Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: gail-avery-halverson

  • 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.

  • VALENTINE’S DAY SWEET READS with LOVE from CHANTICLEER – Romance, Historical Romance, Western Romance, Thriller/Suspense Romance

    VALENTINE’S DAY SWEET READS with LOVE from CHANTICLEER – Romance, Historical Romance, Western Romance, Thriller/Suspense Romance

    A Valentine to Mark Twain, a beloved American Author 

    “Both marriage and death ought to be welcome: the one promises happiness, doubtless the other assures it.”
    – Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain

    Editor’s Note: Samuel Clemons writing as Mark Twain is a beloved author to Fairhaven, a village in Bellingham, Wash. where Chanticleer Reviews’ home office is located and where the company was founded. On August, 14, 1895, Mark Twain spoke to  a full house at the Lighthouse Hall (700 seats) and received a standing ovation. Admission was seventy-five cents and one dollar for the best seats. This was the last stop in his United States tour. He arrived from presenting in Seattle on August 13, 1895. His next stop was Vancouver, British Columbia before heading out west across the Pacific Ocean for a world tour.

    February 14th is really one of the strangest holidays we celebrate with its origins in the early Church, mired with martyrs. No one really knows for sure if there was one Valentini or two, or perhaps an entire herd of them, but, it is believed that Saint Valentine lost his head over converting people to the Christian faith. The head in question now resides in “…glass reliquary in a small basilica in Rome, surrounded by flowers.” [Atlas Obscura] 

    Editor's Note: Did we mention that Sharon Anderson, the author of this article, writes horror...

    For us, February 14th is the day we all wear our hearts on our sleeves (literally), write little notes professing our love to one another, exchange candied hearts (Necco hearts may not be on the shelf this year because the company that purchased the popular brand said they, “Didn’t have time…” ), buy long-stemmed red roses for those we love (One site claims that in 2010, over 110 million long-stemmed roses were sold! That’s a lotta roses!), and chocolates… let’s not forget about the chocolates!

    Susan Marie Conrad offering CHOCOLATES at her book signing, The INSIDE PASSAGE.

    Whichever way you celebrate February 14th,
    we’ve got some fabulous reads lined up for you that are just
    too sweet to pass up!

    A Valentine of Great Reads for YOU from Chanticleer! 

    The Art of Enchantment by M. A. Clarke Scott is a well-paced escape for those hungering for art, history and a hot ride with a handsome Italian hero.

    M.A. Clarke Scott won the 2016 Grand Prize in the Chatelaine Awards for this novel!

    Daughter of Destiny: Guineviere’s Tale, Book 1 by Nicole Evelina is rich in historical detail and fantastical landscapes. This novel takes a brilliant twist on the historical perception of Queen Guinevere: she has magical powers, but will her gift be enough to save her people?

    Nicole Evalina not only won the 2015 Chatelaine Grand Prize for this novel and took home the Overall Grand Prize!

    Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren is a fast-paced romantic thriller complete with secret assassins, notorious secrets, steamy passion nights abound on this luxury Caribbean cruise – in other words, exhilarating! This is the fourth book in the Threads Romantic Thriller series and won Grand Prize in the 2017 CIBA CLUE Awards.

    Find Me Again by Janet Shawgo is a mystery, a conspiracy theory, and an amazing love story that crosses generations—all combined into one amazing read. Although there are two more novels in the series, each book stands alone.  Wait For Me.  WWII  Women  Look For Me.   Civil War Historical Fiction

    The Winters Sisters Series by Joanne Jaytanie contain elements of genetic engineering, strong women and the men who love them and nods to the author’s beloved dogs. These are hot romantic thrillers!

    Under an English Heaven by Alice Boatwright has twists and turns aplenty that will make any cozy fan enjoy this easy read, and enough descriptions of the bucolic village landscape and teas to make anyone who loves all things British happy. A second Ellie Kent Mystery is promised sometime this year.

    Building Mr. Darcy by Ashlinn Craven is a fun, fast-paced cozy reveals what happens when the witty and charming Mr. Darcy springs to life as an A.I. But, is he more than his two developers can handle?

    Seize the Flame by Lynda J Cox is a romantic Western celebrating second chances and proving that lightning not only strikes twice – but sometimes in the exact same spot.

    Threads of Passion by T.K. Conklin is a paranormal romance, western-style, that will leave you begging for more!

    The Blackbird by Kristy McCaffrey is a steamy, intelligent historical fiction set in the Arizona desert where the harsh environment matches the characters who populate it. This is the fourth book in McCaffrey’s Winds of the West series. 

    Hot Scheming Mess by Lucy Carol is a hilarious, fast-paced sexy cozy mystery with a believable lead and a gripping plot. Sassy, smart, and FUNNY!

    Mistress Suffragette by Diana Forbes is an engaging, stimulating, and action-packed novel that examines the facts of life, the challenges of social restrictions, and the woes of youthful love through the eyes of a sharp-minded, sharp-shooting young woman.

    The Passage Home to Meuse by Gail Noble Sanderson is an epic journey back to the post-war world of the 1920s where Noble Sanderson’s characters explore whether love can indeed conquer all.

    The Boundary Stone by Gail Avery Halverson – This story is set against the backdrop of the black plague, one woman of note risks everything to follow her calling and find her true love…

    Dare Devil: A Georgian Historical Romance, Book 3 of the Roxton Family Saga by Lucinda Brant

    A Girl Like You: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox is about a brave and daring darling of the Great Depression puts herself in harm’s way to solve a mystery and endear herself to the handsome detective whose job it is to solve it.

    Check out our list of Chatelaine Award Winners here.

    Please let us know, who is your favorite romance author?

     

  • The BOUNDARY STONE by Gail Avery Halverson – Historical Romance, Black Plague

    The BOUNDARY STONE by Gail Avery Halverson – Historical Romance, Black Plague

    Catherine Abbott has everything a young lady of quality could wish for in England, 1660’s. She lives on her father’s comfortable estate in the village of Wells, Buckinghamshire and she’s soon to be wed to Miles Houghton, a childhood friend recently returned from several years in France. For Miles, the wedding is just the ticket to free him from his rather large gambling debt. His heart isn’t in it, though, as he still yearns for the Parisian nightlife.

    However, Catherine has had an interest in science, books, and “the mysteries of this world” that inspires her to make complex drawings of butterflies and track the constellations in the night skies. Can she be happy as an idle wife? When she meets Simon, a young doctor who has been assigned to care for her aging, gout-ridden father, she begins to dream of a different future, impossible, she understands, but she still can dream, right?

    Then the Black Plague strikes England. Taking orders from Simon whom he has grown to respect, Lord Abbott orders the village of Wells to be quarantined and ships Catherine’s brother Charles off to the colonies. Miles, unwilling to be hemmed in, flees without a word to Catherine, ignoring their planned nuptials. She, who once helped a servant girl in the throes of childbirth, finds a way to assist Simon in treating plague victims. He recognizes Catherine’s remarkable medical talents and begins to envision a way he and she might someday make a medical partnership. Or will their relationship go beyond the professional?

    Award-winning writer Halverson has given us a character so completely believable, and so empathetic that readers will fall in love with her from the opening scene, when, as a little girl, Catherine sneaks out one night to observe the movements of the stars. We are hooked and are convinced that this heroine is a prodigy who will only find what she seeks in life by breaking the bounds of convention. Drawing on events of the time, such as England’s trade with India, the colonization of America, the controversial issue of autopsies as a means of studying illness, and of course the horrors of the plague itself, Halverson reveals extensive research into the century she writes about. And employing rich idiomatic phrasing and restrained but appropriate accents as needed, she shows her gift for the sound as well as the sense of well-constructed prose. In a short Afterword, the author relates the story of a little English village on which she patterned her fictional Wells, where quarantine did serve to save lives at the time of the Black Plague.

    Set against the backdrop of England’s Black Plague, one woman bravely challenges the rules of stature and class to find her true love and true calling. Historical romance readers will enjoy curling up with Halverson’s first book in The Stockbridge Series and look forward reading the next one.

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker