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Welcome! |
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A huge thank you to the organisers of the Australian Romance Readers Association for their wonderful Awards night dinner last week. Being able to relax and chat with fellow booksellers, romance readers and authors was so much fun - and of course having Nalini Singh as the guest speaker was the ribbon on the present. We make no attempt to hide the fact that we're huge Nalini fans and it was wonderful that Nalini won both favourite Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Futuristic Romance for Angels' Blood and Favourite Continuing Romance Series for her Psy/Changeling series. We also found out that Nalini is currently doing edits on her third Guildhunter book Anchangel's Consort which should be out at the end of the year. I can't wait for the next ARRA event to share views and recommendations with this wonderful and eclectic group of people ... all with a passion from romance books in all forms.
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Competition |
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Thanks to everyone who came up with their ideas of what they like in their favourite bookstore - yep comfy chairs, coffee at the ready, the chance to browse through books, maybe some nice music playing, good range of stock, staff who know what they're doing and who are helpful .... all of these are completely what we like. What we want to do is take the elements from the best bookstores and try and deliver this via our website .... so yes, you have your own comfy chair and make your own coffee, but we wantt o try and provide the rest. So this month's competition .... what elements of Fangtastic Fiction work best for you as a reader and shopper ... and what else would you like us to try and provide? And what a prize!!!!! We'll choose a random winner who will receive an autographed copy of Nalini Singh's Angel's Blood with her original US cover!!!!! |
WIN!! |
Australian Romance Readers Awards |
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No matter what style of romance books you like, these awards give you a great insight into top books you should enjoy reading. Of course we particularly love anything Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy but any of the following books are bound to be great reads. The complete list of all categories and finalists can be found on http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/awards.html |
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And the Winners are: Favourite Paranormal Romance – Lover Avenged by JR Ward |
To celebrate the wonder that is Nalini Singh we've created a special Guildhunter Fangpack with the beautiful UK covers, so that you can buy both books for a short time at 15% off the RRP.
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Our Top Picks |
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We're always delighted with new releases, but what about books that have been out recently that we've really enjoyed but that you might have missed? We can't have that!!! Every month we're going to showcase some books or series that we think you might really enjoy. Here are just a few.....
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1. Patricia Briggs: Mercedes Thompson series Excellent, addictive and exciting. Mercedes Thompson is a VW mechanic and a coyote shapeshifter. In her world humans are coming to terms with having Fey in their midst, but are as yet unaware that they also share their world with werewolves and vampires - and sometimes even more terrifying beings. Mercedes might not have much power or money, but when she is drawn into the problems of her friends she will draw upon every resouce she has to help them survive ... even if this means getting to the local Alpha werewolf who lives the other side of her fence. Mercedes is an immensely likeable heroine. She's loyal and will do whatever she can to help her friends, but she also delights in annoying Adam and is well aware of the need to run when she's out of her depth. Some of the dangers she faces are very very nasty and, yes, I have also been in tears reading these books. Patricia Briggs has given all of us who love a good plot, a breadth of characters, a brand new world and characters we can like and connect with a real gift with her writing. |
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Really this is a terrific series and highly recommended for anyone who wants top notch urban fantasy, interesting plots and characters you just want to know. Silver Borne has just been released - check our blog and our review here! |
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2. Jenna Black: Morgan Kingsley: Exorcist Series The Morgan Kingsley Exorcist series is one of the best Urban Fantasy series around. The characters are well developed, the plot has some great twists and the whole series flows together. Morgan is our exorcist, ccomplete with sexy leather pants, a hot temper and hotter blood - and unfortunately possessed by a demon king. Surrounding her are diverse and fascinating characters that raise your eyebrows, make you mad or get your heart rate waaaay up! At times this series is quite dark and gruesome but Morgan's snarky wit keeps the elements balanced while the plot develops. The first four books have set the scene wonderfully well - and I can't wait to read The Devil's Playground. This is the last book in the series and I'm on the edge of my seat DYING to know more about what is happening! This is out on 1 June 2010! |
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We are so excited! With the ANZ release of Devil’s Playground just around the corner (and our covers are SO much better than the USA ones) we were lucky enough to have Jenna Black take time out of her frantic schedule to suffer through an interview with us... we’ve got all the goss, including how she came up with the idea of having the exorcist possessed and a tease of what’s to come in the final instalment of Morgan Kingley.... |
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So, if you'd like to get to know the delightful Jenna Black a little more and find out a little about other books she's written such as the Guardians of the Night series and Glimmerglass - just out in the US and coming to Oz/NZ in September - just click here for our |
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3. Gail Carriger: The Parasol Protectorate Can I just say - buy!!! Seriously these books have just everything we love about a great series - think delightfully pragmatic heroine, a scowling werewolf here, political conspiracies, Victorian steampunk, convoluted plots and dialogue you simply wished yo had thought of. Enter the world of Alexia Tarrabotti, a rare preternatural living in Victorian England and afflicted with no soul - but more importantly with an Italian (thankfully dead) father, shockingly brown skin and a rather largish nose. Thankfully she embraced her spinsterhood many years earlier - now if only events wouldn't conspire to tip her world completely upside down! As Gail Carriger describes these books on her website: "The Parasol Protectorate Series books are comedies of manners set in Victorian London: full of vampires, dirigibles, and tea. They are either Jane Austen doing urban fantasy, or PG Wodehouse doing steampunk." This is a brilliant series - and if it sounds like I'm a rabid fan - you'd be completely right! If you want to know a little more about the book, have a look at our review of Soulless. |
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Oh joy! Book Three: Blameless is due for release in September 2010 - and I simply can't wait! And if you want even better news ... Orbit Books has just bought the rights to a 4th and a 5th book in the series. |
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4. Lynsay Sands: The Argeneaus Delicious contemporary romance, very funny dialogue and a modern take on vampires make the Argenaeu books absolute classics. I don't think I've ever met a Synsay Sands' reader who hasn't loved these books! So far there are 15 in the series, but the wonder people at Hatchette are now rereleasing these books with smoldering hotties on the covers! Yum +100! If you haven't had the great pleasure, then dip into this wonderful world! In fact, these are ideal starter books for people who love contemporary romance but aren't quite sure about the paranormal genre. We've got excerpts available for these books too, so have a browse and see what you think! Here are just a few of the titles in the series - but you can catch the lot from Lynsay Sand's author page. |
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If you want a little more suspense with your vampires then you might prefer the spin-off series, the Rogue Hunters. So far there are three titles out, Rogue Hunter, The Immortal Hunter and The Renegade Hunter. The romance is just as hot, but the suspense is turned up just a little bit higher. |
Check out what we think at our Book Reviews Page! |
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We've read a wide range of books over the last month - some we liked, some we didn't and some we thought were great!!We also want to give a BIG thanks to our guest YA reviewer Kaylee who has given us some wonderful insights into YA books over the past few weeks!!! We've already told you that we loved Silver Borne and Soulless (both four stars), but another two books we loved this month were Dead Tossed Waves and Wings. |
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Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan This is another well written story, with heart-in-mouth action and tear-streaming heart-ache. And again we get a really thought provoking story. The sequel to Carrie Ryans’s ‘The Forest of Hands and Teeth’ is a continuation of the story in many aspects. We get a few more answers around the pieces of the first story left untold but we’re also left with a lot more questions. Personally, I think this is even better than the first. Loyalty, friendship, family bonds, community bonds and the ability to think for yourself, to question the rules imposed, to understand the validity of the way in which you view the world. This is so much more than just a zombie story. More.... |
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Wings by Aprilynne Pike (Reviews by Kaylee and Ali) Kaylee said: LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! And you will too. This story is amazing, the characters thrilling and the action is heart pounding. The whole story captured me. I would get to a boring part and put it down and then minutes later I would find myself picking it up not caring what time it was. Within 3 days I was finished, not daring to take my eyes off the book. While Ali said: Wings is a delightful teen paranormal with a very original concept that Aprilynne Pike has created and into a beautiful story – even if I am choosing to ignore the possible deeper meanings as a coming of age story! Fairies seem to have taken over from Vampires and Angels in the world of Teen Paranormals, and you have probably heard the phrase “everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever”, or something very similar, to describe other books, including the likes of Melissa Marr. I just have to say, with this one, they’re really not kidding. More ..... |
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Marked by Elizabeth Naughton Marked is just such an easy book to read. The story flows, the characters are well developed, there aren’t any plot holes; it is just good. Any reader of JR Ward will love this series – it’s got a similar sort of ‘kick-arse’ bad boy feel, with a Greek mythology background story, so it’s also going to appeal to Sherilyn Kenyon fans too! The men are hunky, the women pretty capable. There isn’t a lot of damsel-in-distress going on. This is the first book in the Eternal Guardians series, so there is a bit of world building going on, but this manages to be incorporated into the story without interrupting the action of the plot. More..... |
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You can check out the full list of our reviews at http://www.fangtastic.com.au/book_reviews.php or at http://www.fangtastic.co.nz/book_reviews.php. |
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Paranormal Romance Releases May-June |
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The Vampire and the Virgin - Kerrelyn Sparks |
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Warrior Ascended - Addison Fox |
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Soulless - Gail Carriger |
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Shadowglass - Erica Hayes |
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Lover Mine - J.R. Ward |
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Archangel's Kiss - Nalini Singh |
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Witch Blood - Anya Bast |
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Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris |
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Visions of Heat - Nalini Singh |
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Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh |
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Warrior Ascended - Addison Fox |
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Halfway To The Grave - Jeaniene Frost |
Urban Fantasy Releases May-June |
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Magic Bleeds - Ilona Andrews |
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Succubus Shadows - Richelle Mead |
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Bite Marks - Jennifer Rardin |
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Blood Magic - Eileen Wilks |
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Roadkill - Rob Thurman |
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Devil's Playground - Jenna Black |
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Moon Sworn - Keri Arthur |
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Embers - Laura Bickle |
Teen Paranormal Releases May-June |
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Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead |
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Storm Glass - Maria V. Snyder |
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Burned - Kristin Cast & PC Cast |
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Radiant Shadows - Melissa Marr |
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Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella - Stephenie Meyer |
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Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins |
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13 to Life - Shannon Delany |
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Infinity - Sherrilyn Kenyon |
And a final word ...... |
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Charlaine Harris is simply amazing. With her Southern Vampire series she has tapped into the imaginations of people the world over. More than 500,000 copies of Sookie Stackhouse series have been sold in Australia and NZ. The phenomona that is True Blood (the screen adaptation) swept the USA and the internet and is now set to really take off in Australia and New Zealand with the Blu-ray and DVD releases of the first and second series. And the big news? Dead in the Family – the 10th Southern Vampire Series book starring the sassy telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse is released next week with a great NEW cover. And the REALLY BIG news?? Charlaine Harris is coming to Australia in September as a guest at the Hub Production’s TRUE BLOOD events in Sydney and Melbourne on the 25th and 26th of September www.thehubproductions.com/events and will then be doing an author tour. Are we excited? Ooooh yeah! |
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