The Brighton Belles Series Book 1
Fusion Press
DESCRIPTION
NOT JUST ANY OLD RICHES TO RAGS STORY
Heiresses, Evelyn, Georgia and Olivia Belle, nicknamed The Southern Belles by the tabloid press, have everything they’ve ever wanted. Then, suddenly, on Evelyn’s 30th birthday, their father dies in a tragic road traffic accident, leaving a massive hole in his business’ finances. With the world’s media, and the National Crime Agency looking on, their family home, cars and all other assets are sold at auction, leaving the sisters penniless, homeless and jobless.
Shunned by their celebrity friends, the Belle sisters must learn to fend for themselves for the first time in their lives. Evelyn, the eldest, knows how dire their situation is, and asks their father’s solicitor, who has kindly paid for their first two months’ rent on a rat-infested bedsit in Brighton, to look into their Father’s case, while they hunt for jobs to make ends meet, which inadvertently leads to them meeting new guys, falling in love, and learning along the way that the world doesn’t owe them a favour, and that money doesn’t buy you happiness.
MOMO’S REVIEW
This book is not generally my type of read – I have no interest in the celebrity lifestyle – but there was something about the cover that made me want to read the story. I am so glad I did. Brilliantly strong characters, sprinkling of love, heartache, and some fun surprises.
The story is told from the perspective of a grandmother reading to her granddaughter who is in bed with flu. I really liked this different angle and enjoyed these moments to pause and reflect on the story so far.
The author has cleverly shown the path each sister takes to build their new lives and how they deal with the heartbreak that most of their friends want nothing to do with them now they have no money are having to go out and find work. One aspect that I really enjoyed was the one ex-friend who gets pleasure from making life even more difficult for them – it fitted into the main storyline and felt very true to how life would be.
It’s like a mixed up fairytale – instead of the girl next door and the handsome prince this story takes the princesses and turns them into girls next door and it does it with heartwarming style, heartbreaking reality and a sprinkling of glittering romance.
The ending felt a bit rushed in my opinion and could have done with a bit more…..something… I can’t wait to read the next in the Brighton Belle series.
I would like to thank damppebbles for the opportunity to read and review and be part of this #blogtour for ‘THE SOUTHERN BELLES’ by KATIE SIMPKINS.
This review is being published today as part of the blog-tour by damppebbles.
All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
All my reviews can be found on my blog momobookdiary . com
BOOK DETAILS
- TITLE: The Southern Belles
- AUTHOR: Katie Simpkins
- PUBLISHER: Fusion Press
- PUBLICATION DATE: 24 July 2019 – ebook and paperback format
- LENGTH: 447 pages
REVIEW PUBLISHED / BUY LINKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katie Simpkins is the pseudonym for 42 year old dental technician Duncan Brockwell, from a town near Brighton, called Burgess Hill. Duncan works at Elite Dental Studios in his hometown during the day, and writes in his spare time. He is the author of The Southern Belles, his debut novel.
Since writing The Belles, he has completed a further four novels, the first sequel to the Belles, The Varndean Vixens, two crime dramas, Blood Bunker and Blood Lust, a horror novel, Hellingly, set in an abandoned mental asylum, and is currently writing his first action / adventure called Trailblazer, set in the American Midwest in 1976, about an aging country singer who is being pursued by the mob, the FBI and a nutty sheriff, while on tour with his band and getting to know his estranged daughter, Nancy.
He is also attempting to write a comedy TV series script for The Southern Belles for a producer at Voyage Media.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
- Duncan Brockwell on Facebook
- Duncan Brockwell on Instagram
- Fusion Press on Twitter
- Fusion Press Website
MoMoBookDiary 
Leave a comment