A Message From Me To You... | 2015 Wrap Up....

Wow - where has the year gone again? I can't believe I've been blogging for nearly a year either, and its taken off in a way that I completely wasn't expecting!

I decided to start my blog as I was fed up with reading the same books over as I'd forgotten I'd previously read them, and this seemed a great way to keep track of them as I could write a 'mini review' to look back on.

Well, the mini reviews didn't stay very mini for long and I quickly got into full scale book reviewing. Over 100 posts and almost 15,000 page views later, I never ever thought for one second that my blog would get 100 page views, so I am totally amazed and totally grateful for everyone who has clicked through.

I had planned to do a Christmas book review per day during December but time has completely run away with me - I'm so very sorry to those Authors and Publishers whom have sent me Christmas books - I'm just not going to get around to them all now.

This week alone I have done over 47 hours with work, and I shall be working right over the Christmas festivities too with only a few hours off both Christmas and Boxing Days - for those of you unaware, I am a home carer, primarily working with Dementia and Alzheimer's clients, as so as opposed to an office job where if someone is off the work can just pile up and wait. In my job it can't - people still need to get up, washed and dressed whatever day of the year it is. We are incredibly short staffed too at the moment and so I have been filling in left, right and centre.

I am also due to become an Aunty again within a matter of weeks, with my nephew due early January. I can't wait to meet him, I adore my four beautiful nieces even though I only see two (that's a story I may write into a book one day!) but I'm excited to buy all things blue!

So with everything going on right now, I have decided to take a 'Blogiday' and have some time off.

This shall be my last post for near on a month, apart from a small cover reveal here or there. I shall be  back fully blogging and reviewing on February 1st 2016.

I shall still me contactable on email and twitter, although social interaction will be limited.

I've seen many bloggers post their top ten books of 2015 and thought it sounded like a great thing to do, only I have been totally unable to narrow it down so here is a wrap up of various categories....

As it is the season to be jolly, let's start with my favourite festive reads! (Please click on book titles to read my reviews)

Christmas At Lilac Cottage and Snowflakes On Silver Cove both by Holly Martin, were the first books of the season I read and even now, almost 2 months on, I can recall their stories and characters like it was yesterday, I cant wait for book 3 in the White Cliff Bay series!

Wish Upon A Christmas Cake by Darcie Boleyn and Winters Fairytale by Maxine Morrey were both debut authors and reading these two books just gave that warm fuzzy festive feeling - I'm looking forward to what they publish next!

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale was the first book of hers, and was perfectly romantic -I do have the others which I cant wait to read.

Dream A Little Christmas Dream is a short novella sequal by Giovanna Fletcher and I loved seeing how the characters moved on.

Julia Williams' Make A Christmas Wish was completely different to what I expected with the main character being a ghost but had a great story line to it,

Carmel Harrington's Every Time A Bell Rings made it to my Special Books page of the blog as it just had that something extra magical for me - if you haven't read any of above I would certainly make this one as priority!

Also making it to my extra special books page this year was See Me by Nicholas Sparks. See Me was the first book by this popular US author and I absolutely loved it!

Being a blogger and reviewing books has enabled me to discover some amazing new authors this year.

My Sisters Secret by Tracy Buchanan was utterly captivating whilst The Tea Planters Wife by Dinah Jefferies was beautifully written.

Nigel May also had me gripped with his bonk-buster Scandalous Lies.

2016 is sure to be a fab year of new books and I've been lucky enough to read two already.

Our Song by Dani Atkins moved me to tears but was a brilliantly written story.

You and Me, Always is quite simply classic Jill Mansell - Jill is a absolute favourite author of mine and I'm looking forward to attending her book launch in January!

During my Blogiday, I shall be reading and hopfully making a dent within my TBR pile, below is just a few that I'm looking forward to, of which reviews will be up and posted on my return.

To finish this post and completely wrap up 2015 I need to say a few Thank You's!

Firstly to me fabulous guest reviewers - Katrina, Nicole, Samantha and Ellisa. Your reviews have been amazing and I look forward seeing what your reading next year!

Zsa, Tracey, Karen, Gillian, Joan, Alison and Lulu for your fab support on the Facebook page - the input you guys give keeps the page ticking over!

To all the amazing publishers and authors who have so kindly sent me ARC's and filled my email inbox with FUN and EXCITING info - I look forward to working with you again in 2016!

To my fellow bloggers - Aggie, Hayley, Rea, Sharon, Becca, Sophie and Rachel for your endless support and answering my blogging questions - you are all stars!

And, finally, to everyone and anyone I've forgotten to mention or who has clicked through the blog, left comments and RT'd me on twitter - Thank You!

All that is left for me to say, is that I wish you all a lovely Christmas full of mince pies and mulled wine, fun and laughter. I'll see you all in the new year!

Lots of Love 

& Reading,

                         

 Laura

        XX

Review: Our Song by Dani Atkins

Our Song is out January 2016

Kindle Pre Order 

Paperback Pre Order

The stunning new emotional drama from ebook phenomenon Dani Atkins, author of Fractured. 

This is the story of Ally and Charlotte, whose paths have intersected over the years though they've never really been close friends. Charlotte married Ally's ex and first true love, David. Fate is about to bring them together one last, dramatic time and change their lives forever. 

Full of Dani's signature warmth and emotion, this is a gripping and emotional family drama. With breath-taking plot twists, Dani explores themes of serendipity, friendship and love. She fully engages the reader in the dilemmas faced by her characters. What would you do if your husband was the love of somebody else's life? And when faced with an agonising decision, could you put the past behind you and do the right thing?

Every once in a while a book comes along that captures you and your emotions, a book that draw you in completely from page one, a book that is full of charm and characters that you not only want to reach out for but take over your life completely, a book that has a few unexpected twists and turns and one that you simply just can't put down.

Our Song by Dani Atkins does exactly just that.

Our Song is beautifully written with scenes that will tug at even the toughest of readers and starts off by giving introductions of two men - one with health issues and one who does a selfless act of kindness with devastating consequences - both of which end up fighting a battle in intensive care.

Their wives, Ally and Charlotte, tell the story which is cleverly written over a 24 hour period of waiting within the ICU of the local hospital, with chapters of past memories creeping in - memories from when the two girls crossed paths years ago, because back in their university days, Ally was in love with David, who is now married to Charlotte.

As the clock is ticking on what is the longest night of their lives, we as readers are left wondering of if their husbands will survive whilst the characters explore feelings of what should have/could have been, and wonder if they can ever put the past behind them. But secrets are revealed which adds twists and turns to the plot making this one heck of a page turner and leaves the characters wondering about their future.

Ally and Charlotte's story completely got under my skin, if it wasn't for work I would have devoured this book in one sitting, I was utterly gripped from the moment I opened the book and battled emotions of wanting to read on to find our the ending but holding back for fear of the ending.

Dani Atkins has a wonderful way of telling a story, and Our Song just makes you think how some life events can take the path you are on in a new direction. I loved that the book was set over a short space of time, yet we got history of the characters though their moments of remembering their past.

If there is one book you want to add to your 2016 wish list, then Our Song has to be it - just be warned that it will break your heart, make you smile but appreciate what you have and how it can all change on one decision.

Our Song is, without a shadow of a doubt, going on my special books page as I cannot rate this enough!

I would like to thank Dani Atkins, Books and the City, Love Reading and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of Our Song to review in exchange for my honest opinion.