Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: catherine-t-wilson

  • SPOTLIGHT on CHATELAINE and Its Hall of Fame Authors – Romance Novels & Romantic Fiction in all its Forms!

    SPOTLIGHT on CHATELAINE and Its Hall of Fame Authors – Romance Novels & Romantic Fiction in all its Forms!

    Chanticleer Book Reviews is seeking today’s best books featuring romantic themes and adventures of the heart, historical love affairs, perhaps a little steamy romance, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

    Find out more about the stunning beauty that Dante Rossetti painted, Jane Morris, at the end of this blog post.

     

    Do you have a romance novel or manuscript ready for readers?

    Do you want to see how it stands up to others in its category?

    Then don’t delay! The CHATELAINE Book Awards division is accepting submissions from both recently published and complete manuscripts in romance and romantic fiction. But this year we’ve moved our deadline – to keep you on your toes!

    The new deadline for the Chatelaine Awards is AUGUST 31, 2020! 

    That’s right, the last day for submissions into the 2020 Chatelaine Book Awards is August 31, 2020. So, if you love Piña Coladas – and getting caught in the rain… I mean, if you like writing about those things, and other things having to do with matters of the heart, including these:

    The Chatelaine Awards Categories are:|
    Contemporary Romance
    Historical Romance
    Adventure & Suspense
    Romantic Steamy/Sensual (Not Erotic)
    Inspirational/Restorative

    Send them in today! What are you waiting for?

    Click here for more information and submission form! 

    Don’t Delay! Enter Today! 

    Insiders’ Tip: Other genre divisions of the Chanticleer International Book Awards have romance categories as well. Multiple submissions of the same work to a variety of  CIBA writing competitions divisions are accepted. Check out our divisions here. 

     

     

     

     

    Please join us in congratulating and reading these top works in this diverse range of all reads Chatelaine: Romance, Chick-Lit,  Women’s Fiction, Inspirational, Suspenseful, and, of course, Steamy and Sensual in the
    CHATELAINE HALL of FAME!

    Nicola Slade took home the Chatelaine Grand Prize Ribbon in 2018 for The House at Ladywell.

    Congratulations to the 2018 CHATELAINE Book Awards for Romantic Fiction  First in Category Winners!

     

    Leigh Grant’s MASK OF DREAMS  took home the Chatelaine Grand Prize Ribbon for 2017.

    The First Place Category Winners of the CIBA 2017 CHATELAINE Awards:

     

     

     

     

     

      M.A. Clarke Scott’s The ART of ENCHANTMENT took home the 2016 Chatelaine Grand Prize.

     

    The First Place Category Winners of the CIBA 2016 CHATELAINE Awards:

     

    Nicole Evelina’s DAUGHTER of DESTINY took both the Chatelaine Grand Prize and the OVERALL Grand Prize winner for 2015.


     

    The First Place Category Winners of the CIBA 2015 CHATELAINE Awards:

     

    Janet Shawgo’s FIND ME AGAIN won the 2014 Chatelaine Grand Prize.

    Find Me Again Janet Shawgo

    The First Place Category Winners of the CIBA 2014 CHATELAINE Awards:

    Kate Vale’s CHOICES was awarded the 2013 Chatelaine Grand Prize and took home the OVERALL Grand Prize for best book of the year!

     

    The First Place Category Winners of the CIBA 2013 CHATELAINE Awards:

    • Historical Romance: The Lily and the Lion by Catherine T. Wilson & Catherine A. Wilson
    • Southern Romance: Swamp Secret by Eleanor Tatum
    • Mystery: The Hourglass by Sharon Struth
    • Jane Austen Inspired: Pulse and Prejudice by Colette Saucier
    • Paranormal: Crimson Flames by Ashley Robertson
    • Christian Inspirational Romance: Chasing Charlie by C. M. Newman
    • Restorative: A Path through the Garden by Nancy LaPonzina
    • Classic Bodice Ripper: To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield by Bronwen Evans

     Who will win the CHATELAINE Book Awards Blue Ribbons for 2020?

    The judging rounds will commence in August! Submit your works today!

    The last day for submissions into the 2020 Chatelaine Book Awards is August 31, 2020. Winners will be announced at our CAC21 conference – scheduled for April

    Click here for more information and submission form! 

    Don’t Delay! Enter Today! 

    And remember our Insiders’ Tip: Other genre divisions of the Chanticleer International Book Awards have romance categories as well. Multiple submissions of the same work to a variety of  CIBA writing competitions divisions are accepted. Check it out here!

    A little information about the Chatelaine Book Awards icon:

    Romance Fiction Award

     

    We feel that Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite painting of Jane Morris (muse and wife of William Morris) in a Blue Silk Dress captures the many moods of the Chatelaine division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.  Jane Morris (nee Jane Burden—little is known about her childhood but that it was poor and deprived) was known for her keen intelligence. William Morris fell in love with her when she sat for him as a model. She was privately tutored to become a gentleman’s wife upon their engagement. It is said that she was the inspiration for George Bernard Shaw’s character Eliza Dolittle of My Fair Lady fame. The Blue Silk Dress was painted in 1868 by Rossetti and it currently resides in the Society for Antiquaries of London.  She was 29 when Rossetti painted it. Rossetti and Jane Morris became closely attached until his death in 1882. To read more about the fascinating Jane Morris, click on this Wikipedia page.

  • The TRAITOR’S NOOSE, Lions and Lilies, Book 4 by Catherine A. Wilson – Historical Fiction, Medieval, Romance

    The TRAITOR’S NOOSE, Lions and Lilies, Book 4 by Catherine A. Wilson – Historical Fiction, Medieval, Romance

    Chaucer Grand Prize Winner Badge for The TRAITOR'S NOOSE by Catherine A. WilsonFans of this widely admired and masterfully written series, Lions and Lilies, will not be disappointed with its concluding, volume, The Traitor’s Noose. The impressive scholarship, riveting dramatic scenes, and sweet romances that characterized the previous books are on full display here as well. The co-authors note, “…this is not a historic account but a ‘medieval adventure with a dash of romance, using history as its background. We have tried at all times to remain faithful and accurate to that history, but it is a fictional story.”  Nonetheless, the reader need only review the lengthy bibliography included to gain a sense of the breadth of work the authors undertook to put this magnificent story on the page.

    Set mainly in England and France during the 14th century, the main characters are Lady Cecile de Bellegarde, Catherine Marshall, and their husbands. Catherine and Cecile, twin sisters separated at birth, have forged a bond that no person or event can break. While they live in different nations, Catherine in England and Cecile in France, their lives have many parallels. They are both married to courageous but unjustly maligned knights. Simon Marshall and Gillet de Bellegarde love their wives deeply, seek to protect them at all costs, and avenge any harm or cruelty done to them. That does not mean that they will readily divulge their fears to their spouses or recount the horrifying episodes they have survived, however.

    Catherine is aware that Simon is under suspicion for murder, she knows her husband’s melancholy and reserve are caused by deeper worries. While Gillet experiences traumas on and off the battlefields from his involvement in the campaign to reclaim Brignais and rid France of routiers (mercenary soldiers.)

    The husbands have their secrets and the sisters will share their marital woes with one another via a correspondence that beautifully dovetails the major events taking place in England and France. When finally apprised of what their husbands have been facing – blackmail, extortion, incarceration, and torture – they not only stand by their spouses but play key roles in extricating them from the darkest of situations. Amongst royals and routiers, there is no end of conniving, jealousy, brutality, and treason. One must understand the game to outplay enemies, and the sisters will do whatever is necessary to have their husbands by their sides. But who is the true traitor and whose neck should be lassoed with the noose? The authors weave a rich and intricate plot, every strand shimmering with suspense and romance.

    Along the way, readers will delight in the details provided of everyday medieval life. The authors’ attention to dress, food, architecture, and language bring the late Middle Ages alive as the main characters experience opulence during the heralded era of knighthood and chivalry. (Oh, to be attired in an exquisitely embroidered gown, hair held in place by a headdress and veil! Or to be lifting a goblet of wine at a sumptuous feast held in lavish quarters in Windsor Castle or Orthez Castle!)

    The darker side of medieval life is also examined, however; details of incarceration and of torture via racks and pins in fingers will likely send shivers down readers’ spines. A fascinating section of the book deals with apothecary science, the wonders, and horrors that can be wrought with oils and herbs. Anyone with a love for all things medieval must read this book and, indeed, the entire series.

    While the ending of the novel is most satisfying, it’s also bittersweet. It’s hard to say good-bye to these captivating characters and close the book on the 14th century. How wonderful, then, to turn the page and discover that the authors have provided a sneak peek of the first volume in their second series! Stay tuned for Roar of the Lion. The adventure continues!

    Traitor’s Noose, Book 4 of the Lions and Lilies series won Grand Prize in the 2017 Chaucer Awards. 

     

     

  • THE GILDED CROWN – Book 3, Lions and Lilies Saga by Catherine T. Wilson and Catherine A. Wilson – Medieval Europe, Historical Fiction, Romance

    THE GILDED CROWN – Book 3, Lions and Lilies Saga by Catherine T. Wilson and Catherine A. Wilson – Medieval Europe, Historical Fiction, Romance

    Cécile d’Armagnac and Catherine Pembroke first found each other through letters. The sisters then battled complications while on the run— Cécile, pregnant with a baby from Edward, the Black Prince, a relationship consummated to save her sister, fled with Gillet de Bellegarde, a disgraced knight she grew to love. Meanwhile, Catherine fell for the ever-shy Lord Simon Marshall of Wexford, and together, they managed to escape the Earl of Salisbury and his deadly schemes.

    Now, in The Gilded Crown, both sisters are happily married to their respective suitors. The mission that Gillet was presented in The Order of the Lily must now come to fruition while he resides in an English-occupied France. Meanwhile, Cécile strives to ensure the world, especially a mysterious woman named Adéle, does not find out baby Jean Petit is actually the rightful heir of Edward. Catherine, meanwhile, in Edinburgh after the safe return of Lady Scotland, is still fostering baby Gabriel, the son of her former maid, Anaïs. However, Catherine discovers a surprise of her own: she’s pregnant with Simon’s child.

    Like the other books in the series, the two sisters and their journeys, though taken separately, intertwine in unexpected ways. The Duc Jean de Berri, Cécile’s former suitor, hopes to convince Gillet to entice the Albrets of Bordeaux back to a French throne. Unfortunately, he also assaults Cécile as soon as Gillet leaves. Cécile’s misfortune continues on the way to Bordeaux–she nearly loses her cousin Armand-Amanieu d’Albret to the Black Plague, is captured by no other than the mysterious Adéle, who in turn, kidnaps Jean Petit and takes him to Scotland. In Scotland, meanwhile, Catherine has gotten to know Lady Agnes Dunbar (also known as Black Agnes) and discovers they share a common enemy. The question is whether this foe can be stopped—and if Jean Petit can be kept from danger.

    Catherine and Cécile are forced to further develop the maturity they sharpened in the previous books—but this time, with unexpected losses. Their paths remain uncertain, and it’s unclear where the next book in the series, The Traitor’s Noose, will take them.

    The authors are very skilled at weaving in authentic historical texture to an engaging plot with a lot of unexpected twists. The historical realities, including the treatment of women, like in the previous installments, is very brutal—particularly Cécile’s assault and capture. These parts of the plot can, at times, weigh the story down; however, they also add a visceral element of suspense. The book is not without its light-hearted moments either, particularly in the playful banter between brothers Roderick and Simon, and the very Scottish maid, dubbed, ‘English Mary.’ Readers will also delight in seeing pet antics between Cécile’s cats and an unprepared papillon—indicating that the authors’ authenticity stretches beyond historical accuracy.

    This series is suited to a historical fiction audience looking for an authentic dip into Medieval European life. However, to get the full impact of the overall story arc, readers will do well to start with the first two books in the series before getting their hands on this one.