This was a good read. I really quite enjoyed it. It is the first in a series of nine books and the sequel to The Woman in White which hones in on Marian Halcombe ,sister of Laura who is now married. Marian has spent all her life thinking of others, her own life, happiness and future were never truly considered, until now, when Laura gives her a diary and suggests she think for once about what she wants from life. This lead to a very interesting read. It is well written and sensitive and even a little emotional at times. I look forward to reading book 2 in the series.

5 stars
This is a first installment of nine. It’s a sequel to Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White. I haven’t read the Collins book, so I don’t have that background. With that said, I don’t think it’s to have read this previous novel as this story explains itself. Marian is the spinster sister of Laura who is happily married with a growing family. For a Christmas present, Laura presents Marian with a journal with the hopes that Marian will pursue finding a life for herself filled with the same happiness that Laura has achieved.
Marian meets Theo Camlet, a widowed young father, with a ready-made family for Marian to care for. This installment focuses on their courtship and eventual marriage. After returning from their honeymoon, a woman arrives who claims to be Theo’s dead wife.
I enjoyed this installment so much that I have bought the entire series from Serial Box!
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Serial Box, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Brilliantly written, this first episode of nine is authentically and sensitively handled, remaining true to the style of Wilkie Collins, as it aims to take a step into the future after the events of 'The Woman In White.' This sequel is cleverly presented, focusing this time on the future of Marian Halcombe, the spinster sister of Laura, who is now happily married with a young family. Marian has spent her time caring for all these members of her family, with no thought of her own future, until Laura presents her with a diary and hope of imminent happiness for herself. This is previously unexplored territory for Marian, but she shows herself willing and takes the opportunity that arises in the form of Theo Camlet, a widowed young father, with a ready-made family for Marian to care for. The stage is set for her future when, into the arena, arrives a woman claiming to be Theo's dead wife, someone everyone believed to be deceased. Marian must now take on the detective role to find out what is going on to save Theo's reputation and her own happiness.
Clough has adopted Collins' writing style beautifully, using convincing tone, language choices and descriptions, whilst charming the reader from the first page to the last.

This just wasn't for me. "The Woman in White" was the first of Collins' novels that I've read and it was a so/so read for me. This new serial seems to continue in the same vein, with a similar writing style and the same determination to portray every woman apart from Marian as a delicate and fragile flower.

Thanks to Netgally and publisher I was given this book for free in order to give my honest opinion.

I don’t really ready Romance Historical novels, but I thought I would give this a try. And I really enjoyed it; it was an easy read and fast paced. I gave myself a break from readying ny normal True Crimes and Mystery novels to a different type of novel.
It was a short read, it was based on two sisters Marian and Laura, it seemed Laura always seemed to know better than Marian. Marian wanted a new adventure to find her own joy in life. I thought Laura was a little controlling and needed to let Marian go about her own life and adventures. I will look into ready more of Brenda Clough books. I recommend this book to all that enjoys reading Romance, Historical and Victorian.