Orchid and Peach Cocktails

Live Blogging from Sydney Writers Festival "Romance" Panel

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:44:04 +1000

Love is a universal desire.

Perhaps the “romance” genre, which goes from Pride and Prejudice to 50 Shades of Grey, is too broad. But this is true of all genres.

You don’t write into a vacuum, so it’s important to really think about the audience.

Romance as trojan horse - using the genre to cover a hidden message.

There is a lot of academic research behind most romance novels.

Look out for 50 Bales of Hay - erotica with an interesting agricultural message.

One of the authors actually had nightmares from her own writing.

Gestation of story = gestation of child???

Live Blogging from Sydney Writers Festival "Romance" Panel

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:33:17 +1000

How they came to write romance
“I didn’t choose to write the book, it chose me. “

“I don’t see myself as a romantic writer.”

Is it difficult to be taken seriously, as women or as romantic authors?
“If women are happy, I’ve done my job.”

Watch this space!! Another 45 minutes left on this panel!

rudi-bee15: I don’t know who I love more right now; past-Julia...

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:06:30 +1000

rudi-bee15:

I don’t know who I love more right now; past-Julia Quinn or the bookseller who wrote this note.

REVIEW: The Governess Affair

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:27:35 +1000

Review: The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
Swoon Factor: Keep your smelling salts handy
Reviewer: Rudi

Not too long ago one of our followers suggested we check out Courtney Milan’s novella, The Governess Affair. At the time (and possibly even now?) the ebook was available to download for free in a whole bunch of places so naturally, I took the opportunity to get myself a copy. And I’m so glad that I did.

Selena Barton has set herself up outside the Duke of Clermont’s home until he agrees to compensate her for getting her fired from her position as a governess. Unfortunately for her, the duke set’s his man of business, Hugo Marshall on her. Hugo is also known as the Wolf of Clermont and is absolutely ruthless about protecting the duke’s (and by extension his own) interests.

As they engage in a battle of wits they begin to develop a respect and understanding for each other but, as is often the way of these things, neither Selena or Hugo are in a position to back down.

It all sounds reasonably straight forward, right? Wrong. There is so much going on in this novella, but the unfolding of each new twist is half the fun so I’m leery of giving too much away. There were moments when I was sure I knew exactly what was about to happen, or I was bracing myself for ginormous leaps in logic and pacing only to have Milan side step it all.

Novella’s aren’t normally my style when it comes to reading romance. Generally they feel a little too rushed for me to believe in the HEA but that really wasn’t the case with The Governess Affair. I’ll admit to a few moments when I wanted more, but by the end of the novella I felt secure.

That said, it was obviously written to be a teaser for the Sinister Series. In this way the brevity worked so very well. I was definitely left wanting more by the time I finished. Not to detract from the skill and artistry of Milan’s writing but that’s some seriously clever marketing right there. I’m sure I’m not the only person who will have downloaded The Governess Affair only to get hooked in so deep they *need* to get the rest of the series.

Photo

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:42:45 +1000

"Waite says that romance novels are the place in our culture where “women are seen enjoying sex,..."

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:20:32 +1000

“Waite says that romance novels are the place in our culture where “women are seen enjoying sex, desiring a partner, and having orgasms that are about feeling orgasmic rather than merely looking orgasmic.” Grant puts it succinctly, “romance is one of the few places where a woman is a subject in sex, rather than an object.” As often as one is likely to see a romance trope that feels old and regressive, one will read a scene where the hero cannot wait to pleasure the heroine with oral sex. Looking around at pop culture at large, there is no other space where such scenes happen, especially not regularly.”

- Hey, here I am in the Atlantic Sexes blog with a bunch of smart, feminist romance authors, who have smart things to say about feminism, and romance, and where the two may or may not overlap. (via oliviawaite)

People say to me: do you let your son read the sex in your novels? My point of view: I would like him to learn to be generous, gentle and loving in bed with a woman, like my heroes. Someday.

(via ladiesmostly)

- Have we reblogged this before? I don’t know - putting up anyway because this is what I try to tell people when they look down on me for reading romance.

An excerpt of “Goodnight Tweetheart” was at the back of Teresa...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:14:06 +1000

An excerpt of “Goodnight Tweetheart” was at the back of Teresa Medeiros’ The Devil Wears Plaid (which I enjoyed) but the majority of the excerpt is a conversation via twitter between Abby Donovan and Mark Baynard.

I don’t even know how he found her tweet to reply to because he wasn’t folliwing her nor did she use a hashtag. Um, that’s not how twitter works, my love.

I’m not sure where the story is going, but if Abby agrees to meet with a stranger via twitter (also tweets are public!) - stop, girl! Stranger danger, anyone?

I think new media can and should be included in contemporary fiction, but there are a few guidelines authors need to follow:

- Twitter/IM/text message conversations should not go for more than a page. Break it up with a little exposition. If I want to stalk/lurk on Twitter, I’ll use a computer not a book.
- Research how it works, its politics and style, so real life users aren’t alienated.
- Remember, media and technology references (as well as many other things) will date the content. Could you imagine reading a novel that heavily featured MySpace? Use sparingly to add zest but not confuse future readers.

What do you guys think? Can you think of a book in which the author has made a few novice mistakes with technology or media? Any industry professionals out there who’ve cringed over mistakes made by the nurse/doctor/policeman/lawyer/accountant/etc character? Tell us the gory details!

Also, Rudi promised to give me the name of a book which features fairly well written uses of twitter and technology! Watch this space - I’d like to review it if possible!

-Sam

The Governess Affair is free as an e-book!

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:03:02 +1000

The Governess Affair is free as an e-book!:

We received an email from the lovely petrichorandpie letting us know that Courtney Milan’s novella The Governess Affair is currently available for FREE!

That in itself is a reason to download it but added to the fact that Courtney Milan is coming with the recommendation of being petrichorandpie’s favourite author means I’m that little bit more excited.

And keep a look out because I will certainly be writing a review of it as well.

Rudi

FREE VICTORIA DAHL E-BOOK!

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:18:00 +1000

FREE VICTORIA DAHL E-BOOK!:

The only thing better than a cheap book is a free book! There is a novella by Victoria Dahl on Amazon going for the bargain price of $0.00 (e-book only).

Lover at Last -Spoilers

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 11:05:00 +1000

Book: Lover at Last

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Number: 11

Author: J R Ward

Publication date: March 2012

Genre/sub genre: Paranormal

Reviewer: Sarah

Swoon Factor: I’m not feeling anything but disgust.

Um I hated this book. If it had been a hardcopy and not an ecopy I would have thrown it across my flat so many times.

I was so looking forward to it and it just didn’t do it. First off J R Ward’s books have always been crack, they’re flawed but so damn addictive I can look past the flaws. This time there was nowhere to hide. I’m just going to list the ways it failed because I’m struggling to find anything nice to say.

- The sex was terrible. I don’t want to read about ‘penetration’ unless I’m back in year 6 sex ed. There is nothing sexy about that. To quote Fat Amy ‘Not a good enough reason to use the word penetrate’

-Penetrating what? Ward has a ton of names for vagina but can’t say butt? arse? ass? bottom? or come up with anything? I get the feeling that a lot of this is tied up in homophobic censorship. Yep I said it.

- Layla’s needing. So when Bella went through her needing every time she had sex it got worse, she needed sex and sex and sex and sex and Zsadist was practically in a coma by the end. But Quinn leaves her? after one go? to suffer through her needing? yes I get it he’s gay but at that point he’s unaware of that and having sex with women all over the shop.

- Layla get’s preggerz after one go. Similar to Bella, but was it not stressed with Bella that it’s super rare for pregnancy to happen straight away? or is this just a vamp myth much like the human equivalent?

- Layla’s romance with Xcor. Book 12 or 13? and awkward. so Awkward… does he actually put his finger to her mouth to stop her talking? and no kissing? whut?

-Xcor’s ‘disfigurement’. What is his disfigurement? did I miss something? or is it like Qhuinn’s different coloured eyes? a total non issue that J R Ward is trying to make seem terrible?

-J R Ward’s disability BS. Has J R Ward ever met a person with a disability? she treats Wrath’s vision impairment like it’s the end of the world and totally justifies his lying (by omission) to Beth about babies. Obviously this is an issue that has carried on since the first book but it’s really bugging me. As someone who has grown up around people with disability’s I feel like J R Ward really needs to talk to someone with disability about how it’s not the end of their life.

-Qhuinn’s virginity. So it’s not true love unless someone brings their virginity along with them?

-Qhuinn’s losing of said virginity. 1. it didn’t hurt, so it doesn’t always have to hurt but BLAY DIDN’T LUBE UP. 2. Blay didn’t notice. In fact he just jammed his cock right in Qhuinn’s butt..

-Saxon isn’t a terrible guy, in fact he got treated like crap and that was like totes ok. NO IT WASN’T.

-Miscarriage. The magical cure for Layla’s almost miscarriage was just the worst. seriously. Just no.

So this is the worst review I’ve ever done. I don’t even know how to do this. I try and say something nice for every crap thing I say for a book but I can’t even come up with something nice. seriously. it was just that bad.

We want ARCs!

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 11:31:45 +1100

Here at OaPC we try to keep on top of the latest releases, but we know there is nothing better than reading a review about a book that hasn’t been released yet. We are currently in the process of applying to be ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) reviewers, but if any of our lovely followers (or Lurkers, we know you’re out there) want to send us something to review, we’d be more than happy. Just send us a message through our tumblr and we’ll work out all the details.

If you want to send us a physical copy, remember we live in Australia.

We will also accept digital copies in epub or kindle format.

Have an awesome weekend and keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming reviews!

I finished Lover at Last

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:14:15 +1100

I can’t even begin to tell you all how much I hated it. I’m going to review it later because I hated it so much if I reviewed it right now it would be just the one word : WORST.

I’m reading the latest Victoria Dahl which will hopefully calm me down with it’s sexy sexyness.

-Sarah

REVIEW: The Summer of You

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:52:00 +1100

Review: The Summer of You by Kate Noble
Swoon Factor: Keep your smelling salts handy
Reviewer: Rudi

I decided to head home for the Easter weekend and take a little time to relax in the familiar. As it turns out, spending more than three consecutive days in the company of my father can be a little … tiring so I found myself retreating into a book. Specifically, The Summer of You by Kate Noble.

Lady Jane Cummings has been outmanoeuvred and now she has to spend the summer with her ailing father and good-for-nothing brother at their family estate, rather than in London (where there are doctors and family friends that could help look after her father). Add to this the people of Merrymore can’t quite forget the trouble she used to cause as a child and are struggling to see her as the young lady she has become, and it’s no wonder she’s looking for a means of escape. She finds it in Bryne Worth; wounded war hero, brooding gentleman, total grouch, and (according to town gossip) elusive highwayman.

Jane and Bryne begin a tentative friendship over jasmine tea. Neither is particularly interested in sharing their secrets at first but they become a sort of safe haven for each other. Someone that can be absolutely counted on and that kind of person is rare for them both. And then of course, there’s their attraction.

The Summer of You is the second novel in a series however it works very well as a standalone. It’s also the kind of novel that you can keep coming back to. To be honest I’ve read it at least twice before. For me it’s a comfort read, but the kind of one that I go to when I need more than the standard sexy protagonists trading witty remarks. There’s depth and emotion and sexy protagonists trading witty remarks.

Jane’s family situation touches me in a very personal way. She’s suddenly found herself as The Responsible Adult and isn’t sure how to handle that. I’ve been there, and frankly it would have been wonderful if I’d had a Bryne Worth around to drink tea with. But I guess in the meantime I have The Summer of You.

Snooty indie bookstores are putting themselves out of business

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:00:44 +1100

Snooty indie bookstores are putting themselves out of business:

ericmortensen:

Sarah MacLean writes about bookstores that refuse to sell romance novels, even though most romance readers read between 12 and 15 books a month:

The [book release] party was held in an independent bookstore near my hometown that does not carry romance. It was fun. I talked for 20 minutes, took questions for another 40, and a good time was generally had by all. We sold 90 books in 2 hours (and only 2 of them to my mother!); I was thrilled.

Afterward, the manager of the bookstore approached and said, “That was great! We’d love to have you again…if you’d like to come back.”

Would I! “I’d love to. And in the meantime…would you like me to sign the leftover stock?” This is a thing that bookstores ask of us, typically, when we go to visit them. It basically means…we have some of your books on hand, and if given the choice, readers would rather have a signed book than an unsigned one, so would you sign what’s around so new readers can get signed books from us? Honestly? I asked knowing the answer. I’ve never had a bookseller say no to that question, and I’d just sold 90 books! Clearly, people in Rhode Island loved me!

“No,” she said, as I attempted to keep my jaw from dropping. “Our customers don’t read romance.”

I–

I can’t–

WHAT?! 90 Books! She’d been there! In fact, she was the one who told me we sold 90 books!

And yet…her customers…they don’t read romance?

This is certainly a problem I’ve been experiencing more and more often.

My local bookstore has a pitiful collection of romance novels, and it seems like they don’t keep track of the large name/highly anticipated releases because they’re never on the shelf in time.

On the bright side if you’re from Sydney (Australia) and you’re a fan of paranormal romance/urban fantasy/sci-fi/whatever other general category you want to come up with Galaxy Bookshop is really really good to it’s customers.

Rudi

rudi-bee15: Oh god. Dying. Kudos to the genius that created...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:28:28 +1100

rudi-bee15:

Oh god. Dying.

Kudos to the genius that created this meme.

crystalxir: Historical Romance (Tarihi Aşk) Cover (1)

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 08:00:37 +1100

crystalxir:

Historical Romance (Tarihi Aşk) Cover (1)

E book rant!

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:24:00 +1100

So I’m trying to downsize my life. Which means getting rid of any books that I don’t need a physical copy of. So any that aren’t signed or rare and are available in e-book form. I recently asked friends to consider buying ebooks from my wish list for my birthday because god damn it they can be so freaking expensive.

It is absolutely ridicules.

Some examples to illustrate my point:

The Devil’s Knight by Lucy Blue:

Hardcover from $1.25

paperback $29.99, $20.47 and $0.01

Kindle Version $25.40 (With a 15% discount and all)

WHAT THE ?

My Demon’s Kiss, another book in the series on the other hand $6.34

Sherrilyn Kenyon kindle e books are around $12.69 while the physical copies are significantly cheaper.

J R Ward’s latest Lover at Last is $17.66 for the e version, slightly more expensive then the physical copies and her older releases are $12.69.

Why? why are the e versions more expensive? sometimes close to double, sometimes more.

This is fucked. seriously. Ages ago (a few years) one of these authors was venting about piracy, people selling cd’s of her books on ebay. Now I’m almost certain authors have no say in the price of their e books unless they self publish.

Surely it makes sense that when e books are this expensive people will look for alternatives and that alternative may not be to buy the physical copy. Surely publishers have thought of this?

Also while I’m venting why are publishers so hit and miss with what they make available in e form? Victoria Dahl is amazing and it’s only recently that the Australian publisher of her work has started making e books available. Last year one particular series only had one book in e form and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the first book in the series.

Anyway. hopefully that makes sense… in a ranty way.

-Sarah

Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:24:29 +1100

Reviewer: Sam

Grade: A+ for plot and bondage

This is the second book in Dahl’s Tumble Creek series. This time, it features Lori Love (town mechanic) and Quinn (architect and brother of Molly, Lori’s best friend and main character from the previous book).

I really enjoyed Lori’s character because she’s a tough, hard-working woman who isn’t out to find the one - she just wants pleasure for pleasure’s sake. And that is okay. She is petite (and as a short woman I love petite characters) with a tomboy style and desires she has barely begun to admit she has.

Quinn is intelligent and so focused on his work that he forgets what is around him. But when Lori accidentally admits that she wants a sexual relationship with him, he is quite willing to act on his latent desire for her. Quinn is the one who wants to take this to the next level, relationship wise.

What I loved about this book is the very natural development of their relationship - both sexually and emotionally. Quinn and Lori work out what pleases them both the most, with Lori eventually admitting that she enjoys bondage. She’s embarrassed about this, but Quinn is really supportive. They even go through deciding on a safe word (and there was not a single contract in sight). I think it’s one of the best romances with a BDSM element that I’ve read.

Also, it was incredibly hot!

Aside from that, there mystery plot is engaging and the twist at the end was interesting. It didn’t come out of nowhere, nor did it feel tacked on. I really enjoyed all the elements of the book and recommend it to anyone, whether you are into BDSM or not (not all the sex is BDSM, by the way).

I want to write a review of it later but OH MY GOD I just finished Lover at Last and I just wanted...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:03:00 +1100

I want to write a review of it later but OH MY GOD I just finished Lover at Last and I just wanted to jot down some thoughts. And beware - thar be spoilers

FUCK YES THEY ARE SO HOT YES FUCK OH MY GOD
I know they don’t use condoms but how do they deal with all the come after all those orgasms??? Really J.R.?? Qhuinn came for 20 minutes but Blay just miraculously licked it all up???? REALLY?!?!?!?
Why was the ending so cheesy WHYYYYYYYY
Why don’t you ever mention where their penises actually go?! You have a billion euphemisms for vagina but none for butthole?
Oh god, they’re still so hot I don’t even care about any of this
I wanted Qhuinn to get Blay’s name on his shoulderrrsss and vice versa
MORE SEX
Less fucking plot, J.R - I don’t give a fuck about the Lessers or the Band of Bastards or the potential for other books JUST WRITE THEIR DAMN STORY
Seriously, they didn’t even feel like the main characters
I skipped so much fucking bullshit
I know she does it with all those other books but there felt like more bullshit than normal
Some would call it plot
But dammit it was distracting from how hot they were
The damn slang still kills me
Don’t have your characters correct anyone else’s grammar when they shit like “How’s doin’?”

More to come….hahaha. Come. UGH STOP IT GABRIELLE

Beyond Bodice-Rippers: How Romance Novels Came to Embrace Feminism

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:31:54 +1100

Beyond Bodice-Rippers: How Romance Novels Came to Embrace Feminism :

Examination of feminist romance novels -Judgmental attack of romance readers = Awesome article