Reading (mostly) romance books down under
Tempted All Night by Liz Carlyle
BOOK GIVEAWAY: Read on for a chance to win a free copy of Tempted All Night. The contest ends midnight on Friday, June 5 AEST.
I think I read a Liz Carlyle book once, and I mustn’t have liked it because I’ve avoided her books for some reason. So when I got a free copy of Tempted All Night at ARRC 09, it was a chance to reacquaint myself with Carlyle’s writing and see if I should start paying her more attention.
Tempted All Night didn’t immediately grab my attention, and I didn’t care much for the suspense plot, but some exquisitely written, finely balanced scenes between lovers Tristan and Phae had me alternately thrilled and in tears.
Tristan Talbot, Lord Avoncliffe, is your typical historical romance rogue. He’s popular with the ladies—and not of the virginal kind—who generally see him as a frivolous, somewhat dim-witted, yet vastly entertaining companion. In truth, he’s a former mercenary whose past has jaded him to the point where he doesn’t care (more)
The Romance Writers of Australia has announced the finalists for this year’s R*BY Awards:
Short Sweet
Claire Baxter — The Single Dad’s Patchwork Family
Melissa James — A Mother in a Million
Marion Lennox — His Island Bride
Fiona McArthur — The Midwife’s Baby
In Bed With... (Anthology)
Isn’t that just the most luscious cover? Designer Allison Colpoys (Penguin) was named young designer of the year at the Australian Publishers Association Book Design Awards last week. I picked up this book the last time I was in a bookstore, and the only reason I didn’t buy it was that I’m very picky with erotica. Here’s the blurb:
Hot sex, anywhere, anytime, anyone?
Here is the hottest, raunchiest collection of romance, love, fantasy and – let’s be honest – sex.
Designed to tantalise and tease, these quirky adult-only tales are sensual and surprising, always imaginative and unashamedly risqué. Featuring a sex addict, a Spanish percussionist, a topless gardener, a Kiwi farm-hand, virgins, prostitutes, ballerinas, college research assistants, new ladettes and a spanking dominatrix; (more)
Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7)
I’m not making any bones about it—this is the fangirl review. I am a frequent visitor to the message board, and the first thing I do is check J. R. Ward’s profile to see if she’s posted anything new about the series. (Did you know that Ehlena was the nurse who brought Butch a cup of coffee when he visited the clinic in Lover Awakened and that it was her first day on the job? Or that she was the nurse who knew how to shoot in Lover Enshrined?) I’ve even taken time off work to attend chats with the Brothers.
I bought Lover Avenged for around the same price that Kat did, but since I bought it from Ward’s virtual signing (you order the book from her nominated store and tell them how you want it personalised, then she signs it in the comfort of her home and posts it out), that includes shipping from the US. Unfortunately, the damn publisher’s embargo meant that no books were allowed to be posted until the release date, so I received my copy after Part 9 of the cheat sheet was posted.
I’ve commented on a lot of the technique in response to Kat’s review, so I won’t repeat it all here.
I liked how the ambivalence of Rehvenge’s dual nature was handled, (more)
Disco Boy by Dominic Knight
I almost gave this book a pass. Author Dominic Knight is on the writing team of ABC’s The Chaser and was a regular contributor to the SMH. I felt certain that the book would approach romance with cynicism and biting sarcasm and just generally take the piss out of the genre.
I was wrong. I loved this book.
Two things convinced me to request an ARC of Disco Boy. First, I’ll never forget this piece that Knight wrote for the SMH championing the romantically inept man. I have a soft spot for dork-boys. Second, I read the first 3 chapters. Oh, my god, I thought, I know these people!
Paul Johnson is an overeducated underachiever who works as a low-rent party DJ, eschewing corporate life in pursuit of a musical career. In theory—because he hasn’t actually made any music during the 2 years he’s been pumping up the jam at weddings, RSL clubs and cruises. Meanwhile, the lure of the “grown up” career beckons as he sees his mate Nigel and ex-coworkers wallowing in all their corporate glory. Plus, Paul’s all too aware that DJing gives him zero bragging rights with the ladies.
So when he’s kicked out of a gig after accidentally playing ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ at a party, (more)
Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7)
1. Does the amount of hip-hop lingo use correspond to the amount of increased emotionality expressed by romantic profusions that make these alpha males sound like chicks? ‘Cause the thuggier they got the more effusive they were.
2. It felt a little cluttered. Like a messy desk where you kind of knew where everything was but in some cases you still had to stick your hand in and wade about in the murkiness. Perhaps better organisation/editing was called for.
3. Too many side stories. While they all meant something, they kind of detracted from the point of the story. Whether it’s an urban fantasy or a romance, there’s usually a main storyline, as is the case with every book. Trying to run several plotlines at the same time made everything look equal, even when they’re not. And if that was the intention, it detracted from the overall clarity and flow of the story.
4. Two words: Golden Retriever. (more)
Romance authors in the mediaAustralian romance author Anne Gracie was interviewed on the 9am show with David & Kim (click on Entertainment, then Books).
Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan, the women behind popular romance blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and authors of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels, were interviewed by Alan Brough on ABC Radio in Melbourne. Hilarity ensues.
I’ve been told that the Australian release date for Anna Campbell’s next novel, Captive of Sin, is December 16. Just in time for Christmas, but still so much longer than the US date. I don’t know if I can wait that long, to be honest. I haven’t seen any images of the cover yet.
The Productivity Commission was due to hand in its report regarding restrictions on the parallel importation of books to Australia on Wednesday, but they’ve asked for and have been granted an extension until June. Until then, I expect we’ll hear more about the issue in the media. For some good arguments from both sides: (more)
Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7)
Before I start my review, let me get this off my chest: I paid $55 for this book. I’ll wait while you pick yourself up from the floor.
Granted, I paid a premium price to buy it from my local independent bookstore, and so I could read it immediately, but since the cheapest Australian bookstore price we could find for this book was just short of $40, I don’t think I’m exaggerrating when I give a big old WHAT THE FUCK?!? And you know what gets me most? It’s the fact that this could’ve been a much leaner, much cheaper hardcover if the series weren’t so damn “bestselling” that suckers like me keep putting up with the fat just to get to the ever-dwindling romance between the pages.
So—expensive hardcover? Punishes the loyal reader.
Anyway, I’d been looking forward to Rehv’s story because J. R. Ward wrote some pretty dark, very angsty scenes with him in Lover Revealed, plus I was interested in what happens between John Matthew and Xhex now that he’s stopped all the whingeing. It’s frustrating, then, that Ward seems to have changed the focus of this series towards the greater world building and vampire mythology (more)
Swan & Edgar bar (via the Booktagger blog)
First things first: Happy Mother’s Day to all you mums, nannas and mums-to-be! I hope you enjoyed a good breakfast in bed and that the kids’ arts and craft project churned out something useful or appealing or edible or easy to hide. 
Apologies for slacking off last week with the Bizzo, but this one is absolutely chockers with good romancey stuff, so I hope it’s worth the wait.
Audio recordings from the Australian Romance Readers Convention in February are now available. Click here for more information and an order form.
The IASPR is offering yearly, 5-yearly and lifetime memberships. Click here for more information. The IASPR, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, and the Romance Writers of Australia are sponsoring an academic conference on Popular Romance Studies. (more)
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
I first heard of The Forest of Hands and Teeth over at the Whatever, where author Carrie Ryan talks about how she got the idea for her debut novel. (Tell me that’s not one of the most romantic story idea stories ever.) When I saw it again at Tez Says, I emailed Hachette for a review copy because I loved the premise and the US cover. The Twilight-esque Aussie cover is a much more elegant black with a red graphic that looks like a flower but in fact reminds me of bandages on a mummy. (Different kind of undead, I know.) Ryan’s writing is at times so beautiful, and the novel begins with such heartbreak, that it’s impossible not to get caught up in Mary’s narrative. And even though I was disappointed by the story’s lack of depth, The Forest of Hands and Teeth kept me reading furiously until the end.
Mary lives a simple existence in an isolated village surrounded by forest. It’s a forest she can never set foot in—the Forest of Hands and Teeth—because beyond the village fence are the Unconsecrated, humans infected with a virus that turns them into the walking dead. Mary’s father disappeared into the forest one day, and the story begins with a glimpse of how this has affected her family and how, despite her grim surroundings, (more)
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