Elvi Rhodes Books In Order

Publication Order of Venus Stanton Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

Elvi Rhodes was a bestselling author of romance fiction from the United Kingdom
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The author who was best known for the “Venus Stanton” series of novels was born and bred in Yorkshire, which still remains her favorite place in the world.
She never had the perfect childhood as she grew up in a very stormy family.

At some point, Elvi’s father went to fight on the Somme, and upon his return, he was a stranger to the family.

Trying to escape from the many problems at home the then seven-year-old Elvi Rhodes found herself seeking refuge in a church. She is still an ardent churchgoer as it was the only way to find some form of comfort from her domestic problems.
Nonetheless, her family was not all bad as she still remembers her creative and sparky mother. The latter always had that spirit of adventure and warmth that she instilled in her.
While she loved living in Yorkshire, she has since moved to a small village near Brighton where she has been living for many years.

Like many authors, Elvi Rhodes’ gift for storytelling was evident while she was still very young. While she was still a kid, she used to tell all manner of stories to the local children as they sat on the porchway on a very cold stone floor.
She was lucky to win a Public Day School scholarship but never enjoyed her schooling. The fact that she had to study with some very rich girls resulted in a sense of exclusion.

She never felt that she belonged and became introverted, even though she was an extrovert at home. But despite her social failing, she remained a determined woman who intended to fulfill her dreams of becoming an author.
By the time she was eighteen, she had several children’s stories published in a children’s magazine. She would later have several plays and radio stories accepted for publishing.

While she performed well in her schooling, she could not go to university as she needed to earn money and help out at home.

Elvi took a job at the local Public Library and it was here that she met her husband. They got married early in the war and soon had Anthony and Stephen their two sons.

During all this time, she continued to write stories with intermittent pauses. When their kids were in Junior School, they made the move to Surrey, where they bought a small cafe and baker shop.

After many years of marriage, she lost her husband who had always been her biggest cheerleader. In fact, it was not until the death of her husband that would became more social and confident.
She found much of her confidence at the Rottingdean, East Sussex-based St. Margaret’s Church, where she served as Churchwarden for at least half a dozen years.

She would then go through a tough period as she also lost Anthony her younger son to cancer. But Elvi never once wavered in her faith in God, even if she sometimes shouted at him.
With support from her church, she began writing and published “Opal,” her debut novel in 1984.

She penned at least two dozen works of long-form fiction besides several collections of short stories. While she got slower over the years, she still managed at least one novel every eighteen months in her later years.
She died aged 98 in 2015.

Elvi Rhodes’ novel “A Blessing in Disguise,” tells the story of Venus Stanton, an attractive young widow who has a ten-year-old daughter.

She was certainly not the type of vicar that Thurston the small little town expected to receive. The village and the entire congregation are surprised and many of them are not pleased.

The name Venus has been thrust on her by parents that were otherwise conventional even though she always felt it was not appropriate for a female priest. Over the years, she had to endure misunderstandings, curiosity, and sometimes downright hostility.
But it was not all bad as she sometimes found kindness, friendship, and warmth from some very unexpected quarters.

She is still mourning over the untimely death of her husband and still has to deal with all manner of problems as a single mother. She begins to think that the task may be too hard for her and even thinks the doubters could have been right.
Maybe she is not made for being a vicar but a handsome local doctor thinks otherwise. He is not the only one who thinks highly of her as many regard her not only as their friend but as the best vicar they ever had.

“Mixed Blessings” by Elvi Rhodes continues to follow the attractive young vicar from Thurston Venus Stanton, who could not have wished for a better life.

When she first arrived at the parish, most people found it difficult to accept that a woman could serve as their priest. Following a tricky start, she had found acceptance, and most people like her, even though there are some who refuse to recognize her.
Nonetheless, even vicars have personal lives. To the surprise and delight of the parishioners, Venus Stanton is set to marry the local doctor Nigel.

Becky her eleven-year-old daughter initially had some misgivings and could not have been happier when they held their nuptials at the church. Soon after, the happily wedded couple set off for France for their honeymoon.
Upon returning, they attempt to settle down into a new life but Venus soon discovers that it is not so easy to marry priestly duties with motherhood and marriage.

Elvi Rhodes’ novel “Opal” is a heartwarming and moving Yorkshire story of determination and drive that is sure to stay with you long after you close the last page.

When Edgar Carson came back from fighting in the trenches of World War I, he discovered that a land that welcomed back heroes only existed in his imagination.

The only thing he could live for was the tough and small Yorkshire beauty Opal who became his wife. By the time the 1920s come around, Edgar is a bitter man who is living on the dole while his wife is pregnant with their second child.
He is lucky that his wife Opal is a fighter and will never let poverty or drudgery destroy her family. She starts selling cotton reels and sweets at a small house shop set up on her sideboard and begins growing from there.
Her dream is to one day have a department store so that they can all have a grand life.