Do you believe in love at first sight? Laurie spots the perfect man waiting at the bus stop. She spends the next year searching for him with no luck. Then her best friend Sarah brings home her new boyfriend Jack and is the bus boy! Part of her is thrilled to find him at last while the rest of her is devastated as she can’t bear to reveal the truth to her bestie. Can she put her feelings for Jack aside or will love at first sight really triumph…?
One Day In December is a love story set in London that spans years.
Laurie is sat on board a bus when she sees a man at the bus stop outside. The pair exchange a look but the moment is too fleeting to act. This is a life defining moment for both of them although we only see Laurie’s desperate attempts to find him. A year later and she is excited to finally meet her best friend’s new man but manages to hide her shock when he is revealed to be the man she has been longing for.
The book is written from the perspectives of Laurie and Jack. The narration of the audiobook was superb and really brought the characters to life, and the chatty intimately personal style of writing suits audio narration perfectly. It was wonderful to see both sides and the angst that both main characters are feeling. Neither of them want to betray Sarah so they are both battling against their secret desires.
One Day In December is an enjoyable romance and I liked the tense emotions.
Book blurb:
Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away.
Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.
Phew, we made it to the Christmas holidays! It was a busy week and I enjoyed a (vegan, gluten free) Christmas dinner with my fellow exam invigilators and a friend’s 60th birthday night out (a candlelight concert at Reading Minster).
Of course the holidays didn’t start smoothly with Zach having an allergic reaction minutes before I collected him. Cue a frantic rush to get him treated and dosed up with antihistamines. We couldn’t identify the cause but I suspect that he had a reaction to the cold/virus that he is now poorly with…
Tog is desperate to join Santa’s elves. He makes fantastic toy lemurs for his family and friends but does he have what it takes to join Santa’s workshop…?
Diary of a Christmas Elf is a wonderfully festive children’s book.
Tog discovers that dreams and reality are often very different. His dream job working for Santa doesn’t go to plan and he finds himself in trouble. Christmas is also in danger so Tog needs to prove his own innocence and find some self belief while uncovering a mystery at the heart of Santa’s workshop.
I loved the diary and narrative style which worked well as an audiobook. The narration by Ben Miller is perfect. The tone is lighthearted and warm while conveying a festive mystery. I liked the characters and the insight into Tog’s experiences through the diary format.
Overall I was disappointed that the book is so short the audiobook is just an hour and a half but I loved the plot and characters so much I wanted more! However, I am not the target audience and this would probably match children’s attention span. The ending was a little abrupt but there are sequels which I intend to read in time for next Christmas.
Book blurb:
Discover the joy of gift giving and meet Santa himself in the perfect stocking filler from the million-copy selling actor, author and comedian, Ben Miller.
All Tog wants to do is work in Santa’s workshop and one wonderful day, the letter from Santa arrives: Tog has been selected as an apprentice elf! Making toys is a lot more technical and a lot less fun than Tog had imagined, and even though his new friend Holly tries to help him, he’s quickly relegated to cleaning out the reindeer stables. But someone has been stealing the presents from the workshop and a case of mistaken identity finds Tog accused of being the culprit! Can Tog use his special Christmas magic to discover the real thief and save all the presents before Christmas Eve is over?
A flood cause two bodies to be washed down from the caves. Cole and Abby died twelve years ago and were assumed to have run away together. The original investigation was lacklustre at best and Sheriff Jenna Alton is determined to find the killer as her predecessor should have done…
Tears On Her Grave is the 24th book in the Kane and Alton series of serial killer thrillers set in America. It would work as a stand alone novel but there have been plenty of personal and professional developments for the law enforcement team over this extensive series.
The book begins on Halloween 12 years ago with a group of young adults going to a party. Cole and Abby sneak off and come to a violent end courtesy of an axe. Now the terrible weather causes their mummified bodies to be washed out of their sandy grave in the caves. Jenna is appalled by the lack of investigation by the previous sheriff who supposed the pair had run away.
Most of the college friends are still in town so Jenna makes it her mission to uncover the truth. But the killer is also still around and determined to silence the weakest links in the group to preserve their heinous secret. There are some chapters that show the killer and victim perspectives and this increase the tension and mystery.
The majority of the book focuses on the law enforcement team, led by Jenna and Dave. The investigation is constrained a little by Jenna’s pregnancy and Dave’s over protectiveness but these do not stand in the way of getting to the truth. Some of the forensic and attack details are quite graphic and vividly described but this served to emphasise the danger.
Tears On Her Grave is a tense thriller in a prolific and confident series.
Stepping into the dark cave just a short distance from the safety of her college friends, the blonde-haired girl immediately senses danger. A tall figure steps out of the shadows, and she knows there’s no time to run…
When a heavy storm hits Black Rock Falls, it brings a trail of destruction. Sheriff Jenna Alton is more than prepared, but she never expects to find college sweethearts Abby Jaye and Cole Peters floating among the wreckage in the river. Missing for twelve years following an end-of-school party, no clues were ever found and the couple’s devastated parents gave up hope that their beloved children would ever come home. Could the fraternity pin clutched tightly in Abby’s hand be the key to finding out what really happened that night?
As Jenna and her deputy David Kane speak to the pair’s classmates, they’re struck by how startlingly similar their stories are. They all say that nothing suspicious happened that night—they describe the open fire, the cans of cheap beer and the way Abby and Cole seemed totally in love before they disappeared. Their accounts are word-for-word identical, Jenna suspects the friends are keeping a deadly secret, and she’s determined to find out what it is.
Days later, Marissa, who still lives in town with her husband and young children, is found dead at a remote farm miles from her cozy family home just hours after answering Jenna’s questions. Jenna’s pulse races as she realizes the killer could be one of the group, and so could their next victim…
As Jenna inspects the isolated barn, gun shots ring out nearby. Heart pounding, she receives a panicked phone call from the youngest member of her team. She races to the forest, praying that her friend is still alive. But with a deadly storm brewing overhead, and a twisted killer on the loose, will she make it in time to save another life from being taken?
If you love reading Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot, you will be hooked by this absolutely gripping crime thriller from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author D.K. Hood.
**Each Kane and Alton book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone***
Author Bio
D.K. Hood is THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY and AMAZON bestselling author of the Detective Kane and Alton Series. Her spine chilling, fast-paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex-special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K.’s imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title “Queen of Suspense” by her reviewers, D.K.’s writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.
Ahhhh, it’s that time of the year when I realise I miscounted and then go back and find the missing day/week. This year I went off timetable very early on, jumping straight from week 5 to 7, doh!
Christmas is looming and the kids are getting into the festive spirit. Zach had an outdoor carol concert (brrr, it was very cold) and Matthew made gingerbread. Anya and I have been planning colour schemes for next year’s decorations.
The main event this week was Dad’s 70th birthday (and Chris’ on the same day). We had a lovely day together and it was great to have something to celebrate.
