Reading (mostly) romance books down under
The short story is that Telstra gave me a free phone to play with. In return, I’m going to use it, read with it and talk about it—the good and the bad.
I debated whether or not I should post my phone reviews here, and in the end I sensed enough interest in people who follow me on Twitter (or their family members!) to think that this may interest blog readers, too. I’ll explain why in a sec.
Last week, Telstra selected me to be one of their 25 ‘social reviewers’. We were given a new Telstra HTC Desire to play with, test, break and otherwise treat it as a customer might normally use the phone.
To be honest, when I entered the contest, I didn’t even know what was so great
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Because ARRA members just wanna have fun. (And read!)
The Awards dinner was excellent. I’d never heard of Cello’s Restaurant before, but it’s a beautiful venue—although the lifts are a challenge if you’re the least bit claustrophobic. High ceilings, chandeliers, and even a grand piano to the side—it’s just reeked of old world romance.
If you follow us on Twitter, you’ll know that Tracey O’Hara issued a challenge that eventually resulted in a call for a bling off at the Australian Romance Readers Awards dinner. And do you know what I love most about my fellow ARRA members? They said, Bring it!
You can see photos of the bling off here and here. (I’m missing a lot of blinged out people, though, so let me know if you have any more links!)
Sadly, I got carried away and left my outfit shopping so late I turned up to dinner, well, quite UNfashionably late. Others also suffered for the sake of bling and leather, with stories of shoes superglued to the kitchen floor, the case of the killer heels, and last-minute
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Anna Campbell took out the top prize in last night’s Australian Romance Readers Awards, held last night at Cello’s Restaurant in Sydney.
Campbell was voted Favourite Australian Romance Author of 2009 and also won Favourite Historical Romance for her fourth novel, Captive of Sin.
The night was a bonanza of wins for Australian authors, with Paula Roe, Kandy Shepherd and Bronwyn Parry taking the prizes in their categories.
Roe won Favourite Short Category Romance for The Magnate’s Baby Promise. Shepherd won Favourite Contemporary Romance for Love is a Four-Legged Word. Parry won Favourite Romantic Suspense for Dark Country.
New Zealand author Nalini Singh, who was also the guest speaker for the event, won Favourite Continuing Romance Series for her Psy-Changeling books and Favourite Sci-fi, Fantasy or Futuristic Romance for Angel’s Blood.
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The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale
Wandergurl gives everybody’s favourite author a second chance, in an attempt to fulfil Kat’s dream of finding the perfect Laura Kinsale novel for her. No such luck.
Lady Leigh Stachan’s family was killed by a crazy cult leader, driving her to travel all the way to France dressed as a boy to find the legendary S.T. Maitland, once known as the Prince of Midnight, to train her so she can avenge her family. S.T. Maitland has spent the past few years keeping to his eccentric self in backwater country France, with his pet wolf, hiding a few ailments of his own. He falls in love with Leigh and decides to help her in her quest.
This is a second chance romance for me. Second chance in the sense that Laura Kinsale never worked for me before, but I promised I would give her another try. AnimeJune (Gossamer Obsessions) and I made a deal: I would give Kinsale a second try if she did the same for Nalini Singh.
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The 2009 Australian Romance Readers Award dinner is on this Saturday at Cello Restaurant in Sydney.
Today is the last day for registrations, so if you’ve let it ’til the last minute or are on the fence about coming along—make sure you register today. Click here for details and a list of finalists.
The guest speaker is Nalini Singh, but there will be many other authors coming along to the dinner. It’s a great way to have a chat with some of your favourites!
Are you coming along? If so, let me know in the comments. It’d be great to catch up with Book Thingo readers.
Romance Writers of Australia has announced the author signing at this year’s conference in Coogee. The book signing is jointly organised by ARRA and will be held at
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Meridian by Amber Kizer (Fenestra, Book 1)
The beginning shows promise, but the plot is heavy-handed and it’s frustrating that so many aspects remain unknown by the end of the book.
From the day she was born Meridian Sozu seemed to be surrounded by death. On her sixteenth birthday she’s suddenly wrenched from her family with instructions to seek out her great-aunt, her namesake who Meridian has never met.
The beginning of the story is intriguing, but there’s something inexplicable about the way Meridian’s family fails to prepare her for her destiny, especially knowing that she’d have to leave when she turns sixteen and her special power comes to fruition.
Meridian is told that she’s a Fenestra, a conduit for the dying to get to the afterlife. She’s pursued by the Aternocti, who ‘carry souls to the lightless place’. Her aunt is 106 years old and Meridian must master her power so she can help her aunt transition to her afterlife.
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Lover Mine by J. R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 8)
With this latest instalment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, J. R. Ward returns to form and delivers a story packed with action and emotion. The crack is back.
This was the make-or-break BDB book for me. After the disappointment—at times downright disaster—of the previous three books, I was prepared to give this series one last chance.
I’m so glad I did.
Gone are the random new H-words and awful brand name dropping on every other page. Indeed, there’s nary a ‘messie me’ to be found in Lover Mine.
Yes, the BDB slang still veers towards dagginess, question marks are still missing in action, and Ward makes some utterly ridiculous word choices—in some cases inventing new words that made my eyes twitch—but on the whole the editing is a lot tighter and the prose much improved from even the earliest Black Dagger Brotherhood books.
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The cheat sheets have moved! For the latest information, use these links: Cheat sheet overview | Tohr and No’One | Lassiter | Muhrder | The Coffins | Story of Son
(Note: The information below was last updated on 24/3/2011.)
Tohrment spent time at the Bloodletter’s warrior camp until he attracted the Brotherhood’s attention. For his test, he was assigned to help Darius track down the leahdyre’s kidnapped daughter. His father neglected him, so Darius took him under his wing, stepping on Hharm’s toes in the process. Hharm disowned Tohr. Being now ruined in society, Tohr promised Darius he would be an asset, not a hindrance.
Having nowhere else to go, Tohr slept in the Brotherhood’s cave until Darius discovered him and took him back to Sampsone’s house for a meal. Tohr’s pride was dented, but Darius told him he would serve the most use by being strong and well-fed.
He spent the day at Darius’ modest house before tracking down the symphath, who used the female as a shield. Tohr took aim and killed the symphath with a single shot to the head. Darius assumed he’d missed, but Tohr told him he wouldn’t have taken the shot if he hadn’t been sure he’d hit his target.
The female lived with him and Darius until she delivered a healthy baby girl who bore no resemblance to her symphath ancestors. She took Tohr’s dagger and killed herself. Full of guilt and pain, Tohr took her outside despite the rain and buried her under their apple tree. He felt despair that the female had condemned herself to an afterlife outside of the Fade.
He and Darius took the young to a vampire family whose young died during birth.
Tohr is different from the other vampires in that he showed no signs no hint of a tortured past. He was promised to Wellesandra, blooded daughter of the Princeps Relix, and was fortunate enough to have bonded with her. Sheer luck that the one female he would want above all others happened to be the one he was honour-bound to mate.
Tohr showed his love by doing small, practical things to show he was thinking of his shellan, such as making sure her truck had snow chains. He was very respectful of her
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The cheat sheets have moved! For the latest information, use these links: Cheat sheet overview | JM | Qhuinn, Blay and Saxton | Transition
(Note: The information below was last updated on 24/3/2011.)
If the series can be said to have a central character, it would be Darius/John Matthew, as he has been instrumental in bringing together the Brotherhood and bringing their shellans into their world.
Several centuries ago, Darius was trained in the same warrior camp that V later grew up in, and by leaving behind his diary, he unknowingly eased V’s isolation and later
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The cheat sheets have moved! For the latest information, use these links: Cheat sheet overview | Rehv | Xhex | Symphath culture | Trez and iAm
(Note: The information below was last updated on 24/3/2011.)
A lot of Rehvenge’s life is secret. Only a few people know that he is half symphath and that he is Bella’s half-brother—most believe that they share a father.
(Interestingly enough, in the mandatory sehclusion motion that Marissa quashed, Bella was identified as ‘blooded daughter of the Princeps Rempoon’, while the excerpt of Lover Avenged in the Insider’s Guide identifies Rehvenge as ‘son of Dragor’ in his medical file, but Ward insists that not even Bella knows they have different fathers.
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(The Bridgertons, epilogues) The series that made me—and the rest of the world—falling in love with Julia Quinn. If you haven’t read this series, start now! If you have, then this is the cherry on the cake.
(Rivers of London, Book 1) Original, witty and fun—this is my new favourite series.
(The Edge, Book 3) Although there are familiar elements, there is something quite distinct about this series. I really enjoyed this difference.
(Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 11) The crack is back. This book will either allow you to exit the BDB world satisfied…or suck you right back in with a vengeance.
(Clockwork Agents, Book 1 and 2) An exciting, fast-paced and very, very sexy steampunk romance series.
(Mercy Thompson, Book 7) Mercy Thompson fans who have been eagerly anticipating this book will love the complicated twists of the plot, and romance readers will absolutely adore Adam.
A lively read, and while I’m not too sure I’d like to have gone through all that Georgette did, waking up next to a hot-hunka-chunka-burning-love Highlander with a kilt (but not in one) might not be so bad. (Except I’d better be able to remember it all the next day!)
You don’t have to be a fashionista to appreciate this book. Grace Coddington is a woman who loves life and what’s she’s made of it, and that comes through very clearly on the pages.
(Mercy Thompson, Book 2) The pacing and plotting are not as balanced as in the first book. Mostly we’re just along for the ride—but it’s still a fabulous trip.
(The Caster Chronicles, Book 1) A book to hand someone with the words, ‘Please enjoy’—something you can have fun with without having to think too much.
Special thanks to BOOKSELLER+PUBLISHER for keeping us abreast of what's going on in the Australian book industry, and particularly to Tim Coronel, who patiently explains to us the intricacies of book publishing in plain Tweet-lish.
Website| Twitter | Tim Coronel
