The Southern Belles – review (AD)

I was kindly given an advanced electronic copy of The Southern Belles in exchange for an honest review*.

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The Southern Belles book blurb

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.

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My overall thoughts on The Southern Belles

The story follows the lives of three sisters who have a huge fall from grace going from riches to rags after their high society father dies following a tragic road accident.

Their lives start to quickly unravel as things speedily go from bad to worse. Everything they have taken for granted has to be sold leaving them penniless and homeless.

With just one suitcase each they reluctantly leave their family home behind and take up residence at a rundown bedsit which the family solicitor had kindly paid two months’ rent for them.

But that’s it – the Belle sisters are on their own and have to start their lives over.

With most of their friends abandoning them and their father’s reputation being dragged through the mud the girls have to learn to fend for themselves and get jobs for the very first time.

They each take a different path but very much so stick together.

For all three sisters romance is very much the centre of the story but the path to true love never does run smoothly.

Just as they start to settle into their new lives a shocking revelation from their father’s past almost tears them apart.

I really liked how the girls got their lives together. They had to really suck it up and start over.

This is of course a fairy story side of life more than a real harsh reality gritty story but with this comes a lot of charm and feel good moments.

I was really rallying for the sisters none of them had it easy and I think their fall from grace made each of them a much better person.

There’s plenty of drama and fallout to keep you wanting to read on as well as some heartwarming moments and romance too!

This is a real good cosy read that offers a bit of escapism.

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About Katie Simpkins

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 ageing 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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FusionPress1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dcbrockwellauthor/
Website: https://www.fusionpress.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dcbrockwell/

Purchase links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Publishing Information

Published in ebook and paperback formats by Fusion Press on 24 July 2019.

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*Disclaimer

This review has been written with 100% honesty.

I was not financially compensated for this post. I was gifted an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own based on my own experience.

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Please visit my contact/work with me page for more information.

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