The third book from AJ Pearce and a wonderful return to the wartime adventures of Emmy and her friends and colleagues. Evocative of the era and a well developed plot make this an enjoyable read that will leave you laughing and crying.

read the taster for this, it picks up from the previous books very nicely,
Bunty and Emmy have started taken in women in need of temporary place to stay. however after checking with her Grandmother, Bunty has been told to make the current ones the last. So in true Bunty style, she sets out to get a "current" lodger while her nosy neighbour is on holiday.
It was a very small sample I read, but gave me enough to want to read the full book.

Another wonderful novel in this wholesome and heartwarming series. This time there’s an enemy much closer to home, and Emmy has to fight to keep the magazine running and to keep it true to it’s reader’s needs. Add in some personal tragedy, some Guinea pigs and some of the best friends you could ever wish for.

There’s so much information that I never realised I didn’t know until I read these books. The author has done a great deal of research, and has managed to write these informative yet highly entertaining stories.

I’m already looking forward to the next instalment

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
London is in the middle of WW2. Emmy Lake shares a Pimlico house with her best friend Bunty and works at Women’s Friend magazine by day and in the Fire Service by night. Her adored husband Charles is away at war but Emmy is happy. That is until everything, both at work and home starts changing.

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
First there was Dear Mrs Bird, followed by Yours Cheerfully. Now this beautiful pair of stories have been joined by a third charmer Mrs Porter Calling. Life in wartime London is not easy, but Emmy shows true wartime spirit and ploughs through regardless of how much she emphasises. She’s caring and kind and feels deeply. My favourite part of this story is the extent of support Emmy gets from others, both the readers and her community when things aren’t plain sailing. Despite the setting, Emmy once again had me laughing out loud. I can just picture this as a classic miniseries ❤️

Read an eARC copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher
Pub Date 25 May 2023
My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

This is the third in the Emmy Lake series and I just love these books.

It’s war time Britain and Emmy is still working as a journalist for the Women’s Friend magazine when its current owner bequeathes the magazine to his socialite niece leading to some fun and a few ‘mis’ times.

I really enjoy the breezy style of writing in these books, and the wonderful friendships that Emmy has with Bunty and her wider group of friends. Despite being mainly very cheerful books, they are set during the war and so sometimes bad things do happen. This particular book completely left me sobbing at one point with one heartbreaking storyline.

The book is being published this week, and if you’ve not read any of this series then I highly recommend that you get this plus Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully.

Mrs Porter calling is the 3rd in AJ Pearce’s wartime chronicles featuring agony aunt Emmy Lake. It is an absolute delight.

Emmy is settled into life at Women’s Friend magazine, concentrating on her advice column to wartime concerns and overseeing content. Working alongside her colleagues, they have turned the magazine to profit and huge popularity among its readership. However, at the bequest of the previous owner, Women’s Friend is left to society lady Mrs Porter - who has her own clear vision as to what she thinks the future should hold.

It’s fabulous to be back with this brilliant cast of characters; the gang at People’s friend, the fire station and at home with Bunty. Mrs Porter (and her dog Little Winston) are superb additions. However, for those new to the series, Mrs Porter Calling would be a fine entry point (although I always advocate that it is better to start at the beginning).

The plot starts a little slowly but the pace soon picks up as a number of significant events will change the life’s of some of the characters forever. The wartime issues are gently dealt with and the humour keeps flowing.

I really enjoyed Mrs Porter Calling and would recommend this and the whole series. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for an ARC.

I was delighted to read the first chapter a few months ago and even happier to be given the opportunity to read the full story.

This is the 3rd book in the series and it’s 1943. Emmy is still working for the magazine with her brother in law Guy, who is the editor. Living with Bunty, her husband Charles is away fighting in the war.

When the owner of the magazine passes away, it is inherited by his niece, who at first charms everyone. However it soon becomes clear that Mrs Porter have plans to make changes to the magazine. Includes Emmy’s problem page, that is declared “a bit mis”.

These changes affects readers, advertisers drop out and the race is on to try and save the magazine whilst there is still a magazine to save.

This is a lovely story, but just as you are thinking how cosy it is, you reminded by a character death that this is London in war time. It’s a bit of a shock but absolutely necessary to evoke the spirit of the people living during this time.

You really need to read the previous books to understand the characters, but these are great books too! I

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this wonderful book.

Considering this series about WW2 and the difficulties of carrying a form of 'normal life' on the Home Front, there's something so delightfully life-affirming and escapist about them. The reason they work so wonderfully is how well crafted the ensemble cast is, a joyful bunch of hopeful eccentrics who work together, adore one another and would do absolutely anything to help each other - that's my emotional kryptonite and gets me every time I read one of these books.
I'd strongly advise reading books 1 and 2 beforehand, particularly as there's character development and a gut punch that will land more powerfully as a result of having been on Emmy's journey that bit longer.

The Emmeline Lake Chronicles #3

London, April 1943: Emmy Lake is an agony aunt at Women's Friend magazine, doing all she can to help readers as they face the challenges of wartime life. With her column thriving and a team of women behind her, Emmy finally feels she is doing her bit. But when the glamourous new owner arrives, everything changes. Charming her way around editor Guy Collins, Emmy quickly realises the Honourable Mrs Cressida Porter plans to destroy everything readers love about the magazine.

I would advise anyone to read the first two books - Dear Mrs Bird - Yours Cheerfully - before starting this book if you haven't read them already, otherwise you'll miss out on lots of backstory. This book vividly tells us about the reality of living during the war years. This is a story of friendship, hope, sadness and love. The characters are well developed and mainly quite charming. Emmy Lake is an endearing character. The magazine gets a new publisher, the Honourable Mrs Porter, who seems friendly enough. There are some laugh out loud moments. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Emmy and friends.

I would like to thank #Netgalley #Panmacmillan and the author #AJPearce for my ARC of #MrsPorterCalling in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is the third book in the series.

Emmy works at Woman’s Friend magazine as an agony aunt and the readers love reading her responses to their letters. She’s finally thinking that she’s helping by doing her but for the war.

But, then, the staff hear that there’s a new owner, the Honourable Mrs Porter, and upon her arrival, things are set to change.

The war is still ongoing and there’s heartbreak after happiness, but will Emmy and her friends at the magazine find a way to stop the magazine from changing?

I recommend this book.

Lovely, lovely, lovely! Can’t wait to read the full book. I love how much Emmy has grown since the first book.

Book 11 of 2023. “Mrs Porter Calling” by AJ Pearce.

A solid, solid 9/10. (Only not getting 10 because if there’s ever a better book, I have no number to give it 😂)
Book 3 of the Emmy Lake series was all I wanted it to be and more. With book 1 being very much about Emmy establishing herself and setting the scene for Woman’s Friend, book 2 goes wider into the world of journalism and women’s rights. Book 3 brings it back to the simplicity of Woman’s Friend, which somehow by how feels like family. Everyone cracking on, working hard, loving well and finding a safe haven in the middle of the war.

As always, it was filled with twists and turns and heart-swelling moments and heart-breaking moments and everything in between. It shows so well the hard work and emotional rollercoaster the war required whilst bringing out the most precious glimpses of how love, passion and loyalty wins out.

This one also addresses classism which is something I care a lot about, so that was a cheeky bonus pulling on my heartstrings.

I love every character and I want to know them in real life. I want to work at Woman’s Friend 😂 as a writer, and someone who has found a similar sense of “finding myself” and family in my workplace, this one pulls on all my heartstrings. The only “predictable” bits were simply unavoidable as they just had to happen or it wouldn’t have been right. But they did, and all is well, and I wish I could keep on reading forever.

It’s lovely. Just lovely. Can I be Emmy Lake now please?

(Oh, and it’s out on 25th May, so go get it! I was lucky to get to read it on NetGalley ahead of time, and I am ready to grab my physical copy to complete the collection as soon as I can.)

Top notch in all the ways.

Mrs Porter Calling by AJ Pearce is a charming feel good book that will leave readers feeling satisfied. While the book can be read as a stand alone I would highly recommend reading the earlier books, Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully, as they introduce the characters and relationships that are so important to get the most enjoyment from this book.
We re-join Emmy Lake, writer and advice columnist for Woman's Friend magazine in 1943 where she is celebrating her twenty fifth birthday , at least as much as celebrating is possible given war rationing and nightly bombing raids. When the owner of the magazine dies and leaves it to his niece, the Honourable Mrs Porter , Emmy along with the rest of the staff, hope that things will continue as they have for so long. Unfortunately Mrs Porter has other ideas and wants to turn the magazine into a glamorous rival to the likes of Tatler , which of course is aimed at a vastly different and more affluent market. As she forces more and more of her ideas on the team, subscriptions fall and advertisers begin cancelling. Emmy comes up with a desperate plan to save the magazine, but as it is about to roll into action tragedy strikes, and she finds herself doing a very different job indeed. Will she be able to keep all the plates spinning and save the magazine against the odds?
Once again we are taken back to the domestic front in England during the second world war, and I think the author does a wonderful job of bringing what that was like to life on the page, from the struggles to scrape together the ingredients for a simple birthday cake to the terrifying reality of the bombing raids. The real strength of these books is the characterisation, Emmy and the gang almost feel like old friends at this stage, and there is so much humour in the portrayal of Mrs Porter that I found myself chuckling as I read. I would recommend this book (and the series as a whole ) to anyone looking for a cosy read with a lot of heart.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully. I needed to read this though as I had read the other two. I definitely recommend the series.

So this was a first in the series for me and although there was enough detail to figure out the history of the characters it would have enhanced the book more if I had read the first two books in the series.

This is by no means my usual genre for reading but I do love a being taken back in time to a world that is so different from the one we live in today.

This book was like breath of fresh air, the characters were well written with their individual personalities and style the author really brings them to life on the page, I particularly liked the language expression and humour within the story.

I was immediately back in the world of Emmy and Bunty and their friends from the first page. The book continues in the same charming style of the previous novels but I feel it could read without having read the previous books in the series. When Mrs Porter inherits Woman's Friend Magazine she appears to be very charming and respectful of the magazine and its employees, very soon though she makes her presence felt in a very demanding way. Everything the team had worked so hard for, helping readers and offering support is at risk on the whim of the not so honorable lady.

I adore the relationships in the book especially Emmy and Bunty, it doesnt shy away from the horror of the war as they struggle with stretching food and doing their bit for the war effort but their love for each other is joyful. I always learn so much from these books like the details about London Zoo and what happened to the animals and the terrible tragedy in Sussex. I fond myself doing a bit of research after reading wanting to know more. I thoroghly enjoyed reading this book and hope the series continues on until the end of the war and beyond.

I was so thrilled to be given the chance to read an eARC of this book and be quickly immersed once more into the lives of Emmy, Gus, Bunty et al and yet again I was completely enthralled by the characters, the storyline and even the insurmountable Mrs Porter. I read this over a few days, and I truly felt like I was there once more, in 1940's London surrounded by such a wonderful cast of characters and friends.

I urge you to pre-order this book now and if you haven't already read Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully, then go do that first so you can be completely immersed in Emmy's world, just like I have been.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 25 May with Pan Macmillan, Mrs Porter Calling is the third instalment of AJ Pearce’s much-loved Emmy Lake Chronicles, preceded by Dear Mrs Bird (2018) and Yours Cheerfully (2021). This chapter in the story of Emmy Lake, writer for Woman’s Friend magazine and head of the problems page, sees her newly married and moved in with two of her best friends in 1943. Lord Overton, benefactor of the magazine for many years, has passed away and left the ownership and running of things to his niece, the glamorous Honourable Mrs Porter. All seems to run smoothly at first, until it seems that Mrs Porter may not be as honourable as her title suggests.

One resounding opinion held by many about these books is that they get better and better each time. Dear Mrs Bird was an enjoyable read, but took its time ramping up and developing its characters. Yours Cheerfully took the series to five stars and continued the character development seen near Mrs Bird’s conclusion. Mrs Porter Calling, it can be joyfully confirmed, has broken the sequel’s glass ceiling and sailed even further. It perfects the art of having a protagonist you love to loathe – which is what contributes to making this the kind of book you’ll want to speed through in two days.

It also speaks to modern issues just as poignantly as Yours Cheerfully – where much of the conflict in that book revolved around inadequate support for working mothers, Mrs Porter Calling looks at what happens when Emmy and her team are being commandeered by somebody woefully out of touch, both with Woman’s Friend’s readership and with the world in general. She wants the magazine to become about fancy fashion, lavish weddings and dinners at the savoy – never mind that readers have been wearing and repairing the same clothes for years even before the war, and can barely get their hands on meat and eggs.
That may be what gives these books their power – the overarching theme is not of the unpleasant people we have to deal with in life, but of the real struggles that ordinary people are enduring, and how they should not be wilfully ignored. Emmy and her coworkers really care about every woman who writes into the magazine, and go above and beyond for them, even when there are so many letters they can fill rooms with them. Nobody is ignored or forgotten.

This book is also, perhaps, the biggest tearjerker of the series so far. It has the most poignant meditations on grief out of the three, and it speaks well of Pearce’s writing that, in a series set during a war, in which loss has happened in every book, it brings fresh tears to the eyes every time. Just as the characters have largely become desensitised to such goings-on, one might worry readers had been to – not so.

The only criticism – or ‘tiny idea’, as Mrs Porter might call it – for this book is that some much-loved characters aren’t present as much as it might be preferred. Charles, Emmy’s husband, is particularly missed – and more letters from him, at least, would be nice. (And without giving too much away…I really did expect a bit more focus on poor Enid Smith!)

It's April 1943 and it's Emmy's twenty-fifth birthday. She is surrounded by her dearest friends and whilst the atmosphere is jolly with the wonderful addition of a Victoria Sponge (it is wartime after all, so this is a HUGE treat) she is, of course, missing her husband Charles dearly and hopes for his safe return soon...

Other than her heart aching for Charles' return, things are going quite swimmingly with her success at work and her shifts at the fire station. Emmy and all her friends are getting stuck in with the war efforts and doing their best!

But, there is a spanner in the works... following the passing of Lord Overton, Woman's Friend is getting a new publisher! When Mrs Porter first arrives everyone is swept up by her charm, glamour and the compliments she showers over the entire team, but soon after things begin to change and not just the new addition of an extravagant office for madam... Oh no, Mrs Porter has a new vision for the magasine from changing out all the current columns to attracting a different audience. How on earth will Emmy and Guy; the editor of Woman's Friend and also Emmy's brother-in-law, be able to juggle Mrs Porter's increasing demands and not upset and lose all their loyal customers? It's going to be tricky that's for sure!

I've said it for Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully but I'll say it again, this series is full of the most wonderful characters! I love the kindness that radiates from Emmy and her best friend, Bunty and when they offer for Thelma and her kids to come and live with them... well the whole house is just full of cheerfulness, spirit and better cooking (thanks to Thelma!).

Emmy, is of course, my favourite character - she's so determined and forever pushing herself to make things right and help others. Her kindness in handling delicate situations will warm your heart, but don't be fooled, she's a force to be reckoned with when she's handling a difficult character... *coughs* Mrs Porter *coughs*!

The way Pearce writes is so special, her words are filled with warmth and capture both the happy times and the sadness that war time brings. The upbeat matter and chin up attitude left me cheery for the rest of the day even though I wasn't dealing with rations, air raids and the long waits to hear from loved ones!

I absolutely ADORED this book and would recommend it to all - it is utterly marvellous!

Mrs Porter Calling is the third novel in AJ Pearce’s series, The Emmy Lake Chronicles. I have to admit that I didn’t realise that the ARC only included the first few chapters of the book. I got happily stuck in to reacquainting myself with Emmy and her friends before the book abruptly stopped. This has never happened before and I was a little disappointed as I was enjoying the story – I’m more than happy to order a copy for myself when it’s published next month.

Dear Mrs Bird, Yours Cheerfully and Mrs Porter Calling make a great trio of books if you enjoy light-hearted historical fiction. Set in Second World War London, the main character Emmy Lake is a warm and engaging character, who has lots of adventures on her journey to become a journalist. I can’t help but read these books in a kind of Received Pronunciation kind of way. I’m sure Emmy would approve!