Book Review - Ours Is The Winter by Laurie Ellingham

Amazon UK

Title:  Ours Is The Winter

Author: Laurie Ellingham

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 17th November 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Journeying across the Arctic, their pasts are about to catch up with them.

Erica, Molly and Noah are embarking on the challenge of a lifetime, driving Siberian huskies across the frozen wilderness of the Arctic. Cut off from the world and their loved ones and thrown together under gruelling conditions, it isn’t long before the cracks start to show.

Erica has it all. A loving husband, a successful career and the most adorable baby daughter. But Erica has been living a double life, and as she nears her fortieth birthday her lies threaten to come crashing down.

Molly was on her way to stardom. But when her brother died, so did her dreams of becoming an Olympic champion. Consumed by rage and grief, she has shut out everyone around her, but now she’s about to learn that comfort can come from the most unexpected places.

Noah has a darkness inside him and is hounded by nightmares from his past. Tortured, trapped and struggling to save his fractured relationship, he knows this journey is not going to help, but try telling his girlfriend that.

As their lives and lies become ever more entwined, it becomes clear that in the frozen wilds there is nowhere to hide.

I don't know about you but I have never read a book set in the Arctic before. I have never read a book that features an immense sledding challenge that will test everyone to their limits, I wasn't even aware such experiences existed.  It was because these elements of the blurb jumped out at me that I have been desperate to read it from the moment I first heard about the book. 

And... what an epic story, it may only take place over a week but what an action packed and gripping week it was. Even when I wasn't reading Ours Is The Winter my head was with the characters in The Arctic, and I suspect I will be dreaming of huskies and sledding this evening, as the book has got under my skin that much. 

I will admit at times I thought I had small inklings as to where the book was going, but even if on a few of those occasions I was right with the basics, the more important and relevant details were a complete shock to me. 

Everyone on the challenge has their own reasons for being there, but the book features three main characters and the focus keeps switching between the three. They are all hiding various things, but the specifics are initially left for the reader to speculate on themselves. 

Erica is hoping to reconnect with her half sister Molly on this trip. They haven't been close for a while since a tragic accident affected the whole family. Molly used to want to be an Olympic athlete but is now just lost.  Then there is Noah who has his own demons to face. 

The three of them form bonds in the most unlikely of ways over the course of the week.  Their backstories were all well thought out and I loved discovering more about them. 

Then there was the sledding itself, which was clearly incredibly well researched, I felt as though I was alongside the trio as they were sledding. I loved the various names of each team of huskies, as well as the descriptions of the landscape and cold. 

This is just one of those books that edged under my skin very early on in the story and I suspect will stay wedged for a long while to come.  This is the second Laurie Ellingham book I have read this year, and although I thought One Endless Summer was impressive and amazing,  I think that Ours Is The Winter is significantly better still, which takes some doing. 

Thank you so much to HQ Digital and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Guest Post & Giveaway - Taking a chance...by Laurie Ellingham - Chances Fortnight

In February 2014 my two young children started pre-school together and all of a sudden I had no little noses to wipe. For the first time in three years the theme tune to Peppa Pig wasn’t ringing in my ears and I had nothing to do (except clean the house - and I wasn’t going anywhere near that). I sat down to read a book on my kindle, but couldn’t settle. The book wasn’t good enough to keep me captivated but it did give me a light bulb moment. Up in the loft with the baby toys and the suitcases was a manuscript I’d written four years earlier, but after a wave of rejections, and two babies in quick succession, I’d put the manuscript - along with my dream of being an author - in the loft.

On that cold day in February I climbed into the loft, dug out my manuscript and gingerly began to read, then smile, then laugh. Over the years I’d convinced myself that the novel was dreadful, and it wasn’t. It needed polishing and editing, but for the first time in a long time I felt my passion and dream awaken. I decided on that first day that there would be no more rejections. I took a chance and self-published.

It was a crazy and impulsive chance that really shouldn’t have worked out. I knew nothing about book marketing, or social media, I knew nothing about publishing full stop! And let’s just say I learned a lot through some rather harsh reviews.

By a crazy fluke of good timing and a good book title The Reluctant Celebrity did well enough to earn me a tiny advance and publication with a small independent publisher.

Looking back, it wasn’t self-publishing that I took a chance on, it was myself and following a dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember. That chance started me on a journey I am still on now, and one that I am loving every moment of. 

Thank you so much Laurie for sharing your big chance with us. 

Giveaway to Win signed copies of The Reluctant Celebrity and How To Throw your Life Away (Open Internationally)

Laurie Ellingham is very kindly giving my followers a chance to win signed copies of The Reluctant Celebrity and How To Throw Your Life Away. 

Giveaway open internationally, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 21/06/2017. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

Win signed copies of The Reluctant Celebrity and How To Throw your Life Away (Open Internationally)

About Laurie Ellingham

Laurie lives in a small village on the Suffolk borders, with her husband, two children, and their cockerpoo, Rodney. When she is not disappearing into the fictional world of her characters, preferably with a large coffee and a Twix (or two) to hand, she is running through the countryside, burning off the chocolate intake and plotting her next chapter.


To find out more visit www.laurie-ellingham.com, or find her on Twitter @LaurieEllingham and Facebook Laurie Ellingham Author

Guest Post - Where did all the good guys go? by Laurie Ellingham

A mere glance at the best sellers list is enough to confirm the stupendous popularity of psychological thrillers, but the growth of this genre is not without it’s casualties. And one glaring loss is that of the good guy. 

You know the one I mean, right? The lopsided smile, green-eyed, charmer. The funny and considerate hero. The tall, oh so good-looking, sometimes clumsy man you can’t resist rooting for. The book boyfriend! 

That’s not to say that the men featured in thrillers are all bad, they’re just not that good either. Some drink too much, some have a tendency to throw a punch, and most don’t have a smile that can turn your insides to mush. 

The thing is, I’m guilty too. In my first novel - The Reluctant Celebrity - I had not one, but two gorgeous friendly men sparring for the affection of my protagonist. In my second book - How to Throw Your Life Away - there was only one, and he had baggage. In One Endless Summer (released on 20th April) there is a grumpy, often rude, shaved-headed, glasses-wearing cameraman called Ben. He’s good alright, but he’ll take a while to warm to. As for what I’m working on now, I’m afraid men - good or bad - are just not getting the same look in. 

But why am I doing away with all the good men? 

In part, it’s because my writing is edging away from romance towards a psychological suspense style of women’s fiction. But that’s not the whole reason. I think there’s a part of me that wants to portray a little more reality to my characters, after all the female protagonists in the majority of women’s fiction novels are eminently flawed. Why do the men get to be so perfect? Why is it the handsome stranger who gets to swoop in and save the day instead of your best mate who’s been by your side all along? 

Where did all the good men go? They’re out there still, and as I write this there are some fantastic author’s creating swoon-worthy men. You might just have to look beyond the thrillers to find them. As for my future novels - expect strong women, expect friendship, expect intrigue, expect suspense, but a good man .... I’m not making any promises. 

I've got to ask, does anyone else have a song running through their heads after seeing the title of this post? I know I do as I'm preparing it. Thank you so much Laurie for this great post.


About Laurie Ellingham

Laurie lives in a small village on the Suffolk borders, with her husband, two children, and their cockerpoo, Rodney. When she is not disappearing into the fictional world of her characters, preferably with a large coffee and a Twix (or two) to hand, she is running through the countryside, burning off the chocolate intake and plotting her next chapter.


To find out more visit www.laurie-ellingham.com, or find her on Twitter @LaurieEllingham and Facebook Laurie Ellingham Author

Book Review - One Endless Summer by Laurie Ellingham

Amazon UK

Title: One Endless Summer

Author: Laurie Ellingham

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 20th April 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Three best friends.

Three continents.
Three months to live.

How long can you keep a secret?

Three best friends are embarking on an all-expenses paid trip of their dreams. The only catch? Every moment will be documented on film.

Lizzie’s battle with cancer is coming to an end, and now she’s ready to embrace adventure for the very first time. There are only three months, but it is Lizzie’s time to finally start living!

Jaddi is known for her stunning looks, flirtatious attitude and many conquests. But Jaddi has a secret and on this last trip together she needs to decide whether her best friends will ever know the real her.

Samantha has always been the ‘grown up’ of the group, the one with a five year plan. What Lizzie and Jaddi don’t know is that Sam is trapped, and her perfect life isn’t quite what it seems…

As they trek across the globe Lizzie, Jaddi and Samantha must come to terms with loss, love and trusting one another. But will it all be too late…

Speechless at just how breathtaking this book really is. From the first few pages, I had a feeling that I was reading something special, and was I progressed through the book I was more and more impressed with each page. 

I was drawn into the story of Lizzie, Samantha and Jaddi, and their reasons for wanting to spend a summer travelling the world. You will learn they are all hiding things from each other despite being best friends, and although as a reader you are privy to a couple of the secrets, there is at least one that no matter how much I tried to predict it, I was wrong.  And I am so glad that I was, as it made for a far more shocking conclusion to the book. 

Our Endless Summer features travel in South East Asia, Australia and America, and I loved so many of the experiences that are described. But what really struck me was Lizzie, and her attitude to everything. She is an inspirational character, and is central to everything, as the trip is in her honor. 

There are certain moments that will definitely stick in the mind, such as Lizzie's reasoning for wanting to see as many sunsets and sunrises as possible, and the story of one of her hospital stays while she was 9 years old.  I loved seeing how different the three friends were, and just how their relationship changes while on their travels. 

One Endless Summer is in theory as story that should be incredibly sad, after all Lizzie only has three months to live, but although it has been written with plenty of beautifully expressed emotions, the story is inspiring and also thought provoking.  

I'm really struggling with this review as there are things I'd love to wax lyrical about, but I don't want to spoil the experience of reading this for yourself. All I can say at this point is if you decide to take a chance on this book, it is an absorbing read, and at the same time, a surprisingly quick book, so I'd suggest making sure you have a good chunk of time in which to read it one go.  

One Endless Summer is a fabulously written book with a mix of laughs, tender moments, emotion, friendship, huge life altering decisions, against a backdrop of exotic locations which just adds to the flavour of the book, all of which meant I never wanted to the put my kindle down. It's a story, or at least there is a message from the book that I hope to keep with me for a long time. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HQ for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - How To Throw Your Life Away by Laurie Ellingham

Amazon UK

Title: How To Throw Your Life Away

Author: Laurie Ellingham

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 14th April 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Have you ever wondered how much it would take to make you snap? For thirty-two year old Katy Davenport it was the littlest thing... All her boyfriend of five years had to do was answer her question about dinner. Not ignore her. Not continue to watch the football like she didn't exist. 

In that moment Katy snaps. One moment of insanity and Katy throws her life away. The policeman who arrests her laughs. Her best friend cheers. And her anger management counsellor insists on embarrassing her in front of the entire class. 

For Katy this is just the beginning as she struggles to find her place in a whole new world where her ex-boyfriend refuses to move out of her house, and Katy finds herself snapping again and again. Will Katy be able to control her anger for long enough to pick up the pieces of her life?

How To Throw Your Life Away is the perfect book for anyone who thought their life was going great and then suddenly something makes them snap. As this is what happened to Katy with some far reaching consequences. 

Katy thought she was happy living with her boyfriend of give years, until one evening when he refused to answer her question about dinner, and she starts hitting him with the remote control. Unfortunately for Katy there was a witness of violence at the police were called. Katy is ordered to attend six weeks of anger management classes. 

A few days later Katy is then made rather unfairly redundant and has another issue with her anger as a result, and which point she realises things in her life may just need to change. 

Katy is determined to keep control of her temper as she undergoes many life changes, including dealing with her boyfriend, a brand new man in her life, and new career change and lets just say some other unexpected surprises. 

There is a lot of action in the story as well as humorous situations. The story has a wonderfully light hearted feel to it, although there are a few more serious issues touched upon, including anger management. The classes that Katy attends do give some really useful tips for how to try to not lose control when you start to feel angry and even if you don't get anything else from this story, try to remember those tips. 

Very entertaining story telling, with a lovely writing style, How To Throw Your Life Away was a very quick story to read, and one I really enjoyed. This may have been the first book that I read by Laurie Ellingham but it definitely won't be the last. I feel that she is a fresh new voice in romantic comedy. 

Thank you to Laurie Ellingham for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

In case you missed it I also have today an exclusive pre-opening, opening scene for this book, which explains in more details exactly why Katy lost her temper with her boyfriend. 

Guest Post - How to Throw Your Life Away - Exclusive opening scene teaser by Laurie Ellingham - Blog Tour

I couldn't believe it when Laurie Ellingham said she was writing me an exclusive scene for my spot on the blog tour. This can be read as a prelude before starting the book, or if you have read it already, then it may give you a bit of extra background information.

A slow rage pounded through Katy’s body. She stabbed her spade at the edges of the lawn and tried to ignore the high-pitched laughter of teenage girls carrying across the fence from the garden next door.

She didn't need solitude or privacy, Katy reminded herself as the last rays of heat from the sun tingled the back of her neck and scorched through to her veins. She just needed her garden. She just needed the scent of the miniature lavender tree in spring, and the roses in summer, and the way the bamboo swayed in the breeze as if dancing to a melody only it could hear.

As Katy sidestepped to the next section of grass the tinny beat of dance music filled the air. The girls raised their voices to be heard over the noise.

‘I can't believe you kissed him,’ one of them said, her laughter cackling in Katy’s ears.

‘I can’t believe how hammered I was,’ another said.

Katy bit down on the inside of her cheek, brushed a strand of long brown hair from her face, and tried to focus on the border expansion she’d spent most of the week thinking about. Why had she spent so much of her day cleaning the house when she could have been in her garden? It’s not as if Adam cared about how it looked, so why did she?

The smell of barbeque and sausages drifted in the breeze causing a hunger to twist in her stomach.
Katy sighed and carried her spade back to its hook in the small shed, tucked in the corner by the bamboo. Another stereo system started up from a few houses away as Katy strode across the garden. A warm Saturday night on the estate always brought her neighbours from their living rooms and into their gardens, their noise and activity driving Katy back into their two-bed terrace.

The smell of oil and fried eggs hit Katy as she stepped into the narrow kitchen. Mugs and glasses littered the draining board. Katy plucked out a crisp packet that had been shoved into one of the mugs and dropped it in the bin under the sink, but not before splats of dark tea fell to the floor. She yanked open the dishwasher and glanced inside. It was exactly how she’d left it - empty and ready to be filled. So why had Adam not used it? How much extra effort was it to put things in the dishwasher instead of on the side? Her eyes roamed the kitchen she’d spent most of the morning cleaning. Oil glistened in a frying pan on the hob. Two discarded egg shells and an open bottle of sunflower oil sat beside it.

A raging heat rocketed through Katy. Her hand snatched at a mug, squeezing the handle in her fist, she drew it towards her. White spots blurred her vision as the urge to throw the mug snaked across her shoulders.

Katy gasped, releasing her hold on the mug and taking an unsteady step back. The mug toppled onto its side, sending two trickles of dark liquid running down one of the cupboards and pooling on the floor. She pulled in a lungful of air and tried to calm the thundering of her heart. A noise escaped her throat - an almost laugh. She ran her fingers across the sore area of skin on the back of her neck. She’d caught the sun, that was all. A cool shower and she’d feel calm and in control, she’d feel herself again, Katy thought, grabbing a dish cloth and mopping up the spill.

A moment later she stepped into the hallway and leant against the doorframe of the living room. A breeze from the open window brushed against Katy’s face. Her eyes fell to the sofa and Adam’s body sprawled over it. His long bare legs were stretched across the glass coffee table, and his t-shirt had ridden up, showing an inch of fleshy stomach.

She sighed as the frustration inside of her eased. Maybe he planned to tidy the kitchen after the football, that was okay, wasn’t it? Besides, it was a two minute job she could do whilst the dinner cooked, she thought, feeling more like herself again.

She followed Adam’s gaze to the flat screen television on the opposite side of the room. Two football commentators barked a stream of nonsense as tiny blue and red figures chased a ball across the pitch.
Her stomach growled again, the noise echoing through her.

‘What do you fancy for dinner?’ she asked.

Adam’s gaze remained fixed on the screen, his face a blank mask. Had he not heard her?

‘Adam,’ she said, stepping to the sofa. ‘What do you want for dinner?’ Anger welled inside her, adding a sharpness to her voice that she didn’t recognise.

His forehead furrowed, ‘Bloody ref,’ he said.

Katy’s heart pounded in her chest. White blotches danced across her eyes. Her hand reached around the hard plastic of the remote control, but instead of pressing mute or off as she’d intended, her grip tightened. Every muscle in her body tensed as she lifted the remote above her head and brought it down again, as if she was trying to hit an annoying fly buzzing around her head.

A thwack noise rang out into the room as the controller connected with Adam’s cheek bone. ‘What,’ she said, lifting the remote up and bringing it back down with another smack. ‘Do,’ she repeated the action as his body twisted away from her, his hands shielding part of his face, but leaving his cheek exposed. 'You,' thwack, 'want,’ thwack, ‘for,’ thwack, ‘dinner?,’ thwack.

Her heartbeat raged in her ears as a dizziness took hold of her body. The white blotches drifted away. Over the noise in her own head she heard his answer. ‘Pizza,' he yelped. 'I want pizza.’

A movement from outside the window caught Katy‘s attention, the change in focus plunged her thoughts into darkness.

***

The distant sound of a siren jolted Katy back to reality. Her hand throbbed from the effort of gripping the remote, still in her hand.

What had she done?

Her eyes roamed the garden, lingering on the delicate pink petals of the climbing roses, and the bushy leaves of the magnolia tree. She had a hazy recollection of fleeing the living room and darting back through the kitchen. If she closed her eyes she could block out the noise of her neighbours and listen to the rustle of the wispy bamboo branches swaying behind her. But there was one noise she couldn’t block out - the siren. It was getting louder, the piercing scream of it sliced through her thoughts and stabbed at the headache already throbbing in her temples. A moment later the siren stopped. Katy drew in a long breath and closed her eyes again, allowing a calm to wash over her.

Then a shadow blocked the sun from her face.

‘Miss?’
Katy’s eyes shot open. She bolted upright in the chair sending the remote control flying through the air and landing with a soft thud beside the black shiny boots of the police officer.

He crouched down and picked it up, turning it over in his hands before raising his eyebrows. The sides of his mouth twitched. Was he laughing at her?

‘Miss, my name is PC Donavan. I need to ask you some questions regarding an incident that has been reported to us by one of your neighbours.

What had she done?

To find out what happens next to Katy, pick up a copy of How To Throw Your Life Away here:

Amazon - http://amzn.to/1RBB5Kn
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1RfPnEQ
iBooks - http://apple.co/1q1Kg0Q

I have just read this as I put it onto this blog post, and I'm already eager to find out what happens next. I love this scene Laurie, and thank you so much for allowing me to host it. My review of the book will be up later today.

About Laurie Ellingham

Laurie lives in the Dedham Vales, on the Suffolk/Essex borders, with her husband, two children, and their Cockerpoo, Rodney. She has been writing novels and working as a freelance healthcare writer for nine years, and loves nothing more than disappearing into the world of her characters, preferably with a coffee and a Twix (or two) to hand. Before becoming a writer, Laurie worked in public relations and has a first class degree in psychology.

Laurie' debut novel, The Reluctant Celebrity, was self-published in 2014 before being offered a publishing contract with an independent London publishing house. It was released in May 2015. 

When Laurie is not writing, she takes part in local book events, and volunteers weekly at the village primary school, helping children to improve their reading skills.

FB Laurie Ellingham Author

Twitter: @LaurieEllingham 

Website: www.laurie-ellingham.com 

Please do follow along with this blog tour, as if this teaser is anything to by, then I think the full book could definitely be entertaining.