Reading (mostly) romance books down under
Photo: svilen001 (via Flickr)
Congratulations to Liz, who won a signed copy of The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta by telling us her favourite song by a band, That Girl by McFly:
The song is very summery, bouncy, happy feeling whenever you listen to it… Whenever I’m frustrated or anxious about something, or maybe even sad, this song is always, always, always on repeat… In a way the song is like one of my best friends who knows how to make me smile instantly.
There were some excellent answers, so thanks to everyone who entered!
ARRA is conducting its annual reader survey. The questions are designed to provide some insight into Australian romance readers and our reading habits.
Anyone who reads romance and lives in Australia is welcome to answer the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CXFTT2M. The survey closes October 13 and the results will be published by ARRA.
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Photo: Cassandra Young (via christinefeehan.com)
J. R. Ward hosted a joint chat with Christine Feehan a couple of weeks ago. This is a recap of the first part mainly dedicated to Feehan. (However, you can find info on the J. R. Ward part of the chat in Part 3 of our BDB book 10 pre-release spoilers.)
This is not a transcript of the chat. I try to stick as closely as I can to what was said, but can’t always quote word for word. Even with the moderators trying to minimise extraneous chatter, it still moves pretty damn fast. I’ve tried to stick as closely as I could to what was said, but the questions and some answers have been paraphrased.
I can’t say whether Feehan let any spoilers loose as I am shamefully behind with her books, so I probably wouldn’t recognise a spoiler if I tripped over it.
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Source: Amazon
Amazon announces new Kindle range, including touch screen and colour devices. Too bad we’re in Australia.
Today, Amazon announced its latest line-up of Kindle devices. For the first time, Kindle will be offering touch screen eInk devices (Kindle Touch), as well as an iPad competitor, the Kindle Fire.
The most attractive features? The budget prices.
The latest generation Kindles start from as low as US$79. The touch screen Kindles start at US$99, and the Kindle Fire will set you back a measly US$199. (See the update below for pricing differences for Australian customers.)
When you think about the entry-level Kindle, it’s hard to see how anyone even remotely interested in trying ebooks can pass it up at that price. It’s convenient, integrated and, at that price, pretty much disposable if you end up hating the thing.
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Heart Search by Robin D. Owens (Celta's HeartMates, Book 10)
A good addition to the series for Celta fans who are curious to see how characters have evolved and want to catch up on previous characters’ lives.
I first read Robin D. Owens’ HeartMate earlier in the year. Within the next month I managed to collect every single book in the Celta series by visiting random bookshops in the Philippines and through some creative used book buying via @GirrlitsBooks. Needless to say, I love everything about this series—even the apostrophes.
Laev T’Hawthorn was stupid a few books ago and, as a twenty-year old, married the wrong girl, thinking she was his HeartMate. She fucked him over, to put it in simple terms, and later died when a devastating illness swept the land. Laev, now head of his family after the death of his grandfather, has since discovered that she stole family heirlooms and sold them. He is determined to get them back, and in doing so right some of the wrongs he felt he has brought upon his family by choosing the wrong woman.
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The Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe
Some of the plot manipulations may stand out like dog’s balls, and you’d be copping a fair bit of earbashing on Strine, but if you like gently paced romances, it’s worth a Captain Cook.
When Mark Olsen—’direct descendent [sic] of Viking marauders’—sees a bride wandering down his small home town, the least he could do is help her find her fiancé. Mark’s home for his annual Thanksgiving visit, and he’s already counting the days before he can leave.
Until it turns out that would-be bride Matilda Geoffrey—’direct descendent [sic] of convicts’—has been left standing on Main Street, with nothing but a wedding dress, a tiara and a two-tiered fruit cake ‘that wouldn’t pass a breathalyzer test’. No groom in sight and no funds for a return trip home to Australia.
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Viper's Kiss by Shannon Curtis
A fun romp, but lacks the depth I want in a romance and the plausibility I want in suspense.
I’ll be honest. This book is a bit all over the place. The title smacks of the paranormal—snake shifters, anyone?—but the story is romantic suspense and ‘Viper’ is the codename for a notorious spy.
The cover is beefy, but the more sympathetic character is librarian heroine Maggie Kincaid, who is mistaken for Viper and is trying to avoid arrest, capture and/or torture, depending on who’s doing the chasing.
Luke Fletcher is a private security operative—ex-Special Forces, of course—hired to track down Viper and the top-secret technology she’s stolen from a research facility.
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Kelley Armstrong with Galaxy staff (Photo: Kat)
Last month, Galaxy played host to Kelley Armstrong and Maria V. Snyder, who were both in a talkative mood…
I got three books signed for myself: Bitten, Elena’s first book; Dime Store Magic, the first Paige; and my new copy of Waking the Witch, first in Savannah’s trilogy. Armstrong is another lefty.
I’d heard that the Otherworld series is winding down and there will only be one more book. ‘Yes, the next book is the last one and that will be Savannah’s. I just felt that since she grew up in the series she should have the last trilogy. Book 13 is called 13, but the number 13, not the word “thirteen”. I’ve been calling it book 13 for two years and the publisher asked for a real title and my agent suggested 13 and the publisher said yes.’
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If you’re hungry for clues about upcoming books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Decadence has put together what we think we know about what’s coming next.
Part 1 | Part 2 | All BDB-related posts on Book Thingo
Last week, J. R. Ward signed books in Cincinnati and Bex beat me to posting a link to a blogger who was there and took notes. If you haven’t already seen it, go to Liza’s blog for confirmation of Tohr’s HEA (no surprise) and other news.
This is the J. R. Ward part of the joint chat she hosted for Christine Feehan this morning. She wasn’t able to stay long because she had a migraine and the Christine Feehan portion had run for two hours. It was easier for her to just pick random questions in a free chat format, but it was difficult to keep up and connect questions with answers because with minimal mod intervention, the chat runs really quickly. I’ve tried to stick as closely as I could to what was said, but the questions and some answers have been paraphrased. This is not a transcript.
I haven’t noted down everything that has been asked before, like ‘Is Lash coming back?’ (She says that question was answered at the end of Lover Mine.) and ‘Does Wrath get his sight back?’ (No.)
And beware: there is one major spoiler on Envy.
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I just realised we never announced the winner of the Wings of Fear giveaway. Congratulations to Mary Preston who commented:
I would love to try Australian romantic suspense because it’s ours. The very essence of the book would be familiar, and this familiarity of location and turn of phrase would heighten the suspense for me. Romantic suspense I just adore for not being saccharin sweet.
The West Australian recently published an article, Aussies say love is king, by Alecia Hancock, featuring historical romance author Anna Campbell:
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The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley (Highland Pleasures, Book 1)
A Victorian romance that doesn’t pull a fast one on the reader. It’s a shame we get only one book a year in this series.
Lord Cameron Mackenzie has been a bachelor ever since his psycho first wife died and has raised his son with the help of his brothers and the women who have married into their family. He’s known for his talent with training race horses, and, of course, for his reputation with women.
Ainsley Douglas is a widowed lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria (yes, it’s not a Regency!) and a good friend of one of the Mackenzie wives’. She’s been sent to their house party to retrieve incriminating letters that are being used to blackmail the queen. She’s encountered Cameron before—in smouldering but unfulfilled circumstances—and finds herself caught up with him again in her attempt to retrieve the letters.
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(The Drakos Baby, Book 2) Books like this are the reason I stopped reading category romance in my mid-20s. I hope I don’t come across too many more of them in the near future. DNF.
(Pregnant Brides, Book 2) There’s nothing earth-shattering about this story. I didn’t hate the hero or the heroine, but that might be damning with faint praise.
This book proves that finely tuned character development and emotional honesty can turn even the most maligned clichés in romance fiction not just into an enjoyable read, but a story worth savouring.
(Elder Races, Book 1) The Elder Races series has become my BDB replacement. It’s totally cracktastic.
A satisfying romantic suspense with a capable heroine. The romance lacks intensity, but a decent mystery plot keeps the pages turning.
(The Bennetts, Book 5) Sexy, angsty and deeply moving, this story is everything we love about category romance. Oh, and the heroine? She’s the tycoon. This one’s a keeper.
Mills & Boon conventions aside—yes, he’s a tycoon, she’s totally hot and they don’t use a condom—the heroine and hero of this book are rarely predictable. I only wish it could have been longer.
Twilight lends itself to the shoujo manga format much better than in prose or in film. Young Kim’s renditions of the characters are disarmingly gorgeous, but even they can’t redeem Stephenie Meyer’s story of destructive co-dependency. And then there’s the font.
(Scarabaeus, Book 2) Not quite as compelling as the first book and the romance is underdeveloped, but still a satisfying conclusion to the Scarabaeus duology.
(Iron Seas, Book 2) It’s rare in romance to find an uncompromisingly strong heroine and even rarer to find a hero who understands how to love such a woman. This book gets it just right.
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
