Imagine a dare is born out of a college-nemesis/complicated past feelings relationship, that results in two bestselling writers crafting stories from genres they despise. The winner has to poach their novel to publishers, get the biggest book deal and the highest paying advance.
Enter January and Gus.
January has just made the worst discovery of her life. After her Dad’s recent passing, a letter he left her explained that he had been in love with another woman and had built a life with her all in a small beach town. January is confused as he was always the most loving father and their connection was strong. He has left the house that he shared in his double life to January. Not only is she thrown for six but her writing jué jué is off and the timeline on her next book is closing in.
Gus has never forgotten the frustratingly talented writer from college who never failed to make every writing assignment into a happy ending. He much prefers to research for years, uncover and pull apart the pieces of people that we sometimes never see. Seeing January in the house next door on the summer evening of his birthday was not what he had on his Bingo card for this year. But will it turn out to be his, and her, best year of writing yet?
Aaron is an award-winning novelist attempting to escape his home time that holds complicated and tightly woven memories for his high school friend group. Covering for one another back then wasn’t a big ask, but in the present it could mean the crumble of the entire life he’s built.
When human remains are discovered in a forest on the edge of Aaron’s hometown, he knows that the protected secrets that haunt him are finally coming to an end.
Back then, Aaron’s best friend had a very different home life to his own. Full of displayed love and hidden violence. Moving from past to present in this story, we learn about the prolonged abusive actions that occurred and the climactic accident that changed the future for all the boys involved. With the setting of this mystery being a small town, the community is also fighting for the answers that they never received. Aaron’s return home brings more questions than answers to the surface, and the layered complexities unravel quickly.
Christian White’s books never fail to keep me on the edge of my seat, as his compelling writing is mostly seen through tv scripts but truly, his novels are pure Australian Crime Fiction magic!
Teddy Anderson is her small town’s so-called ‘good time girl’, who is guaranteed to always be the life of the party and draws the attention of most people in a room with her suede fringe jacket and skin-tight jeans.
Yet underneath the social glow of many eyes, Teddy is a hard worker, a carer for her chronically ill father and will always be there to support her best friend Emmy Ryder, along with her family.
So when Emmy calls Teddy in a pickle, she decides the positive outweighs the negative because it’s only for the summer – right.?
Within 24 hours, Teddy is a stay-in nanny for Emmy’s niece and living with the one Ryder family member she’s never seen eye to eye with – Angus Ryder.
Angus is a single dad, a cattleman and the over protector for all his family members. One thing he knows for certain is that being around Teddy Anderson is much easier when they’re throwing cutting words and displaying their utmost mutual distaste to one another. Now having her in his home, spending quality and helpful time with his daughter, Angus is forced to see a different side, a softer side, of Teddy unravelling. She’s getting under his skin, but not in the way she did before.
Lost and Lassoed is number 3 in the Rebel Blue Bell series. Teddy and Angus’ story is the classic enemies to lovers trope that has you devouring paragraphs and pages in no time!
Australian movie star and heartthrob, Ethan James has a problem. He is filming a new movie that is expected to rocket launch his career but his dog Harry cannot cope with the time he constantly needs to spend on set without him. He is in desperate need of a dog sitter.
Hazel is in the process of escaping her everyday life and trying to hide from her career as a chef, after an embarrassing and upending experience over the quality of her food. She’s looking for a job that won’t involve her interacting with self centred humans but rather an energetic, playful and affectionate furry kind.
When approached to become the dog sitter for a mysterious and private individual, paying quite a healthy sum of money and in town for a limited amount of time, Hazel jumps at the opportunity. But little did she know, she was signing up for daily interactions with Australia’s hottest movie star and his beloved pet.
Hazel and Ethan push each other’s buttons, test the limits of their working relationship and reveal slithers of their personalities’ to each other from behind self-conscious walls. Slowly, their trust in each other builds but when their individual goals start being met, can they work through them as a duo? Or will it be the end of this short-term contract?
You know when you come across a book that in every spare moment you have, whether it be in your morning tea break or when you sit down on the couch in your comfies after work, or right when you go to bed – that you’re thinking about and wanting to read?
THIS BOOK will have you hooked the moment you meet Weston Ryder!
Swift and Saddled is my first country/western romance and my gosh, talk about steamy! I didn’t even know this sub-genre was making such a come up in the romance world but I’m telling you, the hype is worth it.
Ada is an interior designer heading out to Wyoming, employed to refirbish a massive guest house on a family run ranch. The communicator on the other end of this big project has been Weston Ryder.
Before Ada even gets to the ranch to start on the project, she meets a cowboy at the local pub. (Here in Australia, I have to admit that actually using the term cowboy is a little cringe HOWEVER, it does fit the American context and the western culture that surrounds this book). Ada and this cowboy have a steamy connection that finished all too quickly that evening. Little does Ada know, that cowboy is her employee and she’s about to come head to head with him tomorrow morning!
Weston Ryder is an absolute SWEETHEART of a main love interest. Not only does he put his families needs before his own, but he truely just wanted to takes care Ada and wholeheartedly respects Ada and her past.
The connection that builds between these two characters over the months of the project, their slow and steady unravelling of personal vices and traits, as well as their slow burn desire makes this the perfect romance book in my opinion.
+ it’s an all connected small town romance series! We’re talking the brother and sister of Weston also have their own books and I’m so keen to start reading them this month too!
I devoured Swift and Saddled in a matter of 3 days and it’s an absolute 5 star read for me in 2024 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Birds of a Feather is Rhianna King’s debut novel and by gosh, will it blow your socks off!
Rhianna is a professional communicator in State Government environmental agencies and has worked within an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit organisation as well. She’s also a graphic designer, having launched her own freelance business in 2015. How dynamic and talented is this woman who now adds ‘author’ to her resume as well!
I cannot thank Rhianna’s wonderful Affirm Press team for reaching out to me, gifting me Birds of a Feather to honestly read and review + have this opportunity to chat with Rhianna herself 🎙
Welcome to the blog Rhianna! 💖
Rhianna, how does it feel to be a debut Aussie author? Can you speak to the experience of being signed with Affirm Press and how the journey has been so far?
Being a debut Aussie author has been more wonderful than I could have possibly imagined (and I spent a lot of time imaging it!). I was lucky enough that Kelly Doust saw a place forBirds of a Feather in Affirm Press’s incredible collection of commercial women’s fiction and I have loved every second of working with the Affirm Press team. They have guided and advised me at every step, with respect for my vision, and the wisdom of experience.
Stepping behind the curtain of the publishing industry has made me fully appreciate how many people it takes to get a book published and in readers’ hands – the editors, cover designers, type setters, printers, marketing and publicity gurus, voice-over artists, those who get the books on the shelves and those who sell them. The experience has also shown me how much support there is out there for authors. Australia has such a wonderful community of people who love books, write them, enjoy talking about them, and are happy to spread the word about books they’ve enjoyed through their social and online platforms. Connecting with other authors and book lovers has been one of the best parts of this journey.
Birds of a Feather is being absolutely DEVOURED in my household! I’m reading on my lunch break, as soon as I get home and right before bed. When did you know that Beth and Elsie’s story was a keeper? – Thank you! 😊
I started writing the book during 2020, after Zoom trivia and puzzles had lost their novelty, because I wanted somewhere to escape to. I grew to love Beth and all her quirks, and I adored Elise’s character, so, once I started, I kept writing because I genuinely wanted to spend time with them. Being in lock-down gave me a whole new appreciation for being able to spend time with friends and family and in the natural environment so, I guess, it was a love letter to all the things I was missing from my life at the time. I also wanted to write a story that was different to anything I’d read before and I was keen to make a contribution, however small, to increasing representation of diversity in commercial fiction.
Beth’s winnings certainly throw her stickler budget and tightened nature out the window. I really enjoy watching her unfold and let in the world around her. Did you always know where Beth’s story started and where it ended? Or were you just along for the ride with her?!
I did have a pretty structured plan for the book before I started writing it, which I guess is ironic since the story centred around encouraging Beth’s character to be more open to going with the flow!
Much of Beth’s rigidity was in response to her family’s complete lack of structure – she enjoyed order while they preferred spontaneity, she liked well-made plans, where they took a laissez-faire approach to life. But I wanted her to see that it doesn’t have to be one or the other; if you open your heart (even a little) and are prepared to step out of your comfort zone, you can still be in the driver’s seat of your life but also find unexpected joy along the way.
I adore the passages where we watch, feel and listen to Elsie and Beth spend precious time together. Is there anyone in your life or from life experiences that influenced the loving, kind and special familial relationship these two have?
I was so blessed with two incredible grandmothers. Both were remarkable women and, incidentally, both were writers. Spending time with them was such a gift and, even though they’ve both been gone for many years, I still miss them.
I think the relationship between grandparents and their grandkids is so special because in many cases it’s all love, no responsibility. For Beth, Elise was the one person who she felt ‘got’ her when she didn’t feel like she belonged in her immediate family, and the two were bonded by their love of the natural environment. I think that having someone in your life who you trust, and with whom you share a common interest, means you always have someone to feel at home with.
Rhianna – thank you so much for your time and generosity in sharing your answers with us on Mel Reviews Her Books 💖
After the small snippet reviews I’d seen and heard about Powerless by Lauren Roberts, I knew that the experience of reading this novel would be one I wanted to vlog. I hope you enjoy ⭐️
Someone needs to hold me back because I’m about to YELL all over this review about how FANTASTIC this read was!
Imagine Throne of Glass + The Hunger Games + a Sarah Adam’s romance novel angst and pining = Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Here are a good few reasons as to why you should pick up this book RIGHT NOW or slide it up to the top of your TBR pile:
✅ Actual enemies to lovers: Paedyn (love this name) and Malakai aka Prince Kai, are from different sides of the track and have very different loyalties.
Paedyn is an Ordinary hidden in plain sight. This means she was not born with any magical, mind bending or magnificent power such as morphing into animals, mind reading or mind silencing, invisibility or time warping. Those that do have these powers certainly show it and they are called the Elites.
The current King, who is an Elite, has poisoned society into believing that Ordinary’s actually make Elite’s sick and it is crucial that Ordinary’s are removed from society – ie. Paedyn. However, she is much more clever than most, as was her Father when training her, because she is posing as an Elite who has Psychic abilities.
Every year the annual Trials come around, which involve the most powerful Elites showing off their powers in a range of life-threatening and vengeful situations. Some people are naturally selected due to their status (ie. Prince Kai) and some are selected by society (ie. Paedyn). All are voted on and viewed by Ilya – determining the winner and ‘most powerful’ of the year.
✅ The fighting scenes are FANTASTIC and I was personally so pleased with the balance of angst and weaponry.
For Paedyn to survive in Loot (the poorest part of Ilya) she thieves coins and belongings. Prince Kai comes along, unbeknown to her of who he is. To Paedyn, he just looked like a well off guy holding a fat stack of coins. Drama and death tends to follow Prince Kai as he is the ‘Enforcer’ for the King, while also being his second son. Paedyn robs Prince Kai and walks away feeling chuffed, until a Mind Silencer starts attacking him.
Paedyn is triggered by a past event in her life when watching Prince Kai being attacked and she cannot stop herself from stepping in to save him. This action tumble-rolls Paedyn’s future. She is selected by Ilya to participate in the Trials as she is seen as strong, but in actual fact, she is physically strong and trained in conflict yet actual magical power? Zlitch.
✅ Angst was at an all time high!
The back and forward banter, love to hate relationship between Pae and Kai was incredibly entertaining. Him pulling down his walls around her because of his either genuine concern or curiosity + her desire to be around him yet knowing that he is in fact the worst person for her to befriend … or more.
Admittedly, there was a time there when I was starting to get a little over the back and forward without any consequence happening. They became so close at one stage that you would think the end of the scene was inevitable – but then it simmered again. I do believe that if their relationship had developed a little more, then the ending, Payden’s choices and Kai perspective would be heavier and more emotional.
In saying that, I think the reveal of Paedyn’s political actions and her powerless power in the final chapters was great. I wouldn’t say the final chapters were unpredictable (one element of the final challenge was), or that the outcome – couldn’t be guessed – but you know what, I still read and loved each and every page anyways!
Sometimes it’s not about the guessing game of a novel, it’s about connecting with the characters and just letting the story be told the way the author wants us to see it. And this novel certainly ticked all those boxes for me!
It’s been a hot minute since I last had a book that I just simply NEEDED to spend my whole Sunday reading. When in Rome had me hooked from the moment we open the first pages and Amelia is in her beat up car driving off into the middle of nowhere, in an effort to just escape the overwhelm that is her current celebrity life.
Amelia, or better known as Rose Ray, is a pop superstar with T-Swift levels of fame. Her singing career is at its peak but her wellbeing is not. Her relationship with her Manager is overbearing. Her mum only wants her to pay for extravagant trips around the world. Her dating and true friendships are basically non-existent because of the grinding life she leads.
Deciding that the only way to clear her head and get a little perspective, Amelia drives to Rome, Kentucky in an effort to loosely recreate her favourite Audrey Hepburn film, When in Rome (that’s Rome, Italy, but sadly her scheduling cannot allow for that plane flight).
15kms out of Rome, Kentucky, Amelia’s car decides that it’s had a good life and it’s ready to call it a day … right on Noah’s front lawn. That’s right, we have a good old grumpy X sunshine trope goin’ on and I was stocked about it!
Noah has returned back to his home town of Rome after a heartbreaking relationship that upended his life. He’s just starting to resettle into country life again. He’s opened and is running his family pie shop with the help of his sisters and is certainly NOT in the mood for romance. Noah immediately recognises Amelia and assumes she a spoilt, rich and stuck up superstar who expects to be treated like royalty. But that is certainly not the case. Amelia is reserved, shy and uncertain of the fame and stardom that is her current stressor. And this experience in Rome, and with Noah, could be just what she needs.
Their bickering, joking and heat is so well paced and I adored Noah for all his grumpiness! He’s the protector in his family, has emotional intelligence (at times) and ends up opening his world to Amelia + we have the addition of his sisters! Gosh I loved them! And it you want more of their stories, read Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams.
February has been a month of fun times, event busy-ness and new experiences.
This past month, Riverina Readers Festival had a whopping success of an event and I was so proud to see the love, care and time that all those involved put towards the event being a smash hit. I think for me, when we deliver a successful event it’s important to celebrate. So this past week, I’ve not gone so hard on the emails, festival strategy work and planning. I took a breath and relished in our teamwork and passion towards a common goal.
I’ve also had some fun times in my new working gal role. This month I started a new job where I get to combine my passions for local community, service/program opportunity and event planning + delivery. I recognise that I am so privileged to say that I attend a workplace where work does not feel like work. I’m currently getting paid to train, work on and deliver something I’m super passionate about and I just smile every time I think about that! I truly hope each and every one of you get to experience this feeling one day because if I could bottle it up, I’d give it to every single person I meet.
When I’m feeling good and in a healthy headspace, I’m also more open to creative projects, experimenting with ideas and dreaming towards my own long term goals. I’ve let myself lean into that this week and sometimes the result is fantastic, sometimes it’s just a “I’ll tuck this away for later” (and proceed to create another folder on my laptop with images, dot points and unfinished documents) 🤣
But all in all, I think breathing in new experiences, celebrating the wins and letting your mind dream is so important. Especially when we can lead busy lives majority of the time. I’d recommend you try it and see what creative ideas or plans spring to mind 💖🧠
Mel Reviews Her Books 