Today I have a review of a perfect read for this time of year Ours Is The Winter and there is also a wonderful giveaway before we get to that though here is what the book is about.
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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.
Amazon | Goodreads
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Ours Is The Winter has been a very enlightening book, I never knew how much work it took for sledding and I really enjoyed reading about everything they had to do on their challenge. There has obviously been a lot of research that went into this book because everything was so detailed and it was a pleasure to read. Also, any dog lovers out there will love reading about the Huskies, I certainly did, I especially loved all their names.
The setting was perfect for this kind of story, where better to face up to your problems and find clarity than in the harsh climate of the Arctic. It was also beautifully described, whilst I am not one for the cold at all and would probably have given up before even leaving the first camp, it did make me crave spending some time in the snow.
We get to hear from three characters Noah, Molly, and Erica as they take part in a seven day sledding challenge. It’s great to get the story from the three points of view it really helps to build the pace and also adds to the mystery surrounding what’s happening in each of their lives.
It is quite an intricate story and the characters backgrounds were thought out brilliantly, I won’t say too much about it but I like that it was drip fed to us, leaving you the chance to let your mind come up with the possibilities. I must admit there were a few things that I was able to see coming, however, some of the bigger things I hadn’t guessed so they did take me by surprise.
There was one thing I wasn’t sure about, again I don’t want to say too much and spoil it for those who do want to read because this is only my take but there are some relationships in the book that I just couldn’t get behind. This challenge is a serious commitment and something you would to put serious thought into with regards to who you were going with. Also, there was something built on a premise I wasn’t keen on, it’s hard to say without sounding vague but it just didn’t gel for me.
Despite that, I really enjoyed getting to read this adventurous story and I will definitely be looking out for other books from Laurie Ellingham.
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Giveaway time…this one is open internationally you lucky things, you could win…
a signed copy of Laurie’s previous book, One Endless Summer
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everywhere-and-nowhere.com 