Thursday 30 December 2021

Book of the MONTH - December

Book of the Month Award

December




1546 and Scotland is under attack from Henry VIII, determined to marry his son to the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. A few among the Scottish lairds are eager for this alliance too. They kill Cardinal Beaton, who is Mary’s great protector, and take St Andrews Castle, expecting rescue any day from England.

Local lad Will is among them, fighting for the Protestant cause. His treasonous activities place his family in grave danger, forcing his sister Bethia into an unwelcome alliance. As the long siege unravels, Bethia and Will struggle over where their loyalties lie and the choices they each must make — to save their family, or stay true to their beliefs and follow their hearts

This debut novel closely follows the historical events of the siege of St Andrews Castle, and its dramatic re-taking.

A clever blend of fact and fiction…gripping action, drama galore, and a dash of romance.' Margaret Skea, Winner of the Beryl Bainbridge Prize

Pages: 300
Genre:  Literary Movements & Periods






Book Cover of the MONTH - December



Book Cover of the Month

HUGE thanks to  Designer, Cathy Helms at Avalon Graphics for selecting this month's cover of the Month.


All books receiving a Chill with a Readers' Award in January will automatically be considered for Book Cover of the Month.




Tuesday 21 December 2021

The Castilians by VEH Masters



The Castilians

has RECEIVED a


A PREMIER Readers’ Award


Premier Readers’ Award is honoured to books that receive exceptional high evaluations from Chill Readers.

This book is shortlisted for Book of the Month.

1546 and Scotland is under attack from Henry VIII, determined to marry his son to the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. A few among the Scottish lairds are eager for this alliance too. They kill Cardinal Beaton, who is Mary’s great protector, and take St Andrews Castle, expecting rescue any day from England.

Local lad Will is among them, fighting for the Protestant cause. His treasonous activities place his family in grave danger, forcing his sister Bethia into an unwelcome alliance. As the long siege unravels, Bethia and Will struggle over where their loyalties lie and the choices they each must make — to save their family, or stay true to their beliefs and follow their hearts

This debut novel closely follows the historical events of the siege of St Andrews Castle, and its dramatic re-taking.

A clever blend of fact and fiction…gripping action, drama galore, and a dash of romance.' Margaret Skea, Winner of the Beryl Bainbridge Prize

Pages: 300
Genre:  Literary Movements & Periods

The Castilians
  was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against the following...

Were the characters strong and engaging?
 Was the book well written?
Did the story / plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
Was the ending satisfying?
Would you recommend to someone who reads this kind of story?


Saturday 18 December 2021

Maggie of my Heart by Alyson Faye



Maggie of my Heart

has RECEIVED a


A PREMIER Readers’ Award


Premier Readers’ Award is honoured to books that receive exceptional high evaluations from Chill Readers.

This book is shortlisted for Book of the Month.

Set in the world of nightclubs, bedsits and bars, during the post-war years, Maggie, a beautiful escort girl, is caught up in a violent relationship with her lover, a spiv, Johnny. Their blackmail scams lead to murder, from which Maggie escapes into marriage with a wealthy older suitor. A chance meeting with Johnny years later, tosses her back into his clutches. When his past reveals one secret too many, Maggie has to fight for her freedom and her life.

Writing about the character of Maggie, Alyson recently said: “Maggie, is a gorgeous girl, a ringer for the 1940’s film noir femme fatale, Joan Bennett, who is escaping an abusive family background, and fleeing to London, falls for Johnny, a spiv, a blackmailer and a fast-talking con man. He too has secrets in his past; one of which proves his undoing.”

Pages: 58
Genre: Historical Mysteries

Maggie of my Heart
  was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against the following...

Were the characters strong and engaging?
 Was the book well written?
Did the story / plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
Was the ending satisfying?
Would you recommend to someone who reads this kind of story?


Friday 17 December 2021

Just Bea by Deborah Klee



Just Bea by Deborah Klee

has RECEIVED a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award


Sometimes you have to stop trying to be like everyone else and just be yourself

Bea Stevens and Ryan O'Marley are in danger of falling through the cracks of their own lives; the only difference between them is that Bea doesn’t know it yet.

When her world is shaken like a snow-globe, Bea has to do what she does best; adapt. Homeless man Ryan is the key to unlocking the mystery of her friend Declan’s disappearance but can she and Ryan trust one another enough to work together?

As the pieces of her life settle in new and unexpected places, like the first fall of snow, Bea must make a choice: does she try to salvage who she was or embrace who she might become?

Just Bea takes the reader on a heartwarming journey from the glamour of a West End store to the harsh reality of life on the streets and reminds us all that home really is where the heart is.

  
Just Bea  was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against the following...

Were the characters strong and engaging?
 Was the book well written?
Did the story / plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
Was the ending satisfying?
Would you recommend to someone who reads this kind of story?


Pages:  340
Genre: Women's Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction















Monday 13 December 2021

Over The Hedge by Paulette Mahurin



Over The Hedge

has RECEIVED a


A PREMIER Readers’ Award


Premier Readers’ Award is honoured to books that receive exceptional high evaluations from Chill Readers.

This book is shortlisted for Book of the Month.

During one of the darkest times in history, at the height of the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1943, members of the Dutch resistance began a mission to rescue Jewish children from the deportation center in Amsterdam. Heading the mission were Walter Süskind, a German Jew living in the Netherlands, Henriëtte Pimentel, a Sephardic Jew, and Johan van Hulst, principal of a Christian college. As Nazis rounded up Jewish families at gunpoint, the three discreetly moved children from the deportation center to the daycare across the street and over the backyard hedge to the college next door. From the college, the children were transported to live with Dutch families. Working against irate orders from Hitler to rid the Netherlands of all Jews and increasing Nazi hostilities on the Resistance, the trio worked tirelessly to overcome barriers. Ingenious plans were implemented to remove children’s names from the registry of captured Jews. To sneak them out of the college undetected past guards patrolling the deportation center. To meld them in with their new families to avoid detection. Based on actual events, Over the Hedge is the story of how against escalating Nazi brutality when millions of Jews were disposed of in camps, Walter Süskind, Henriëtte Pimentel, and Johan van Hulst worked heroically with the Dutch resistance to save Jewish children. But it is not just a story of their courageous endeavors. It is a story of the resilience of the human spirit. Of friendship and selfless love. The love that continues on in the hearts of over six hundred Dutch Jewish children.

Pages: 176
Genre: Historical German Biographies

Over The Hedge
  was read and evaluated by Chill's readers against the following...

Were the characters strong and engaging?
 Was the book well written?
Did the story / plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
Was the ending satisfying?
Would you recommend to someone who reads this kind of story?