Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Heartwarming

  • HOT WORK in FRY PAN GULCH (Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter) Book One by Jacquie Rogers – Take a ride to the Old West

    HOT WORK in FRY PAN GULCH (Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter) Book One by Jacquie Rogers – Take a ride to the Old West

    Feisty, independent Honey Beaulieu is nobody’s fool, and she darned sure isn’t any man’s plaything. So earning a living on her back at her mama’s Tasty Chicken Emporium is not part of her life plan. Problem is, she doesn’t know exactly what her plan should be.

    Fortunately for Honey, her no-nonsense mama sees the proverbial writing on the bordello wall and does her own brand of arm-twisting to get Honey a job at the town marshal’s office.

    Lazy Marshal Fripp is none too thrilled to have a woman invading his domain and if it weren’t for his day-long excursions to the Tasty Chicken he and Honey would be banging heads constantly. With Fripp out of the office, Honey straps on her “Peacemakers” and gets a leg up on the career ladder, climbing from clerk-and-cleaner to Deputy Marshal. But Honey learns the hard way that Fripp is not about to stand on the sidelines while she hops on the fast-track to success.

    Plus, “lawdoggin’” doesn’t come close to paying the bills, let alone paying for all of the stray livestock that comes her way. So when a wanted man rides out of town on the back of Marshal Fripp’s horse, Honey is faced with the most important career decision of her life.

    Should she stick it out as the deputy marshal of Fry Pan Gulch or should she trade in her badge and a steady paycheck for a chance to leave the marshal in the dust and make some real money bounty hunting?

    In this hilarious first installment of the Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter series author Jacquie Rogers introduces a lively and engaging main character whose heart of gold shines brightly through her tough-as-nails façade. Saddled with a strong conscience and her own set of rules, Honey sets the good old boy franchise on its ear, proving that they’re no match for a resourceful and enterprising, sharp-shooting woman.

    In addition to her fresh, new Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter series, award-winning author Jacquie Rogers is well known for her popular Hearts of Owyhee western historical romance series and for her highly entertaining story-telling.

    Set in the Old West’s rough-and-tumble Wyoming Territory, Hot Work in Fry Pan Gulch is a tightly-written, action-packed romp that delivers page after page of laugh-out-loud fun—and maybe even a bit of romance along the way.

  • WAIT FOR ME by Janet K. Shawgo – WWII Historical Romance

    WAIT FOR ME by Janet K. Shawgo – WWII Historical Romance

    Second in the three-book Look for Me series, Wait for Me has the strength to capture readers as a stand-alone story with its new characters and historical setting. References to characters in Look for Me, the first book set during the Civil War, give sufficient back-story for the generational story of the White, Bowen, and Keens families.

    After the prologue shows Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, establishing the World War II setting, the story begins on September 23, 1940 in New York.

    “Jean Anne White-Shaw was reading the newspaper, listening to Glenn Miller on the radio and waiting for her son to come downstairs.” Songs from the Glenn Miller era become a powerful sensory cue for many scenes, some may say too many, while others may enjoy the trip down memory lane.

    However, the author excellently executes with the dialogue, bringing readers into the events and the characters’ emotions. The dialogue, coupled with excellent characterization, carries the story. It is strong, realistic, and shares considerable insight into the families. Readers connect to the people, and quickly find themselves engulfed in their story.

    Larry White is a reporter, a great nephew of Samuel White, a reporter during the Civil War; Susan Bowen is a nurse, a great niece of Sarah Bowen, a nurse during the Civil War; and Dealer Johns connects to the Keens family, going back to Mack, Sarah’s friend in the Civil War.

    “These were Samuel’s last handwritten notes from Gettysburg. Phillip…carefully removed his mother’s Bible and placed it in front of him. In the Bible was an envelope that contained two items he needed to give to Lawrence. … the necklace and note that were in Samuel’s possession when his body was brought back from Gettysburg.”

    Readers, watching the characters’ paths intersect, will eventually learn the connections to the characters in the first book whose similar paths these characters now follow. The plots and sub plots at times get a bit confusing, but as readers continue, they will make the connections, finding a finished story that is both cohesive and very good.

    The often-unknown role of women in wartime as travel nurses and pilots, as well as the use of herbs for natural healing, adds interesting and relative historical content to the story. The WASP pilots and their active role in the war effort was particularly fascinating reflecting Shawgo’s vigilance with her medical and military history research. Readers may find it interesting that Shawgo, along with being an award winning novelist, is also a travel nurse who goes where and when she is needed for national disasters.

    The satisfying ending holds just enough mystique to give a taste of what will come in the concluding book of the series, Find me Again, as well as stirring curiosity to go back to the first book, Look For Me, for the complete story in this engaging historical romance American saga that spans generations.

  • JACKIE by John Tammela, a coming-of-age memoir– WWII era

    JACKIE by John Tammela, a coming-of-age memoir– WWII era

    From the first chapter of this delightful coming-of-age memoir, it’s clear that Jackie is a little boy with a big imagination. Whether he’s donning a homemade crown for his mock coronation or building a snow castle to defend the neighborhood, Jackie finds magic in the simplicity of everyday life.

    The author begins his story – Jackie’s story – in the late 1930s in his home town of Niagara Falls, Canada. It’s an era of innocence and promise. And for 6-year-old Jackie, it’s the beginning of an age of life lessons and remarkable discovery. Like most children, some of the adventures and lessons in his path seem big and scary. But, be it facing a trip to the dentist, crossing a bridge for the first time or taking an aero car ride high above the Niagara whirlpool, Jackie learns that reflection, investigation and trust in the people around him can help him overcome his fears.

    Jackie’s new-found knowledge is not limited to how he interprets to the external world. The author also offers a glimpse into Jackie’s emotional and sexual awakenings from his first crush to the touch of a girl’s skin. Jackie’s perceptions of his physical and emotional reactions to each encounter are completely believable for a boy of his age, providing a level of honesty that make them feel innocently real.

    Jackie’s story continues into the early 1940s. The simple games of hide and seek that he and his friends play take on a new dimension with “sides” and “prisoners.” But the World War is always at a safe distance and, although farms are short of manpower with women filling in where they can, the reality of war does not invade or overpower the story.

    In the tradition of “Stand by Me,” “Jackie: the adventures of a little boy trying to grow up” transports the reader to a simpler era in which children are allowed to follow the lead of their imaginations and create their own fun.

    And as we join Jackie in his adventures we gain insight by taking the lessons he learns to take to heart. Targeted at middle graders, John Tammela’s memoir is an enjoyable snapshot into a young boy’s life. And with a well-considered Q&A at the end it’s the perfect vehicle for parent-child sharing and discussion.

  • First Place Category Winners for the 2015 JOURNEY Awards

    First Place Category Winners for the 2015 JOURNEY Awards

    journey-126x1501.gifThe JOURNEY Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of  Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Awards International Writing Competitions.

    We are pleased to announce the 2015  JOURNEY Awards Official First Place Category Winners. Good Luck to them as they compete for the 2015 Journey Grand Prize Award.

    • Enlightenment:  Grant Harper Reid  – Rhythm for Sale
    • Travelogue:  Bonnie Rose Ward – Winds of Skilak: A Tale of True Grit, True Love, and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness
    • Self-help/How-to:  Dr. Harish K. Malhotra, M.D.  – Metaphors of Healing
    • Volunteer Experience:  George DeVault – Fire Call: A Volunteer Firefighter’s Memoir
    • True Action/Adventure:  Wendy Hinman – Tightwads on the Loose – A Seven Year Pacific Odyssey
    • Memoir/Journey: H. Alan Day – The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs

    More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

    cac16The Journey First Place  Category award winners will compete for the Journey Grand Prize Award for the 2015 Best Narrative Non-fiction work. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 30, 2016 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

    The First In Category award winners will receive an award package including a complimentary book review, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

    We are now accepting entries into the 2017  JOURNEY Awards. The deadline is February 28, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter.

    Congratulations to those who made the JOURNEY AWARDS 2015 FINALISTS official listing.

    More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

    Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?

  • AGNES CANON’S WAR by Deborah Lincoln — a Civil War Novel

    AGNES CANON’S WAR by Deborah Lincoln — a Civil War Novel

    Agnes Canon is too intelligent, and too stubborn, to let others make decisions for her. No matter what the consequences, her choices will be her own.

    In this complex historical drama, schoolmarm Agnes Canon, refusing her father’s choice for a husband, leaves the safety of her Pennsylvania childhood home for the wilds of Missouri in the decade before the outbreak of the Civil War.

    On the way she meets, and eventually weds, Jabez Robinson, a medical man who has seen the wonders of the world and war at its foulest. Living in a territory with loyalties on both sides as the national conflict heats up, Jabez and Agnes, equally matched in intellect and stubbornness, abhor the Southern institution of slavery, but also despise the greed and interference of the North. Their struggles are real, and the chaos endured will pit their marriage against a dramatically changing civilization.

    ​Agnes is the pivotal character in this multi-layered story. She endures the pangs of childbirth and the deprivations of family life in a war zone. She watches as friends and neighbors go different ways in the war, and good men fight each other on the home front. She supports Jabez even as his publicly stated political ideals open them to harassment from violent, unprincipled militants.

    Deborah Lincoln, who has based this novel on the life history of her great grandparents, writes with emotional intensity about dark times in an embattled landscape.

    Unlike many Civil War sagas, this one takes no obvious sides. The focus is on Agnes—a vital, strong woman with feminist ideals, and Jabez, the only man smart and determined enough to gain her love. The romance is not overdrawn, though, and there is a complex skein of subplots providing scenes of rousing action and rich historical context.

    Agnes Canon’s War reminds us that war produces equal measures of bravery and barbarism, and those in its midst who hang on to their principles are rare and admirable. An excellent read that explores  love and societal schisms grown in the roots of cultural and political battles between the North and the South.

     

  • FRECKLED VENOM COPPERHEAD by Juilette Douglas — Best Debut Western

    FRECKLED VENOM COPPERHEAD by Juilette Douglas — Best Debut Western

    Straddling a big, gray horse, a young boy rides into White River, a small isolated town with few people. A town he fled years before. He is alone and sick.  Multiple questions percolate, but the first one is, “How can he carry on?” Readers who seek historical western adventures, will find Freckled Venom by Juliette Douglas a  satisfying read to be enjoyed by all ages of readers, youngsters or seasoned.

    Juliette Douglas writes with a unique Western voice, full of quirky phrases that establish character, humor, emotional content, and moves the story briskly along. The story is set in 1878, and the narrative revolves around the opposing goals of the town marshal and the obsessed bounty hunter. Its supporting characters are enjoyable, although some lean toward stereotypes, but this old-time Western presents an engaging hero and heroine.

    Tension and conflicts are layered and contain some violence. The Marshal Rawley and the venomous woman Lacy suffer as they’re jammed together against vile weather: rain, wind, cold and snow, while hunting three brutal socio-pathic brothers. While the villains provide gripping conflict and suspense, an underlying theme through the story is Lacy’s irreparable childhood damage.

    Rawley tries to break through her emotional barricade, but is returned with Lacy’s biting reactions. However, such interactions define these characters as they grow; both of them learning while searching for a way to deal with their dilemma. Two plots climax at the end of the dual hunts: the hunt for the murdering scum brothers and the hunt for a resolution to Lacy’s pain.

    As the narrative deepens, internal and external dialogue represents character reflections, and drives home. In almost every conversation with Lacy, Rawley uses a nickname, partly with affection, but also to taunt her, and the nickname becomes tiresome to Lacy and maybe to the reader also. However, the payoff for reading past these bumps is thoroughly enjoying a story that makes the Old West come alive.

    Douglas writes the physical senses organically; readers see, hear, touch, and smell everything in the setting, know the season, feel the weather, and can taste the dust.  Freckled Venom, Douglas’ debut novel, brings the Old West to life with vivid settings, believable adventures, and suspenseful plotting. She weaves together danger, Lacy and Rawley’s growth, their longing for intimacy, and induces reader empathy for Lacy and Rawley right to the end. Readers wanting to know more can look forward to Douglas’s sequel, Freckled Venom: Copperhead Strikes.

     

  • CHEATING THE HOG: A Sawmill. A Tragedy. A Few Gutsy Women by Rae Ellen Lee

    CHEATING THE HOG: A Sawmill. A Tragedy. A Few Gutsy Women by Rae Ellen Lee

    When her bell-ringing employment for the Christmas season ends, Echo Spangler tackles a higher paying job demanding heavy physical labor—one at the local saw mill that is known for paying above minimum wage, but is perilous to one’s limbs.

    Male bosses and a few male co-workers conspire to force her to quit, adding to the daily “business as usual” danger. But she needs this job to pay her bills, and she’s determined not to let the jerks get the best of her. Rae Ellen Lee’s novel Cheating the Hog  is full of snappy writing that conveys the groaning of Echo’s muscles, while also showing her bravado and joy of simple pleasures against her taunting male co-workers.

    Echo presents a gutsy hard crust to her bosses and the men lording over her in the sawmill, but reveals her big heart to three female co-workers, her mother, and old friends. Danger ramps up beyond the job when she tries to help the women escape domestic violence.

    Readers will be engrossed in Lee’s lively narrative style; learning along the way about the workings of the sawmill machinery the fatal chaos it may bring if things go wrong. Lee also brings us to life outside the mill. Echo’s homelife includes her gun-toting mother, but Echo still carries the hopeful sparks of romance in her heart; even if she has to deal with prissy women and thick-skulled men.

    This engaging story shows the life of gutsy women on the sharp edge of poverty–with no extra education­­ and none of the advantages of a relatively carefree upbringing. The author immerses the reader into Echo’s daily life and demonstrate how such women experience the hardships relentlessly tumbling their way, enduring a male-dominated work culture, and living through its dangers. The book’s overarching theme encompasses underprivileged women who work hard, laugh hard, love hard, fight hard, and never give up. They forgive when they can, all the while struggling to show courage against odds most readers hope they will never face.

    People busy with their own lives don’t often give much thought to the hard and dirty jobs millions of men and women do every day. The author shows how (and why) many working folks muster the ability to face danger, fear, and death daily on the job. When readers turn the last page, they’ll be glad that they read the entertaining and enlightening Cheating the Hog engagingly written by the talented Rae Ellen Lee.  

     

  • BAD VAMPIRES by Karl Larew, a humorous new take on vampires

    BAD VAMPIRES by Karl Larew, a humorous new take on vampires

    Karl Larew is well known for the depth and breadth of his knowledge in the field of military history, both in academic works and in historical fiction.

    Well, as you might imagine, Bad Vampires has nothing to do with world politics and war, or even reality on the home front. Rather, this versatile author has chosen to entertain us by delving into the practices of the netherworld of 19th-century vampirism, BUT, as it exists in the modern world—the difference being that, today, there are both Bad Vampires and Good Vampires. This is a modern fictional account, and one designed to make you chortle instead of scream. It is a hilarious and refreshingly fun read!

    Rather than a single locale in Transylvania, the vampires in this tale travel from New York to our nation’s capital and its Virginia suburbs, then Hollywood, and on to Hong Kong, and back and forth, in multiple trips, logging who knows how many thousands of miles.

    The 19th-century vampire’s vicious bite and suck method has evolved into a variety of means for the nourishment of vampires. Among Bad Vampires, the process can still end in, well, the end for the blood donor. Good Vampires, however, take care not to let this happen. Further, the New York Association of Good Vampires has rules regarding the infliction of mortal wounds by other means (pistols seem to be the most popular). In any case, Good Vampires are the winners, Bad Vampires are the losers. Bad Vampires have no imagination and can’t put a bullet in the side of a barn, whereas Good Vampires are ingenious in their strategies and never miss a target, even with one hand tied behind them.

    This tale is either carried along or interrupted by outrageously corny puns, double entendres, and other linguistic contrivances designed to tickle the characters and amuse the readers. Larew obviously enjoyed drawing these from old TV shows: Bad Vampire Elmer wants to make a movie about vampires in New York City—”Sucks and the City” it gets labelled by a Good Vampire; another Good Vampire calls the Head Vampire about a new idea. The CHIEF tells him, “GET SMART! I could say that 99 times and still not have said it enough!” Do any readers remember “Henry Aldrich” (Hen-reeeeeeee) on the radio? No? Never mind.

    It’s hard to develop the character of a vampire. In this story, some are good and some are bad. Protagonist Lance Blodgett is a good one and smart as well. In his day life, he’s an assistant professor of anthropology at New York University, specializing in East European folklore. He has a tender streak and loving heart, which he very soon gives to Carol Binghamton, who isn’t a vampire.

    Carol, a computer programmer, finds herself reciprocating Lance’s feelings. She even offers him breakfast, if he’ll bite her where it won’t show. Lance tells her that biting is “too painful and leaves a big bruise. We use little spring-powered lancets, like diabetics use for blood sugar tests.” She kindly offers him a rump.

    I wouldn’t want to spoil the story for you—just give you a taste that hopefully will tempt you to try it yourself. You might say, as Lance did after breakfast, “Oh, very good—[it has] a sort of tangy je ne sais quoi.”   

  • LADIES in LOW PLACES by Mary Ann Henry, a collection of short stories

    LADIES in LOW PLACES by Mary Ann Henry, a collection of short stories

    Mary Ann Henry’s debut short story collection, Ladies in Low Places, paints a vivid portrait of multiple generations of Southern Women examining where they fit in with today’s rapidly changing world. Deeply imbued with a sense of place, most of the stories in this captivating collection are set in or around Charleston, South Carolina, a city where the past bleeds dramatically into the present.

    Henry succeeds at creating 18 unforgettable characters from very different walks of life in the South, while she subtly weaves universal themes throughout the collection that will resonate with readers. The setting’s Lowcountry nuances are enchanting and serve to tie all of the stories together seamlessly.

    Each story is a refreshing portrait of a woman bucking convention or finally deciding to forego the traditional path. Among them, “The Basket Maker” and “Blood Orange” are standouts. “The Basket Maker” depicts the life of Charleston’s most powerful wedding planner as she is discovering that perhaps she is not as satisfied with her life as she might have believed. With just a dash of magical realism, the story is deeply emotional.

    In some of the stories, Henry writes with a powerful, authentic voice about characters not often seen in contemporary fiction: older women. One of these is “Blood Orange;” a lighter tale about a woman’s sixtieth birthday party and the travails one could face when dating at that age. Some of the stories focus on younger women, with a particularly hilarious story about a beauty pageant with three unlikely contestants titled “Hell Hole Swamp Queen.”

    The collection has deep undercurrents running just below the surface that allow profound glimpses into the tension between the grounding pull of traditional ties and the forces of modernity that many women must come to terms with as their own stories unfold.

    Even still, each one of the stories is a delightfully entertaining and poignant read that will linger and leave you wanting more.

    Ladies in Low Places is a passionately crafted collection that makes for an insightful, but humorous and uplifting, read. A wonderful sense of place, authentic voice, and vividly drawn characters make this work stand out from others about contemporary Southern women.

    Henry’s next project is a novel length expansion of the collection’s final story. Titled “The Wayward Daughter,” the longer format should give her leave to explore some of the tantalizing ideas and quirky characters presented in this collection.

  • The CHATELAINE 2014 AWARDS for Women’s Fiction and Romantic Fiction Finalists

    The CHATELAINE 2014 AWARDS for Women’s Fiction and Romantic Fiction Finalists

    The Chatelaine Awards recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Women’s Fiction and Romantic Fiction Novels. The Chatelaine Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Awards International Writing Competitions.

    chatelaineWe are pleased to announce the Chatelaine Awards Official Finalists List for 2014 Entries, otherwise known as the “Short List.” The Official Finalists Listing is comprised of entries that have passed the first three rounds of judging from  the entire field of entrants. To pass the first three rounds of judging, more than sixty pages of the works below  have been read and have deemed worthy by the CBR judges of continuing in competition for the Chatelaine FIRST IN CATEGORY positions and their prize packages.

    Congratulations to the CHATELAINE AWARDS 2014 FINALISTS:

    • Isabella Hargreaves  for The Persuasion of  Miss Jane Brody
    • Kathy Bryson for Feeling Lucky 
    • Sarah Katz for Hidden Miracles
    • Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson for The Order of the Lily 
    • Danica Winters for  Montana Mustangs 
    • Jennifer Snow for The Trouble with Mistletoe 
    • Dr. Evan Mahoney for Nongae of Love and Courage 
    • Kaylin McFarren for Buried Threads
    • Deborah Hining for A Sinner in Paradise 
    • Kerryn Reid for Learning to Waltz
    • Peggy Patrick for Surrendered II
    • K.C. Simos  for Ambrosia Chronicles: The Discovery
    • Donna Barker for Mother Teresa’s Advice for Jilted Lovers
    • Diane Green  for Dragon Wife
    • Nadine Christine for Quintal’s Return; Home Again, Home Again; and Remembering Love
    • Ashlinn  Craven  for  Maybe Baby 
    • A. Clarke Scott for A Dissimulation of Doves 
    • Noelle Clark  for Rosamanti 
    • Jamie A. Waters  for The Two Towers
    • Martha Rather for Kismet or Kamasutra  
    • Nancy Marie Bell for Christmas Storm
    • Janet K. Shawgo  for Find Me Again 
    • Betty Codd for Eleanor Grace  
    • Julie LeMense for Once Upon a Wager
    • Kristine Cayne  for Deadly Betrayal 
    • K.C. Berg for  Fallen Angel
    • E.E. Burke for Her Bodyguard
    • Debra Pickett for Reporting Lives
    • Gita Simic and G.T. Symms for As for Costanza
    • Eleanor Tatum for Swamp Home 
    • Cauleen Noël for The Changes Within Us
    • Lisa Souza for Beauty and the Bridesmaid
    • Patricia Sands  for The Promise of Provence 
    • Callie James for Innocent
    • Kim Sanders for The Ex Lottery
    • Jianna Higgins for Just Going and Just Wondering  
    • Sharon Struth for Share the Moon    
    • Kate Vale for Destiny’s Second Chance     
    • Colette Saucier for Viuda

    Good luck to all the Chatelaine Awards Finalists who made the Short List as they compete for the First In Category Positions!

    More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

    cac3The Chatelaine First in Category award winners will compete for the Chatelaine Grand Prize Award for Women’s/Romance Book 2014. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on September 29th at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

    The First In Category award winners will receive an award package including a complimentary book review, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

    We are now accepting entries into the 2015 Chatelaine Awards. The deadline is August 31, 2015. Click here for more information or to enter.

    More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

    Who will take home the $1,000 purse this September at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?

    Last year’s Chanticleer Grand Prize winner was Michael Hurley for The Prodigal.

    Last year’s Chatelaine winner was Kate Vale for Choices.