The Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Light-Hearted and Cozy Mysteries. The M&M Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring “mystery and mayhem,” amateur sleuthing, light suspense, travel mystery, classic mystery, British cozy, hobby sleuths, senior sleuths, or historical mystery, perhaps with a touch of romance or humor. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them. (For suspense, thriller, detective, crime fiction see ourClue Awards.)
These titles have moved forward from the 2025 M&M Long List to the 2025 M&M Book Awards SHORT LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 M&M Semi-Finalists. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2025 Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards novel competition for Cozy Mysteries!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
Beth Riner – Odd Job Annie
Bill Cusano – The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club the Ghost and the Key
C.B. Wilson – Puppied To Death
Charlotte Stuart – In$urance Blues: A John Smith Mystery Book 3
Carolyn Summer Quinn – The Mystery From Way Back When
Christine Knapp – Murder at First Light
Connie Berry – A Collection of Lies
Connie Berry – A Grave Deception
D. J. Adamson – Without a Doubt
Diane Weiner – The Deadly Reveal
Elizabeth Crowens – Round Up the Unusual Suspects
Ellis Elliott – A Witch Awakens a Fire Circle Mystery
George Petersen – The Summer of Haight
Jane Bitomsky – An Inquest of Eels
John W. Feist – Ship of Perils
Jolie Tunnell – Shadows in Chinatown
Joy Ann Ribar – Shake-Speared in the Park
Julie Lomax – A Pawn’s Game
Kate Damon – Jury Duty Is Murder
Kathleen Donnelly – Killer Secrets
Kathleen Kaska – Murder at the Faust
Kathryn Gauci- Murder in the Garden of Enchantment: The Constantinople Diaries. A Madame Theodosia Mystery
Kathryn Lane – Murder in Monte Carlo
KD Straus – To Be True
L. J. Aldon – Riddle of the Jeweled Cipher
Laurel Martin – Her Last Few Days
Laurel Martin – The Lowlands a Missing Couple a Family Desperate To Find Them
Leta Serafim – The Nameless Dead
Louisa West – Baby Got Ghost
Lyn Squire – Fatally Inferior
M. K. Dean – A Nose for Death
M. S. Spencer – Railroad Ties the Marmion Grove Murders
Maggie Parks – Knocked Off in Nederland
Marshall Highet and Bird Jones – The Washashore
Mary Seifert – Airplanes, Atlanta & an Assassin
Mary Seifert – Juleps, Jockeys & Justice
MJ Mac – Betrayed on the Promenade
ML Barrs – Parallel Secrets
Patrick E. Craig – 3 X 3
Sandy Zelka – Blood Red Poppy
Shannon Bennett Riester – The Lottery Aspect
Sharon Lynn – The Romantic
TJ Stecker – Redacted
Wanda Brunstetter and Martha Bolton – The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie’s Biscuits
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
Only 10 days left to submit your books to these CIBA Divisions and embark on a journey to discovery.
The Chanticleer International Book Awards provide ongoing recognition that amplifies authors’ digital footprints through high-traffic website features, social media promotion, newsletter spotlights, and long-tail marketing that continues promoting winners throughout the year and beyond!
Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Chatelaine Awards for Romantic Fiction!
Reenita M. Hora – Vermilion Harvest – Playtime at the Bagh
John W. Feist – Edged in Purple
Gail Noble-Sanderson – A Cup of Revenge
Nancy Herkness – Royal Caleva: Luis
George T. Arnold – The Heart Beneath the Badge
Sonja N. Griffing – Chasing Noelle
Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Day, Book Two in the Desert Hills Trilogy
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Chatelaine Grand Prize Winner:
The Key
By Jo Morgan Sloan
Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Humor and Satire Awards for Satirical and Allegorical Fiction!
Bill Burkland –The Misconceived Conception of a Baby Named Jesus
Julie L. Brown –No One Will Save Us: A novel
Dan Kopcow –Madcap Serenade
Marco Ocram –The Awful Truth About The Name Of The Rose
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Humor and Satire Grand Prize Winner:
The Man Who Saw Seconds
By Alexander Boldizar
Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Somerset Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!
Robert Gwaltney –Sing Down the Moon
Ann Bancroft –Almost Family
Christina Boyd –Woman in the Painting
Kay Smith-Blum –Tangles
Anthony Horton –Unpaved
Erika Shepard –Abomination Child
Leslie DeBrock –The Frog-Eyed Gospel, A Texas Exodus
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Somerset and Overall Grand Prize Winner:
Vermilion Harvest- Playtime at the Bagh
By Reenita Malhotra Hora
The CIBAs provide a ladder to success with a range of achievement tiers and expert long tail marketing strategies. From the anticipated Long List to the prestigious Overall Grand Prize Winner, the CIBA lists energize both authors and readers, maximizing your digital footprint and expanding your fan base.
We are always eager to support the Best Books through the CIBAs. Join the ranks of celebrated authors who have already taken this step in their publishing.
Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 17-19, 2025) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.
In a world hungry for good books, your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.
The Clue Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Mysteries. The Clue Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking the best books featuring suspense, thrilling adventure, detective work, private eye, police procedural, and crime-solving, we will put them to the test to discover the best! (For lighter-hearted Mystery and Classic Cozy Mysteries please check out ourMystery & Mayhem Awards, and for High Stakes Suspense Novels please check out ourGlobal Thriller Awards).
These titles have moved forward from the 2025 CLUE Long List to the 2025 Clue Book Awards SHORT LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 Clue Semi-Finalists. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2025Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2025 Clue Book Awards novel competition for Suspense and Thriller!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
A.J. Mccarthy – The Boy on the Dock
Aja Holland – Casco Bay
Ana Manwaring – Kickback
Arthur Coburn – Murder in Concrete
Ashley Thomas Sheikh – Kentucky Blood: Book I of the Kentucky Blood Series
Avanti Centrae – The Picasso Job: A Phoenix Thriller
Becky Anyanwu – Mind the Blinds
Brian Cuban – The Body Brokers
Carlo J. Emanuele – The Sins We Inherit
Cathi Stoler – No Good Time: A Nick Donahue Adventure
Charlotte Stuart – Unicorns Can Be Deadly a Discount Detective Mystery 5
Cheryl Campbell – Bodies in the Bayou
Chris Chan – Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History
Dan Ramm – Long Branch: Never Let the Truth Stand in the Way of a Good Story
Danielle M. Wong – Tiny Wild Things
David Tenenbaum – Premonition
Dwight Holing – The Thunder Head
E. Alan Fleischauer – The Dark and Evil Sky
Ellis K. Popa – Awaken the Dawn
Francesco Paola – Left on Rancho
Frank J. Edwards – Doctor Witch
Holly Harrison – Death in the Land of Enchantment
Jack Luellen – Someone Had to Lie
Jeannée Sacken – The Women Who Stand Between
Jl Spears – Daemon Protocol
Joe Salerno – The Decision
Julie Lomax – A Pawn’s Game
Kd Sherrinford – The Whistle of Revenge
Kevin Hwang – The Regression Strain
Kit Karson – Savage Malice
Larry Weindruch and Richard A. Yach – Nicky V: A Chicago Crime Story
Leslie Liautaud – Butterfly Pinned
Marian Exall – Loners
Matthew John Parker – The Lost Last Prophecy
Melanie Anagnos – Nightswimming: A Jamie Palmieri Mystery
Michael Wendroff – What Goes Around
Mike Van Horn – The Ivy Leaguers
Miriam Verbeek – The Bank
Nannette Potter – Deception’s Edge
Otho Eskin – Black Sun Rising
Paty Jager – Crapshoot
Paty Jager – Wolverine Instincts
Paul Levine – Midnight Burning
Phillip Vega – Death in Utopia
Sarah P. Blanchard – Grabtown
Sean Hagerty – Cabal
Sheila Sharpe – Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief
Stephen G. Eoannou – After Pearl
Stephen J Wallace – Hazardous Lies
Susan Rogers and John Roosen – Warrior Pose
T.O. Paine – The Crisis
Tamar Anolic – This Side of the Law
Theresa Janson – Reservations: A Samantha Wright Crime Series
TJ Stecker – Redacted
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
Are the pages of your book full of rich literary themes, captivating contemporary narratives, a touch of magical realism, or heartfelt explorations of family dynamics? If so, it’s time to put your work to the test by submitting it to the Somerset Awards! These awards seek to celebrate and honor books that shine with literary brilliance, offering a platform for those that delve into the complexities of human existence through the written word. Whether your work weaves enchanting tales of magical realism, delves into the intricacies of modern life, or delves deep into the bonds that tie families together, the Somerset Awards is your chance to gain recognition and acclaim for your extraordinary storytelling.
For Humorous, Satirical, or Allegorical works, we suggest that you consider the Humor and Satire Book Awards division of the CIBAs.
Let’s take a look at the Grand Prize Winners of the Somerset Awards!
Vermilion Harvest: Playtime at the Bagh
By Reenita M. Hora
Chanticleers 2024 Overall Grand Prize Winner and a Chatelaine First Place Winner!
Reenita M. Hora’sVermilion Harvestweaves love and liberation into literary gold.
“Why do love and freedom have such a complicated relationship?” This haunting question pulses through every page ofVermilion Harvest, Hora’s breathtaking debut that creates, in one of history’s darkest moments, a luminous testament to the power of love in transcending boundaries.
A star-crossed romance sparks against the backdrop of empire.
Set in 1919 Amritsar,Vermilion Harvestintroduces readers to Aruna Duggal, a nineteen-year-old Anglo-Indian schoolteacher caught between worlds—too brown for British acceptance, too white for Indian belonging. Born from violence, raised in the shadows between communities, Aruna navigates life’s margins until she meets Ayaz Peermohammed, a passionate Muslim law student from Lahore. Ayaz’s dreams of Indian independence ignite something revolutionary within Aruna’s heart.
You Can’t Fool A Mermaid By Judy Keeslar Santamaria
You Can’t Fool a Mermaid by Judy Keeslar Santamaria is a glorious dance of well-intentioned ghosts. In the words of Violet, a twenty-one-year-old pianist, it’s “bewitching as hell.”
Santamaria opens with a tiny mermaid bodysurfing through the gutters of Seattle. College student and pianist Violet Bacon chalks up “gutter-mini-mermaid” to her wildly imaginative mind, but when she stumbles upon a magical theater-turned-piano-rescue with a retinue of shopkeeping cats, the separation between imagination and reality no longer seems as important as discovering her true self.
Violet has been living a lie: keeping up the pretense that she’s dating a woman to make her father angry. She reluctantly goes along with what other people want and pretends she doesn’t desperately need a cat. As she practices a complex Stravinsky concerto, her abiding love for music is all that sustains her.
But Hector Kouris, the proprietor of the theater-turned-rescue, reintroduces Violet to her childhood piano, Bossy.
Everything That Was By Conon Parks, Chris Sempek, Mike MacNeil and Larry Knight
Everything That Was echoes myriad broken emotions born of the world in turmoil after 9/11, intricate and politically bold, and as disturbing in its brutal humanity as it is satisfying with witty jests.
The 9/11 terrorist attack has shattered the psyche of the American people. A volcanic eruption of questions demands the whys and hows of the attack. From this anger, a massive war on terror begins. This historical fiction reflects the chaos of 9/11 and its ensuing global chaos – resulting in a series of violent endeavors and events. Throughout Everything That Was, one can find a swarm of fragmented ideologies, mini memoirs of war veterans, and witness accounts – all screeching reasons for the attack, the ensuing war, and its consequences: political, ideological, and theological.
From the first paragraph of Lies in Bone, Natalie Symons’ debut novel delves into human darkness.
Lies in Bone, set in a factory town in 1986 Pennsylvania after its industrial boom faded, is told from the point of view of a girl who struggles with more than usual teenage angst. Symons relentlessly reveals the fear, ignorance, and poverty which often suffuse a community left behind.
The residents of Slippery Elm, Pennsylvania, were bewildered and ill-equipped to deal with their new reality when the steel mill shut down seven years before, leaving many unemployed and discouraged.
Frances Coolidge, known as Frank, knows the struggle of being left behind.
Gregory Erich Phillips’ A Season in Lights is a well-crafted, engaging exploration of creatives, each following their heart and trying to reach their dream.
Against backdrops of the 1980s AIDS crisis and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic, the story entwines the lives of a 30-something dancer and an older musician as they strive to make their artistic mark in the cultural capital of New York City.
Here in a two-fold unveiling, the story comes to life from the first-person perspective of Cammie, a starry-eyed aspiring dancer from Lancaster, PA, and the third-person reveal of Tom, a more seasoned black pianist. He longs for a classical career but is too often labeled a jazz musician. Cammie first encounters Tom in a studio dance class where he’s taken a job as the musical accompanist. Befriended by the gay dance instructor, Tom heeds the worldly advice offered about surviving in the Big Apple. “All you’ve got to do is convince people that you belong. You’ve got to tell them who you are before they tell you.”
Now is your chance to touch the hearts of readers everywhere. Your Contemporary story deserves to be discovered, and you can submit to the 2025 Somerset Awards by the end of the October. Don’t miss this chance to give your book the recognition it deserves.
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring satire, humor, political ideology, parody, fantasy, and allegory or fable. The Deadline for the 2025 Humor and Satire Book Awards is the end of October.
Looking to learn more about the Humor and Satire Awards? Click here!
Let’s take a look at the Winners of the Humor and Satire Award!
The Man Who Saw Seconds By Alexander Boldizar
Our newest Humor and Satire Grand Prize Winners review is still upcoming. In the meantime, here is what some Goodreads readers have been saying:
“The Man Who Saw Seconds is a tightly-wound but thoughtful thriller written with verve and a commitment to thoroughly explore its intriguing notion. The protagonist, Preble Jefferson, can see five seconds into the future. Boldizar doesn’t just use this as a plot device, he explores the idea and examines the many ways this affects the character and his relationship to the world. While much of the book is awash in edge-of-your-seat energy, we also get a philosophical discussion of the ramifications of this quirky idea. A great read with a truly unique feel.” -E.R.
“A split-second decision can change a life, but you have never experienced it snowball the way you do in Seconds, a fast-paced speculative novel by Alexander Boldizar. A man who can see seconds into the future has an incident with police that forces him to use his powers to save himself. Once exposed, he becomes public enemy number one and the government kidnaps and threatens his family. Bad idea to escalate a conflict with man who has studied martial arts and chess, with the ability to literally dodge bullets. No novel in recent memory answers the question as convincingly: “Will I risk destroying the world to save the people I love?” Boldizar raises stakes to world-tipping proportions and I literally lost sleep turning pages to discover what happens next. Seconds is a science fiction tour de force.” -Martin
“There is only one remarkable thing about Alexander Boldizar’s latest book—everything! From the very first scene to the closing page, the novel is utterly captivating. It brims with an astonishing array of universal themes, presented in such an unexpected sequence that it transcends any attempt at genre categorization. This, paradoxically, becomes one of its greatest strengths.” -Ivan
Quantum Consequences, the fifth book in the Physics, Lust, and Greed Series by Mike Murphy, mixes conflicts from the past, present, and future as a group of time travelers clash over the fate of multiple worlds.
Marta and Marshall have to protect Baptiste, a child living under the rule of his mother’s abusive boyfriend, Ignace Aguillard. When their friend Cecil is murdered, Baptiste inherits his money and stake in a secret governmental facility beneath the Arizona desert, the Historical Research Initiative Complex. To keep that money out of Aguillard’s hands and confirm whether Aguillard truly killed Cecil, Marta and Marshall take Baptiste to the HRI, revealing its true nature as the hub of interdimensional time travel.
Meanwhile, a team of assassins and former HRI personnel, Gillis, Lexi, and Elvin, are instructed by a future version of Lexi to kill John Dexter– Lexi’s bitter ex and future higher-up in the dystopian Christian Fundamentalist States of America. They break into the HRI, now seemingly abandoned, to figure out whether they should take the job.
The Coen Brothers meet Garrison Keillor in Steven Mayfield’s quirky, offbeat, and often hilarious Delphic Oracle, U.S.A.
One June afternoon in 1925, seventeen-year-old Maggie Westinghouse, out walking alone as was her custom, comes upon a stranger in a railroad switch-house asleep on a pile of gunnysacks. Maggie, who has always stood a little apart from the town, has recently begun to experience visions that come upon her “in a leisurely way,” ending in a swoon and a restless sleep filled with exotic talk of which she later has no memory. No one knows what to make of it, but they soon will. After this afternoon’s chance encounter with July Pennybaker, a charming grifter on the lam, her world will never be the same. Neither will the town of Miagrammesto Station.
Eighty-nine years later, in the days leading up to and following the July 4th weekend, domestic dramas are playing out across Delphic Oracle, Nebraska (nee Miagrammesto Station).
Certified by Roger Wilson-Crane is a multi-award-winning comedy-drama, following one man down three sharp turns in his life trajectory.
Based on real-life events, Certified shows the narrator’s birth, marriage, and death, three of the most significant milestones in human life. The book is divided into three sections.
“One Unexpected Birth” explores his flawed string of relationships until he meets Dawn, the love of his life. However, a woman from the past makes a comeback, threatening to shatter his newly found happiness.
“One Hapless Wedding” careens about his well-planned wedding in Puglia, Italy, which is trampled by Justin Timberlake who wants the same venue. “One Bizarre Death”, on the other hand, follows the loss of the narrator’s loved one and the pain and confusion that surrounds an unexpected death. Certified is full of humor, heart, and unexpected gems that one might find in a trunk of well-lived memories.
Charlie Suisman’s debut novel is a wonderful escape to a small fictional community in upstate New York. Here a melting pot of quirky residents brings Arnold Falls to life, a town with a unique history and charming inhabitants whose lives are intimately intertwined.
Settled in 1803 by the unscrupulous Hezekiah Hesper, the town for unknown reasons was named after Benedict Arnold. Adding to the oddities, the closest waterfall is twenty miles away. The area is known for sudden bursts of crab apple-size hail pelting the landscape without any scientific explanation. Hence the incentive for “Hail Pail Day,” a neighborly tradition surrounding the distribution of galvanized bucket head-coverings.
Suisman engagingly presents Jeebie Walker as the story’s primary narrator. A gay man in his early 40s, he moved north of the city in the hopes of a quieter life with his partner, Miles. Though things didn’t work out, Jeebie has settled into his fixer-upper, Queen Anne-style abode, and now seems a positive fixture in this hamlet.
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Humor and Satire Winners is to submit today!
Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!
Now is your chance to touch the hearts of readers everywhere. Your Humor or Satire story deserves to be discovered, and you can submit to the 2025 Humor and Satire Awards by the end of the month. Don’t miss this chance to give your book the recognition it deserves.
The Somerset Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Contemporary and Literary Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Reenita Malhotra Hora’s book, Vermilion Harvest: Playtime at the Bagh, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Somerset contest page year ’round!
The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!
Liz Millanova has stage four cancer, a grown daughter who doesn’t speak to her, and obsessive memories of a relationship that tore apart her marriage. She thinks of herself as someone who’d rather die than sit through a support group, but now that she actually is going to die, she figures she might as well give it a go.
Mercy’s Thriving Survivors is a hospital-sponsored group held in a presumably less depressing location: a Nordstrom’s employee training lounge. There, Liz hits it off with two other patients, and the three unlikely friends decide to ditch the group and meet on their own. They call themselves the Oakland Mets, and their goal is to enjoy life while they can. Together, Dave, a gay Vietnam vet, Rhonda, a devout, nice woman who’s hiding a family secret and finds peace in a gospel choir, and snarky Liz plan outings to hear jazz, enjoy nature, and tour Alcatraz. In the odd intimacy they form, Liz learns to open up and get close, acknowledge and let go of the dysfunction in her marriage, and repair her relationship with her daughter. They joined forces to have a good time—but what they wind up doing is helping one another come to grips with terminal cancer and resolve the unfinished business in their lives.
When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, Luke Hinson, a brash young scientist, seizes the chance to avenge his father’s death but a thyroid cancer diagnosis derails Luke’s research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn. On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same treacherous trail, and her disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to Hanford’s harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy.
A love story wrapped in a mystery, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual.
Tangles is a genre-defying must-read for our time.
Each passing mile triggers vivid flashbacks to a transformative summer spent with his beloved grandfather, offering the hope of a new beginning amid the turmoil of his professional life. The chaotic web of accusations and misconduct surrounding his former boss adds an unexpected layer of complexity to his pilgrimage. The weight of his past and present converge as Russell travels onward, haunted by memories and uncertain of the revelations that await him at the cabin.
With the fate of his professional life hanging in the balance, Unpaved leads to a convergence of personal and corporate truths.
From Chanticleer:
Unpaved by Anthony Horton is a pensive novel of how returning to one’s roots can reveal hints on how to move forward after a lifetime of grief.
Russell Nowak-McCreary is a man whose life has been proudly shaped by formidable women. His mother, Judith, was a prominent cardiac surgeon at the reputable St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. His wife, Anna, thrived as a student of Judith’s and has risen to the top of Boston’s best medical campus. And Russell’s work partner Sarah Westroes joined his company, Datatel, as its CEO with a relentless drive to expand its footprint in the tech industry. His childhood was spent without a father figure, only excepting the fond memories of a single summer at his grandfather’s cabin in the Canadian wilderness.
As he returns to the remote cabin of his youth to set his mother’s affairs in order, Russell takes this time alone to finally process all that he lost.
Meet the Fosters. Parents from disparate backgrounds, an eight-year-old boy and his thirteen-year-old sister, all living a suffocating version of the American dream in 1958 Missouri.
An innocent grade school Halloween party—and one small betrayal—lead to an act of sudden violence that stuns them all, and in an instant their facade of normalcy cracks, sending each of them down a separate, winding path to self-discovery.
Abomination Child follows the story of that family through the fog of anger, lost innocence, and disillusionment. It is the story of Brian, an effeminate boy who believes with all his heart he is a girl; his rebellious tomboy sister Liz who yearns only to escape; their diligent, studious mother Barbara who longs for the peace and tranquility of a normal family life, and their father John, angry and wounded by war, now mired in new-found religious zeal.
Each must find their own truth in the shifting world of the Sixties and Seventies—if they can.
From Chanticleer:
Abomination Child is a coming-of-age novel, a piece of historical fiction, and a lesson to us all.Erika Shepard tells the story of Brianna, a young girl growing up in Missouri during the 1960s, struggling to be accepted.
Within her community, Brianna is seen on the outside as a boy, and everyone knows her as Brian. She confides in her older sister Liz, who supports her and helps her face a world that doesn’t understand. Spanning many years,Abomination Childfollows Brianna’s journey of survival, hoping that one day she’ll be able to live freely as herself.
Brianna’s – known then as Brian – troubles start after his father learns that he dressed in girl’s clothes at a school Halloween dance. Deeply conservative and religious, Brian’s father hits him for what he believes is an abominable perversion caused by the Devil. For Brian, it’s as simple as knowing he is really a girl, a girl named Brianna.
In a steamy East Texas town, surrounded by oilfield grit and 1960s racial tension, devout eighteen-year-old Peter Loucas faces the prospect of the Viet Nam draft. The sudden death of his father and then his witness of a lynching, thrust him headlong into a fraught adulthood. A summer job in the oilfield leads to a taboo connection with Swat, a black veteran of the Korean War. While his community tries to keep him on track, Pete finds a confidant in Gwynn, a Berkely student temporarily stranded in Texas. The tug-of-war between Pete’s beliefs and the newly discovered complexity around morality and integrity force Pete into a dangerous spiritual reckoning.
This debut novel, in which landscape is a character in its own right, weaves together the pain, the joy and the unexpected twists in creating a life that can be lived with.
From Chanticleer:
In his debut novelThe Frog-Eyed Gospel: A Texas Exodus,Leslie DeBrock weaves together the inspiring yet complex stories of a diverse cast of characters, all making their way through a tense Texas summer in 1965.
Peter Loucas is the boy at the center of this story, a senior in high school bent on going to college and becoming the newest preacher in the Bible belt. His faith in God is passionate and strong — until his father is killed in an oilfield accident. In his grief, Pete finds himself suddenly questioning the teachings to which he had given himself blindly for years.
The setting of the story couldn’t be more poised for conflict: Sabine Gap, a small town with religious intimidation and racism everywhere you look. The Vietnam war rages and veterans flock home traumatized. Supporters and protestors clash nationwide. The residents of Tin Cup —Sabine Gap, a small town replete with religious and racial rigidity. While protests roil the nation, veterans return, some walking; some not.
The Humor and Satire Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Humorous, Satirical and Allegorical Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Alexander Boldizar’s book, The Man Who Saw Seconds, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article to come, as well as be featured on the Humor and Satire contest page year ’round!
The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year!
On a warm Galilean night, Mary and Joseph get to know each other (in the biblical sense) in a secluded garden in Nazareth. Nine months later, Mary’s pious mother, seeing that her young, unwed daughter is pregnant, enlists the help of a pompous high priest to characterize the pregnancy as divine, of God’s seed. When Mary refuses to go along with her mother’s scheme, she and Joseph enter a battle with her parents over every aspect of the birth and the fate of their baby.
As word of a miraculous virgin birth spreads through Bethlehem, factions form, and allegiances shift among unscrupulous shepherds, dubious Wise Men, an elderly innkeeper, an earnest but malodorous peasant and an aging cat with a penchant for prophecy-all trying to answer the crucial question: Is the baby named Jesus truly the Son of God or merely a mortal born of earthly parents?
Exploring her beloved forest, young Princess Chibuike “Chi” encounters a man unlike any she has seen. His skin is as pale as the moon that watches over the Queendom of Kana, a land where women rule fiercely and freely.
Ten dry seasons later, in 1619, Chi, now a seasoned warrior in the Kanaian army, and preparing for her own future as queen, faces a mystery that threatens the existence of Kana. The once-peaceful queendom is upended when nearby villagers disappear en masse, including their ruling families—and one of Chi’s closest friends. Chi vows to find her missing landspeople and bring them home, no matter where they are. She and the women warriors travel across the ocean to Jamestown, Virginia to face down the pale men who have built a trade in human beings. To change the course of history for her people and herself requires Chi to discover a new kind of bravery and her true destiny.
Julie L. Brown’s No One Will Save Us is a sweeping novel of alternative history that explores what it means to be free and the resilience it takes to keep it.
Eli, a precocious 16-year-old social misfit living on Long Island in August 1979, cons his way into a professional boys’ choir’s Italian and Vatican tour so he can discover his missing father’s legacy.
But when he meets his dream girl, Jane, and finds himself connected to an intricate murder plot involving a legendary drug, he must decide if singing for the Pope is worth losing his family and first love.
Jane, a rebellious 16-year-old American girl, is desperate to get back into favor with her school friends after accidentally calling a narc on them. When she is sent to a Roman convent for smuggling erotic novels, she realizes she must grow up fast if she’s going to escape from the nuns, solve her family’s mystery involving a mythical drug, keep clear of the authorities, and declare her love for Eli.
Marco Ocram – The Awful Truth About The Name of The Rose
“IT IS STAN,” screamed the unhinged monk. “STAN HAS COME AMONGST US!”
“Stan?” cried the abbot and I in bewilderment. “Who is Stan?”
I realized my mistake, and retyped the line.
“IT IS SATAN,” screamed the unhinged monk. “SATAN HAS COME AMONST US!”
Mega-selling author, Marco Ocram, is on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and needs complete rest.
Police Chief Como Galahad—Marco’s main character—needs a volunteer to go under-cover at the Abbey, a remote celebrity retreat run as a medieval monastery, where something fishy is afoot.
There’s only one solution—Marco books into the Abbey for a detox, just a few days before a hundred A-listers fly in for a grand gala dinner.
Could anything go wrong? Could Marco write a labyrinth of astounding twists to leave all the world’s top celebrities moments from an awful death? Will you be amazed by the ending? You bet!
Fast, funny, and utterly different. Welcome to the weird world ofThe Awful Truth.
Literary and contemporary fiction has the power to illuminate the depths of human experience, transforming personal stories into universal truths that resonate across cultures and generations. The finest works in this genre challenge, inspire, and offer profound insights into what it means to be human. The Somerset Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction celebrate these exceptional voices, recognizing authors who craft narratives that bridge the personal and political, the intimate and the historical, creating literature that both reflects our world and shapes our understanding of it.
Celebrating Our Overall Grand Prize Winner!
We’re thrilled to celebrate our 2024 Somerset Division Grand Prize Winner, Reenita Malhotra Hora for her powerful novel Vermilion Harvest: Playtime at the Bagh. But this recognition reaches even higher as Hora’s remarkable work also claimed our Overall Grand Prize, earning her the prestigious $1000 cash prize in addition to a Chanticleer Editorial Review and Author Interview. This extraordinary honor reflects the exceptional quality of her storytelling and the universal resonance of her narrative.
Set against the politically charged backdrop of 1919 Amritsar, India, Vermilion Harvest weaves a compelling love story between Aruna, an Anglo-Indian Hindi schoolteacher, and Ayaz, a passionate Muslim law student whose political activism threatens their forbidden romance. As military tensions escalate toward the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13th, 1919, Aruna must navigate not only the complexities of cross-cultural love but also the desperate urgency of warning her beloved about Colonel Dyer’s impending attack.
What makes Hora’s work exceptional is her ability to serve as a cultural bridge, capturing the nuanced position of her protagonist who exists between Indian and Anglo communities while maintaining hope even as circumstances darken. Our judges praised the author’s professional skill and eloquent narrative voice, noting how she masterfully balances historical depth with intimate romance. The novel succeeds in making unfamiliar historical events accessible while preserving their emotional weight, creating what one judge described as “a believable and compelling story” that wraps “love, hate, denial, and betrayal inside a single love story capturing today’s hope with yesterday’s despair.”
The Somerset Awards honor the full spectrum of literary and contemporary fiction, celebrating works that push boundaries and explore the human condition:
Contemporary Themes features stories that grapple with modern life’s complexities, from urban alienation to digital-age relationships, capturing the zeitgeist of our current moment.
Literary showcases works distinguished by exceptional prose, complex character development, and thematic depth that elevate fiction to art.
Women’s Fiction & Family Themes explores the intricate dynamics of family relationships, women’s experiences, and generational stories that resonate across demographics.
Social/Psychological Themes delves into the human psyche and societal issues, examining how external forces shape internal landscapes and vice versa.
Magic Realism blends fantastical elements with realistic narratives, creating stories where the extraordinary illuminates everyday truths. Think Gabriel García Márquez or Isabel Allende.
Adventure/Suspense and Action/Adventure prove that literary fiction can be thrilling, combining sophisticated storytelling with pulse-pounding plots.
Connections celebrates stories about human relationships, community bonds, and the threads that tie us together across differences and distances.
Roses in December By Mark A. Gibson
A Series First Place Winner!
Roses in December is the epic conclusion to Mark A. Gibson’s compelling two-part family saga, Hamilton Place. Now focusing on the family’s next generation, James Hamilton Jr.—Jimmy—follows in the footsteps of the father he never met, a Vietnam War hero who died in battle, and ultimately finds his own path in life.
Pressured by a conning mother-in-law only out for monetary gain, the elder Jimmy’s widow, Becca, is pushed to marry Mack Lee, her deceased husband’s older brother who proves to be a cheating and abusive husband. Trapped in this loveless marriage, Becca hopes that attending church will remove her son from the toxic influence of her new husband and set him on the right path to a good life. But it’s the discovery of young Jimmy’s superior photographic memory that opens the door to a brighter future, and he sets a course to an outstanding medical career, coupled with military service in Afghanistan.
Gibson delivers the recent past with a great sense of immediacy, showing events that ripple into our contemporary world using pop references that are relevant in today’s world.
Toni has the chance to start her own business in the building of her family’s old bakery. But history waits within those walls. In Geralyn Hesslau Magrady’s novella, When Walls Talk, Toni and her father uncover secrets they could never have expected.
The Russo Bakery, with its 1920s architecture had been the family business since the four Russo brothers first opened its doors. Decades later, Toni and her widowed father plan a complete redesign of what their ancestors made to fulfill her dream of owning a bookstore. As the walls fall around the Russo family business, a long-hidden truth brings about profound personal changes for Toni.
Toni takes this giant leap into the unknown, unsure if she’s even prepared to own a business. But the bookstore is the key to her hope for a better future, her only path to escaping a past tragedy.
In Nova Garcia’s novel, Not That Kind of Call Girl, Julia Navarro-Nilsson balances a lot heavy responsibilities on her plate. She’s the supervisor of the Cascade City Chronicle call center, has just had her first child, and is dead set on saving her newest employee from a lifetime of abuse.
As a Mexican-American, Julia knows first-hand how difficult life can be for a minority woman, so when Carmen Cooper shows up for a job interview, Julia is determined to hire the young college student even though her story and answers to Julia’s question are sketchy. This reluctance to share her personal information intrigues Julia, but Carmen’s life turns out to be much more challenging than Julia would have ever dreamed.
Sussing out the truth behind the timid young woman’s clearly fictional story, Julia turns detective with the help of her reporter friend, Jerry. The two are dogged in their search and discover a secret so deep that it will rock Hollywood — that is, if she can juggle her new baby, her neglected husband, her sexually harassing boss, and an unending visit from her critical mother.
The Faraway Mountains by Radu Guiaşu is a fascinating blend of fiction and autobiography that brings to light the restrictive nature of the Communist Era in Romania and throughout the Eastern European Bloc. Experienced through the eyes of a group of friends, their persistence to find their friend perfectly illustrates the importance of human connection, even within the cold confines of a communist country.
Guiaşu begins his story as a chronicle of the entwined lives of childhood friends Victor, Dan, and Alex—who embark on a quest to find their lost comrade, Gabriel. Along their journey, they debate the important issues of their day.
Their discussions reveal the intricacies of daily life from the broad, to the particular. Topics like the oppressive regime in the country, the egregious ineptitude of some high-ranking officials, the deterioration of living conditions, and the recent and shameful destruction of numerous architectural gems are discussed right alongside the possibility of the national football championship game being another sham, the rising cost of foreign blue jeans on the black market, and the record heat wave they left behind in the capital.
This work pays homage to those exceptional individuals who, in spite of the harsh conditions their government forced on them, retained their moral rectitude, bravery, and irreverent sense of humor. It is also a condemnation of everyone who worked in tandem with these oppressive systems.
InConfluenceby Mary Elizabeth Gillilan, Maya has lived much of her life where she feels safe—at home with her Buddhist mother in the small town of La Conner, Washington. But a surprise discovery about Maya’s past pushes her to explore a wholly unfamiliar corner of the world.
Living with cerebral palsy, and a self-professed homebody, Maya is the queen of getting out of plans. But at sixty-five, two years after her mother passed, Maya finds a suitcase with her grandmother’s diary, several photos, and a letter written by her mother hidden inside.
In the letter, Maya learns she was born in a place called Sangam and her father could still be living there. The letter names a nun who helped deliver Maya and founded a hospital in that area, Yeshe Maya. Hesitant to leave her comfort zone, Maya waits to write to Yeshe Maya for a year. It takes even longer for Maya to work past all that is holding her back from the call of adventure.
These reviews represent just a glimpse of the literary excellence and contemporary insights waiting to be discovered in today’s finest fiction.
See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!
We’re excited about all the exceptional literary and contemporary fiction we receive every year for both the CIBAs and for our Editorial Reviews. Throughout this year’s Somerset Book Awards, we had the pleasure of promoting numerous outstanding novels as they advanced through our competition tiers. The Chanticleer International Book Awards offers an incredible $30,000 in cash, prizes, and promotion across all divisions!
This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each advancement tier is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter! Your book deserves to be discovered.
Don’t Let Your Literary Voice Go Unheard!
The literary and contemporary fiction market continues to hunger for authentic voices and compelling narratives that speak to our shared human experience. Whether your work explores contemporary social issues, delves into psychological complexity, bridges cultural divides, or pushes the boundaries of traditional storytelling, the Somerset Awards provide the recognition and promotional platform your literary excellence deserves.
Literary fiction has the unique power to transform readers, offering not just escape but enlightenment, empathy, and understanding. From intimate character studies that reveal universal truths to sweeping narratives that capture historical moments, every skillfully crafted literary work has the potential to become part of the cultural conversation. Don’t let your voice remain unheard—submit to the Somerset Awards today and join the distinguished authors who’ve found their literary community through Chanticleer!
Humor and satire holds up a mirror to society, revealing truths that might be too uncomfortable to face in more serious genres. From clever wordplay that brightens our day to sharp social commentary that challenges our assumptions, these works prove that laughter truly is one of humanity’s most powerful tools for understanding ourselves and our world. The Humor & Satire Awards celebrate authors who master the delicate art of making readers think while they chuckle, crafting stories that entertain, enlighten, and occasionally make us squirm with recognition.
Celebrating Our Grand Prize Winner!
We’re thrilled to celebrate our 2024 Humor & Satire Division Grand Prize Winner, Alexander Boldizar for his thought-provoking novel The Man Who Saw Seconds. This ingenious work follows Preble Jefferson, an ordinary man with an extraordinary gift: he can see exactly five seconds into the future. What begins as a seemingly useful ability becomes a nightmare when Preble dodges a bullet on a New York subway, causing another man to die in his place. Suddenly, government agencies take notice, transforming a simple manhunt into a military operation as they recognize the strategic potential of Preble’s gift.
Boldizar uses this fantastical premise to craft a brilliant satirical commentary on government overreach, surveillance culture, and the way institutions transform individuals into commodities. The novel explores weighty themes about the tension between personal freedom and systemic control, all while maintaining the propulsive energy of a thriller. As Preble fights to protect his family and preserve his humanity, readers are treated to a story that questions the nature of time, free will, and the systems we create to govern ourselves. The result is what the publisher calls “an adrenaline-pumping read that will leave you contemplating love, fear and the abyss.” Boldizar will receive a Chanticleer Editorial Review and be invited to participate in an Author Interview, offering insights into his approach to blending genre elements with satirical wit.
The Humor & Satire Awards celebrate the full spectrum of comedic and satirical literature, honoring works that make us laugh, think, and sometimes do both simultaneously:
Humor features pure comedy that delights in wordplay, absurd situations, and the lighter side of life, proving that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.
Satire takes aim at society’s foibles and institutions with wit as sharp as a scalpel, using humor to expose hypocrisy, challenge authority, and inspire change through clever critique.
Parody lovingly skewers familiar genres, characters, or cultural phenomena, celebrating what it mocks while offering fresh perspectives on well-worn territory.
Allegory/Fable uses symbolic storytelling and moral lessons wrapped in entertaining packages, proving that the most profound truths often come disguised as simple tales.
Political Ideology tackles the absurdities of governance, power, and social structures, using humor to make complex political concepts accessible and memorable.
Fantasy and Alternative History – Non-SciFi– prove that even imaginary worlds can offer the perfect laboratory for exploring very real human behaviors and social dynamics.
Summer of Haight By George Petersen
In The Summer of Haight, George Petersen opens a doorway into the hallucinatory dreamscape of 1967 San Francisco, where the counterculture’s bright ideals are shadowed by something far more sinister.
Forget the peace signs and flower crowns. This isn’t a nostalgic romp through Haight-Ashbury. It’s a slow-burning gothic mystery where the air smells of something rotting just beneath the incense, and reality unravels one eerie page at a time.
The Summer of Haight centers on Longfellow, a straight-laced, impeccably dressed British lawyer living in San Francisco. He’s logical, loyal, and just rigid enough to feel like he’s constantly one step out of place in the groovy chaos of 1960s counterculture. His best friend, the brilliant and eccentric scientist Dr. Jonathan St. Amour, seems to be riding high—hosting elite parties, building a private laboratory under his Victorian mansion, and showing off his mysterious new pet cat, Zelda, who wears a custom-cut diamond in the shape of a cat’s eye.
Things start to tilt sideways when Jonathan suddenly asks Longfellow to draft a new will—one that leaves everything to a man named Dr. Asmodeus Youngblood.
Cleave the Sparrow by Jonathan Katz blends political satire, existential philosophy, and absurd humor to immerse readers in a complex, surreal dystopian narrative.
Tom is a reluctant political candidate stuck on the blurred line between truth and power. His mentor, Crick—a controversial figure for his political views—has an ultimate goal in mind that pulls Tom into its wake. Believing in the limitation of human perception and the illusory nature of the world, Crick endeavors to destroy a ‘cosmic projector’ that he supposes fabricates this false reality.
Cleave the Sparrow charts a course where Tom, as Crick’s successor, follows his holotapes to carry out this dream, plunging into political and scientific conspiracy and moral dilemmas—opening an unexplored trail to time travel, quantum mechanics, and existential dread.
As Tomorrowville by David Isaak opens, it is in fact yesterday. 2008 to be specific. Toby Simmons, a Gen X programmer/engineer/hacker, is in the midst of something professionally fascinating but personally stupid.
Toby uses a state-of-the-art virtual reality system to surreptitiously peek into the apartment of the woman across the street. But he’s three stories up, and loses track of where his real feet are walking as he’s too busy following his virtual eyeballs, leading him to one of Wile E. Coyote’s famous maneuvers. He discovers that there’s nothing underneath him but air and a three-story drop to the pavement.
But just like that cartoon coyote, Toby comes back from the dead. It only takes a silly prank, a forgotten gin and tonic, and 80 years, as medical science makes great strides in bringing cryogenically frozen bodies back from formerly life-ending spinal destruction. Along with a whopping bill from the U.S. government– nearly five million dollars for all the many, many costs of Toby’s revival.
It’s 2088, and Toby Simmons has unwittingly become Rip Van Winkle. The world has changed while he’s been sleeping– although not, perhaps, nearly as much as it should have.
A Good Day and Other Mostly Humorous Stories and Lists By Radu Guiasu
Through the thirty-six diverse writing efforts ofA Good Day and Other Mostly Humorous Stories and Lists,Radu Guiasu masterfully combines wit, whimsy, satire, and personal contemplation.
These vignettes cover a wide range of topics, styles, and techniques. While they often seem to be typical “slice-of-life” moments, Guiasu clearly has a knack for finding humor in even the most absurd situations.
As a native Romanian now residing and teaching in Canada, Guiasu writes from his own knowledge and experience. He often broaches serious and meaningful topics, such as the world of academia, growing up under a dictatorship, and a love of nature.
The book’s title story, written while the author was a graduate student, follows a central character who cheerfully muses on fellow graduates not pursuing careers connected to their degree. Choosing not to sell out, he furthers his education and teaches high school to troubled students rather than drive a cab. Ultimately, he loses both his job and his girlfriend, thus deciding to celebrate his newfound freedom by writing about it.
These reviews represent just a glimpse of the clever storytelling and sharp insights waiting to be discovered in today’s humor and satirical literature.
See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!
We’re excited about all the witty and thought-provoking works we receive every year for both the CIBAs and for our Editorial Reviews. Throughout this year’s Humor & Satire Book Awards, we had the pleasure of promoting numerous entertaining titles as they advanced through our competition tiers. The Chanticleer International Book Awards offers an incredible $30,000 in cash, prizes, and promotion across all divisions!
This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each advancement tier is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter! Your book deserves to be discovered.
Don’t Let Your Wit Go Unwitnessed!
The humor and satire market continues to thrive as readers seek both escapist entertainment and intelligent commentary on our increasingly complex world. Whether your work delivers pure comedic gold, biting social satire, clever parody, or thoughtful allegory, the Humor & Satire Awards provide the recognition and promotional platform your wit deserves.
Humor has the unique power to unite people across differences, challenge conventional wisdom, and make even the most serious topics approachable. From lighthearted tales that offer pure joy to satirical works that inspire social change, every skillfully crafted humorous work has the potential to become a reader’s go-to comfort read or their new favorite conversation starter. Don’t let your wit remain hidden in the shadows. Submit to the Humor & Satire Awards today and join the clever authors who’ve found their appreciative audience through Chanticleer!
It is a truth Universally acknowledged that a Reader in search of a book, must be in want of a good Romance.
Other Divisions may have categories for Romantic themes, but if you want purely Romance, look no further! Historical to Modern, Steamy to Clean, even throw in some adventure, We’ve got it all!
Join us in celebrating These recent Grand Prize Winners of the Chatelaine Award!
The Key
By Jo Morgan Sloan
Our Review of the newest Grand Prize Winner is still upcoming. In the meantime, here is what some Goodreads readers have been saying:
“It’s an adorable read that had me feeling like this: 🥰🥰🥰 basically from the moment I read the dedication until I got to the end (though there were a couple dark moments), and I loved the queer rep, from the members of the DnD group to Tabby and Jax themselves.
I really liked that Tabby’s experience as a trans man was mostly positive. He’s happy with who he is and reading about his feelings brought me a lot of joy. His anxiety over whether or not to tell Jax the truth was so real, I felt it too. And the way Jax feels about his friendship with Tabby is so sweet… ahhhh! The writing just sucked me in and made it so easy to feel all the feels.
Tabby’s relationship with Rob, who is also a trans man, was very interesting. It made me consider some possible advantages and challenges in trans relationships that I never thought about before, and of course it’s great when books give us something new to think about.” – El
“Amazing. This book was described to me as “the gayest book I’ve ever read” and I could not agree more. Right from the start, Sloan’s writing drew me in. With a surprising depth of maturity in their writing for a debut author I quickly found myself swept away. Tabby and Jax stole my heart and keep my giggling and kicking my feet along the way. A truly binge-worthy holiday romance.” -Mandie
“What happens when you and your first love separate on good terms due to distance and you take that chance to become the real version of yourself? And then what happens if years later you really get that second chance? The Key is a beautiful second chance, trans romance with a lot of nerdy flare. Jaxon and Tabby are beautifully complex and well-rounded characters who made me want nothing more than to see them get their happily ever after. The complexities of young love, the incredible vastness and scope of the trans journey and what it means to different people, being bisexual but straight passing, each character brings something new and unique and heart breaking to the story that just made the story that much more touching. Fun read, beautiful story.” -Samantha
In this rich, absorbing tale, Gail Avery Halverson continues the remarkable saga of Lady Catherine Abbott and Simon McKensie that began with the multiple award-winning novels, The Boundary Stone and The Skeptical Physick. Sweeping us from a quaint village in England to Colonial Boston and to the beautiful evils of 17th century Barbados, Gail Avery Halverson has once again written a truly compelling and unforgettable novel.
After a heartbreaking tragedy, Catherine yearns for the safety and familiarity England, but when a free, black woman attempts to accomplish the unthinkable, Catherine is forced to decide where her future lies.
When a daring investment in the lucrative 17th century Barbados sugar trade takes a horrifying turn, Simon must at last set his dedication for medicine and scientific discovery aside and face the true ugliness of slavery.
Joining the multitude of courageous souls in the first waves of the Great Migration from England to America, Simon and Catherine McKensie lay witness to the forging of a new country, the first seeds of violent rebellion against the Crown, and the bitter tentacles of a slave trade just beginning to take root.
Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man By Reenita Malhotra Hora
Master storyteller Reenita Malhotra Hora’s YA romance Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man takes us on a charming journey through the life of one teen, Ila Isham.
Hora introduces Ila and her best friend Deepali, two boy-crazy teens on a summer quest. Readers will fall in love with the smart, sassy, angst-filled, rebellious Ila. A typical teenage girl, Ila lives in Mumbai with her mom and Sakkubai, their house manager. Ila’s mother calls her obsessed, but that seems unfair. Is she obsessed just because her every waking minute is spent thinking of Ali Zafar, famous pop icon, singer, and heartthrob? Or is she obsessed with fellow classmate Dev?
No, Ila couldn’t be taken with Dev because he’s one of three young men that her best friend Deepali is juggling in her summer experiment of exploring her “feminine mystique.” This turn of phrase becomes just one of many opportunities for Hora’s humor to shine as Ila remarks, “That’s a book by Gloria Steinem . . . no Betty Friedan.” Deepali’s response? “Yaar. Don’t be so literal.” The delightful balance between Ila’s book smarts versus Deepali’s street smarts carries us through Hora’s expertly crafted story.
Alex Sirotkin’s debut novel, The Long Desert Road, navigates the emotional arcs of life in contrast with the greater expanse of the cosmos. Here a young woman must face her addictions while the people around her try to move beyond her backlash.
We meet Henry Spinoza, a 44-year-old quirky science writer. He ponders his life as half over, looks for the right woman, and wonders if there isn’t more to existence.
For twenty years, Henry, a science writer, has been researching a non-fiction book on the universe that he intends to write. Henry’s feeling “bored, boring, and budget-conscious…the trifecta of gloom,” as he puts it. But in the middle of this ennui, his sister-in-law invites him to dinner, along with her divorced friend, Isabel Dalton, an attorney, and “the setup is afoot.”
In When the Wind Chimes by international best-selling author Mary Ting, Kate Summers wants to make this Christmas extra-special for her older sister, Abby, and four-year-old nephew.
A year ago, she’d given up Christmas with her family to spend the holiday with her boyfriend, Jayden, whom she had caught cheating on her the next day. Not only is she hoping to erase that memory, but she also has another even more important reason to make this Christmas special. A few months after her disastrous break-up with Jayden, her brother-in-law, Steve, passed away from cancer, so Abby and Tyler will be spending their first Christmas alone.
After taking a leave from her job as a graphic designer in LA, Kate flies to Poipu, Kauai, determined to make this an amazing holiday, but on her way to her sister’s house, she meets a mysterious man, who gives up his cab for her. Kate can’t get the handsome stranger out of her head, and when she sees him again in her sister’s art gallery–and destroys his expensive shirt with paint–she is both mortified and excited.
Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Chatelaine Winners is to submit today!
Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!
The Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Light-Hearted and Cozy Mysteries. The M&M Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
The Clue Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Mysteries. The Clue Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
