Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: m-a-clarke-scott

  • 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 ART of ENCHANTMENT by M.A. Clarke Scott – Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Heartwarming Romance

    The ART of ENCHANTMENT by M.A. Clarke Scott – Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Heartwarming Romance

    Are you ready to be whisked away to a romantic Italian villa? Seduced by a brilliant – and sexy – architect? Not doctoral candidate Clio Sinclair McBeal. The red-haired beauty is nose down, struggling valiantly to complete her Ph.D. thesis and has no time for a social life – even with a gorgeous Italian lover. But here’s the great news, she finally has a topic for her dissertation, one that will give her project momentum: passion, ecstasy, bliss as portrayed in religious art of the Italian Renaissance.

    Armed with a fresh idea and an adorable Fiat 500, Clio zips down a provincial Italian road anticipating meeting with her thesis adviser to share the updates. Instead, she finds herself in a roll-over accident that leaves her sans car, stuck in the mud and in need of assistance. Readers will swoon at who comes to her rescue, the dashing Guillermo Gabriel d’Aldobrandin. Clio recovers fast but can she resist his charms? How will she be able to handle this interesting and oh-so-handsome man in her life at the same time she’s attempting to complete her thesis? And holy cow – are her parents in town?

    M.A. Clarke Scott’s The Art of Enchantment starts at a low simmer but rises to a body-searing burn as Clio and Guillermo find themselves pushed together repeatedly by both fate and the desire to save Guillermo’s family villa. Clio, however, must also cope with her own family legacy, one of academic excellence. Satisfying her dominating parents seems to be an uphill battle, however. And to complicate the situation, Guillermo mistakes her intense desire to meet with her thesis adviser as evidence of a deep love of scholarship.

    Clarke Scott delivers fine, white-hot love scenes along with the opportunity to pick up some random Italian swear words that are fun to say, like stronzo! Aside from sex and swearing, Clarke Scott uses archetypes to woo her audience: the destructive rock star, the sexy, bold Italian, the shy, studious American attempting to please her parents. And these archetypes work well in this story, giving readers much of what they come looking for in romantic fiction.

    M.A. Clarke Scott is an artist with words and paint. She writes women’s fiction as well as steampunk and science fiction, screenplays, novels, and essays. White walls, blank canvases and the empty page are all invitations for her to fill them with her exceptional creations.

    A well-paced escape for those hungering for art, history and a hot ride with a handsome Italian hero.

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker