.

I absolutely adore this series.
A brill first chapter that’s reminder me why. I can’t wait to read it all and be back with these wonderful characters.

I love this series from A.J. Pearce but was a little disappointed to find that this was only the first chapter of this book. Thoroughly promising start returning with the wonderfully old-fashioned delightful style and characters we've come to expect. Look forward to reding the whole book after this short, but enjoyable, taster with maybe a future 5-star rating as I can't, in all honesty, rate it that highly on such a short excerpt.

The first chapter of the next instalment of emmy lake’s life has got me so excited to revisit these characters!
Counting down the days until I can read the full thing!

A lovely treat of the first chapter of AJ Pearce’s next book in the wonderful series set in WWII London. I adore everything about these books, which seem to immerse you in the 1940’s, so much so that you can almost hear the air raid sirens, smell the cigarette smoke whilst you sip a cocktail at a party and feel the indignation of Bunty’s grandmother. Wonderful, I look forward to reading the rest of the book next year. Highly recommended.

This review is only based on a single short chapter, so may differ entirely from my thoughts on the overall book, but so far, I didn't love it, and I'm hoping that the rest of the book picks up.

I loved the first book! I found the jolly hockey sticks tongue-in-cheek tone really enjoyable, and the tension with the blitz, the romance sub-plots, Emmy's clumsiness at work and in her friendships, her tendency to get into trouble, yet also face trouble when the need arose, meant that the pace was fast and a lot happened. Heartbreak, love, tragedy, danger, human emotion and connections were all there. I loved all of the characters, they all had depth and room to grow for subsequent books, then...

The second boom removed all of that, the 'Yours Cheerfully' column of the title was quickly sent to the background as soon as Emmy decided to focus on childcare (which I'm afraid I didn't find interesting at all), and that was it, no more blitz, no more romance, that was dealt with quite quickly, with a mad dash at the end, Bunty was heavily sidelined, no more fire service, no danger, and no real trouble at work. The characters also didn't really end with anywhere to go, so I had no real reason to read a third book beyond my love for the first, love of the UK cover designs, and the hope that there'd be some stakes.

So, to the first chapter of this book. There's nothing really that sets up what to expect from the rest of the book, except maybe some room-mate/house hunting, that could be entertaining, I guess, but isn't really a big deal. Bunty is mentioned less than Thelma and her kids, not sure how much Thelma was mentioned in previous books, apparently she is one of the women from the fire service, but I don't remember her being an important presence in any way, but the first chapter describes her and her children more than anything else, sidelining Bunty, and making out that Thelma is the closer friend, without the reasons for her being such a big part of the opening chapter being explained, so perhaps she will be a large part of this story? I'm hoping for more about the Blitz, it's aftermath, the lingering danger, the transformation of craters and empty spaces into vegetable gardens to feed the city, the housing crisis, and the ongoing sense of war, mixed in with Emmy's haplessness, and a dash of romance. So far, in this book, the war is a slight shade in the background, and we haven't seen Emmy's main quest, so there's not much to go on.

If this chapter is representative of the rest of the book, I'd probably give it a miss, but I will read it hoping this is a gentle slow start into something more like the first book.

Netgalley note: I couldn't answer the opinions section because this was only a snippet, so not enough information to say whether I'd recommend the book, purchase the book, or create descriptive tags.

A Taste..
A first chapter sampler of the third in the Emmy Lake Chronicles. Emmy is back and continuing her quest to give readers the support they need. A little taste of what is to to come in the next of the series which is sure to be heartwarming and delightful.

What an absolute treat - the first chapter of AJ Pearce's new novel Mrs Porter Calling. (I love the title and the cover!) A perfect little taster of what is to come. The author writes children so well (I loved Ruby in Yours Cheerfully) and it was good to meet three children in the new book, I hope they feature more. The first chapter gives little away, but it is written in the confident and uplifting way we have come to expect from AJ Pearce. I can't wait until next Spring to discover what happens next for Emmy and Bunty. Bring it on.

This tempting chapter has whetted my appetite for the full serving! I adored the first two books: Dear Mrs Bird & Yours Cheerfully and have no doubt that Mrs Porter Calling is going to be just as fabulous. It was such a treat to revisit the characters of Emmy and Bunty if only for a few short pages. I can’t wait to read the whole book.

First I must say I didn't know this one was part of a series of books in the The Emmy Lake Chronicles (this be book #3) but that didn't have an affect on my reading this wonderful book.

The story of Emmy Lake and her life during WWII and living in London as an aspiring journalist. It is a most enjoyable read as it has everything you want from a good book. There is a great story of love and friendship, courage and change.

It is a very entertaining read that had humour, fun, sadness and was a very heart-warming read. It is a book I picked up and couldn't put down until the last page was read. I really enjoyed it and think I may have to find books 1 & 2 now and also look forward to seeing what comes next.

I absolutely LOVED Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully.
I was delighted to be allowed to read a capter from her latest, Mrs Porter Calling.
This first chapter of Mrs Porter Calling is more of the same wonderful writing I have come to love from A J Pearce. I can't wait to hear what plan Bunty and Emmy come up with and the people the meet along the way.
The publication of the full book is eagerly anticipated after this little chapter of joy.

Beautiful, comforting feelgood read!!
Real curl up on the sofa stuff!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

I didn't realise this was a sample when I downloaded it but it was nice all the same coming back to the characters.

Excited to read the full book.

I loves this sample gets me so looking forward to this book when it's released in May. I loved the first book in series. Second was ok. Have a feeling this book is going to be as good if not better than these.

I loved this sample and can’t wait to read the book in full. Not sure why some reviewers are ‘furious’ that’s just a sample . It clearly stated when requesting the book it was a sample .

I hadn’t realised that this was only a sample!How frustrating as I have really enjoyed the previous books with these characters and can’t wait to read the whole of this next one. A good start however and I’m sure that I would give five stars to the whole book if allowed to read it all.

Delightful start...now waiting for the rest of it! It looks as if the series is continuing with its characteristic verve, and I'm longing to see the next chapters.

I'm furious this is only a chapter! However, how disappointed I am us a testament to how much I enjoy this series. It was lovely to see Emmy and Co again. Now, just to wait until the novel comes out!

I should deduct a point or five for keeping me hanging for six months. I want the full book NOW. However, fab to get a taster of the Further Adventures of Emmy and Bunty and - of course - Mr Collins...