Book Reviews Winter 2019

Living Magazines The Vanished Bride

Unfortunately we just won’t have space within the Winter issue of the magazines to include our normal books feature, so here it is online instead!

The Vanished Bride
By Bella Ellis
Published by Hodder and Stoughton, £4.99 Kindle, £14.99 hardback

Bella Ellis is the non-secret pseudonym adopted by our very own Rowan Coleman for her brand new Brontë Mysteries series.

A lifelong Brontë fan, Bella – or Rowan – knows more than a thing or two about her writing heroes, and has cleverly used her passion to write this, the first in a series of novels, imagining Emily, Charlotte and Anne as detectives – or ‘detectorists’ as they call themselves.

The three sisters, along with their brother Branwell, take it upon themselves to investigate the disappearance of a local woman after it becomes clear the police are doing nothing of the sort.

The writing feels authentic, but it’s much pacier than novels of its time. It’s clever, witty and, most importantly, a brilliant read. Rowan gets better all the time, and I can’t wait for the next in the series.

Living Magazines Notting Hill in the SnowNotting Hill in the Snow
By Jules Wake
Kindle £1.99, Paperback £7.99. Published by One More Chapter

Viola Smith plays the viola in an orchestra, but this year she’s been asked to organise Notting Hill’s local nativity. Nate Williams isn’t looking forward to Christmas but as his small daughter, Grace, has the starring role in the show, he’s forced to stop being a Grinch and volunteer with Viola.

As the snow starts to fall over London, will Nate and Viola fall for each other? Jules’ writing is rich and warm and this is a lovely, cosy Christmas read, with characters you really care about. Highly recommended.

Mike Wall – Me and Some Other Jokes
By Michael Wall
Kindle £2.50, paperback £5.50

Mike lives in Cow Roast and calls this his ‘first and probably only’ book. It’s a book full of jokes, interweaved with stories of his life. It’s essentially a celebration of the art of joke telling, which Mike fears is on the way out, by a man who clearly loves to make people laugh. It’s an easy, happy read and nicely written. You won’t regret giving it a go.

Chedston
By V Chadwick
Kindle £3.99, Paperback £6.99

A comedy based around the antics of the author’s ladies’ tennis team in Cheddington, this is V Chadwick’s first novel. With humour and clearly much drawn from her real life tennis club, this is a fun read.

Look out for our Winter issue which will be dropping on your doormats w/c 18 November. It will also be available throughout the towns at various locations for pick-up too.