This was ok, but I think she has written better books. ( )

First in the Belle series. London 1910. 15-year-old Belle has lived a sheltered life in a brothel in Seven Dials, ignorant of what actually happens in the rooms upstairs. One day she witnesses the murder of one of the girls, is snatched from the streets by the killer and sold into prostitution in Paris. Later she is taken to New Orleans where she learns to make the best of her situation in order to survive and keep her dream alive of one day designing and making hats in her own shop. Throughout all this her family never give up hope of one day finding her, especially her friend Jimmy, and an aspiring journalist who has taken up the story of underage girls being snatched from the street and sold into prostitution. Sad to say that this still goes on around the world today. A long book but a quick read, sometimes too much unnecessary detail re surroundings, but enjoyed. ( )

Sometimes a book falls unto the category 'Guilty Pleasure' and 'Belle' by Lesley Pearse is definitely in that category. Belle is a sheltered 15 year old girl in the early 1900's who is raised in a brothel. After she witnesses a murder, she is kidnapped and sold into the sex trade. However, our Belle is smart, she is beautiful, she is plucky. As she travels from England, to America, to France, Belle uses her wits to make the best of a very bad situation. Her family in London never stop looking for her. This book has a feisty herione; not just one but two love interests (which one will win out in the end?); action; adventure and happy endings. Sometimes you just want to read a book because it's a fun read. This one will fit the bill. ( )

I know when I pick up a Lesley Pearse book that I will be getting great writing, a clever and thoughtful story, and a cast of interesting characters, including a feisty female. Belle is no exception to this and this book is similar in style to some of the author's strongest works such as Never Look Back, Hope and Charity.

Belle is a 15 year old girl who witnesses a murder and is then snatched off the streets of Seven Dials in London and forced into prostitution, both in France and in America. The next two years find Belle in all sorts of situations but her strength and courage carry her through.

Despite there being some points where it seemed a bit far-fetched, this is a fantastic story told by a mistress of storytelling. I loved Belle, who kept fighting back no matter what life threw at her, and I also really liked the other characters such as Mog, Jimmy and Etienne.

It's a long book at almost 600 pages, but I found I got right into it quite early on and then was completely engrossed in and didn't want to put it down. Excellent read and now onto the sequel, The Promise. ( )

This was a graphically haunting and realistic portrayal of human trafficking in Europe and the USA during the early 1900's.

While I enjoyed the book and it was a quick read, the story was difficult to read at many parts as myself a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I admired Belle's fighting spirit, as like her, I wouldn't give up on being free of my abusive situations and those responsible. So I had a lot of sympathy and understanding of Belle's experiences as I went through the book.

The book was well written and the characters realistic and well written, not just hard to bond and relate to fictional characters. Furthermore, there were many plots within the story arc, and it kept me on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put the book down.

I didn't like some of the words or phrases the author used. The slang used from the early British 1900's was hard to grasp and feel they were real words or what was exactly being said. With this being an unedited copy I was left second guessing some of what and how it was written. So as a reader, that was frustrating at times.

I would recommend this book to others and hope to read other books by Lesley Pearse. ( )