The Prince of Galerir by Anna Lee

Reading this book, sometime I had the feeling the author would have liked to write a full historical novel, but she opted for a fantasy to allow her characters to “live”. This is because, aside for a paranormal element, as big as it’s, the presence of dragons, the rest of the novel is pretty much a classical medieval novel, with intrigues and adventures, to a level that, if not for the sex, I had almost the impression this was a young adult novel. Much to this point was the young age of the two main character, just 19 years old and struggling with the duty of being adult but still with the innocence and naiveté of young men.

Tomas is the heir to a throne, Griffin is his best man and knight in shining armor; sometime it was endearing to see these blossoms of men trying to behave as adults, since, truth be told, they have not yet experimented enough to be considered as such. Moreover, they have just found the courage to admit to each other their love, and suddenly that love has become something bigger, more important, almost too important for such young men.

As I said there is sex, and that is perhaps the only reason why this is not a young adult novel; if you remove the sex, and after all it’s not so much in the story, the rest of the novel is really like the old fashioned fantasy novels, with a quest for the young men and many occasions to display courage and noble feelings. Truth be told I didn’t feel as the sex was really important in the story, it worked well even without it. Or better, I appreciate the fact they did have the chance to express their love, but to me it was enough to know even without reading it; I had the strong feeling that was not the main target of the author that instead wanted to write about Tomas and Griffin’s journey towards adulthood. And as for all young men, that is an important journey, and so the story felt as a metaphor of that, didn’t matter they were two young men in a fantasy medieval setting, they could well relate to two teenagers of the XXI century.

http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=AL_GALER

Amazon: The Prince of Galerir
Amazon Kindle: The Prince of Galerir
Paperback: 238 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (October 25, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608207668
ISBN-13: 978-1608207664

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading+list&view=elisa.rolle

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: C.M. Torrens - In the Heart of Darkness

In The Heart Of Darkness by C. M. Torrens
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (April 1, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: In The Heart Of Darkness

Devonn has lived his entire life in Darkness and chained to the will of another for centuries. When the chance to become free arrives in the form of an ancient soul, Devonn grabs it and runs. But taking the soul and keeping it are two different things. Hunted by demons and a stubborn soul that tests his sanity, Devonn seeks sanctuary with a group of survivors, but he doesn’t expect to find himself drawn to the surly ironsmith thwarting his charms.

Since the world fell into Darkness and unleashed the monsters that prowl the Earth, Mitch Banos has seen more than his fair share of death. With people dying and dangers closing in around the group from all sides, Mitch is sure that attachment to people is a bad idea. Devonn’s persistence pays off, but with the fae woods closing in around the group’s tiny sanctuary and traitors in their midst, Mitch finds himself betrayed and trapped among the fae.

Devonn rushes to find Mitch, which leaves the survivors vulnerable to the traitor within. With the soul tugging at Devonn’s sanity, finding Mitch may become far more difficult than Devonn had expected. With so many things pulling at him, it’ll be a miracle if they all survive...

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Jane Elliot - The Devil in Dead Horse

The Devil in Dead Horse by Jane Elliot
67,000 words/260 pages
Publication 1 November 2012

Sequel to END OF THE TRAIL

Will and John have a new life together, but unfortunately it seems as if their former lives are not completely behind them even now. What was supposed to be a leisurely journey west turns into a fight for survival when they discover that an old enemy has taken over an innocent town, and that it’s going to need a hero to stop him – or perhaps even a whole group of heroes, willing to stand up and be counted. It’s time for the real John Anderson, outlaw, to come out of retirement – but there’s still a price on his head, and now there’s a great deal more that he stands to lose…

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Adam Fitzroy - Make Do and Mend

Make Do and Mend by Adam Fitzroy
Publisher: Manifold Press (May 4, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: Make Do And Mend

The Second World War. It’s not all fighting and glory; there are battles on the Home Front, too, and some are not exactly heroic. That’s what injured naval officer Harry discovers when he befriends conscientious objector Jim – a friendship frowned upon in their small Welsh valley even before they begin to fall in love. But they both have secrets to conceal, and it takes a bizarre sequence of events before the full truth can be uncovered.

A novel about healing, compromise, making the best of it and just plain managing to survive.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Adam Fitzroy - Between Now and Then

Between Now and Then by Adam Fitzroy
46,000 words/182 pages
Publication 1 February 2012

It’s 1991, and a group of English football fans are driving across Belgium; their trip takes them through the site of a former battle, and that’s when a strange sequence of events begins. For Dennis and Allan, colleagues who cordially dislike each other, this means journeying further still – into what appears to be the past, and into the lives of two men who travelled this way seventy-five years earlier, whose unfinished love-affair remains to be played out in full. As they move backwards and forwards in time Dennis and Allan have only themselves to rely on, no markers to show them where they’re going, and no real certainty of ever finding their way home again.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Chris Quinton - Fool's Rush

Fool's Rush by Chris Quinton
43,000 words/180 pages
Publication 1 February 2012

The third and final part of the Fool’s Odyssey trilogy

Father Esteve hires Xavi to trace the true owners of the gold found in the crypt of San Pedro-by-the-Wall, but it’s an old and tangled web. Someone has an undisclosed agenda, and a rising tide of anti-vampire reaction sweeps through Barcelona. It’s focused on Xavi and Andreas, which causes additional problems with the vampires of Renaissance. Then Xavi meets a handsome young man who isn’t all he seems, and that’s when things begin to get even more complicated…

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Ben Monopoli - Homo Action Love Story

Homo Action Love Story!: A tall tale by Ben Monopoli
Paperback: 362 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 25, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481083635
ISBN-13: 978-1481083638
Amazon: Homo Action Love Story!: A tall tale
Amazon Kindle: Homo Action Love Story!: A tall tale

Boots McHenry and his boyfriend Ryan are young superstars in the North American Paintball League, a high-stakes sport where losers face exile -- five full years of it, on an island so secret no one can be sure it even exists. After Ryan has a tragic collision with an opposing team's paintball, the rules of the game force the boyfriends apart.

Boots is shattered without Ryan, so when his best friend Clemente Santiago suggests a daring, high-seas mission to find the island and reunite the pair, Boots jumps at the chance. They assemble a crack team to join them, including fashion model and mixed-martial-arts champ Colby Kroft, hunky-but-shy sea-captain Marcus Tumble, and Piper Pernfors, the ex who's aching to make Boots forget Ryan ever existed.

HOMO ACTION LOVE STORY! is a lighthearted, sexy adventure from the author of THE CRANBERRY HUSH and THE PAINTING OF PORCUPINE CITY. It's a perfect storm of beautiful fishermen, murderous pirates, blossoming romances, and secrets that call almost everyone's motives into question. Land, ho! This page-turner is sure to float your boat.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: AJ Rose - Power Exchange

Power Exchange by AJ Rose
Publisher: Voodoo Lily Press; First Edition edition (September 15, 2012)
Amazon Kindle: Power Exchange

From the moment Detective Gavin DeGrassi steps into the world of BDSM to solve the brutal slaying of Dom George Kaiser, his course is not his own. Mesmerized by the context in which the victim lived and the images seared into his soul, Gavin has to find a way to navigate these unknown waters. With his personal life in upheaval due to a marital split, and his professional life uncertain with the assignment of a new partner, Gavin needs all the help he can get understanding the case.

Enter Ben Haverson, a psychologist and a well known Dom. With Ben’s help as a consultant on the case and attention to Gavin himself, Gavin delves deeper than he ever thought he would into the world of restraints and paddles. Forced to take a closer look at himself, his true nature, and his innermost desires, Gavin has a choice: keep the fear of submitting at bay, or dive in and solve the case with the knowledge he gains? When another victim is discovered, Gavin’s choice is made for him, and he’s pulled headlong into the deepest, most emotional journey of his life.

Unfortunately for him and Ben, a killer has noticed, has taken stock, and has set his sights on the D/s pair. Can Gavin outwit him, or will his first exchange of power be his last?

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Pelaam - Bedazzled & Firebird

Bedazzled by Pelaam
Publisher: Silver Publishing (July 14, 2012)
Amazon Kindle: Bedazzled

On the space station Niteo, Jem still mourns the loss of his father while his stepmother treats him like a servant. When he saves a stranger's life, Jem's world and that of his best friend Byron, is turned upside down. Jem is bedazzled by the charming Prinz and Byron--who hides a secret of his own--by Herne, Prinz's friend and colleague.

Byron and Herne collide in a tempestuous relationship, while Prinz gently courts Jem.

But, Jem discovers Prinz is the son of a ruthless businessman who covets the family business. Has Prinz used their budding relationship for ulterior motives?

Furthermore, when Herne investigates Jem's father's disappearance, something shocking is uncovered.

Will Herne find the truth in time to save Jem?

Firebird by Pelaam
Publisher: Silver Publishing (September 1, 2012)
Amazon Kindle: Firebird

Palace Scribe Cassian is stunned to be called before his ruler, Great Monarch Maurus, to be the bait to trap a Firebird, a dangerous predator and beast of legend that lives high in the mountains on his country's border.

Injured as he climbs the mountain, a rescued Cassian discovers Firebirds are not animals. Instead, he uncovers Arturri, an intelligent being from another world, living as a castaway. But Cassian is helpless to prevent Arturri's capture by Maurus's dangerous and evil head of security, Phrixus.

Maurus is more monstrous than even Cassian ever imagined when the secret beneath the palace is revealed. Who can he trust? Can he save not just Arturri, but the other prisoners of Maurus?