Wednesday 31 May 2017

Book of the Month - The Lady of the Tower by Elizabeth St John



The Lady of the Tower

has been AWARDED


BOOK OF THE MONTH

MAY 2017


Orphaned Lucy St.John, described as "the most beautiful of all," defies English society by carving her own path through the decadent Stuart court. In 1609, the early days of the rule of James I are a time of glittering pageantry and cutthroat ambition, when the most dangerous thing one can do is fall in love . . . or make an enemy of Frances Howard, the reigning court beauty.

Lucy catches the eye of the Earl of Suffolk, but her envious sister Barbara is determined to ruin her happiness. Exiling herself from the court, Lucy has to find her own path through life, becoming mistress of the Tower of London. Riding the coattails of the king’s favorite, the Duke of Buckingham, the fortunes of the St.Johns rise to dizzying heights. But with great wealth comes betrayal, leaving Lucy to fight for her survival—and her honor—in a world of deceit and debauchery.

Elizabeth St.John tells this dramatic story of love, betrayal, family bonds and loyalty through the eyes of her ancestor Lucy and her family’s surviving diaries, letters and court papers.




This book has also received....










Sunday 28 May 2017

Du Lac Devil by Mary Anne Yarde




Du Lac Devil

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

War is coming to Saxon Briton.


As one kingdom after another falls to the savage might of the High King, Cerdic of Wessex, only one family dares to stand up to him — The Du Lacs.


Budic and Alden Du Lac are barely speaking to each other, and Merton is a mercenary, fighting for the highest bidder. If Wessex hears of the brothers’ discord, then all is lost.


Fate brings Merton du Lac back to the ancestral lands of his forefathers, and he finds his country on the brink of civil war. But there is worse to come, for his father’s old enemy has infiltrated the court of Benwick. Now, more than ever, the Du Lac must come together to save the kingdom and themselves.


Can old rivalries and resentments be overcome in time to stop a war?


Du Lac Devil is a standalone novel and has a recommended reading age of 16+


Du Lac Devil was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?



This book has also received a...






Thursday 25 May 2017

Flowers of Flanders by Ros Rendle



Flowers of Flanders

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award


Readers who are entranced by sweeping historical sagas will devour Flowers of Flanders, Ros Rendle’s drama is set before and during the First World War. 
Rose rivals her beautiful, mercurial sister for Michael’s love but calculated lies and misunderstandings alter the young peoples’ course. War breaks and Michael is as eager as the others to go. 

Maybe Rose will settle for second best with Thom even though she cannot get Michael out of her soul.

Does a man need the grace of serenity to rediscover his own or is it frivolity and seduction he craves when he has been through the darkest places of war? Michael’s experiences in the trenches gradually alter his perceptions.

This is a story about deceit and loyalties, complex relationships and loves developing from youth to adulthood during a cataclysmic time in history.



Flowers of Flanders was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?



Wednesday 24 May 2017

I Hear You Calling by Helen Line



I Hear You Calling

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award


“So, I am nine years old and in year five at school and I am a weirdo. I know I am a weirdo ‘cos all the other kids at school tell me that a lot. The teachers don’t call me weirdo but they do get angry with me, a lot…… 

Dad and Mrs Wilkes argue sometimes and they both get very angry and me and Mum sit in the middle of them watching, like at a tennis match. And then I get sent home for the rest of the day and when I go back to school it starts all over again.” 

Rae Simpson, Education Officer, is struggling to recover from her marriage to a control freak. Richard Banks, 9 year old student, is floundering as he tries to please both his controlling father and his Headmistress. A difficult task, as the very thing that pleases his father is the thing that most puts his school place at risk; Richard gives messages from the dead. 

Whilst sceptical Rae tries to work with Richard, his overzealous father and a head teacher who thinks compromise is a dirty word, her ex-husband arrives back on the scene. As control rapidly begins to fall away from them both, Rae and Richard find themselves victims of dramatic events that unite them in a way that Rae never thought possible. And now the question is not ‘Can Rae save Richard’s school place?’ but ‘Can Rae save Richard’s life?’ I Hear You Calling is a fast moving story of love, loss, trust and control that will take you into areas you may never have visited before.



I Hear You Calling was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?



Tuesday 23 May 2017

The Flame Eater by Barbara Gaskell Denvil



The Flame Eater

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award


Nicholas, now heir to the earldom, has no desire to marry his dead brother’s cast-off mistress. And Emeline has no desire to marry the brutal monster who murdered his brother, the man she loved and hoped to marry.
This arranged marriage is a disaster, it would seem that it can’t get any worse. But it does. Fire rages through the castle and takes over the wedding night, and any hopes of reconciliation.
But not everything is as it seems. Murder and arson are destroying more than just one alliance, and the culprit is unknown. 

But there are other matters to consider. It is 1484 and Richard III is England’s monarch. The king entrusts many of his lords with responsibilities in the service of their country, and Nicholas is charged with the undercover investigation into two desperately important situations, which involves travel to the south of England.
Emeline joins with her younger sister and others of the household, determined to discover who is responsible for the disasters which have now entirely disrupted their lives. But the suspects are so many. It is therefore a group of eager but desperate women of various ages, characters and capabilities who attempt to solve the mystery.
Meanwhile, Nicholas learns that he has a wife to admire and to adore. But is he a murderer? Is her mother? Her nurse? And will England’s political turmoil threaten their peace and cause even greater uncertainty? Life will never be the same. But perhaps that is just as well.


The Flame Eater was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?




This novel has also received...






Tuesday 16 May 2017

The Lady of the Tower by Elizabeth St John



The Lady of the Tower

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

Orphaned Lucy St.John, described as "the most beautiful of all," defies English society by carving her own path through the decadent Stuart court. In 1609, the early days of the rule of James I are a time of glittering pageantry and cutthroat ambition, when the most dangerous thing one can do is fall in love . . . or make an enemy of Frances Howard, the reigning court beauty.

Lucy catches the eye of the Earl of Suffolk, but her envious sister Barbara is determined to ruin her happiness. Exiling herself from the court, Lucy has to find her own path through life, becoming mistress of the Tower of London. Riding the coattails of the king’s favorite, the Duke of Buckingham, the fortunes of the St.Johns rise to dizzying heights. But with great wealth comes betrayal, leaving Lucy to fight for her survival—and her honor—in a world of deceit and debauchery.

Elizabeth St.John tells this dramatic story of love, betrayal, family bonds and loyalty through the eyes of her ancestor Lucy and her family’s surviving diaries, letters and court papers.


The Lady of the Tower was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?


This book has also received....







Thursday 11 May 2017

The Shining City by Joan Fallon



The Shining City

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

This is the story of a city, a city that is now in ruins: Madinat al Zahra.  The year is 947 AD, a time when southern Spain is under the rule of the Moors.  The ruler, Caliph al Rahman III is rich, powerful and cultured.  His lands are, at long last, at peace and the capital, Córdoba, is considered to be not only the most beautiful city in the civilised world but also the seat of learning and culture.  Against this background we meet the artisan Qasim - he and his family have moved to Madinat al Zahra to make their fortune as potters. 

Qasim is a good husband and father.  He works hard, says his prayers and keeps out of trouble.  But Qasim has a secret; his past is not what it seems.  When a stranger arrives asking questions about him, he is worried that his secret will be discovered and everything he has worked for will be destroyed. He has to take action.


The Shining City was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?


This book has also received....





Wednesday 10 May 2017

Blitz PAMS by John Orton



Blitz PAMS

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

and a

PB Special Award


“Blitz Pams tells with astonishing vividness and compelling verve a story from a forgotten world – a North Eastern town during the Blitz. John Orton makes this lost world real again. Through the voice of the narrator, he succeeds in recreating the life and struggles of young people in conditions where they could feel they were making a difference. Anyone who wants a fresh look into what it means to live in a time of crisis will enjoy this arrestingly well written book.” – John Gray (Author of ‘Straw Dogs: thoughts on humans and other animals’)

Britain in September 1940 has seen the retreat from Dunkirk, and the entry of Italy into the War. The RAF has withstood all that the Luftwaffe could throw at it in the Battle of Britain, but the German Blitzkrieg is just starting. The first bombing raids have hit South Shields and the town prepares for worse to come.

The Police need more young PAMs (Police Auxiliary Messengers) to be ready to take messages on their bikes in the event of a raid and if the phone lines are down. Mossie Hamed, grocery delivery boy, is one of the volunteers who become the Blitz PAMs. Although, in his own words ‘not ower clever’, Mossie tells how the next eighteen months change the lives of him and his ‘marras’ and of the many other unsung heroes on the home front.

Blitz PAMS  was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?



This book has also received...




Monday 8 May 2017

A Boy From The Street by Maria Gibbs



A Boy From The Streets

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award



Two babies abandoned at birth—one grows up in a life of privilege, the other in poverty.

On the 12th of September, 1981, twin boys are born in a Brasilian hospital and left to their fate as orphans. Jose is adopted by a couple who takes him to England, but the other isn’t so lucky. Pedro ends up on the streets of Rio, left to fend for himself in a harsh and unforgiving world.

Love and betrayal.

Twelve years later Jose’s family returns to Brasil, where he learns the truth about his adoption and his twin. Thinking his adoptive parents no longer want him, he runs away to find his brother. What follows will shake Jose to the core and shape the rest of his life—if he can survive.

Murder.

Jose isn’t the only one whose life will change. Pedro is offered an opportunity beyond any of his wildest dreams, but to keep it will mean the betrayal of someone he loves. This proves to be a far greater challenge than he anticipated when the orphan finds himself suddenly surrounded by family who, unfortunately, don’t all have good intentions.

Hopes and dreams.

A Boy from the Streets will tug at your heart-strings and have you rooting for the little guy as you follow the twists and turns this multi-continental tale takes.


A Boy From The Streets was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against a five point criteria

1.       Were the characters strong and engaging?
2.       Was the book well written?
3.       Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
4.       Was the ending satisfying?
5.       Would you tell your friends?