Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: romance

  • THE LAST DANCE by Lonna Enox

    THE LAST DANCE by Lonna Enox

    Lonna Enox’s The Last Dance is a twisty mystery set in small town Saddle Gap, New Mexico. When Sorrel Janes inherits an aunt’s house and art gallery in Saddle Gap, she decides to flee her big city secrets and start fresh. But this doesn’t turn out to be as simple as it sounds—when a young woman is murdered just outside the town bar, Sorrel becomes an important witness after her first night in town.

    Even as Sorrel works to renovate the gallery in time for a Memorial Day opening, complications begin to pile up. Originally intending to work as a local interest photographer, she starts her new career by getting called to yet another crime scene. It seems that murders are thick on the ground in this supposedly placid community.

    As the reader gradually discovers the secrets of Sorrel’s past, her skittish nature begins to seem more reasonable. An up-and-coming television crime reporter in Houston, Sorrel dealt with the less savory elements of society without fear. One day, however, she came home to discover her husband had been murdered. Out of fear that his death may be related to her career, she goes into hiding, assuming a new identity and a new life.

    With help from a friendly local woman who seems to be related to half the town, Sorrel begins to rebuild a life. Her attempts at normalcy are hampered by local sheriff Chris Reed, who is both dangerously attractive and persistent in pursuing Sorrel as a suspect in the first murder. Even as their relationship progresses, Sorrel cannot trust that his intentions are genuine.

    A series of petty crimes on Sorrel’s property as well as her job at the newspaper draw Sorrel deeper into the developing mystery. Has her past followed her to Saddle Gap? Determined not to run from a life she is beginning to discover she wanted all along, Sorrel resolves to stand her ground even in the face of turmoil. She is aided by guidance from her former photography professor, John, her only remaining connection to her former life.

    Charming secondary characters and the antics of Sorrel’s cat Flash add color and depth to the narrative, enhancing the small town feel. While the quick ending may disappoint some readers looking for a more complex mystery, Enox has a deft hand with atmosphere and characterization. This is the first in a new series of mysteries featuring Saddle Gap, and readers will find it a comfortable place to revisit.

    The Last Dance by Lonna Enox was awarded Best Debut Novel in the CLUE Awards for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Fiction 2013, a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

  • An Editorial Review of “Find Me Again” by Janet K. Shawgo

    An Editorial Review of “Find Me Again” by Janet K. Shawgo

    Can true love conquer death? What happens when those that die have unfinished business? Is it possible for those that leave to help those still here with their unsettled endings?   Find Me Again is a story about love that dares to do just that.

    Find Me Again begins just over a year before 9/11; many of the mysteries in the story revolve in some way around that infamous day. Much of the story is not about 9/11, but a key player in the story proves to be tightly involved in the events of that day. The conspiracy theory and mysterious side to this story help make it a great read, but what intrigues me the most is how intricate the people are woven together in this story; most of them oblivious to these associations until well into it.

    Taylor comes home for his Aunt Beatrice’s funeral with a surprise that his uncle who had also passed had willed to him his controlling portion of the family business. The inheritance comes with strings attached, however. Taylor is to settle some unfinished business for his uncle; his request was to research his family history and seek out his ancestor’s (Samuel White) true love, a nurse from the Bowen family.

    Jace is the most recent relative that has chosen to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors of old.  She is a holistic nurse recovering from a bad divorce that left her broke. But Jace was also gifted by her mother’s family history that leaves her to believe that she must help settle the dead as well. Her research leads her to discover that the Bowen and White families are linked. Jace feels a strong obligation to seek the answers to several questions that surface in relation to her mission.

    While Taylor and Jace appear to be the key players in this story, they are far from the only ones. All of the characters developed in this story are intriguing and leave you wanting to know more of their story. From Jace’s cousin Zack with intelligence enough to get her into a high level government job, but country enough to allow her to fly through desert training and surpass expectations of her. Zach also has the unique gift of mind reading and she may also be an empath. Zack alone adds an amazing character to the story and she is just one of many.

    Find Me Again is a mystery, conspiracy theory and an amazing love story that crosses generations—all combined into one amazing read. It leaves you quickly turning the page wondering how each person really plays out in the story, and an ending that tells you this story is far from over. An awesome and entertaining story; this reviewer highly recommends it and is looking forward to reading the first two books in this fascinating and well-researched trilogy from Janet K. Shawgo: Look for Me and Wait for Me.

  • An Editorial Review of “How to Make a Pot in 14 Easy Lessons” by Nicola Pearson

    An Editorial Review of “How to Make a Pot in 14 Easy Lessons” by Nicola Pearson

    How to Make a Pot in 14 Easy Lessons by Nicola Pearson is the story of Joe, a potter, and Lucy, the British actress he has fallen in love with. Needless to say to anyone who has attempted pottery, throwing a pot together from lumps of earth is not easy—and that doesn’t take into inconsideration that the pot will survive the firing process! Hence, Pearson’s insightful basis for this delightful and unique love story.

    Lucy and Joe’s lifestyles could not be more different: Lucy is following a plan she has created for herself so she can experience working in theaters around the world, while Joe lives a simple life in the lush countryside of Western Washington, making his clay pots and expecting the unexpected with each firing of the kiln.

    Each phase of their relationship is based on the metaphor of making pots, a process that is as fluid and unpredictable as life.

    The story begins just as Joe has convinced Lucy to abandon her plan to travel to Australia to work as an actress and instead, move to Seattle. Even as Lucy agrees and boards the plane to fly out of Kennedy Airport in New York, she is troubled. One part of her is thrilled to be moving closer to Joe, while another part is worried that she has abandoned her passionate career plans for a man, something she promised herself that she would never do.

    Thus begins the journey of two people, one certain in the beginning that he wants to marry, the other troubled by emotions and impulsive decisions she doesn’t understand.

    While Lucy becomes more certain as time passes that she has made the right decision, Joe becomes less certain, less convinced that their relationship can work. Unpredictable events outside the couple’s control will force clarity on both, pushing them to confront their feelings and their relationship.

    Pearson has painted in vivid detail the lives of these two characters, as well as the ups and downs of a developing relationship. Her elaborate descriptions of the Pacific Northwest immerse the reader in the beauty of the Skagit Valley countryside where Joe builds his pots. Joe’s five acres, his home, and the minutiae of his daily life are depicted in such picturesque fashion as to bring the setting alive as a character in the novel. Readers will also enjoy the entertaining characters who add color and foils to Pearson’s captivating story.

    Pearson’s skill in describing the art of pottery making as a metaphor for the unpredictable nature of one’s life is unique and urges the reader to think about the lessons learned by the characters long after finishing the book. Fans of women’s fiction will certainly be waiting for more stories from this author.

  • An Editorial Review of “The Hourglass” by Sharon Struth

    An Editorial Review of “The Hourglass” by Sharon Struth

    This debut novel could be said to be a story within a story: the male protagonist, CJ Morrison, is a best-selling author who pens a dark thriller called The Hourglass shortly after his wife’s death in a car accident that leaves CJ guilt-ridden, for reasons that are unclear. CJ hires Brenda McAllister, a relationship and sex counselor and self-help author as a consultant for his manuscript on the advice of his publisher, to help him move forward with the main character. The two instantly share a mutual, and in CJ’s case unwanted, attraction. The author, Sharon Struth,  has a knack for creating a palpable attraction between the two.

    When Brenda evaluates CJ’s other bestsellers, she realizes that the fictional character in CJ’s new story may reflect his personal demons. Brenda has her own baggage as well, not least of which is the recent death of her husband of 25 years, whose suicide is viewed by nearly everyone as proof that he was guilty of fraud at the Stamford, CT office of Global Business Systems. Brenda doesn’t believe it, but worries that the almost-violation of her marriage vows with her late husband’s best friend and colleague, Luc, might be why her husband took his own life.

    The main characters each possess a set of all-too-human flaws as well as other romantic interests which complicate their reactions to the attraction each feels during their work sessions, but each of them must conquer their personal demons before they can act on said attraction.

    Their repartee at each subsequent meeting is well-written and accurately reflects each of their conflicting push-pull emotions. These characters are in the midpoint of their lives, but how they react to each other, along with their respective sexual tension reads well without requiring that the author haul us into a bedroom with the characters. The motivation that keeps these characters working with each other is skillfully woven around Brenda’s need to clear her husband’s name even as Luc seeks to “help” her. Struth deftly adds some twists and turns to this contemporary romance as she ramps up the intrigue and the chemistry as Brenda discovers that her late husband’s work may not have been what she was led to believe.

    Struth has added touches of humor and quick-witted dialogue that makes for an entertaining read, while she presents very real-life situations and human frailties within this well written story.  The Hourglass will leave you thinking about it long after reading the last page. Throughout this suspenseful romance, the author provides clues that, by themselves, are easily missed, but which, when added together, resemble the gathering sands in an hourglass. We look forward to reading more of Sharon Struth’s contemporary women’s fiction.

    The Hourglass by Sharon Struth is a Chatelaine First in Category award winner for Romantic Women’s Fiction.

     

  • An Editorial Review of “Choices” by Kate Vale

    An Editorial Review of “Choices” by Kate Vale

    Choices by Kate Vale is a modern day romance story set in small town USA about a seemingly perfect family that ends up experiencing the harder side of life. The story is heart wrenching, but it is ultimately inspiring even though it deals with divorce, infidelity, and relationships. This novel uniquely shows the gritty and often ignored side of what families with kids go through when a marriage breaks apart.

    Melanie, the main character, finds herself in a position that no mother or wife ever expects or wants: her husband has just walked out on their family and she is left alone to pick up the pieces. She finds herself having to support her three children by herself and her kids are blaming her for their dad’s disappearance from their lives.

    The reader is dropped right into the heart of the story from the very beginning when Melanie is confronted by her estranged husband telling her he wants “out” of their marriage. He declares couples counseling was simply a waste of his time and he wants the marriage to be over so he can move on with his life. Self-doubt creeps through Melanie’s mind and she wonders why her husband would want to leave after sixteen years of a seemingly good marriage and what she could have done differently.

    It’s not long after her husband deserts her and their children that she re-meets Sam. Sam, the detective, the single detective who is smitten with Melanie from the get-go. He immediately takes to her kids and wonders what it would be like to have the full life of a family, house and all the trimmings. He carefully pursues Melanie in hopes of a life with her and her children.

    But Sam and Melanie aren’t prepared for the troubled times ahead of them. Melanie finds herself with two angry and troubled teens, both acting out and getting themselves into some frightening situations. Sam finds work colliding with his personal life and his attempts to court Melanie. And Melanie’s ex-husband has become jealous and angry at the thought of another man stepping into his role as husband and father.

    Can Sam, Melanie, and her children be there for each other and help each other when tragedy strikes and life gets even harder?

    Vale’s Choices sincerely explores the pain and anger that can come with a messy divorce in a realistic and honest way. This is a novel that everyone who has experienced the sting of divorce and troubled teens can relate to.

    Choices by Kate Vale is a sweet romance novel with a truly heart-warming ending. Each character grows and changes from beginning to end in this novel, making it not only a great read, but an inspiring one as well. Vale wrote a page turning story that I wouldn’t hesitate to read again!

    Choices by Kate Vale received the Chatelaine Grand Prize Award 2013 for Romantic Fiction, a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

  • An Editorial Review of “Mother Love” by Susan Colleen Browne

    An Editorial Review of “Mother Love” by Susan Colleen Browne

    Mother Love, written by Susan Collen Browne, is a romantic Irish story set in the colorful Village of Ballydara. She vividly portrays a written slice of contemporary life in Ireland with its pubs, puddings, pals and mams. Hers is a story of love, growth, and healing. It has just the right amount of chaos and family conflict, along with a good dose of  Irish humor, to make it a fun and entertaining read.

    Grainne knows exactly what her perfect man is like, down to each little detail—the only problem is her perfect man is getting married just as this book, and Grainne’s story, have begun. Grainne sadly acknowledges and grimly accepts the fact that her perfect man is about to become permanently unavailable. However, her biological clock is ticking and, on the eve of her 30th birthday, she is anything but reasonable.

    A complex and realistic protagonist, Grainne is plagued by her own family conflicts. Grainne’s relationship with her mam is strained to say the least. Having grown up feeling that she was less important than her sisters, Grainne does her best to avoid visiting her family home more than she deems necessary. She can’t even be in the same room as her mam without making the entire situation uncomfortable for everyone around. Yet for a young woman who avoids her mother, Grainne spends more time wishing for her mam’s acceptance and attention than not.

    Despite her tumultuous family life, Grainne is a devoted and doting nanny to three rambunctious kids whose own mother is too busy running a newspaper to pay them much attention. She finds happiness in her work as she dotes on the kids, but her wanting of her own family cannot be ignored.

    Grainne’s mam is keen to turn her home into a B&B and Grainne’s sister has guilted our protagonist into helping out with the venture. Grainne grudgingly helps out, thinking this may be a good way for her to get to spend some time with Rafe—the one that got away. Grainne and Rafe’s story seems destined to end before it ever begins, but sometimes you never know what life has in store.

    Rafe isn’t the only man in Grainne’s life. She’s also got good-guy Joe, a nice man with a decent job and only minor flaws and he has his eyes set on Grainne. And with all the family drama and emotional stress it’s a good thing Grainne has Justine—her best friend and flatmate—who spends her free time cooking and baking delicious food along with obsessing with the blog “Girl Talk.”

    Grainne must navigate her way through this crazy and tumultuous life if she is to find happiness.  Mother Love is a novel that lives up to the lore of Irish tales. If you like an entertaining light romance that is full of Irish humor and family fun, Browne’s story telling will not disappoint.

     

  • An Editorial Review of “An Ex to Grind in Deadwood” by Ann Charles

    An Editorial Review of “An Ex to Grind in Deadwood” by Ann Charles

    The Deadwood Mysteries by Ann Charles is a wickedly funny paranormal mystery romance series that takes place in its namesake city in South Dakota.

    Meet Violet “Spooky” Parker, a sassy single-mom real estate agent who is earning a reputation for selling haunted houses and finding dead bodies. And, now her agency’s boss is advertising that “she’ll show you a magic place that you’ll love…” on an interstate billboard. He also has her lined up to appear in a reality TV show featuring ghosts.

    But, Vi has more than her reputation to worry about when she gets a unsettling call from a mysterious women insisting that they meet immediately. When she and her sidekick Harvey arrive at the appointed place, all they find are ticking clocks, a shrunken head, and yet another dead body.

    Vi swears not to get involved especially after she is warned to keep out of the way by the police detectives on the case. She especially swears off the case when her ex decides to make a reappearance in her life. However, when she finds evidence that links her young son to the victim, all bets are off now that her child maybe in mortal danger.

    The Deadwood Mysteries offer a welcomed new twist for cozy mystery lovers! Fresh writing, lovable quirky characters, a good dose of randiness, peculiar situations (I have no idea how Ann Charles comes up with this stuff, but it makes for an entertaining read), and clever surprises at every twist and turn. An Ex to Grind keeps the laughs coming or the suspense building. Get ready for another hilarious and spooky suspenseful read from Ann Charles.

    [Reviewer’s Note: I LOVE the ending.]

  • An Editorial Review of “The Promise of Provence” by Patricia Sands

    An Editorial Review of “The Promise of Provence” by Patricia Sands

    The Promise of Provence can be said to be a beautifully phrased travelogue that is a pleasure to read. It can be highly recommended on that merit alone. You can almost smell the lavender, hear the bells on the goats tinkle, and sip the local wine as you escape into the story.  However, what truly makes this novel stand apart is how deftly the author, Patricia Sands, shares the gentle life lessons that we all could be reminded of especially nous les femmes d’us certain âge. This novel’s story particularly resonated with me.

    Sometimes you are heading along at full speed heading toward a known direction, and then someone, something, changes the track you are on without any warning. You are now heading someplace new and probably still at full speed. However, now you don’t know where you are going or where you will end up.  This is what happened to our protagonist, Katherine, when she came home expecting the usual traditional anniversary dinner with her husband James of twenty-two years only to find a note telling her that he has left her for another woman and that they are expecting a baby.

    This is when Kat’s awakening begins. This is when she realizes the importance of girlfriends, of getting help when you need it, of reconnecting with your loved ones, of finding new ways of doing things, and being open to new possibilities. Nevertheless, like all awakenings, Kat’s is not without its twists and turns and unexpected bumps.

    What I thought that was exceptional about “The Promise of Provence” was how Sands weaved in Katherine’s past life with her ex-husband.  She deftly intersperses how Kat relinquished control of her life to James bit by bit in many aspects from everyday little innocuous things, to influencing her relationships with her friends and her aging mother, to how their vacations and free time were spent.  The author does this sparingly and with aplomb so that the story moves forward, but she reminds us how easy it can be to give up our power and our dreams without even realizing it.

    We get to meet Anyu, Kat’s Jewish mother. We learn of Anyu’s family’s history in WWII Hungary and that Anyu barely escaped with her life. We learn, with Kat, that Anyu’s life was totally derailed when she was a teenage girl—never to be the same. Anyu finally shares with Kat her experience of a terrible betrayal and the horrors that she and her loved ones endured during the war, but as she does, she also gives Kat hope, gratitude, and optimism for the future.

    And, of course, girlfriends play a major part of the story: the inexhaustible and verbally expressive Molly, steadfast Andrea, and the new ones she makes along the way. Sands truly captures the camaraderie and support that true friendships can afford us. She gently reminds us that taking the time to nurture and value friends will make our burdens lighter and our joys greater.

    The allure of France helps to draw Kat out to explore and rediscover life’s pleasures along with the capacity to love again in this inspiring and satisfying novel.  We look forward to reading Patricia Sands next novel, Promises to Keep, to find out where Kat’s journey and new lease on life takes her—and us.

     

  • An Editorial Review of “Ephemeral Palaces” by Nancy Foshee

    An Editorial Review of “Ephemeral Palaces” by Nancy Foshee

    A winsome romantic mystery that takes place in the Gay Nineties or, also known as the Gilded Age of the Robber Barons.

    Ephemeral Palaces, by Nancy Foshee, transports us to Chicago, 1893, when the city was hosting the World’s Columbian Exposition (aka the World’s Fair). The magnificence of the exposition was unparalleled in the event’s history with more than 27 million people attending its six month run.

    The author unfolds her fast-paced story that deals with the submerged conflicts of the time that are just beginning to erupt to the surface: the emerging labor movement in counterpoint with the Robber Barons, the first Skyscraper emerging from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire, and the swirling together of cultures from different nations and religions from the European mass migration. People from all walks of life were converging at first to build the exposition, then to work at it, and then to attend it. Different levels of the social strata converged at the exposition, along with the new public parks, sprawling roads and railways, and industrial works that were creating the now great city of Chicago. The women’s suffrage movement was beginning and starting to gain momentum, and the country was starting to finally heal from the American Civil War.

    Readers will be swiftly caught up in this story of love at first sight, treachery, family secrets, sabotage, and technological innovations of the time, meshed with the conflicts between the classes, religions, and national origins. Foshee intertwines her cast of characters against the subtext of this backstory to make for a lively novel that historical, cozy mystery and romance fans will enjoy reading.

    Shakespearean charades and surprises ensue when one of Chicago’s most prominent and most eligible young heiresses, Alexandra Schaffer, beguiles an up-and-coming young architect, Logan McConnell. They meet when she helps Logan pick up items from a display that he accidentally knocked over in the grandiose Marshal Fields department store. Meanwhile, Alexandra’s brother, Joey, has fallen head over heels in love with the Schaeffer family’s Swedish maid’s daughter Ingrid, but he is forbidden to pursue the relationship by the family patriarch.

    Foshee adds elements of mystery and suspense, with a dash of ominous threats to this romantic story that takes place in this volatile time of American history. She deftly explores the dynamics of the Gilded Age and some of the era’s significant events that will impact the future of America and its capabilities to take on the challenges that the future will bring. Ephemeral Palaces is an engaging historical novel of the Gilded Age that was well-researched and well-written and a pleasure for this reviewer to have read.

     

     

     

     

  • An Editorial Review of “Granddad’s House” by Kate Vale

    An Editorial Review of “Granddad’s House” by Kate Vale

    Granddad’s House is a contemporary romance that will captivate you and have you wanting more.

    While Granddad’s House stands on its own, you will find Vale’s characters so engaging that you will want to know more about them. Good thing that author Kate Vale has written (so far) four books in the On Geneva Shores series, which take place in the small Pacific Northwest town of Evergreen, Wash.

    The story begins as we meet attractive redheaded Olivia Brown, of Brown Family Realty, conducting an open house. The handsome Southern architect named Beauregard Elias James is touring it on behalf of a client who wants to turn it into a B&B.  Of course, Olivia knows not to reveal to him that the historic house is her family home, but, she does!  Why, she asks herself, did she break one of her own rules with this incorrigible man with awesome green eyes?  The family real estate business is central to the story line and that is where the author Vale’s real life expertise as a realtor along with the many awkward situations that they find themselves is seamlessly integrated into the adept writing.

    Granddad’s House  is an engaging read from page one that will make you laugh and cry as author Kate Vale portrays life’s struggles and conundrums with poignancy and touching honesty that rings true.

    Vale’s writing captures germane issues that women face in today’s world:  being torn about decisions made between life for oneself and the caring for a beloved elder who has dementia, the strife of feeling the need to be in at least three places at one time, the far reaching effects of the Middle East Conflict, along with the emotional bonds of family and friends, and the myriad of tugs that women must face as they navigate modern life’s complexities.

    If you want to get to know characters who embrace contemporary challenges with integrity and passion, then look no further than Kate Vale’s novels for a book about love and loss, friendship and family ties, and finding happiness.  Granddad’s House is an exemplary example of Vale’s encouraging and fortifying stories. While her writing is inspiriting, it does cross over to sensuousness in order for readers to identify with the issues we deal with in confronting our own sexuality in our daily lives.

    Kate Vale’s relevant women’s fiction story lines, believable characters and spot-on romantic flair assure that we will be hearing great things about this talented up-and-coming contemporary women’s fiction romance author.

    On Geneva Shores series by Kate Vale

    • Family Bonds starts the Geneva Shores series with Book 1. How can a couple overcome their families’ dark secrets and disparate backgrounds?
    • Granddad’s House is Book 2 of Geneva Shores.  Love transcends and gives hope.
    • Just Friends, Book 3 we follow the blossoming love of Olivia’s best friend, Sally, and Beau’s brother, Paul, a returning wounded soldier from Afghanistan.
    • Choices, Book 4 — look for our review! Can Sam, a long-time bachelor, commit himself to marriage and kids –especially when the kids propose the idea?