Drumbeats by Julia Ibbotson

Drumbeats

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

It is 1965 and the air is light with the idea of freedom, love and the Beatles, but eighteen year old Jess, a feisty young woman with ideas of her own, is feeling stifled by her puritanical religious family background in working class England.

Keen to escape her mother’s narrow-minded Rulebook and rigid plans for her life, and her silent, strangely disturbing father, she plans to defer her university study and instead escape her past to flee to Ghana, West Africa, for a gap year, teaching and nursing in the jungle. 

Her parents cannot understand Jess’s wish to leave behind her comfortable life in England and her perfect Quaker boyfriend, Simon. 

In the 60s, Africa means darkness and danger to most people, not least her family, but to Jess it conjures up a picture of exotic adventure and freedom. 

Little does she realise what this year will, in fact, bring: joys, horrors, love and tragedy. 

As she struggles to comprehend the abject poverty and hopelessness of the people of Ghana, Jess begins to find herself and think about what she really wants in life. 

She must find her way on her own and learn what fate has in store for her, as she becomes embroiled in the turmoil of the small war-torn African nation under a controversial and harsh dictatorship. 

When she meets Jim, a handsome, friendly yet mysterious US soldier, Jess must face the dangers of both civil war and unexpected romance. 

Where does she truly belong and can she escape her troubled past? 

And why do the drumbeats haunt her dreams?

‘Drumbeats’ is the first part of a touching trilogy about finding yourself, falling in love and learning life’s harsh lessons. 

Drumbeats 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

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A Second Chance by Dodie Hamilton

A Second Chance

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

When Adelia, beautiful GI Bride, crosses an Ocean to be with a USAF pilot she takes with her a dark secret. Locked in her head is the identity of the father of her daughter, a US Major. When she reaches America, her fiancé, Bobby, isn’t there to meet her. He sent another man, the local undertaker, Gabriel Templar, in his place. Home in Virginia is not as promised. It’s a dirty place. It has a gated tower where a man hides from the light. It is crammed with secrets of its own. Adelia cannot remember her first love. Like the man in the tower, the memory of his face, how he used to look, is locked away. Amnesia holds the key to many doors. Adelia and her little daughter, Sophie, live in constant danger. Until one door is unlocked, and Lazarus returns from the dead, a lonely man with the name of an Archangel is all that stands between Adelia and fear.

A Second Chance 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

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Her Only Option by Paula Martin

Her Only Option

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals, and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist. She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, she starts receiving cryptic messages. When Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which seems to be her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

Her Only Option 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

sponsored by Avalon Graphics

Book of the MONTH - Insurrectio by Alison Morton

INSURRECTIO

By 

Alison Morton

has been AWARDED

with

BOOK OF THE MONTH - FEBRUARY

“INSURRECTIO - a taut, fast-paced thriller and I enjoyed it enormously. Rome, guns and rebellion. Darkly gripping stuff.” – Conn Iggulden

‘The second fall of Rome?’

Aurelia Mitela, ex-Praetorian and imperial councillor in early 1980s Roma Nova, scoffs at her intelligence chief when he throws a red file on her desk. But it may be too late to save Roma Nova from meltdown and herself from destruction by her lifelong enemy.…

Early 1980s Roma Nova, the last province of the Roman Empire that has survived into the twentieth century, has problems – a ruler frightened of governing, a centuries-old bureaucracy creaking for reform and, worst of all, a rising nationalist movement with a charismatic leader who wants to destroy Aurelia.

Horrified when her daughter is brutally attacked in a demonstration turned riot, Aurelia tries to rally resistance to the growing fear and instability. But it may already be too late to save Roma Nova from meltdown and herself from entrapment and destruction by her lifelong enemy.…

INSURRECTIO 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

Insurrectio has also received...

sponsored by Avalon Graphics

Walking Wounded by Anna Franklin Osborne

Walking Wounded

has been AWARDED

a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

Born at the end of the First World War, a young girl struggles to find her own identity in her big family and is pushed into a stormy marriage through a terrible misunderstanding from which her pride refuses to let her back down. As her own personal world begins to crumble, the foundation of the world around her is shaken as Germany once again declares war and her brothers and young husband sign up with the first wave of volunteers. 

Walking Wounded tells the story of those left behind in a Blitz-ravaged London, and of the web of loyalty, guilt and duty that shapes the decisions of the women awaiting the return of their men-folk as the war draws to a close.

Spanning the period from the Armistice of the First World War to the exodus of the Ten Pound Poms to Australia in the 1950s, Walking Wounded is a family saga whose internal violence is mirrored by the world stage upon which it is set.

Walking Wounded 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

This novel is also a

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The Dreamweaver's Journey by Diana L Wicker

The Dream Weaver's Journey

has been HONOURED

with a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

One of the Tales from Feyron - The Ripples of Power stories

The Realm of Feyron has always been. It is the origin of all things magical, the axis point where all the worlds meet. Once, in days gone by, there were many gateways within the Temple of Pyli connecting the Worlds Beyond seeded with magic to their home. Now many gateways have flickered out, and Feyron weakens as the magic fades and the Guardians are lost.

For the first time in over three hundred years a Dreamweaver has come of age and is tasked with contacting the Guardians. When she awakens in the night after a vision of her best friend lost and alone, injured in the snows at the top of the Crystal Mountains, she seeks out the Sacred Fire in the Temple in an attempt to call forth more information. A voice calls out from the fire, "Dreamweaver, you are summoned." An image appears of an ancient path through the Mist Shrouded Forest leading to a hidden gate into the Crystal Caverns below the mountains. The Guardians have summoned her on a quest that will take her to the four realms of light within Feyron in search of answers and aid.

The Dream Weaver's Journey 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

sponsored by Avalon Graphics

The Dust of Ancients by Terri Nixon

The Dust of Ancients

has been HONOURED

with a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

A curse uttered in the extremity of terror and death can reverberate for centuries. When the means to bring that curse to fruition are suddenly within reach, the innocents must look to their past to protect their future ... and their past wants no part of it. 

Richard Lucas has been plagued by vivid and disturbing dreams since the death of his wife eleven years ago, and, desperate to get his life back on track, he is persuaded by his best friend Dean to take a sabbatical. But when he arrives in Dean’s home village of Lynher Mill he discovers that, not only is Dean not who he seems, but that he himself is bound more tightly to the Cornish moorlands than he could have imagined. And far more deeply than he would ever want to be.

As the events that began to shape his life over three thousand years ago continue their steady, unstoppable march towards a terrifying conclusion, Richard discovers the truth about his connection to the moor, and eventually has to do battle with his own history just to survive. Those who love him struggle with conflicting loyalties and come to realise that, if the land itself is to endure, they must make some devastating decisions.

Dust of Ancients 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

sponsored by Avalon Graphics

Do You Love Reading?

If you love reading and reading why not read for Chill with a Book Awards

Chill readers do not write reviews instead they evaluate each book they read for the Chill AWARD against a five point check list

Were the characters strong and engaging?

Was the book well written?

Did the plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?

Was the ending satisfying?

Would you tell your friends about it?

Chill readers do not pay for the books they read for Chill’s AWARD on their Kindle

If you are interested in being a Chill AWARD reader, please contact Pauline

Fortune's Wheel by Carolyn Hughes

Fortune's Wheel

has been HONOURED

with a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

Plague-widow Alice atte Wode is desperate to find her missing daughter, but her neighbours are rebelling against their masters and their mutiny is hindering the search.

June 1349. In a Hampshire village, the worst plague in England’s history has wiped out half its population, including Alice atte Wode’s husband and eldest son. The plague arrived only days after Alice’s daughter Agnes mysteriously disappeared, and it prevented the search for her.

Now the plague is over, the village is trying to return to normal life, but it’s hard, with so much to do and so few left to do it. Conflict is growing between the manor and its tenants, as the workers realise their very scarceness means they’re more valuable than before: they can demand higher wages, take on spare land, and have a better life. This is the chance they’ve all been waiting for.

Although she understands their demands, Alice is disheartened that the search for Agnes is once more put on hold. When one of the rebels is killed, and then the lord's son is found murdered, it seems the two deaths may be connected, both to each other and to Agnes’s disappearance.

If you enjoy this book, please come back and leave a review.

Fortune's Wheel 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

This book has also received...

sponsored by Avalon Graphics

In the Shadow of the Storm by Anna Belfrage

In the Shadow of the Storm

has been HONOURED

with a

Chill with a Book READERS’ Award

Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Roger Mortimer, much more than loyalty. He owes Lord Roger for his life and all his worldly goods, he owes him for his beautiful wife – even if Kit is not quite the woman Lord Roger thinks she is. So when Lord Roger rises in rebellion against the king, Adam has no choice but to ride with him – no matter what the ultimate cost may be.

England in 1321 is a confusing place. Edward II has been forced by his barons to exile his favourite, Hugh Despenser. The barons, led by the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, have reasons to believe they have finally tamed the king. But Edward is not about to take things lying down...

Adam fears his lord has over-reached, but Adam has other matters to concern him, first and foremost his new wife, Katherine de Monmouth. His bride comes surrounded by rumours concerning her and Lord Roger, and he hates it when his brother snickers and whispers of used goods.

Kit has the misfortune of being a perfect double of Katherine de Monmouth – which is why she finds herself coerced into wedding a man under a false name. 

Domestic matters become irrelevant when the king sets out to punish his rebellious barons. The Welsh Marches explode into war, and soon Lord Roger and his men are fighting for their very lives. When hope splutters and dies, when death seems inevitable, it falls to Kit to save her man – if she can. 

In the Shadow of the Storm is the first in Anna Belfrage’s new series, The King’s Greatest Enemy, the story of a man torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his king, and his wife. 

In the Shadow of a Storm 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

This book has also received...

sponsored by Avalon Graphics

Insurrectio by Alison Morton

INSURRECTIO

By 

Alison Morton

has been HONOURED

with

Chill with a Book READERS' AWARD

“INSURRECTIO - a taut, fast-paced thriller and I enjoyed it enormously. Rome, guns and rebellion. Darkly gripping stuff.” – Conn Iggulden

‘The second fall of Rome?’

Aurelia Mitela, ex-Praetorian and imperial councillor in early 1980s Roma Nova, scoffs at her intelligence chief when he throws a red file on her desk. But it may be too late to save Roma Nova from meltdown and herself from destruction by her lifelong enemy.…

Early 1980s Roma Nova, the last province of the Roman Empire that has survived into the twentieth century, has problems – a ruler frightened of governing, a centuries-old bureaucracy creaking for reform and, worst of all, a rising nationalist movement with a charismatic leader who wants to destroy Aurelia.

Horrified when her daughter is brutally attacked in a demonstration turned riot, Aurelia tries to rally resistance to the growing fear and instability. But it may already be too late to save Roma Nova from meltdown and herself from entrapment and destruction by her lifelong enemy.…

INSURRECTIO 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?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

sponsored by Avalon Graphics

French Kissing by Lynne Shelby

French Kissing

by

Lynne Shelby

has been HONOURED

with

Chill with a Book READERS' AWARD

Anna Mitchel has been writing letters to her French penfriend, Alexandre Tourville, for fifteen years, but hasn't seen him since an exchange trip when they were at school. When Alex, now a successful photographer, comes to work in London, Anna offers to put him up, and is astounded to discover that the small, geeky boy she remembers is now tall, broad-shouldered and gorgeous. Anna's female friends are soon swooning over Alex's Gallic charm, and Anna's boyfriend Nick is increasingly jealous of her friendship with an attractive single man. Then Alex has to return to Paris to oversee the hanging of his photographs in an exhibition, and invites Anna to accompany him so that he can show her the city he adores...

French Kissing 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 told your friends?

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

sponsored by Avalon Graphics