Australian Authors Archives

winters light by mj hearle

Winter's Light by M.J. Hearle

Winter’s Light by M.J. Hearle
Winter’s Shadow Book #2
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Aust.
Release Date – 1st May 2012
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository

Blake is gone.

He sacrificed himself to save Winter, leaving her alone, unprotected… hunted.

An ancient enemy is rising, but Winter is no longer the innocent girl who was fated to die at Pilgrim’s Lament. She will not wait to be saved. She will do what she must to survive, even accept an unsavoury alliance with those who destroyed her love.

In the gathering darkness, the enemy of an enemy is not always a friend, and Winter must find the strength to stand alone and fight for the one she loves. For she is the key to unlocking the secrets beyond the veil of shadows.

And she is Blake’s only hope.

Review – Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur

darkness unbound by keri arthur by
The Dark Angel Series: Book 1
From Publishers – Piatkus (Hachette)
Release Date – October 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository | Kobo | iBooks

Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, Risa Jones can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see reapers and walk the grey fields that divide this world from the next. They are skills she rarely uses, however. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers terrifies her: someone has ripped the girl’s soul from her flesh.

As it turns out, a creature consuming the souls of the innocent – and not so innocent – is the least of her problems. Because someone wants to rip open the gates that divide hell from earth and Risa is a key component in their plans. And the only person standing between her and disaster is a reaper who isn’t exactly on her side.

Reviewed by Selina – Risa. She is part Aedh (you will have to read the book to find out what this is), wolf, shape shifter, psychic and has the ability to see Reapers and communicate with the dead or dying. Risa is the heroine of the story and quickly gets pulled into a conspiracy that seems to involve her father, of whom she has never known. There is a kidnapping attempt, a soul stealing monster, a stalking shirtless sword wielding reaper, the fiery gates of Hell and mystical magical tattoos.
Not having read Keri Arthurs books before I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid world that has been created here. Keri Arthur’s characters are very raw with their animalistic natures and some seem complicated and have many hidden histories and talents. She builds her world with intriguing characters, and tangled plots. I had to remind myself that this is a part of a series. I can’t wait to see what is unravelled in the next book.

keri arthurAbout the Author: Keri Arthur recently won the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for and has been nominated in the Best Contemporary category of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards. She has one daughter and lives in Australia.

Have you read this book yet?

What did you think?

Leave me a comment :)

Blog Tour – Lara Morgan’s Favourite Books!

I was thrilled when I was asked to be a part of Lara Morgan’s Blog Tour for her latest book Equinox, the second book in The .

lara morganLara took the time to answer the following questions for us:

What was your favourite book as a young child? – I was obsessed with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe series and read them all too many times to count.

What was your favourite book as a teenager? – The Outsiders by SE Hinton. I’ve still got the copy on my shelf.

What is your all time favourite book? – Such an impossible question to answer this one, but one of my very favourites books is The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin. It’s actually a series of books but my copy has them all in one so I think I can count them!

Is there a book that you can read over and over again? – See above. I also have a weakness for M. M. Kaye’s Death in the Andamans. It may be old fashioned now, but I love it because it’s set on a tropical island and it has romance as well as a mystery. Perfect for rainy afternoons with chocolate.

Are there any books that have helped to shape you as an author? – Lord of the Rings, Earthsea, Wuthering Heights, Wild Seed by Octavia Butler. They have all been books that have had a great impact on me at different times in my life for a variety of reasons.

What would Rosie’s favourite book be? – I think Rosie would love To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, because she has such a strong sense of justice and she’d really relate to the independence of the character Scout.

What would Pip’s favourite book be? – Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, because I think he would find a lot to admire in Huck – and probably some similarities!

_______________________________________________

Don’t forget to head over to The Rosie Black Chronicles website where you can download a chapter sample from Equinox and also read about book one “Genesis”

You can also find The Rosie Black Chronicles on Facebook!

And don’t forget to catch Lara on Day 3 of her Blog Tour tomorrow at The Tales Compendium and Rhiannon Hart’s website!

Win a copy of Lara Morgan’s Equinox!

equinox by lara morganI have one copy of Equinox to give away to one lucky winner!

To enter the competition simply fill out the form below.

The competition ends at 9pm (Sydney time) on 30th November 2011 .
The winner will be chosen with the help of a random number generator.
Entry is open to Australian residents only!

I got lots and lots of great books this week, I’m going to have to read non stop to get through all these :)

 

tantalize graphic novel by cynthia leitich smithTantalize Graphic Novel by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Ming Dolye
From Publishers – Walker Books Aust.
Release Date – 1st October 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository

Illustrated by hot new talent Ming Doyle, Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Tantalize is reimagined as a graphic novel—seen through Kieren’s werewolf eyes.

As a hybrid werewolf, Kieren is destined to join an urban Wolf pack and learn to master his shift. Soon, he’ll leave everything behind: home, school, his family, and Quincie, his human best friend . . . who’s beginning to be a whole lot more than a friend. For years, Kieren has managed to keep his desires—and his wolf—at bay. But when the chef at Quincie’s family restaurant is brutally murdered, Kieren resolves to be there for her, even if it means being framed. Even if it means watching Quincie’s beloved restaurant morph into a vampire lair. But when the new chef begins wooing her, how long can Kieren control his claws? How long can he protect Quincie—and himself? In an elegant graphic edition featuring cinematic sequential art by debut artist Ming Doyle and lush, romantic cover art by Sam Weber, best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith re-envisions her delicious dark fantasy through wolfish eyes.

silence by becca fitzpatrickSilence by Becca Fitzpatrick
Book #3 in the Hush Hush Saga
From Publishers – Simon & Schuster Aust.
Release Date – 4th October 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository | Kobo

The noise between Patch and Nora has gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past, bridged two irreconcilable worlds and faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust… and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth.
Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for – and their love – forever.

 

emerald by karen wallaceEmerald by Karen Wallace
From Publishers – Simon & Schuster Aust.
Release Date – 1st November 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository

Emerald St. John is in trouble. She has been condemned to marry a man she hates, her enemies are conspiring to have her pet bear Molly torn apart in the baiting pits, and the man she loves is far away on the high seas. And she has stumbled into a web of spies with a plot to poison Queen Elizabeth I. To save herself and the kingdom, Emerald must beat the spies at their own game – which means transforming herself from a country girl into a lady of the court. Can she do it in time?

 
prized by caragh obrienPrized by Caragh O’Brien
Birthmarked #2
From Publishers – Simon & Schuster Aust.
Release Date – 1st November 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository

Having escaped from the corrupt Enclave, Gaia ventures into the wasteland with her baby sister, Maya, hoping to find a settlement that’s rumoured to lie in the Dead Forest. After days of travelling, Gaia is close to death when Peter, a ranger from the mysterious village of Sylum, finds her and takes her back with him. Gaia soon realises that Sylum has as many strict laws as the Enclave she fled from, but when Maya is taken from her by the ruthless village leader, the Matrarc, Gaia is forced to stay and submit to their strict social code, or risk losing her sister forever.
But Sylum is in trouble. The population is falling and the amount of women dwindling dramatically, and with a deadly fever affecting striking down anyone who tries to leave, the future is bleak for the village. Desperate to escape with her sister, Gaia is determined to uncover the secrets of the village, whatever it takes.
And when Leon is captured too, Gaia is faced with another tough choice between the boy who captured her heart in the Enclave, and Peter, for whom she can’t deny her growing feelings. But when the decisions you make affect the lives of everyone around you, how can you be sure you’re making the right choices?

equinox by lara morganEquinox by Lara Morgan
The Rosie Black Chronicles #2
From Publishers – Walker Books Aust.
Release Date – 1st November 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository

The thrilling second instalment in the Rosie Black Chronicles by talented WA author Lara Morgan

The second book on the brand-new hit series The Rosie Black Chronicles by Lara Morgan. Rosie’s dad is locked away, Pip has abandoned her, and Riley isn’t telling her the full story. Bent on revenge, Rosie is still working in secret to try and take down the evil Helios group. But what sacrifices is she prepared to make to destroy Helios?

ashes by ilsa j bickAshes by Ilsa J. Bick
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Aust.
Release Date – 1st October 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository | Kobo

Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents’ ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it’s a question of who can be trusted and who has changed…

Everyone still alive has turned – some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh). Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom – an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home – and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse.

This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the “Changed” and those desperate to stay alive.

A tense and involving adventure with shocks and sudden plot twists that will keep teen and adult readers gripped.

bleeding hearts by alyxandra harveyBleeding Hearts by Alyxandra Harvey
The Drake Chronicles #4
From Publishers – Bloomsbury Aust.
Release Date – 1st November 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository

Lucy’s cousin Christabel has come to live in Violet Hill, and adjusting to the difference between life in a small mountain town and her home in the city is difficult. The strict curfew that Lucy’s parents enforce is hard to respect. Surely something really dangerous couldn’t possibly happen in this tiny town. But Christabel starts to notice some mysterious happenings, and it seems like Lucy, her boyfriend Nicholas and his brother Connor are all in on a secret that Christabel doesn’t understand – one that seems deadly serious. Although she won’t admit it, Christabel would love to be in on any secret with Connor Drake. When Christabel is kidnapped by the ruthless Hel-Blar vampires, Lucy and Connor finally fill her in on all the undead drama. Together, they must find a way to stamp out the Hel-Blar for good.

after obsession by carrie jones and steven e wedelAfter Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel
From Publishers – Bloomsbury Aust.
Release Date – 10th October 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository

Aimee and Alan have unusual pasts and secrets they prefer to keep hidden. Aimee’s deceased mother struggled with mental illness and hallucinations, and Aimee thinks it could be hereditary. After all, she sees a shadowy river man where there isn’t one. And then there was that time she and her best friend Courtney tried to conjure a spirit with a Ouija board…Alan is Courtney’s cousin. His family moved to Maine when Courtney’s father went missing. It’s not just Alan’s dark good looks that make him attractive. He is also totally in touch with a kind of spiritual mysticism from his Native American heritage. And it’s not long before Aimee has broken up with her boyfriend…But it’s not Aimee or Alan who is truly haunted – it’s Courtney. In a desperate plea to find her father, Courtney invites a demonic presence into her life. Together, Aimee and Alan must exorcise the ghost, before it devours Courtney – and everything around her.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

The Story Siren runs a meme called where Bloggers can interact and talk about the they have received in their mailbox each week. Go and check it out and join in the fun!

Review – Blood Song by Rhiannon Hart

blood song by rhiannon hartBlood Song by
From Publishers – Random House
Release Date – 1st September 2011

Check it out at Goodreads

A princess with a craving for blood. A stranger who knows her secret. A land where nothing is as it seems.

When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated.

Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more.

Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

My Thoughts: Australian author Rhiannon Hart had me hooked from the very first page and I was unable to put Blood Song down until I was finished.

Rhiannon has created an interesting world in her debut novel, consisting of Amentia, Pergamia and , three very different lands, with different people, different characteristics and some secrets. Secrets that Zeraphina is compelled to uncover.

From the very beginning we get a sense that Zeraphina is different, but this mystery isn’t brought to light until well in to the book and has you guessing throughout.

The story is told by Zeraphina, a strong willed and independent princess, who follows her instincts and isn’t afraid to take risks. We follow Zeraphina on her journey to the ‘North’ and along the way meet some interesting characters. We meet Zeraphina’s Mother Renata and her sister Lilith early on and they help to add some warmth to the story. Then we meet Prince Amis (Lilith’s Betrothed) and Rodden Lothskorn, the brooding and arrogant friend of the Prince. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop between Zeraphina and Rodden. They have a love/hate relationship with lots of snarky comments and plenty of chemistry. What I really like about Blood Song, that I think is very different from many young adult novels on the market at the moment, is that romance isn’t the focal point of the story. Zeraphina and Rodden don’t jump into a relationship, declaring their undying love for each other after knowing each other for only a short amount of time, instead the author slowly builds the relationship in a way that is not forced and very natural.

Blood Song is one of those books that you can’t put down, you just have to keep reading because you need to know what happens next. It was entertaining and enthralling and I am eagerly awaiting the second book in the series.

Rhiannon Hart author of Blood SongAbout the Author: Rhiannon Hart remembers writing before she could read, puzzling over the strange squiggles in Jeremiah and the Dark Woods by Janet and Alan Ahlberg and putting her own words in their places. Her first love was Jareth the Goblin King at the tender age of eight. She wrote fan fiction in high school but she’d never admit to it out loud, so don’t ask. When she’s not reading or writing she is belly dancing, chasing after other people’s cats, or putting the pedal to the floor at her sewing machine. She grew up in north-western Australia and currently resides in Melbourne, where she works in marketing. Rhiannon has been published in the Australian , Magpies and Viewpoint and blogs at http://rhiannon-hart.blogspot.com/. She is currently writing further books in the LHARMELL series.

 

Have you read this book yet? Leave a comment letting me know what you think!

tania donald author of haunted heartFirstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a writer and artist. I have a Ph.D in English Literature, and I’ve worked as a freelance writer, mystery shopper, university tutor, and dog groomer – among other assorted jobs! I’ve also written comedy for theatre, cabaret and radio.
I’ve always been fascinated by the supernatural, and in the past few years I’ve become addicted to classic supernatural fiction (H P Lovecraft, M R James, etc). Writing a novel had been a lifelong ambition of mine, and I decided that I wanted to try writing something in the tradition of the kind of stories I love; supernatural, historical – a story of psychological horror with plenty of twists and turns.

Could you tell us a little about ?

Haunted Heart is a tale of intrigue, seduction, and a new kind of supernatural predator…
It’s set in 1838 and follows Eloise, a young woman in a quiet English village, as she falls in love with a handsome and aristocratic newcomer, Dolour White. But their romantic courtship quickly descends into something more dark and sinister; mind-games, witchcraft, strange dreams, and a dangerous obsession.
Suddenly Eloise finds herself alone, and transformed in a way she can’t understand. She sets sail for colonial Sydney, in search of both her lover, Dolour, and the truth about herself; what she has become and the dark appetites that now compel her. Along the way, Eloise discovers that a mysterious man is now hunting them both, intent on their destruction. Sydney provides the setting for a dramatic climax…

Haunted Heart by Tania DonaldWhich character did you enjoy writing the most?

I guess it would have to be Eloise/Dammora. She undergoes such a transformation, from the shy young girl she is at the beginning, to the very naughty girl she is by the end – that was a lot of fun to write! She really goes through a lot, and I tried to add depth and psychological dimensions to her that would keep the reader on her side, even when she is doing very bad things. Ultimately, she does what she must to survive, and I like that she is strong, determined and powerful. She has freedoms and powers we can’t have – but she is all too aware of the terrible price she has paid for them.

When you are creating your characters, do you base them on people you know or are they completely made up?

Some are purely products of my imagination while others are inspired by real people, to varying degrees. The character of Arthur Grayton, for example, was partly inspired by a most beautiful painting that I have long admired. It’s the portrait of novelist Georges Rodenbach, painted by Lucien Levy-Dhurmer (1895). Rodenbach’s haunted, melancholy eyes, and his dreamy, ethereal appearance encapsulated what I wanted Grayton to be, and I often looked at that painting while I was writing Haunted Heart.( You can find it here: http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=15905&size=large)

The way you ended Haunted Heart made it feel like there was going to be a sequel, is this the case?

Yes indeed! It’s funny, when I first started writing Haunted Heart I was worried I wouldn’t be able to write a whole novel. But I soon realised that what I had in mind for the characters was actually more than would fit into one novel – much more! The sequel is written, and I still have a great deal more that I want to do with these characters. They continue to fascinate me, and I often think about them. I hope that readers are intrigued by them too.

I liked that Eloise’s journey lead her to Australia. Did you begin the book with the idea that Australia was going to be featured?

Yes, I am quite interested in colonial Australia, and I really liked the idea of transposing the sort of British Gothic genre that we’re all familiar with onto an early Australian setting. This is something I’m planning to pursue further in another novel.
I think colonial Australia represents certain worrying things to the characters in that time period – the absence of “civilisation” as they know it, wilderness, criminality, and a kind of dissolving of the rigid social order that they come from – it’s like an untamed, disturbing underbelly of their own society. For me, that sort of setting, and that suggestion of chaos, worked well as the central characters move further and further away from the familiar, into danger and the unknown, and the world of the supernatural.

Ok now we move on to The Five! (These are questions I ask all our favourite authors :))

What book are you currently reading?

“History of the Australian Gold Rushes” edited by Nancy Keesing. (This is research for a new novel I’m developing.)

Who is one of your favourite Authors?

H P Lovecraft. No-one else evokes the kind of psychological horror that he does. His works create a cohesive, dark and thrilling world that I always long to return to.

What is your all time favourite book?

It’s so tough to pick one! Maybe Iain Banks’ “The Wasp Factory,” because of the impact it had on me when I first read it, at about fifteen. It would eventually lead me to write my doctoral thesis, inspired by its themes and its relationship to a whole genre of dystopian novels set on islands.

tania donalds officeWhat is your all time favourite movie?

Now I really can’t pick just one!
Favourite comedy: The Producers. Favourite drama: Velvet Goldmine. Favourite horror: The Wicker Man

Where is your favourite place to write?

I have a little studio where I do my art and my writing. It’s nice and quiet.

A huge thank you to Tania for taking the time to answer my questions! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series :)

Review – Cargo by Jessica Au

cargo by jessica au by Jessica Au
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Australia
For Readers:
Release Date – 1st August 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | Book Depository

Book Description: Gillian is fifteen, crippled by a tragic accident but dreams of swimming across oceans.

Jacob is fourteen and yearns for his brother’s life.

Frankie is fifteen and in love with the new deckhand on her father’s boat.

As the story of these three desires intertwine over the course of one lazy summer in a small coastal town, Cargo is by turns heart-wrenching, beautiful and explosive.

In a simple time of truth and change, these are characters who do not know themselves, yet through their innocence we come to understand what it means to be young, and have all the troubles in the world.

My Thoughts: Cargo is a coming-of-age story by debut Jessica Au. Cargo tells the story of a summer that changes everything for three teenagers, Frankie, Gillian and Jacob who live in a coastal Victorian town. The story is set during a summer where the teens fall in and out of love, let go of old hopes and change their plans for the future.

While the three are not friends and don’t really know each other, their lives and stories although separate are all intertwined which makes it quite an interesting book to read.

Cargo is a very quick and easy book to read and I would recommend it to young adults.

About the Author: Jessica Au lives and writes in Melbourne. Her short stories have appeared in Overland, Wet Ink, The Sleepers Almanac and Meanjin Quarterly, where she has also worked as Deputy Editor. Cargo is her first novel.

In My Mailbox – Glow, Dragon’s Oath & More!

I was super excited this week by all the books that I received to review!

The publishers must have known that it was my Blogoversary :)

Anyway, let’s get started:

glow by amy kathleen ryanGlow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Book #1 in the Skychasers Trilogy
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Australia
For Readers: Children/Young Adult
Release Date – 1st October 2011
Preorder the book - Book Depository

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you’d been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival-not love-the issue?
A ship heading for New Earth is halfway through its incredible journey across the galaxy.
On board, sixteen year olds Waverly and Kieran are part of the first generation born in space.
They are in love.
They believe their future is written in the stars.
They have never seen a stranger before…
… until the day they are wrenched apart and suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives.

Glow is the most riveting series debut since The Hunger Games.

dragons oath by pc and kristin castDragon’s Oath by PC & Kristin Cast
A House of Night Novella
From Publishers – Hachette Australia
For Readers: Young Adult
Release Date – July 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository | Kobo | Audible

For the first time, the Cast duo will share the back stories of some of the House of Night’s most crucial – and mysterious – characters. And it all begins with Dragon’s Oath.

Before Zoey is Marked and arrives at the House of Night before she rises in power to confront utter darkness, and the House of Night is divided there s Dragon, and the dark choice that won t let him go.

Long before he s a professor at the House of Night with Zoey and the gang, in the early 19th century, Bryan Lankford is a troublesome, yet talented human teen. He thinks he can get away with anything until his father, a British nobleman, has finally had enough, and banishes him to America. When Bryan is Marked on the docks and given the choice between the London House of Night and the dragon-prowed ship to America, he chooses the Dragon and a new fate.

In 1830 s St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, Dragon Lankford becomes a Sword Master, and soon realizes there are dangerous challenges – and beautiful perks. Like Anastasia, the captivating young Professor of Spells and Rituals at the Tower Grove House of Night, who really should have nothing to do with a fledgling But when a dark power threatens, Dragon is caught in its focus. Though his uncanny fighting skills make him a powerful fledgling, is he strong enough to ward off this new darkness, while protecting Anastasia as well? Will his choices save her – or destroy them all?

goddess of love by pc castGoddess of Love by PC Cast
Book #5 in the Goddess Summoning Series
From Publishers – Hachette Australia
For Readers: Adult
Release Date – July 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository | Kobo

International bestselling author P.C. Cast (co-author of the HOUSE OF NIGHT series) brings us the magical, sensual Goddess Summoning series, which retells ancient myths giving them a sexy, modern twist – original, scorchingly sexy and utterly unputdownable!

Pea Chamberlain needs help. Her shoes, hair, clothes, make-up are all disasters and she really needs a makeover – especially if she wants to attract sexy fireman Griffin DeAngelo at the firemen’s masked ball. And who better to coax Pea out of her pod than the Goddess of Love, whom she invokes when she gets her hands on a book of enchantments.

Sure enough, Venus works her magic on Pea, which is what she has been doing for eons – helping others find love. But who will help the Goddess of Love when she finds herself falling head over heels for the same sexy fireman she is trying to land for Pea Could it be that Venus needs a love makeover herself.

goddess of troy by pc castGoddess of Troy by PC Cast
Book #6 in the Goddess Summoning Series
From Publishers – Hachette Australia
For Readers: Adult
Release Date – August 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository | Kobo

Goddesses Hera, Athena and Venus have had it up to here with the Trojan War. So much devastation – all because of male egos. The worst of the bunch is Achilles, the Greek champion whose powers have made him practically invincible. To stop him would be to end the war. But the only way to stop a man like Achilles is to distract him – with something far more pleasurable than combat…

The three goddesses seize their chance when a twenty-first-century beauty named Kate and her best friend perish in a car crash in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In no time, they shift the friends’ souls into the bodies of a Trojan princess and her handmaiden, having no doubt that Kat will catch Achilles’s attention. But can her independent, fiery spirit match the unquenchable fire of his epic rage.

amy and rogers epic detour by morgan matsonAmy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
From Publishers – Simon & Schuster Australia
For Readers: Young Adult
Release Date – August 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository | Kobo

Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move all the way across the country and needs Amy to drive their car from California to the East Coast. There’s just one problem: since the death of her father, Amy hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel of a car. Enter Roger, the son of an old family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute… and dealing with some baggage of his own.
Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father’s death were not part of Amy’s plans for the road trip. But then neither was driving on the Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado Mountains, visiting diners, dingy motels and Graceland. But as they drive, and she grows closer to Roger, Amy finds that the people you least expected are the ones you need the most ­ – and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.

the mayan resurrection by steve altenThe Mayan Resurrection by Steve Alten
The Sequel to The Mayan Prophecy
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Australia
For Readers: Adult
Release Date – 1st August 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository

After sacrificing himself to prevent mankind’s extinction, Michael Gabriel is imprisoned in a torturous, purgatory-like dimension in the Mayan netherworld. The Mayan prophecy states that the Hero Twins – his sons Jacob and Immanuel, born to his wife Dominique the year after his entrapment – will travel to the Mayan realm in their twentieth year to free and resurrect him. Jacob, blessed with staggering intelligence and almost superhuman attributes, lives to embrace this destiny. Immanuel, on the other hand, fights the path chosen for him, opting to live a normal life.

Yet this struggle is not all that threatens their destiny: born the same day as the twins is a purely malevolent force, The Abomination – the evil yin to their yang – that will not stop until they succumb to its temptation. The war between good and evil wages on, as Michael Gabriel’s fate, and that of planet Earth, hangs by an increasingly thin thread.

Traversing worlds, millennia and space-time continuums, the second of the Mayan trilogy captures the imagination like few books can, making it as much of a rip-roaring page-turner as its predecessor and preparing the series for an explosive climax.

original sin by lisa desrochersOriginal Sin by Lisa Desrochers
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Australia
For Readers: Young Adult
Release Date – 1st August 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository

Luc Cain was born and raised in Hell, but he isn’t feeling as demonic as usual lately – thanks to Frannie Cavanaugh and the unique power she never realised she had. But you can’t desert Hell without consequences, and suddenly Frannie and Luc find themselves targeted by the same demons who used to be Luc’s allies.

Left with few options, Frannie and Luc accept the protection of Heaven and one of its most powerful angels, Gabe. Unfortunately, Luc isn’t the only one affected by Frannie, and it isn’t long before Gabe realizes that being around her is too… tempting. Rather than risk losing his wings, he leaves Frannie and Luc under the protection of her recently-acquired guardian angel.

Which would be fine, but Gabe is barely out the door before an assortment of demons appears – and they’re not leaving without dragging Luc back to Hell with them. Hell won’t give up and Heaven won’t give in. Frannie’s guardian exercises all the power he has to keep them away, but the demons are willing to hurt anyone close to Frannie in order to get what they want. It will take everything she has and then some to stay out of Hell’s grasp.

And not everyone will get out of it alive.

trial by fire by jennifer lynn barnesTrial By Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Book #2 in the Raised by Wolves series
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Australia
For Readers: Young Adult
Release Date – 1st August 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository

Sequel to the thrilling Raised by Wolves.

Bryn is now alpha of the Cedar Ridge pack and she’s convinced that her pack is different – it’s democratic and fair. Then Bryn finds a battered teenage Were, Connor, bleeding on her front porch. He begs Bryn to protect him from an abusive alpha; Bryn believes his story and takes him into her pack. But Bryn’s Were partner Chase doesn’t trust the new boy, and the more time she spends helping Connor, the more aggressive Chase becomes. Bryn is not sure if it’s jealousy, or were possessiveness but for the first time she starts to feel suffocated by the bond she and Chase share.

Filled with action, unlikely allies, and deadly conspiracies, Trial By Fire will change Bryn forever. She is soon to realise that to lead a pack of werewolves, she must give in to her animal instincts and become a little less human. And as hard as it’s going to be, Bryn is going to have to do it alone. There can only be one alpha.

cargo by jessica au by Jessica Au
From Publishers – Pan Macmillan Australia
For Readers: Young Adult
Release Date – 1st August 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository

Gillian is fifteen, crippled by a tragic accident but dreams of swimming across oceans.

Jacob is fourteen and yearns for his brother’s life.

Frankie is fifteen and in love with the new deckhand on her father’s boat.

As the story of these three desires intertwine over the course of one lazy summer in a small coastal town, Cargo is by turns heart-wrenching, beautiful and explosive.

In a simple time of truth and change, these are characters who do not know themselves, yet through their innocence we come to understand what it means to be young, and have all the troubles in the world.

So as you can see I have just a little bit of reading to do :)

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Review – Haunted Heart by Tania Donald

Haunted Heart by Tania DonaldTitle:
Author:
Age Group: Adult
Release Date: 27th June 2011
Publishers: Penguin AU
Buy From: Book Depository

Book Description: ‘Intoxicated as I am by my love for him, I am also afraid . . . What wickedness lurks within me, struggling to emerge?’

1838: In a quiet, English village, eighteen-year-old Eloise Morton yearns to experience love. The arrival of a handsome and aristocratic stranger fills her with hope, but their romantic courtship quickly descends into a maze of psychological games and strange, erotic encounters. Eloise finds herself suddenly alone, and transformed in ways that she cannot understand. But what has she become? Are the dark appetites that now compel her human, or otherwise? Is she victim, predator – or both? Eloise sets off on a perilous journey to the other side of the world to reunite with the man who haunts her heart – and to discover the shocking truth about herself.

Sexy, dark and thrilling, Haunted Heart is a breathtaking gothic novel about losing oneself to the heart’s darkest desires.

My Thoughts: Haunted Heart is unlike anything I have read before. It is a Gothic set in the 1830s and follows an English girl Eloise Morton who is desperate to fall in love but knows nothing of real-life romance. But then the White’s move into the country estate near Eloise’s home and she becomes smitten with Dolour White. Dolour is handsome, smart, is very sweet and seems to like Eloise as much as she likes him. Dolour begins to visit her in her dreams, and their love begins to blossom. But suddenly Dolour ends their relationship, leaves and literally takes Eloise’s heart with him. Eloise is left feeling alien and not knowing her own feelings and actions.

Haunted Heart takes us on a journey through diary entries written by Eloise as she embarks on her journey to find Dolour and the Whites to get the answers that she needs.

With erotic dream scenes this debut novel from Melbourne writer, Tania Donald is not for the teenage audience but caters more for the mature audience which I thought was a refreshing change from the PG13 novels I have been reading lately. And while I did feel like the book dragged a little in parts, it kept me intrigued enough to keep on reading. The way the story was left makes me certain that their will be a sequel which I will be excited to read.

tania donald author of haunted heartAbout the Author: Tania Donald is a Melbourne-based writer and artist. She holds a Ph.D in English Literature and has worked as a freelance writer, as well as writing plays and sketches for theatre, radio and cabaret. Haunted Heart is her first novel.

Haunted Heart by Tania DonaldHaunted Heart by
From Publishers – Penguin AU
Release Date – 27th June 2011
Buy the book - Book Depository

Book Description: ‘Intoxicated as I am by my love for him, I am also afraid . . . What wickedness lurks within me, struggling to emerge?’

1838: In a quiet, English village, eighteen-year-old Eloise Morton yearns to experience love. The arrival of a handsome and aristocratic stranger fills her with hope, but their romantic courtship quickly descends into a maze of psychological games and strange, encounters. Eloise finds herself suddenly alone, and transformed in ways that she cannot understand. But what has she become? Are the dark appetites that now compel her human, or otherwise? Is she victim, predator – or both? Eloise sets off on a perilous journey to the other side of the world to reunite with the man who haunts her heart – and to discover the shocking truth about herself.

Sexy, dark and thrilling, Haunted Heart is a breathtaking gothic novel about losing oneself to the heart’s darkest desires.

I’ve been told that this one is for the adult readers, it’s a bit more racy than the fics I have been reading lately :P

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