Cover Image: One Winter's Day

One Winter's Day

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Tessa, Ama and Natalie have set up a wedding planners business called Wedding Belles, it is a dream come true for them, Tessa has always wanted her own business, Ama is a brilliant baker and Natalie a dress designer so they have pretty much everything covered...... but will everything go to plan or will they have all sorts of obstacles thrown in the way!

A good lighthearted read not only about the business but also the love lives of the the girls..... will they meet the Mr Rights that their business is about?

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Laura Briggs' One Winter's Day is a feel-good winter romance that is sure to warm your heart on a cold night.
As baker Ama, makes a wedding cake for a winter wedding, she realizes that she yearns for love and it may be in the form of a handsome, motorcycle-riding bad boy, who embodies her parents' worst nightmare. Can she prove them wrong and follow her heart?

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Wondefully captivating and emotive, this was the perfect read for a winters day in, or the lead up to the Christmas season! Gorgeously written to captivate and interest from start to finish, this was a wonderful change of pace from a few weeks of Thrillers! And certainly I have found an Author I will be eager to read again.

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Tessa, Ama and Natalie have set up a wedding planners business called Wedding Belles, it is a dream come true for them, Tessa has always wanted her own business, Ama is a brilliant baker and Natalie a dress designer so they have pretty much everything covered...... but will everything go to plan or will they have all sorts of obstacles thrown in the way!

A good lighthearted read not only about the business but also the love lives of the the girls..... will they meet the Mr Rights that their business is about?

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A Perfect Christmas romance to snuggle down with on a cold winters day.
Tender, romantic, heart warming pure escapism. Loved it.

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A fun, romantic read! The characters and story line just pull you in and make for a very satisfying read. Most definitely recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.

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Whew. This book was tough to get through. There was so much going on with all of the characters and not very many of them were likable, so it was tough to cheer for them. But in the end, all the cheering is worthless because nothing is resolved. So many lose ends, which even if this is a series and some of those will be tied up in later novels, the book was still left wanting. It ended with me being frustrated and not really being willing to read another novel by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

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I was a little confused in that the book jacket seemed to center around one character when in actuality there were several that I was more interested in. . I now know this was the second in a series so that explains a little bit about why the story jumped around. Was it to be about the Wedding Belles, or the individuals comprising the group. Why was Blake a silent partner? Reading this story felt similar to getting together with good friends to catch up , but leaving the room momentarily to
Replenish a drink and then try to catch up in the conversation upon returning. It always felt there were questions unanswered or parts I missed. I enjoyed the story and want more about the actual event planning business and each of the friends contributions and back stories. I think I will go back and read the first book of the series and feel the ending leaves room for another. When I got to the end of the book I really thought my ‘netgalley’ manuscript was missing pages. I backed up in the story, and tried to determine if I was missing a chapter or 2. I was left wanting better resolution. Maybe in the sequel!

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A contemporary romance that is obviously a set up for two more books. There was a lot of back and forth setting up all three women and their romantic stories. The reader doesn't really know which one the book is actually about until part way through. The stories are interesting enough to make the reader want the other girls' stories.

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This is a delightful sweet and clean Christmas romance. The wedding shop was the perfect backdrop for all the storylines in the book. Each of the romances in the book were fun, and the “disasters” that led up to the wedding itself kept my attention all the way through to the end. I liked this book so well that I’ve already checked with a retailer to buy more of her books. I’m hoping there is a sequel to this one, as I want to see how these romances turn out.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

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Sweet and romantic. I loved this sweet story about a baker. Lots of delicious treats!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

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Lovely festive Christmas read. Perfect for over the long winter nights. Magical storyline. Great characters that pull it all together

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Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

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Now, first of all: this description does the book a huge disservice. Because, you know, this story is actually about 3 friends. And how they have set up a wedding planning-company. And how each of them, in their own way, come across love – to some extent.
Second of all: this book is about a wedding, but not really; and it’s about Christmas, but not really. After Tessa, Ama, and Nathalie’s wedding planning business seems to have hit a stretch of bad luck, they finally get a new customer. Only, the bad luck seems to continue – and even influences the pair that is to be wedded.
Throughout all this, Laura Briggs offers you glimpses into the lives of each of the three women. Their home life probably couldn’t be more different – from their cultural background, to their families, studies and jobs. However, they all find themselves doing all they can to guarantee that “their bride” gets the wedding she deserves.
This is definitely a slow book, that takes it time to let in all the characters, their back stories, the way they have developed. What’s more, while this book is very much so romance-based, it goes much wider than just that. As I already mentioned, the characters really are vastly different, and the author manages to showcase that in to the tiniest details.
If you want to fully emerge yourself into the lives of three wedding planners, if you want to fall in love with them as they fall in love themselves? And of course: if you want to witness the ultimate winter wonderland fairytale wedding they are planning? Then I honestly could not recommend a book more perfect for holiday reading than this one!

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The second book in this series. Although I did enjoy it and liked the characters, I just didn't feel that there was a proper ending to the book, just story lines left in limbo ready for the next book.

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My first read by this author so i didnt know what to expect. Also, i wasnt aware this is a second book in the series so i was a little annoyed to know i havent read the first so that will go on my TBR list soon.... Saying that, you dont need to have read the first book to understand the concept of the story.
Its about three ladies but centralises around one of them Ama, the baker. There is also Bridezilla and many romantic episodes in this story,Love will prevail out of all of these ooks so we know what to expect. It was a light happy read and thank you to netgalley for this.

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So not knowing I ended up getting book two in the series of Wedding Bells. Which has Tess, Ama, and Natalie. Looking at the cover you would think that this would be some type of romance book, but I once again missed that part. There was a wedding and Ama goes through the motions on the dates her father set up for her until she told them no! Natalie is with a guy who does not really see her and even after he hears that the other day was her birthday he says nothing. The only person to say or do anything for her is the one guy she does want because he is from the neighborhood yet gave her a chocolate cake, a card, yet she basically told him to kick rocks I want nothing to do with you. The other guy takes her rock climbing, and eating food that she doesn’t like but she does it any way. She hasn’t heard he is leaving for South America so they are not going to be together anyway. Tess can’t decide if she is jealous or not of the women who works with Blake who Tess likes but doesn’t say anything because of being hurt in the past. Then the wedding with the two mothers fighting because of what the bride wants, this is where Tess shines and is able to pull it together. The rest of the book the author does a good job with big meddling families and how at Christmas it is just crazy. You see the reason why Natalie is with her boyfriend, and Ama finally goes to the guy in the leather jacket and motorcycle. Tess on the other hand is thinking something totally different about Blake, so once again no romance just a story book. The guy on the cover of the book got more action than any guys between the pages. The characters are good.

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“One Winter’s Day” by Laura Briggs tells the stories of three friends who own a wedding planning business, Wedding Belles. This is the second book in a series however I did not read the first book and do not think you need to to fully understand this story. With that said, I do plan on getting the first book to read now that I’m finished with this one.

Tessa, Ama, and Natalie are partners in a wedding planning business with a fourth “silent” partner, Blake. They are new to this industry, but each has their strengths to keep their business afloat. They take on new clients, Nadia and Lyle, and only have a short amount of time to get the wedding planned. It seems that the Wedding Belles are jinxed though as things just keep going wrong. and the bride and groom’s over-involved mothers aren’t making anything easier for the Belles.

While the ladies stress about getting things right for the couple they are also dealing with their own love lives. Will the girls find happiness in their personal lives while finding success in their business? You’ll need to read this cute, romantic novel to find out!

I had a hard time with my rating of this book. If 3.5 stars were an option that would have been my rating, but I had to go with 3 stars. I think the author does a great job with her descriptions and attention to details especially when it comes to wedding details like the dress and the cake. However, “One Winter’s Day” was a little long for a romance in my opinion. I also had a hard time figuring out what day/month it was. One day it was Thanksgiving and then it was the wedding, but I think having a better idea of the timeline would make this book a little easier to read. With that said I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see what happens with the Belles and their love lives.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This is the first time I have read a book by Laura Briggs so was excited to read this book. The cover drew me in and the book did not disappoint.

The story begins with 3 friends Tessa, Ama and Natalie who all have their own dreams and aspirations. Tessa has always dreamed of her own business, Ama who is a cake baker extraordinaire and Natalie who is a dress designer. Teaming together the 3 friends work together to set up a one stop wedding shop.

This book is a perfect chick lit, it is light hearted and easy to read. The story has all the usual chick lit ingredients , friendship, weddings and romance.

I can’t wait for the next instalment.

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From the first paragraph, One Winter's Day had my mouth watering with thoughts of delicious, winter spiced baking. This is the story of Ama, Tessa and Natalie who run a wedding planning company called Wedding Belles in a town called Bellegrove in the southern part of the States. Ama creates those wonderful cakes which made my mouth water, Natalie designs beautiful wedding gowns and Tessa organises everything else, such as the venue, the flowers, the entertainment.

In One Winter's Day, the women are working on a winter themed wedding and being seriously challenged not by a demanding Bridezilla but by her mum and future mother in law who both have very different ideas about what makes a perfect wedding! As the big day gets closer, it seems that everything which can go wrong does go wrong and it was hard not to feel for the women who were working so hard to give the bride and groom a memorable day.

As well as following his wedding preparations, we also follow the developments in each of the women's love lives. Ama's family are very traditional and keen for her to use a matchmaking site to find a nice Indian boy. She is not keen on this idea especially after meeting handsome biker Luke. Tessa has a crush on Blake, a jack of all trades who has been working on the building where the business is based. It seems that he may be rather taken with beautiful interior designer Mac though. And finally there is Natalie whose large Italian family is keen to see her settled and are delighted when she meets Chad, an adventurer who loves to travel. I enjoyed reading about the ups and downs of these romances and with none of them completely resolved, it looks like we might be getting to follow the story of the Wedding Belles in another book.

One Winter's Day is an easy to read and enjoyable feel-good story. It's just right to read by the fire on a chilly night.

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