Books of the Year 2014

My favourite books 2014

Into the „draw“ for my ultimate FAVES came all my Books of the Month of 2014:

January:

·      Connectivity by Aven Ellis

·      Beyond Grace’s Rainbow by Carmel Harrington

February:

·      The Dead Wife’s Handbook by Hannah Beckerman

·      The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson by Paige Toon

·      The Guestbook by Holly Martin

March:

·      See Jane Fall by Katy Regnery

·      Waiting For Prince Harry by Aven Ellis

April:

·      Closing In by Sue Fortin

·      If You Only Knew by Zanna Mackenzie

·      Love Me For Me by Jenny Hale

May:

·      Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon

·      You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher

·      Me Without You by Kelly Rimmer

June:

·      One Hundred Proposals by Holly Martin

July:

·      Written in the Stars by Ali Harris

·      The Vineyard by Karen Aldous

August:

·      What A Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk

·      Two Weddings and a Baby by Scarlett Bailey

·      Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista by Aven Ellis

September:

·      What Were You Expecting? by Katy Regnery

October: 

·      Beneath the Moon and the Stars by Amelia Thorne

·      One Hundred Christmas Proposals by Holly Martin

November:

·      A Christmas To Remember by Jenny Hale

·      I’ll Take New York by Miranda Dickenson

·      The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown

December:

·      Skating at Somerset House by Nikki Moore

·      The Christmas Bucket List by Ella Fairlie

·      Surviving The Rachel by Aven Ellis

After looking at the list again I nominate another book, because I loved it so much. In June I fell in love with Holly Martin’s One Hundred Proposals and that book didn’t have a chance against that book, but it deserves to be here, because it’s AMAZING – The Vixen and the Vet  by Katy Regnery.

·      Connectivity by Aven Ellis

·      Waiting For Prince Harry by Aven Ellis

·      Surviving the Rachel by Aven Ellis

·      One Hundred Proposals by Holly Martin

·      Beneath the Moon and the Stars by Amelia Thorne

·      Beyond Grace’s Rainbow by Carmel Harrington

·      Love Me For Me by Jenny Hale

·      A Christmas to Remember by Jenny Hale

·      The Vineyard by Karen Aldous

·      The Dead Wife’s Handbook by Hannah Beckerman

·      The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery

·      The Christmas Bucket List by Ella Fairlie

·      The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown

·      See Jane Fall by Katy Regnery

·      What A Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk

·       I’ll Take New York by Miranda Dickinson

Connectivity by Aven Ellis

Connecitvity is the first book by Aven Ellis I’ve read and I fell in love with everything about it: the main characters Mary-Kate, who had such a bubbly personality, then of course Mister William Cumberland, one of my fave book boyfriends. But most importantly, I fell in love with Aven’s writing style. She writes from the heart, includes so many feelings and emotions and she makes a story seem real and vivid. The scenes are very authentic and cute. There is a real connection between Mary-Kate and William and I loved following their story!!!

Waiting For Prince Harry by Aven Ellis

And here is another Aven Ellis beauty; it’s about Kylie who falls in love with hockey star Harrison Flynn. I love hockey, so I really enjoyed this book, especially the hockey related scenes, but also all these amazing moments between Harrison and Kylie. This novel shows that you can do anything in life when you found your “Prince Harry” to share it with. Believe in your dreams and make them happen. Every single scene was special and unique and to say it in Harrison’s words: IT’S WICKED!!!

Surviving the Rachel by Aven Ellis

Yet another Aven Ellis beauty and this one just has so much spark. The main character Bree struggles to get a job in the beginning, I totally know how that feels and it made it easy for me to relate to her. Thank god she meets Jack, for several reasons. They are the perfect match in my eyes and he’s amazing – attentive, smart, sweet, passionate… The story is unique and full of special moments and glimmering scenes. I was taken into the story immediately; the brilliant writing makes it easy to dive into this world. It comes from the heart and is full of authentic emotions.

One Hundred Proposals by Holly Martin

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!! Getting 100 proposals from the love of your life, how would you react?! I loved Harry’s and Suzie’s story so much, because the had so much chemistry and the scenes were amazingly described and I felt like being there with the characters. This book is full of love, friendship, small and big gestures, feelings and real emotions. Holly created a MASTERPIECE here; I couldn’t put this book down.

Beneath the Moon and the Stars by Amelia Thorne

This book is pure perfection!!! Written with so much heart and authentic emotion. I felt like being part of this story. I didn’t want to leave Joy’s and Finn’s world anymore. A couple with so much chemistry and love. Amelia’s writing is brilliant, this book is a MUST read!!! This story is a real emotional masterpiece!!! Full of heart, genuine feelings, a brilliantly written storyline, authentic characters, detail and rich descriptions. The ending and the epilogue were just so adorable.

Beyond Grace’s Rainbow by Carmel Harrington

This is such a brilliant and wonderful read. Carmel Harrington is an amazing writer with a beautiful style and great talent. This book touches the delicate and difficult topic of cancer. The characters are all so well described.

This book is emotional, gripping, charming, touching, funny, sad, and poignant... This book made me laugh at one time and cry soon after.

Love Me For Me by Jenny Hale

Love Me for me is the perfect and sweet story of a woman finding her way in life in such a emotional and wonderful way. This story is a wonderful, emotional roller coaster for Libby and Pete and Jenny found a great way to include us readers in it. I felt like being there and the scenes were so real and vivid.

A Christmas To Remember by Jenny Hale

It’s magical, romantic, adorable, festive – just perfect for Christmas!!! There are so many beautiful moments in this book, the storyline is amazing and the characters were great. A vivid and authentic book written by a very talented author!!! I loved what Adam and Carrie had in this story, a love story with so many additional, sweet and unique aspects, described in a brilliant way!

The Vineyard by Karen Aldous

A magical book about love, friendship and family. So touching, sweet, sensitive, romantic, sparkly… The landscape and the surroundings are absolutely gorgeous (like the cover) and Karen found the perfect, vivid and real way to describe the settings and of course also the story and the characters. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS STORY!!!

The Dead Wife’s Handbook by Hannah Beckerman

This debut novel is BRILLIANT! Hannah’s writing is touching, real, gripping, unputdownable… It makes you think about life from a different angle and we get an insight on how to deal with death and how different everyone is dealing with it. The characters were so real and the scenes so vivid, I loved and adored this other world and I didn't want to leave it, I couldn't put this wonderful book down. I was crying one minute and then smiling again, a real roller-coaster trough various emotions.

The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery

WIth this book Katy showed that she my QUEEN OF ROMANCE in an incredible way. This story is wonderful, telling the love of a great couple. The writing takes you INTO the book immediately; it’s so emotional, powerful, sweet and romantic!!!! Oh and did I mention very sexy and passionate?! ;)

The Christmas Bucket List by Ella Fairlie

One of THE BEST short stories I’ve ever read! It has everything – romance, festive charm, a beautiful storyline, great characters, a unique voice, magical scenes and moments and the writing is BRILLIANT!!! Thank you Ella for writing such an authentic, genuine, sweet, magical and glowing story. A new star in the author world was definitely born, you’re brilliant!!!

The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown

I love Alexandra Brown’s writing, t’s brilliant. It’s so detailed, vivid and sparkly. I felt like being there with the characters in this beautiful, festive and romantic place!! THIS BOOK IS A MAGICAL MASTERPIECE!!! It’s full of emotions, warm feelings and Christmassy spark. The perfect book to snuggle up to surrounded by Christmas lights and mulled vine.

See Jane Fall by Katy Regnery

Katy’s writing is brilliant! She made it so easy for me to dive into the story and imagine all these beautiful scenes and the landscape as well.

Both characters get their chance to narrate and tell us their story and give us an insight to their feelings and emotions. This novel is passionate, touching, vivid, glowing, fascinating and much more. I can’t tell you enough how much I loved it!!!

What A Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk

This book is just absolutely FABULOUS!!!! I couldn’t put it down and it has put a smile on my face all the time. Awesome characters, great storyline, very entertaining, funny, vivid, bubbly and of course full of drama. Just what a chick-lit novel needs to be!

I’ll Take New York by Miranda Dickinson

The scenes in this story were all so authentic and I felt like being part of it. Miranda’s writing is brilliant, so magical and sparkly. I loved every second of this book and I think this is my new favourite out of her books. I fell in love with the story, the characters, New York and also with the writing! This book is a masterpiece!

Books I am looking forward to in 2014

This year is almost over and I had such a great time reading lovely books. Reviews for those are still scheduled ;).

Now here are a few books I am very excited about in 2014. 

• The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferon by Paige Toon out on the 30iest of January

I've read all the Paige Toon books this year and I fell in love with them. Her writing is so gripping and beautiful. After having read Johnny's Girl I got even more excited about her first YA book coming out and I can't wait to read about Johnny and Meg again, my favorite couple. Read the blurb of the book here:

The first YA fiction novel, from the bestselling adult author Paige Toon.

Meet Jessie, the daughter of Johnny Jefferson, as featured in Johnny Be Good and Baby Be Mine…

My fifteenth birthday was the worst day of my life, and it's inconceivable to think that any single day in my future will ever be as bad. My mum was killed in a freak accident on her way to pick up my cake. Even when there was still no sign of her after two hours later, and my friends started to arrive at our house, it never occurred to me that she wouldn't be coming back.

That was six months ago. My mum died without telling me who my real dad was. And for a while I hated her for it. I thought she's taken the secret of my father's identity with her forever. But she didn't. Holy hell, she didn't. Because three weeks ago I found out the truth. And I'm still reeling from the shock of it. My dad is none other than Johnny Jefferson, mega famous rock star and one-time serial womaniser. And now I'm on my way to LA to meet him and his family.

My tiny little world has just got a whole lot bigger…

• Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon out on the 8th of May

And another Paige Toon book coming out in 2014, this is awesome. The description sounds great and I can't wait to read about Bronte and her adventours. Here is wait Paige has to say about it: 

"My next chick-lit book is about a wedding photographer who falls in love with a groom. The star is Bronte, who you first heard about in Pictures of Lily (she was the editorial assistant Lily covered for when she worked at Marbles magazine in Sydney). So expect plenty of Ben and Lily updates!"

• It Felt Like a Kiss by Sarra Manning out on the 30iest of January 

This is the first Sarra Manning book that caught my eyes. The cover is amazing. I read the blurb and knew I had to read it next year. See for yourselves: 

Ellie manages a swank Mayfair gallery, but it’s her life that’s a real work of art. Great job, really good hair, loyal friends, loving family. It’s only her succession of lame duck boyfriends that ruin the picture.

Oh, and the world-famous rock-star father she’s never met, who won’t even acknowledge her existence.

Then Ellie’s perfect life is smashed to pieces when her secret is sold to the highest bidder and her name, face (and pictures of her bottom) are splashed across the tabloids. Suddenly everyone thinks she’s a gold-digging, sex-crazy, famewhore.

Enter David Gold. Charming and handsome David Gold. On paper he’s even more perfect than Ellie, if only he wasn’t her father’s ruthlessly ambitious lawyer whose job is to manage the crisis – and her. He certainly doesn’t think that Ellie’s the innocent party and she doesn’t trust him at all. So why is it that every time they’re alone together, damage limitation is the last thing on their minds?

• A Place to Call Home by Carole Matthews out on the 9th of January

Carole Matthews is a brilliant writer, I enjoyed every single one of her books this year, especially Calling Mrs Christmas. And this next one sounds wonderful too:

In the dead of night, Ayesha takes her daughter, Sabina, and slips quietly from her home, leaving behind a life of full of pain. Boarding a coach to London, all Ayesha wants is a fresh start.

Hayden, a former popstar, has kept himself hidden away for years. He's only opened up his home to two people - Crystal, a professional dancer with a heart of gold, and Joy, an ill-tempered retiree with a soft spot for waifs and strays.

When Crystal asks Hayden if Ayesha and Sabina can stay with them, he reluctantly agrees and, as different as they may be, they quickly form an unlikely bond. So when enemies threaten their peaceful home, they will do all they can to save it and each other.

Uplifting and emotional, this is a novel of new beginnings, of discovering love and of finding A Place to Call Home.

• The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes out on the 27th of January

Reading Me Before You made me fall in love with Jojo's writing. Can't wait to read this. Here is the blurb:

One single mum

With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it's hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn't. Because you have to . . .

One chaotic family

Jess's gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she'll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess's teenage stepson, can't fight the bullies alone.

Sometimes Jess feels like they're sinking . . .

One handsome stranger

Into their lives comes Ed Nicholls, a man whose life is in chaos, and who is running from a deeply uncertain future. But he has time on his hands. He knows what it's like to be lonely. And he wants to help . . .

One unexpected love story

The One Plus One is a captivating and unconventional romance from Jojo Moyes about two lost souls meeting in the most unlikely circumstances.

• You’re the One that I Want by Giovanna Fletcher out on the 22nd of May

Giovanna wrote a beautiful debut novel with Billy and Me, I loved it. I am curious what comes next. read about her next book here:  

A new novel from the author of Billy and Me about love and the unbreakable bonds of friendship.

 
Maddy, Ben and Rob have been inseparable since they met in the school playground at nine years old. They've always been a threesome and it seems nothing could get in the way of their friendship.


But what Maddy doesn't know is that Ben has always been in love with her. And what Ben doesn't know is that Rob and Maddy have begun to fall in love with each other . . .

As their friendship irrevocably changes Ben keeps his broken heart a secret for the sake of his two friends. But when Rob and Maddy's love turns sour, can Ben continue to say nothing? And will Maddy have to choose between the two best men she knows?

• Written in the Stars by Ali Harris out on the 5th of June

I loved The First Last Kiss, such an emotional, moving and heart breaking story. Ali is a talented writer, excited to read more.

Bea Bishop is horrible at making decisions. Forget big life ones, even everyday choices seem to paralyse her. She's learned to live with this because experience has taught her that it doesn't matter what you do, no one has the power to control destiny. Anyone who believes they can is a fool.

But as her wedding day approaches, her years of indecision are weighing heavily on her, and she can't help but wonder, 'What if, what if, what if….'

What if she hadn't upped sticks and moved to London? What if she hadn't grabbed the first job that came along and settled down with the first guy who showed an interest? But all of her questions are silenced when she slips while walking down the aisle and is knocked unconscious. In this split second her life splits into two: in one existence, Bea flees back down the aisle and out of the church. In the other she glides blissfully towards her intended.

But which story will lead to her happily ever after?

• Suddenly Last Summer by Sarah Morgan out on the 24th of June

One of my favorite books this year was Sleigh Bells in the Snow, I fell in love with the story, the characters and especially Sarah's writing. The scenes and landscapes became real and I liked the romantic scenes as well. When I heard there will be more about the O'Neil brothers I got really excited. Can't wait to read this one!!!

Bestselling author Sarah Morgan delivers another irresistible hero in her O'Neil Brothers series who's more tempting than dessert and twice as sinful!

Fiery French chef Élise Philippe is having a seriously bad day. Not only have the opening day plans for her beloved café fallen apart, but Sean O'Neil is back in town, and looking more delectable than ever. Last summer, they shared an electrifying night together…and the memories have Élise really struggling to stick to her one-night-only rule! Her head knows that eventually Sean will be leaving, so all she can do is try to ignore her heart before she spontaneously combusts with lust.

Being back in Vermont—even temporarily—is surgeon Sean O'Neil's worst nightmare. For Sean, returning home to the Snow Crystal Resort means being forced to confront the reasons and the guilt he feels about rejecting his family's rural lifestyle years ago. But discovering that Élise has settled in Vermont and still sets his blood racing is a very welcome distraction! Thinking he can persuade her into a replay of last summer is tempting, but remembering how good they are together is going to make walking away more difficult than he could imagine…

• Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan out in November 2014

And this will be the third book about the O'Neil brothers. Yay!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

• Scarlett Bailey with Poldore #2 in Summer 2014

That's not the really title, don't worry. Scarlett tweeted that she is writing this story ;) I loved Just for Christmas so much and I can't wait to read more about Poldore and it's inhabitants.

I am also very excited for more books by Melissa Hill, Lindsey Kelk, Milly Johnson and Miranda Dickinson.

So that was it for today, hope you all liked it.