I just finished Never The Bride by Paul Magrs. I've never read anything by his before. Indeed I do not know if he has written anything else. I'll have to ask Google. I picked up this book because of the title and the cover. Usually when a cover says 'Never The Bride' it's got an almost pornographic cover and is found in the romance section.
This one had a creepy black and off white cover and was in the horror section. I certainly don't regret having brought the book home.
The tale is set in Whitby, where all those years ago Dracula first set foot in the UK. I've never been to Whitby but am now very, very curious. To Whitby then comes Brenda. She's bald, wears wigs, there's heavy make-up covering a network of scars. Her two feet don't match at all and she wears bright patterned blouses. She comes to roost in Whitby at the end of a very long life and takes over the running of a B&B, which she is onssesive over.
As her neighbour we have Effie who lives in a rambling pile that has belonged to her family for generations. Effie runs an antique store downstairs and lives upstairs. The store is filled with everything and anything including piles of books, which just might provide all the answers. You see, Efie is descended from a line of witches only she has no time for all this foolishness.
Then there's the Christmas Hotel run by the very sinister Mrs Claus, where it is Christmas all the year around whether you like it or not and elves go missing and pies may contain more than just the usual order of meat.
There's the Deadly Boutique which offers the women of the town makeovers that leave them looking 20, 30 years younger. There's 'mother' who needs to be kept alive. Dracula as you have never see him before is now working for the government.
And of course there is the Gate to Hell, which may or may not end up being shut permanently thereby barring any soul from escaping and returning to this world.
There's a myriad references to the horror classics and a slew of colourful characters and places. Read it for fun or read it to see how much of the Victorian horror you can spot and pin down. Either way, it's a fun read. It's probably not going to win any literary awards but it's fun nevertheless.