Ladies and gents, this book was SO MUCH FUN. It features the Bronte sisters, before they became published authors. Turning ammeter sleuth, Charlotte, Emily and Anne attempt to solve a dastardly crime. The story is told from the POV of each of the Bronte sisters in turn, giving us a glimpse into each sister's character and worldview. There are so many elements of a thrilling gothic mystery here - a missing damsel in distress, a tyrant with a seeming obsession for the macabre, an ancient home with secret passageways, and an overwhelming sense that everything is not as it seems, and that secrets lurk around every corner. I loved all of the subtle (and not so subtle) nods to the novels that Charlotte, Emily and Anne would go on to write. Foreshadowing abounds, making it the perfect read for any Bronte fan. That said, I was interested to see how many in our reading group were not that familiar with the Brontes, or even fans of the mystery genre. Quite a number of people said something to the effect of, "This is not something I would normally read, but I am really enjoying it!" So if you are looking to treat yourself to a little dash of mystery and adventure, featuring three awesome female sleuths, go check this one out! A perfectly spooky autumnal read.

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Dollycas’s Thoughts

When I pull out my list of favorite books, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is always near the top of the list so when I learned of this book I knew I just had to read it.

Bella Ellis writes a story where the Brontë sisters with a couple of assists from their brother become amateur detectors when they learn of a young bride missing from her home with a gruesome scene left behind. The sisters spend their days trying to write but have been bored and in need of some fresh ideas. They soon realize they know the governess caring for the missing woman’s children. Charlotte feels this gives them the in they need to investigate. The sisters are very independent but their father worries about their excursions. They feed him stories so he doesn’t worry but he knows his daughters. He prays each day that they come home safe.

This story takes place before any of the Brontë works have been published. The author captures their knowledge, imagination, uniqueness, and perseverance in an excellent way. She immerses them in a complex and compelling mystery. The girls travel “hither and thither” is their quest to find the vanished bride. The clues started to fall into place for me a bit before the sisters but I was totally entertained by the journey I was taken on. The author’s descriptive talents brought each setting and the characters place in it to life. In a time where women are usually seen and not heard and treated like property, the feminist slant to the story was refreshing.

What I really enjoyed was the story being told by each of the sister’s point of view alternating chapter by chapter. It really gives insight into their lives and thought processes allowing readers to get to know each in a more personal way. Ms. Ellis has done her research and presented it in an interesting way.

Intriguing and entertaining, The Vanished Bride, is a fascinating historical mystery that fans of this genre will enjoy whether they have read Brontë sisters work or not. It does make me want to go back and reread some of their stories and poetry which I haven’t done for years.

3.5/5 stars

What if, before they authored some of the greatest works of fiction of all time, the Brontë sisters were intrepid detectives? Bella Ellis answers that question for us in The Vanished Bride, bringing us into the world of the Brontë sisters and showing us a side of them we may never have otherwise seen.

The Vanished Bride follows Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Brontë as they investigate the case of a young wife and mother who has gone missing from her bedchamber, leaving an alarming amount of blood and a suspicious husband in her wake.

The story switches between Emily, Charlotte, and Anne’s perspective, giving us a great glimpse into the mind of each sister. Ellis does a great job capturing each sister’s voice. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Charlotte, I adored Emily.

“Although Emily had never before broken into the manor house of a suspected murderer in the dead of night, it didn’t occur to her once that this wasn’t something she wouldn’t be perfectly good at.”

Emily’s dauntlessness and unending sense of imagination made her the most entertaining and lovable character by far.

The mystery is also well crafted. I thought I had figured it out and found myself genuinely surprised by the plot twist at the end. I’ll admit that it took me a while to get into this story. I didn’t feel particularly gripped or invested in the mystery at first and felt like it took a while for Ellis to build a sense of intrigue. The final act of the book, however, made it worth it for me.

I hadn't even heard of this book an probably wouldn't have read it if it weren't for the publisher sending me a link to download the book through NetGalley. So, well done, it worked. Again.

And, again, I'm very happy this happened because I really enjoyed The Vanished Bride. It's one of those books that maybe isn't perfect and has some room for criticism and improvement, but, for the most part, none of that mattered to me. I started reading the first chapter "just to see" and ended up getting completely sucked into the story.

It moved at a nice swift but not breakneck pace, and shorty chapters definitely helped with this. The point of view changed between Charlotte and Emily and I ended up liking both of them a lot even though, objectively, both probably should have annoyed me. Ah, wait, Anne is in this book (she isn't in the other Bronte mystery book). Drat. Ok, so I read another Bronte-mystery book (Always Emily) soon after finishing this one as The Vanished Bride so inspired me to delve into the Brontes and left me wanting more fictional Bronte sleuthing, and I think I may have bits and pieces of the two mixed up.

Ok, so less detail and more general impressions, because that I don't have mixed up. The mystery kept me on my toes and intrigued. The sisters were all appealing and fun to spend time with. I liked their brother, even as I was shaking my head at him. It was kind of corny but ultimately I liked all the nods the author made toward the Brontes' stories, as if the events they were experiencing in The Vanished Bride were the things that influenced the sisters' later (real) books. It was a total gimmick, but it was also one I fell for totally.

The only thing I didn't like was the bit at the end. It felt unnecessary and like it was shoehorned in just to provide an element of modern diversity and "damn the patriarchy" that didn't fit with the rest of the book. It felt out of place in a novel starring the Brontes, for a character who this seemed not aligned with her characterization during the entire rest of the book, and in a story that, up until the very, very end, hadn't even hinted at this.

But, that bit aside, I very much enjoyed this book and I definitely plan on reading the next in the series.

Bella Ellis has crafted a clever and atmospheric tale that will transport you to 1845 Victorian England. This was a captivating historical Mystery featuring the Brontë sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. The story takes place before the Brontës wrote their classic masterpieces and Inc. there curious, clever, and dynamic personalities. There was also much foreshadowing of their future famous works. It was so impressive how creative Miss Ellis was with her approach to the story. So well written and researched it completely captured the essence of this time and place as well as these characters. And it was a brilliant mystery to boot.

 The story starts off with the Brontë sisters finding themselves all under the same roof for the first time in a long time. Then two things happen their friend Matilda's mistress has disappeared leaving behind a pool of blood, and there is an article in the newspaper about male detectives. Always willing to live outside the norm the sisters decide to head to the scene of the crime and do some detecting of their own. The mystery was interesting, intriguing, and well plotted. I read this book as part of a buddy read and none of us had it all figured out. Always great to have a surprise ending, but even better when it is not out of left field. There were definitely clues and hints leading up to the ending I just didn't clue into them. This was an extremely well executed historical mystery and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book in three emojis: 🕵🏻‍♀️ 💍 🔥

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Review Happy Publication Day to this amazing book!⁣
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Book Review: The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis ⁣
Rating: 💍💍💍💍💍⁣
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What do you think the famous Bronte sister Emily, Charlotte and Anne were before they become famous writer!? Well in this historical fiction they are "lady detectors" before becoming writers. You follow them on a mysterious case of a missing mother and bride. Where all clue point to one thing many will be surprised by the outcome of this missing woman even the sister's themselves.⁣
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-I loved how the author gave you different view points from each sister as they try to figure out this mystery.⁣ The author did a amazing job researching and bringing each sisters individuality to life. - The story itself is very well written with a a undeniable tone of feminism for the time period. Of course because women can do everything a man can do!! ⁣
-You get all the suspense and mystery wrapped up one amazing historical fiction.The twist and turns will have you guessing until the very end.⁣
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Even more exciting is that this book is the beginning of what is suppose to be a series. So after you read and want more of these powerful, independent, headstrong sister you will recieve more once the next book comes out. ⁣
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Thank you to @berklypub for the copy of this in exchange for a honest review and also @beritaudioKilledthebookmark for setting up this amazing #buddyread !⁣

I love novels that can transport you to a time and place and meet real people as characters, though the story itself is imagined. In The Vanished Bride, we meet the Brontë sisters before they become the authors many of us know them as. These strong, empowered young women set out to help their friend discover who killed a local missing bride. As “lady detectors,” the sisters work together to solve the mystery, and we are able to see each sister’s point of view as individual personality.

Having loved reading Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights in high school, I enjoyed seeing the subtleties that may have influenced their writing later on. The author @brontemysteries keeps you guessing too, which made this a great, fast-paced read. No one in our buddy read guessed the exact ending, which made for a lively discussion. Plus, this looks to be a series and I for one can’t wait to read the next book!

Thank you to @berkleypub for providing the advance copy for this.

5 Word Review: Little Women meets Nancy Drew.

Yorkshire 1845
A governess discovers a violent crime scene, and the disappearance of her mistress.
A few miles away Charlotte, Emily & Anne Brontë heat the news, and rush to the scene to comfort their friend.
Realizing there is more than meets the eye, and with corrupt local police, the Brontë sisters set out to uncover the truth, as a woman’s life hangs in the balance.

At first I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the Brontë sisters being used as characters. I’m a fan of their work, but so is there author, Bella Ellis bring a pen name and tribute. The writing style and research done to make the characters, time and place true to from was exceptional.
I loved the style, it felt like I was reading a mash of Little Women & Nancy Drew which I LOVED. The ending wasn’t fully predictable. I had an inkling at it but with the twists and turns I did second guess myself constantly!
A great read, less than 2 days, and the first of the series so I’m anticipating the next adventure.

I was intrigued about the premise of the book and since I love cozy mysteries, I had to give it a try. The Brontë siblings are amateur sleuths in The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis, the first book in the Brontë Sisters Mystery series. Ellis is the pen name of Rowan Coleman.

There have been a number of books that feature the fictional life of Jane Austen, but I haven't seen too many that feature the Brontës. So while the 1840s isn't a time period I typically read, I thought I should give it a try. Ellis is faithful to the time period in her writing style, which made it a little difficult for me to get into the story. But once the murder mystery got underway, and I became use to the style, the story flowed really well.

I have only read Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) and Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë). Also, I'm much more familiar with Jane Eyre as I enjoyed it much more than Wuthering Heights; I also wrote a term paper on Jane Eyre in high school. As such I say many parallels to Jane Eyre in The Vanished Bride. Had this been a factual account, then one would assume that the events greatly influenced Charlotte. (The "villain" is named Robert Chester). As it is fictional, it is Ellis who draws inspiration from their novels. I really liked this touch. Though there were other points that may be related to Wuthering Heights, they weren't as prominent (at least to me) as the Jane Eyre "moments". Perhaps Ellis will draw from other writings of the Brontë siblings in future novels in this series.

While the story is focused prominently on the Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, their brother Branwell makes appearances as necessary as a secondary character (usually to be protector or chaperone, alas he is often drunk). I believe his role is more to serve as a foil to the way the female characters are treated in the 1840s, even within a family with a father that was rather progressive for the times.

The mystery was interesting and clever. I figured out parts of it before all was revealed, but there are clues withheld until the end that left some aspects obscured until the end.

One criticism I had with the book was how heavy-handed Ellis is with the role of women in the 1840s. While the novels by the Brontës had commentary on women in society, I felt that they had a more subtle approach. Ellis's treatment reminded me more of Jane Austen. I felt like I was being hit over the head with how unfairly women were treated, which is another reason I had trouble getting into the story from the start. However, it is on this commentary that I found a line that I absolutely loved.

As someone who has never married, "The idea that a life alone could be a life well lived", was an idea I struggled with in my 20s and early 30s. I have long wanted a chick lit type novel where the heroine did not end up in a relationship/married, yet still lived happily ever after. While The Vanished Bride had a definite mystery, there were also fun and awkward moments that are the mainstays of chick lit. I kind of had a "this is what such a story would be like" light bulb moment.

When I started The Vanished Bride, I kind of thought it might go on my DNF (did not finish) pile. By the end of the novel, I was so glad I finished it. If for no other reason, than to see the girls realize they could control their own futures.

The review was published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2019/09/the-vanished-bride-by-bella-ellis-review.html

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the free copy of The Vanished Bride by #bronze mysteries in exchange for my honest review.

The Vanished Bride follows Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Brontë as they investigate the case of a young wife and mother who has gone missing from her bedchamber. The story switches between Emily, Charlotte, and Anne. I love that it shows the perspective of each sister.
I will admit I was extra excited for this book, but it took me longer than I would have liked to get into it. It was a well told story I just think I needed to be sucked and I wasn’t. It had it’s share of mystery and that’s what kept me reading. All in all, I’d give it 3.5 stars out of 5!

I really enjoyed this book! It is a bit out of my normal genre but I just love te Bronte sisters and had to read this! It was also my first buddy read which was a lot of fun. It was nice being able to discuss the book with other people. Ellis did a fantastic job with the three points of view. You could tell after a few chapters which sister it was. I liked that it had references to their lives and their literary works. They were very unique. I loved that it was a mystery. I was trying to figure it out and I was totally wrong! This was such a fun read and I cant wait to read the next book in this series!

Most of us know the Bronte sisters for their beautiful, haunting writing. But what did these intelligent, driven ladies do before they were famous writers? In Bella Ellis' charming debut novel, "The Vanished Bride (Bronte Sisters Mystery #1)," Charlotte, Emily and Anne become "lady detectors" when a young mother and wife goes missing in a nearby town.

As a big fan of both Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, this fun, historical fiction book really drew me in. I loved learning more about each sister, and Ellis did a superb job of allowing the story to reflect the sisters' personalities and allude to their literary futures. Whether learning about Charlotte's past heartbreak and depressing work at a girls' boarding school, watching Emily walk along the moors or cheering for Anne as she comes to the realization that her life doesn't have to consist solely of being a wife or mother, readers are not only privy to the sisters' different points of view on the mystery they're attempting to solve, but also glean inklings of each woman's future, both literary and personal.

This well-researched, thoughtful novel also packs a feminist punch. Though it sometimes felt overdone, I really came to appreciate it, especially toward the end of the story. With so many women during this time feeling as though their worth lay largely in being a wife and mother, it was refreshing and empowering to watch the Bronte sisters embark on paths largely dominated by men with such determination.

The Vanished Bride is the first book in a series and hits shelves today! If you're looking for a well-written, fast-paced, and engrossing historical fiction book, this one fits the bill! I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to read more of Bella Ellis' work!

This was such a fun read and not at all what I expected. The story's premise is that before they became famous authors, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte decided to become "lady detectors" when a young wife in a neighboring town goes missing and appears to be abducted. They are drawn in because of Charlotte's friendship with the family's governess.

Being a fan of both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, I loved seeing how these stories and various aspects were reflected in the energy and personalities of the sisters. We learn of Charlotte's difficult time at a poorly run boarding school for girls, we see Emily skulking around the moors and wondering about ghosts, and the young wife's husband is found talking passionately to his first wife's skull!

It's a well thought out story and carries some feminist overtones because of women's status in England of that day and age. But the Brontes are not typical women, and are unafraid to take matters into their own hands at every turn. We also learn a little of the Bronte sisters' family life, living with their father in a small parish and their older beloved wayward brother who suffers from alcoholism.

The Vanished Bride is billed as the first in the Bronte Sisters Mystery series. I highly recommend this story and can't wait to see what comes next.

It is always fun to have something a bit different than the norm. Something that is fun, entertaining, and stands out from your typical historical mysteries. The Vanished Bride managed to do all of those things and also added a bit of realism along the way.

Set in a time when the Bronte sisters still roamed the Earth, The Vanished Bride gives us a curious look at maybe what made them not only fantastic writers but maybe where all their imagination and ingenious ideas came from as well as giving us a fantastical mystery ripe with intrigue, secrets, and murder and with just a touch of the paranormal and unexplained.


Perfect for lovers of historical fiction as well as lover's of the Bronte sisters themselves. The Vanished Bride will keep you turing the pages and wondering what kind of adventures and secrets they will uncover next.

THE VANISHED BRIDE is a unique historical mystery that casts the famous Brontë sisters as amateur sleuths who set out to solve a local missing persons case. It’s 1845, and Charlotte, Emily, and Anne are once again living at home with their father Patrick and brother Branwell, before they became published authors. The sisters are struggling to find their place in the world as unmarried women who would prefer to set their own course in life. When they hear a young wife has disappeared under gruesome circumstances, the Brontës become “lady detectors” and use their smarts & daring to find out what happened.

I enjoyed this book very much! Not only was I intrigued by the twisty mystery, I absolutely loved being able to live in the world of the Brontës for a little while. From what I’ve previously learned about them, I think the author did a fantastic job capturing the sisters’ personalities, conflicts, and closeness to one another. Though the mystery was fictional, it had many elements that would have influenced this Charlotte to write Jane Eyre. THE VANISHED BRIDE is a must read for Brontë fans — intriguing, well-written, and great fun. 4.5 Stars

Thank you #netgalley #berkleypublishinggroup for the free e-copy of #thevanishedbride by @brontemysteries (Bella Ellis) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Vanished Bride is the highly imagined story of the famous Bronte Sisters before they were authors. In 1845, when all four Bronte siblings return home to live with their father (for various reasons), Charlotte, Emily, and Anne hear about the disappearance and suspected murder of a young neighbor woman, they decide to become lady detectors and embark on an ambitious endeavor to solve the mystery. Relying on their resourcefulness, determination, energy, wits, cleverness, and creativity, they investigate, interrogate, analyze clues, and follow leads. The sisters need to pursue these activities without drawing attention to themselves because of the expectations for women and their roles at that time. Since they are already intrigued by the idea of becoming authors in a male-dominated field, they are already thinking outside the box and challenging boundaries. Although at times they need to involve their brother, most of the investigation is accomplished without the knowledge of their protective father. Will they solve the mystery of the vanished bride?

Through careful research, the author creates authentic and delightfully entertaining characterizations of the three sisters. Their different personalities and interactions are my favorite part of the story. If you love the Bronte sisters, you might love this imagined historical mystery based on their lives.

Although I had a prediction about the vanished bride's fate early in the story, I didn't figure out the whodunit or how it was done until it was revealed at the end. The mystery kept me engaged. I think the story might fit well in the cozy mystery genre as it involves time for afternoon tea and amateur sleuths.

I enjoyed the unique premise of The Vanished Bride, and I think it's cleverly executed. The writing is descriptive and atmospheric and transports us back to the 1800s when the Bronte sisters were young adults and beginning to write. It is written in a style reminiscent of what the Bronte Sisters themselves might have written. There is a definite feminist vibe in the story and the plight of women living at this time is strongly portrayed. Today, we recognize the Bronte Sisters for shattering a glass ceiling in the publishing industry at the time, and the author capitalizes on this to infuse a feminist theme throughout the story. I agree with the sentiments, but I'm in the camp that prefers to draw my own conclusions rather than to have things pointed out. This falls under the category of personal preference and does not affect my recommendation, although it did affect my star rating.

As mentioned, The Vanished Bride includes strong feminist themes as well as themes that include friendship, loyalty, complicated sibling relationships, domestic abuse, hidden romance (f/f), and women's roles.

Content Warnings: discussion of domestic abuse, description of a crime scene

I recommend The Vanished Bride for readers who might be intrigued by a cozy mystery/hisfic, for fans of the Bronte Sisters, and for book clubs because of a variety of discussion topics. With the exception of the discovery of a murder, I consider this an adult PG read. In addition, you might be interested to know that this is the first in a series.

Review published on my blog on September 10, 2019: www.readingladies.com

I was very fortunate to have received an Advanced Readers Copy electronically from Berkley as part of a Group Buddy Read with other bookstagrammers lead by Berit Lohn from @beritaudiokilledthebookmark, who made this possible.

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis

The Bronte siblings Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell embark in a mystery set in 1845, Yorkshire. The story opens quite dramatically with a possibility of murder and the disappearance of a young mother leaving her two children behind and a macabre of a crime scene with pools of blood all over! The Bronte sisters, living in a Parsonage in Haworth, hear about this horrendous crime. Armed with their extraordinary wit and skill, they decide to become "lady detectors" as they set out to solve this murder mystery on their own.

I loved that despite this story, being a fictional murder mystery, the historical contexts surrounding the story is actually from known facts about the Bronte's life and family. Ellis beautifully incorporated this into the story and it did make for a wonderful and fascinating read especially for Bronte fans. As to when the story began in August of 1845, it was a well known and well documented time when the Bronte family were once again all together in one roof for at least several months. Incidentally, this was also the time before any of the Brontes started writing their books.

I am excited that this is going to be a part of the Bronte Murder Mystery series since I loved and enjoyed reading about these amateur sleuths. Bella Ellis did an exceptional job incorporating and representing strong women during the Victorian era, by using the Bronte sisters to landscape the story. The Brontes were not only legendary but indeed revolutionary, and well ahead of their time. This was a well written and well plotted murder mystery that kept me turning the pages and guessing until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Pub and author Bella Ellis for the opportunity to read this and review.

If you are a fan of the Bronte sisters then this is a must read! Ellis does a fabulous job of blending references to their lives and works into her story and it was a treat to read this book. I love historical mysteries as a general rule and this was right up my alley. It was a really fun read, lighthearted and fast paced. I felt that the mystery was well done and the writing on point. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series!

What a delightful little mystery set in the world of the Bronte sisters. I enjoyed this novel even though I found it a bit too long. My main quibble with this book is that the multiple points of view didn’t seem to differentiate each sister. I really couldn’t tell the difference between them. I wish it had only been from the POV of one sister.

The Vanished Bride by Belle Ellis is a wonderful historical fiction that follows the famous Brontë Sisters in a time before they were writers. In this tale, the sisters act as detectives to try and discover what happened to a young wife and mother the night she disappears from her home.

This book is not something I would normally pick up, but when a buddy read for it was offered to me, I couldn’t pass it up! I am so glad I did! The writing is amazing! Belle Ellis does a wonderful job sticking to the language of time period. The writing is very smooth and descriptive without taking away from the action-packed story!

Each of the characters are so well developed. The personalities of each Brontë sister seem to be historically accurate, and I loved getting to know each of them through this book.

The suspense, mystery, and plot twits are strong! Just when I thought I had solved the mystery; something would happen leaving me speechless! I couldn’t figure out the whole truth until it was shown to me in the last few pages.

I also really appreciated the underlying theme of feminism. In real life, the Brontë sisters paved the way for female writers of their time period. In The Vanished Bride the theme that women are just as capable as men is very prevalent, which I think is a wonderful tribute to who these sisters were and all they represent.

I am so grateful to Berkley for this complimentary advanced copy, and the opportunity to offer an honest review! I am looking forward to the next book in this series!