Member Review

Wedding Bells on Victory Street by Pam Howes is the 2nd novel in The Bryant Sisters series. It can be read as a standalone for those who have not indulged in The Girls of Victory Street. Bella Rogers along with her two best friends (Fran and Edie) are known as The Bryant Sisters. They are with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) traveling around England and Wales entertaining the troops as well as citizens. Bella is in love with Bobby Harrison who suffered severe injuries when his plane went down. He is waiting for a new prosthetic leg and then hopes to join the tour with Bella. Bella loves Bobby and hopes to marry him, but she has yet to tell him about her son, Levi. She is worried what Bobby will think about her when he learns that she has an illegitimate child with band leader, Earl Franklin Jr. Levi is with her mother, Mary and her sister, Molly in Llanoudno, North Wales. Bella misses her son, but she knows that he is safer on the farm. The ladies on the tour are having trouble with the magician Frederico, Master of Magic (aka Freddie). They know the sleazy man is up to no good, but the three singers need proof. It is 1943 and the war shows no signs of slowing down and neither do the bombings. I thought Wedding Bells on Victory Street was well-written with developed characters and gentle pacing. There is plenty going on in this emotional novel as you can tell. I just gave you a little taste of what to expect in this dramatic tale. There is drama, romance, wrongdoings, beautiful songs, manipulation, tension, and so much more. The author captured the time period with the music, clothing, war events, and the language. I like how Pam Howes included Glenn Miller who performed with ENSA just before his death. I enjoyed the heartwarming ending. It was great to see how some of the characters developed. I really liked the change in one character (spoiler). For those readers who enjoy historical sagas (Pam Howes Lark Lane series and Nancy Revell’s Shipyard Girls), you do not want to miss Wedding Bells on Victory Street. Wedding Bells on Victory Street is a poignant historical novel with spectacular singers, an immoral magician, a sweet son, an aspiring sister, a sickening conflict, and a rocky romance.