Never the Bride

Author: Paul Magrs

Genre: General Fiction/Mystery/Paranormal

Brenda has led a very long and difficult life and all she wants now is to lead a quiet uneventful existence as a Bed & Breakfast proprietor in Whitby. Brenda is very secretive of her past life that even her best friend Effie is unaware of her background. As much as Brenda wishes for the quiet, mysterious events seem to happen around her and somehow she and Effie are pulled into solving one mystery after another; making it impossible for Brenda to live the life she desires.  

Never the Bride is the first in the Brenda and Effie series. I like the concept of this book. A quirky tale of two ladies who are unwillingly pulled into the supernatural mysteries in the Gothic town of Whitby with classic characters such as Dracula and Mrs Clause revived and presented in a different light.

The book is a light read, it took me about a day to finish it. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy reading Never the Bride. It took a while for Brenda's past to be revealed and it came in bits and pieces which I found to be a bit frustrating. Each chapter seems to feature a different mystery for Brenda and Effie making it feel like there were too many things happening and also very disconnected as you jump from one mystery to another.

Thankfully the last chapter provides a clear picture explaining the connection between the mysteries but still I was slightly disappointed with the ending. The ending of Never the Bride also leads to the second book in the Brenda & Effie series, Something Borrowed. I actually have a copy of both books but Never the Bride is really not my cup of tea and I have no intention of picking up Something Borrowed to read... well at least not anytime soon. 

Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge