This is my first time reading a historical mystery and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! I especially loved that it focused on the Bronte sisters. It added a very special touch to the story. I hate to admit this but I have never read anything by the Bronte girls. I didn't feel like I missed anything by not having read them before because the book does a great job of talking about the girls and the father. I am really excited this is going to be a series because the books are easy and fun!

I have posted a 'currently reading' post on my instagram and will post a formal review of this book on my goodreads and on my instagram on publishing day.

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instagram.com/alymbobby

I received THE VANISHED BRIDE by Bella Ellis as an uncorrected digital proof in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Berkeley Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read and review!

I had the wonderful opportunity to read this book as part of a buddy read with some wonderful bookstagrammers. When I heard that this was a mystery featuring none other than the Brontë sisters as detectives, I knew I had to check it out. I am participating in a buddy read of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë in September, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect!

THE VANISHED BRIDE has at its center a mystery. A young wife and mother has vanished. From the amount of blood left behind, it seems fairly obvious that the poor missing woman has died, even without a body to be found! Living nearby and with a personal connection to one of the household staff in the missing woman's home, Brontë sisters Anne, Charlotte and Emily decide to investigate this shocking event!

I loved this book immensely and it immediately hooked me in. I felt that the author did a great job of building the sense of time and place, something that I find important in reading historical fiction. I found the mystery to be a good one with plenty of twists and red herrings thrown in to keep me guessing until the end. There is a touch of the supernatural thrown in, just enough to leave you guessing if it was real or imagined.</p>
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<p>The highlight of the book was definitely the portrayal of the sisters. In this book the three sisters are home, living back with their father for various reasons after time spent out in the world. They are imaginative and inquisitive and find themselves with time on their hands. I enjoyed the way the author wrote their relationship. They are very close, but as sisters there is a lot of bickering and eye rolling done as well which felt very natural! </p>
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<p>In this time frame the sisters haven't yet written anything for actual publication, but you can see how these three could become authors destined to become classics. There are numerous places where I could pick out elements of the story which could certainly be considered influences on the future writing of JANE EYRE, so I'm even more excited to be reading that!

The depiction of men in the book was very interesting. Where the author put a lot into showing the strength of the female characters, the portrayal of the Brontë brother was definitely less positive. As a man, Branwell has all the freedoms and advantages the women generally don't, but he is often shown to be reliably unreliable, squandering his advantages with drinking and staying out all night. Their father is surprisingly permissive at times with his daughters, though he does instruct Branwell to stand in and oversee them at times.

If you are a fan of the Brontë sisters or you just love a great historical mystery, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of THE VANISHED BRIDE by Bella Ellis. This is out and available to buy today!

The review will be published to my blog, Instagram, Goodreads and retailers on 9/10/2019 and links will be provided.

Obviously the author is a fan of the Bronte sisters (Bella Ellis? Ellis Bell was the pen name Emily used when Wuthering Heights was first published). This book had a creative premise and a fun set of characters, but didn't feel quite as dark as the Brontes' original works. I had fun getting to know the Bronte sisters and brother, which was made easier because each of the sisters narrated at different points in the story. Using their intelligence and resourcefulness, they manage to untangle the knots and solve the mystery. Hopefully this is the first of a series!

This was a charming mystery with the Bronte sisters as sleuths. Anne, Charlotte and Emily investigate the disappearance of a young wife and mother after their friend, governess to the missing mother's children, has grave concerns.

This was the start of a series and I enjoyed seeing the famous authors use their intelligence and powers of observation to do some "detecting." One of my favorite parts of the story was the interaction among the three sisters. The chapters alternated among them providing glimpses of the writer each were to become. My favorite character was Emily. She was direct and intrepid with a love of the Yorkshire Moors. Charlotte was the most romantic of the group and Anne, always seen as the little sister.

The plot had a real Gothic vibe and the ending was different than I predicted. It also portrays the harsh realities for women of the time period. I look forward to the next book in the series. 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I first learned of The Vanished Bride and the fact that it was the first in the Brontë Sisters historical mystery series, I thought that it was a concept that would require careful tending to keep it from dying on the shallow-rooted vine of cuteness. I am very happy to say that author Bella Ellis is a master gardener. With a writing style that is vaguely reminiscent of the Brontës, she has crafted an excellent mystery that brings the three sisters to life.

The major reason why I chose to read this book is that I've read all the books the three sisters wrote. I've been to the parsonage at Haworth, wandered through the graveyard, listened to the rooks' depressing calls from the trees shading the house, and I've walked the moors. I've read about the sisters' lives as well. So I suppose you could call me a Brontë fan. As I read The Vanished Bride, I also discovered that the characters got around a lot more than I expected-- and that I'd been to their destinations, too. Bella Ellis was making me feel right at home.

As the pages turned, I saw seeds of the future books they would write, and I found the depictions of the three sisters and their occasional squabbles enchanting. (And that's a word that I seldom use.) All three long to be the captains of their fate in a society where they're considered nothing but property. When their brother Branwell wasn't at the local pub, he got underfoot, and it certainly wasn't easy to keep their father in the dark.

There are wonderful characterizations and humor in this book, and-- what all mystery lovers crave-- an excellent mystery to solve. I'd fit one piece into its proper place, then another, but I was nowhere close to completing the entire puzzle. In fact, the misdirection with regard to one certain character threw me for the proverbial loop.

Brontë fans should really enjoy The Vanished Bride-- and so should historical mystery lovers who don't know (or don't care) about the family who lived in Haworth Parsonage in the mid-nineteenth century. I now find myself looking forward to the Brontë sisters' next investigation.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Berkley in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first ARC from Berkley so I am feeling a little starstruck right now. I am so thankful for my friend Berit because she organized this fun buddy read with a big group of us on Instagram.

Where do I begin? First, let me just say that I adore the Bronte sisters' work, especially Charlotte's (Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite classic book). So for me, this book was an absolute must-read. I am a huge fan of these historical mysteries that give us a peek into some of our most beloved authors' lives before they became famous novelists. I'll admit I had high expectations of this book and fortunately it did not disappoint.

The story begins with Matilda French finding her master's wife, Elizabeth Chester, missing from her bedroom, leaving behind a large pool of blood on the bed. The Bronte sisters, living their quiet little life at the parsonage, hear about the disappearance and quickly decide to start investigating themselves. Mr. Chester is a high society gentleman who can easily sway any constables looking for Elizabeth and the sisters do not trust him one bit. All of the initial evidence leads them to believe Mr. Chester is responsible for his missing (and possibly murdered) wife. But as the sisters dive deeper into their investigation, many secrets are discovered involving the Chesters and those around them.

What a fun and easy read! I have to say it started off a little slowly for me, but once it picked up I didn't want to put it down. Ellis did an amazing job of displaying each of the sister's different personalities and Emily quickly became my favorite. She was so spunky and tell-em-like-it-is. She relished in her own discoveries and made sure to leave no stone unturned when it came to finding Elizabeth. All of the sisters brought their own unique touch to the story and each saw things in a different way when piecing their evidence together.

Ellis was a bit heavy-handed with the feminism vibe, but when the ending is revealed (and I will not give spoilers, don't worry), I could see the reason for that. A lot of the book was about women and their role in society and in the home, and those who rebelled against it being outcasted by the community. But it was also a nice touch to feature these independent women in an era when that was not something that was accepted by society. Ellis did a good job of bringing in some more current social constructs and was able to tie those into an older time period seamlessly. There are some fun hints throughout the book that relate to some of the literature written by the Bronte sisters (i.e. Robert Chester = Mr. Rochester).

The mystery was perfectly executed. The entire time I was reading this book I was trying to guess what really happened to Elizabeth Chester. I'm pretty sure I accused almost every character in the book at some point. This book was filled with so many twists and turns, the reader truly cannot figure out what will happen until the last bit. I always praise authors who are able to write a mystery without a predictable plot. It's so important to someone like me who loves a good mystery!

I can only hope that The Bronte Mysteries becomes a series because I would love to read another in the future.

I will be posting to my blog, instagram, and Goodreads on the publication date.

What a fun mystery starring the Brontë sisters! There were many twists and turns that kept me turning page after page. I loved the POV changes between Anne, Charlotte, and Emily and how each woman was unique in their perspectives and personalities. There were some supernatural/magical realism incidents sprinkled throughout the story that added an extra layer of mystery. The mystery plot itself was very interesting, developed very naturally, and had some twists that kept me on my toes. I was pleasantly surprised by how often the book took a darker turn amid the lighter detecting.

The one thing that sometimes irritated me was how in your face feminist it could be. One moment we were discussing the bloody crime scene and the next we were reading a page-long speech about the injustices toward women. Don't get me wrong, there definitely were and are injustices toward women, but there were so many speeches like this throughout the novel that it started to feel forced and took me away from the mystery and the story a bit too much. I'm 100% here for advocating this issue and integrating it into a book, but I wish it would have been done in a more natural way that didn't detract from the plot every couple of chapters.

The Vanished Bride was a unique mystery that followed the Bronte sisters before they became writers. It was written with multiple POVs including Anne, Charlotte, and Emily. This was sort of a "prequel" to the Bronte sisters which I enjoyed. They were playing detectives after a crime and were determined to find the culprit. It was intriguing with some sleuthing.

I read this in a buddy read and I'm so glad I read it. I am a fan of the Bronte's and thought this would be a cool read where I could see a different side of them. Bella Ellis did a great job of getting my attention and sustaining it.

There was also a gender role complex to the story. Once the sisters heard of the crime, they were eager to find a way to catch the individual who was responsible for the chaos. Many people felt like a woman shouldn't be getting involved, but they pushed on anyway.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I give it 4 stars. It had the mystery and suspense to keep a readers attention throughout the story and I believe the multiple perspectives of each sister fit in well to make this book enjoyable.

It is August, 1845, in Yorkshire, England, and it is the first time that all three Bronte sisters as well as their ne'er-do-well brother, Branwell, are living under the same roof of their father's parsonage. When news comes about a woman who disappeared from her home, Charlotte and Emily are surprised to learn that the staff member who discovered the lady's seemingly violent and bloody disappearance happens to be their old school friend and fellow governess. The three sisters travel across the moor to visit their shaken friend, and are inclined to learn more about the disappearance of the lady when they learn of her husband's violent tendencies, as well as the tragic demise of his first wife. Is there any chance that the vanished bride lives? The Bronte sisters are determined to discover the truth.

A remarkable debut in a series starring the authors of the timeless classic novels "Jane Eyre", "Wuthering Heights", and "Agnes Grey", Ellis does a remarkable job conveying the voices of Charlotte, Emily and Anne and taking the reader to the English moors. There is bountiful evidence of thorough research of the lives of the Brontes and their world throughout, which heightens the authenticity in which Ellis casts the most famous trio of sisters into a fictional circumstance--truly, there is no evidence that the Bronte sisters did not solve crimes while also writing their famed masterpieces.

Not only is Ellis' command over voice and setting phenomenal, but then there is the mystery itself--the true heart of the novel--that is jaw-dropping and riveting, with twists and turns around every corner and the mystery increases with every clue found. Truly, the reader will be guessing the fate of the vanished bride until the very end.

I read this as a buddy reading guide, and I would not normally have chosen the book based on the cover. But I really enjoyed the read! I love the classics, and the look into the Bronte sisters' life sucked the reader in. I will for sure be hilighting this book on pub day on my social media platforms!

A wonderful book! This historical mystery takes us to England, 1845, to the three Bronte sisters. Charlotte, Anne and Emily have not yet written their successful novels, and they have decided to use their considerable combined intellect and common sense to become "detectors." Together, they solve a mystery in their village. Hopefully, Bella Ellis will keep writing more of these (this is the first in a series) and we can keep reading. This book is witty and well-written, with a fast-paced plot and a mystery that has some unexpected facets. Also features some sensitive insights on the characters' parts, with them offering well-thought perspectives on addiction, age, class, health and more. Lots to say here about the treatment of women and their role in this time period too. I couldn't put this down and can't wait to recommend it to mystery readers.

I enjoyed this mystery based on the unique concept that Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte become involved in solving the disappearance of a young mother. Disillusioned with their situation, the Brontes don’t accept the attitude of the times, where women become spinsters or marry. This is evident in their attempts to interview suspects and travel locally without chaperones as they try to get to the bottom of the disappearance. Enjoyable, and I am looking forward to the next installment.

As I mentioned in my <a href="http://geoffwhaley.com/2019/07/03/june-recap-2019/">June recap</a>, I sort of Twitter-shamed Berkley into granting me access to this book—and I do still feel a little guilty about it. I tweeted because I was so mad that sites like NetGalley force bloggers/reviewers and publishers into tiny little boxes.

How are you supposed to represent everything you are as a blogger/reviewer when they give you 50 words or less and that's about it? I get they're trying to provide a service, but it's like come on be user friendly for all the users. Why would I include that I have dedicated Jane Austen and Brontë pages on my website when I read hundreds of other books. UGH. Either way, the kind people at Berkley took pity on me and granted me access to the review copy and here I am.*

<!--more-->I'm glad I requested this, but I'm not sure where I am having finished it. It's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars on Goodreads so I went down because more didn't work than did. <em>The Vanished Bride</em> will be released on September 10 in the U.S. and November 7 in the U.K.

Bella Ellis, a pseudonym for <a href="https://rowancoleman.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rowan Coleman</a>, clearly knows and loves the Brontës and writes their characters REALLY WELL, but if I didn't know better (aka having looked at that website), I would've thought she hadn't written mysteries/thrillers and/or that this is a debut novel. For some reason the mystery/thriller part just didn't work for me. I didn't feel cheated like I have with some mystery/thrillers, but I felt underwhelmed. I'm wondering if trying to fit in the mystery/thriller,the Brontës, and the historical fiction part was just too much for this book? It's hard to say.

This book takes place in the summer the four Brontë siblings return from their various employments, but before they really invest themselves in becoming authors. Ellis included many well known incidents from their lives including Branwell's coming home drunk, Emily's utter refusal to publish her poetry, and the siblings penchant for bickering but lovingly. The dogs Keeper and Flossie make an appearance too!

Where she took it a step further and I think did a wonderful job was with bringing the characters to life and having them go through experiences that become incredibly influential to their published works. Experiencing Emily discover/further explore the supernatural, Charlotte coming into her own of finding out the truth from people, and witnessing Anne find a passion for writing about and exposing real life problems was explicitly well done. However, as this is a set up for a series, I do have to wonder if Ellis did too much too fast and if there is enough room for more character development with so little actually known about Emily and Anne? She'll probably be alright with Charlotte, but from the start of this book to Emily and Anne dying it's less than 5 years I think.

<strong>Recommendation:</strong> Worth the read if you love the Brontës. I was impressed with Ellis' characterization of the family. The mystery part wasn't as engaging as I was hoping it to be, but I'll keep an eye out for the next one in the series.

*I received a digital copy of <i>The Vanished Bride </i>from the publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No money or goods were exchanged.

Great start to a fascinating theory involving the Bronte sisters as detectives. They make a formidable team. Author has great imagination.

“The Vanished Bride” is a Gothic mystery set in 1845 England, and stars the infamous Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. When a friend of Charlotte’s needs help because her mistress appears to be a victim of a horrible crime, the sisters have to work together to try and solve the mystery, and in the process they embark on a personal journey of their own.

I thought this story was so much fun! If you are a fan of the Brontë sisters, you will love it! While it is fiction, their personalities are based on fact, and I really appreciate the subtle references that any Brontë fan would notice! I absolutely loved the sisters relationships and character development more than the mystery itself, but that was just fine with me. The writing style made the story move so quickly, I was sad when it was over. I really loved the journey we went on with the ladies, as they discovered more about who they were, and how they were going to make their own way in life. This book is great for fans of the sisters, and historical fiction lovers too!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, take center stage in this period mystery set in 1845, Yorkshire. The sisters, newly home from schooling and jobs, are settling into life with their father and brother at the family home. Mattie, a friend of the family visits the house with a troubling story. Mrs. Chester, the lady of the manor next door, has disappeared, and even more troubling still, Mattie found only a pool of blood in the lady's room. The sisters set out to sift through the clues and learn more about the manor and its inhabitants. At the top of their list is Mr. Chester, the lord of the manor who has a fiery temper and has previously lost a wife under mysterious circumstance. As the sisters dig deeper, even Mattie, the family friend and governess to the victim's children, is not above suspicion.
As a longtime Bronte fan, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing their personalities come to life in the pages of the story. The book was at times dark and others lighthearted and humorous. I often felt as though I had the mystery solved before another clue was dropped leading in a completely different direction. The sisters pushed against the standards of conformity often thrust upon women at this stage in history, rebelling against the traditional role of mother/caretaker, and undertaking a non-traditional career as detective and later author. I enjoyed learning about their lives prior to their fame and getting a peak into mid 19th century England. I look forward to further adventures featuring the fearless Bronte trio.

"The Vanished Bride" is a mystery set in 1845 in England. Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë were each view point characters, and the story focused almost more on describing their lives and relationships than on the mystery. While I did learn a lot about them, I didn't particularly care for them as people. They tended to be rude just because they didn't feel like being polite. They also had childish fights about who would lead the questioning or if a clue was important or not. But, hey, lots of character development, and they were creative and resourceful (and often deceitful) in their efforts to solve the mystery.

There's a ghost (only seen by Emily) wanting peace. There's an abused wife that's vanished from the manor house and a series of clues that the constable never looked for. By about halfway through, I knew what had happened and who was involved (though I didn't have enough information yet to assign the right actions to the right people). The point of the story seemed to be that a woman should never marry (a man, anyway) but should forge their own, brilliant path in life. Their feminism was based on the concerns of their time period rather than modern feminism, and the author showed what life could be like for women at that time.

There were a few uses of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this to fans of historical-writers-becoming-sleuths novels.

The Vanished Bride was such a delight! I was a little worried that a mystery featuring the Bronte sisters as detectives would be cheesy, but it turned out to be great. Ellis clearly has done her research, and all three sisters are beautifully rendered (and their interactions are frequently hilarious). (I also have to add that I loved the author's note at the end - I was so happy to learn a funny little anecdote about Emily in the book was true.) Anyway, the three sisters hear that a neighbor, for whom a friend of theirs is governess, has gone missing. There seems to have been violent foul play, and the Brontes - inspired by reports of new "detectors" solving crimes - decide to investigate. The mystery itself feels reflective of the sisters' real life books, with domestic violence, women's roles, and gothic houses all coming to the fore. The mystery was interesting, but I was much more interested in the Brontes - they struggle with the confines allotted to them, but are determined to make their own ways. This one is recommended to anyone who enjoys gothic mysteries, the Brontes, or both.

A little meandering, but quaint, pleasant. A tiny twinge of the supernatural and a healthy dose of early feminism rounded this book out nicely.

The Bronte siblings are brought to life in this Gothic mystery. A childhood friend of Charlotte's has asked for help when her mistress seems to have been the victim of a brutal crime. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne put their individual talents and personalities to use, becoming detectors trying to find out what happened to the missing young woman. There is no body, but they believe she would never have left her young children behind with her brutal husband. It's clear that all of the characters have secrets and regrets of their own as the investigation unfolds. Brother Branwell is portrayed as a worry to his sisters because of his drinking and unfocused life. The three sisters are at loose ends professionally, considering starting up a school for girls, but writing is clearly in their future, as is their search for independence. Fans of the Bronte's works may enjoy this fictitious glimpse into their lives, based on the author's research and own admiration.