The Ghost Bride by David Hair

The Ghost Bride is the second book in the Return of Ravana series.

In North India in 1175, King Prithviraj Chauhan is about to storm the bridal challenge of a beautiful princess, but Ravindra is coming, riding at the side of a fierce invader. Only Vikram, as Prithviraj's best friend stands between Ravindra and all the thrones in India.

In modern day Mumbai, there is another bride and another challenge. This time Bollywood Actress Sunita Ashoka will marry the man who wins her hand in a television reality show. Vikram Khandavani in his latest reincarnation decides to enter the competition to draw out his nemesis, Ravindra. It is a deadly gamble that could cost him everything.

It may surprise people, when considering the setting for this book, that David Hair is actually a New Zealander who has primarily worked in the financial services industry. He however lived in New Delhi from 2007 until 2010, which has no doubt gone a long way in inspiring him to write this series. The series could only really be set in India and is novel in the way that both the hero and villain are both reincarnated to do battle with each other time and again throughout history.

A great thing about this series is that you also don't need to read the first book before this one, as enough information is given in the prologue for readers to get an idea of what the series is about. It is an exciting thriller and an ancient tale of good versus evil with modern twists.

RRP $25.00
Published by Penguin Group under the Puffin title
 

The Lost Tohunga by David Hair

The Lost Tohunga is the third book in the thrilling action-fantasy novel series that started with The Bone Tiki. They intertwine NZ myths and history with modern world, ancient Maori and settler New Zealand. They are fast paced novels with tension, fear and moments of humour.

This story was primarily inspired by the legends surrounding Taupo, a region that has had a longstanding presence of Maori culture. Only Matiu Douglas knows that Ngatoro-I-Rangi is alive. Matiu knows this because he hears the ancient tohunga's voice inside his head.

With exams approaching, Mat sees his holiday in Taupo as a chance to do some studying and to catch up with his magical mentor, Aethlyn Jones, but his plans are changed when the ancient world meets the modern world.

The secret struggle of the warlocks to dominate the hidden land of Aotearoa is spilling into modern New Zealand and now nowhere is safe. The warlocks are seeking Te Iho, the heart, Puarata's secret powerbase. Whoever finds it will have control of both worlds.

When Aethlyn is attacked and a fellow protégé taken, Mat is drawn into the deadly struggle. Can he find the tohunga before evil forces gain control of New Zealand?

This is an exciting adventure, that will prove especially popular with those who enjoyed The Bone Tiki. David Hair continues with his unique blend of Maori Myths, history and modern New Zealand to craft an exciting fantasy adventure.

RRP $23.50
Published and distributed by HarperCollins Publishers

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The Taniwha’s Tear by David Hair

The Taniwha’s Tale is the second book in the series that David Hair started with The Bone Tiki. It is a series which intertwines New Zealand myth and history with our modern world. Like the first book in the series, it is a fast paced thriller full of tension and fear.

In this story, Matiu Douglas has promised to help the storyteller’s daughter but there are a few problems. Firstly the daughter is dead, secondly she has been petrified in stone for centuries and thirdly, she is no longer human, she is a taniwha. How can Matiu help a taniwha?

When Matiu and his friends defeated Puarata, the tohunga makutu, they thought they’d won the war, instead they had only started one. Now his warlocks are fighting for supremacy in a violent struggle spreading across the magical land of Aotearoa and into our world. The outcome will be determined by the taniwha Matiu has promised to save.

This story was primarily inspired by the legends surrounding Gisborne, a region which has a longstanding presence of Maori culture. It will particularly appeal to those who as children used to fantasise about taniwha lurking beneath the mud pools of Rotorua and that the carved faces on the walls of Maori meeting rooms were alive. It is also a riveting, action filled and violent fantasy-thriller for those who like plenty of excitement and a New Zealand flavour.

RRP $19.99
Published and distributed by HarperCollins publishers
 

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