How to Save a Life (Haven) by Sloan Parker

If I’m not wrong, More is the first book I read by Sloan Parker, long back ago, and so, sincerely, when I started this one, How to Save a Life, I didn’t remember of Walter Simon. It didn’t ring something, but admittedly, I avoid to read reviews and co, and in the blurb there was no connection; I was well into the story when we meet Matthew and Luke and suddenly everything was clear. Also was clear why I was enjoying this so much, indeed I liked a lot More, one of the first ménages a trois that rang true to my ears.

Anyway, I’m not really huge on the Romantic Suspense genre, I prefer my romance to be more about the relationship than some mystery plot, but as soon as I opened the book and entered Kevin and Walter, I was ready to change my position: there is plenty of Kevin and Walter as a couple that you don’t feel at all the mystery plot is stealing them space or spotlight. And then, they are representing a theme I like a lot, the May/December, Kevin is around thirty, Walter is almost fifty; sure Kevin looks younger, and above all, from an experience point of view he is totally naïve, so the age gap seems even broader, especially to Walter. But what is a trouble for Walter is also probably the reason why Kevin is perfect for him: Walter needs a boost of self-confidence, he needs to feel like he is taking care of someone else, because not taking care of someone younger and helpless is at the basis of his disillusion with life. Helping Kevin, and all the other young men who were kidnapped will give Walter his life back. Taking Kevin, will give him the chance to love again.

Kevin on the other hand needs someone older and more experienced than him; a trauma in his past basically blocked his development as a gay guy, so, even if he is thirty, to an experience point of view he is more or less barely legal. Sure, you can think, go with someone who is really barely legal, but well, you cannot learn if you need to teach. So yes, Kevin needs Walter as much as Walter needs Kevin, from this point of view their difference in age is not important.

And while the story can be dark and cruel in some point, it is also sweet: Kevin’s clumsiness, Charlie the dog, Seth’s pink and unicorn’s décor… are all elements sweetening the darkness of the suspense plot.

Amazon Kindle: How to Save a Life (The Haven)
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (January 14, 2013)

Series: The Haven
prequel) More: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1049694.html
1) How to Save a Life

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

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Stacey Darlington - Long Snows Moon

Long Snows Moon by Stacey Darlington
Paperback: 198 pages
Publisher: Melange Books (June 29, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1612356370
ISBN-13: 978-1612356372
Amazon: Long Snows Moon
Amazon Kindle: Long Snows Moon

A young socialite finds herself hurled from her comfort zone of luxury and self-denial into the esoteric world of animal magic. When her pet wolf/husky hybrid, Long Snows Moon, plummets from her car window to the forest below, Devon Danforth must explore the haunted woods to find her. During her drunken stumble through the forest, Devon finds love in the arms of Jameson Jordan, the Native American girl she met as a teen during a family skiing vacation. During her sexual awakening, Devon discovers her own animal nature and her wild family lineage.

Gordon Stewart Anderson (1958 – July 8, 1991)

Gordon Stewart Anderson (1958 – July 8, 1991) was a Canadian writer, whose novel The Toronto You Are Leaving was published by his mother 15 years after his death.

Anderson was born in Hamilton, raised in Sault Ste. Marie and lived for many years in Toronto. He graduated from the University of Waterloo and the University of Western Ontario. A gay man, Anderson died of AIDS-related causes. Three years after his death, his mother Marlene Lloyd discovered that a small publishing house had an unpublished manuscript for The Toronto You Are Leaving, a novel Anderson had written about life in Toronto's gay community in the late 1970s. She submitted the manuscript to several other publishers without success, and eventually edited and self-published the novel herself in 2006. The novel garnered a strong review in The Globe and Mail, as well as significant attention in Canada's gay press.

Marlene Lloyd had also previously published a book of her own, Not a Total Waste: The True Story of a Mother, Her Son and AIDS, about Anderson's death.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Stewart_Anderson

Further Readings:

( Further Readings )

2013 Rainbow Awards: Tali Spencer - Thick as Thieves

Thick as Thieves by Tali Spencer
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press; 1 edition (July 7, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: Thick as Thieves

After Vorgell the barbarian fucks himself with a unicorn horn, he ends up in a cell with Maddog, a pretty young thief. It’s lust at first sight for Vorgell—but honestly, he can’t help it. Unicorn horn is a potent aphrodisiac, and now he can’t stop thinking about sex. Luckily, Madd is one male witch who knows how to put Vorgell’s new magical body to good use when he tricks Vorgell into a kiss that helps them escape.

Vorgell may desire sex in general—and Madd in particular—but Madd has no intention of being screwed by a man twice his size. He has problems of his own, including an enchanted collar that causes him to desire his most hated enemy. He wants that collar off as soon as possible, but that requires stealing a basilisk egg from the castle they just escaped.

Drawn together by lust and magic, the two men join forces and soon find themselves up to their necks in witches, wizards, and trouble. Vorgell and Madd might just be perfect for each other, but first they have to survive long enough to find out.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Chris Paynter - And a Time to Dance

And a Time to Dance by Chris Paynter
Publisher Blue Feather Books LTD. (June 2, 2013)
Language English
ISBN-10 1935627643
ISBN-13 978-1935627647
Amazon: And a Time to Dance
Amazon Kindle: And a Time to Dance

Corey Banner is happy in a six-year relationship with her partner Judy, and sees only a bright future ahead for them. But Corey's life is turned upside down when a car accident tragically claims Judy's life. Two years later, still broken and reeling from her painful loss, Corey moves from her home in Lansing, Michigan, to Grand Lake, Colorado. There, she hopes to begin healing. Erin Flannery and her Aunt Tess are co-owners of Grand Lake's Rainbow Lodge. Erin questions Tess's immediate hiring of Corey as the lodge's new maintenance worker-but then it takes a lot for a woman to earn Erin's trust. Afraid to put her heart on the line after her partner's betrayal five years before, Erin is not ready for any long-term commitment and covers her pain with meaningless one-night stands. Although Corey and Erin start out on shaky ground, as the summer months go by their friendship slowly grows into something more. Will Corey take a leap of faith and allow love to enter her heart again? And will Erin stop running long enough to trust a woman who seems almost too good to be true? Against the backdrop of the magnificent Rocky Mountains, Corey and Erin must decide: will they let fear rule their lives-or will they simply let go and dance another dance with love.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Anyta Sunday - Taboo For You

Taboo For You (Friends to Lovers) by Anyta Sunday
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Kindle: Taboo For You (Friends to Lovers)

Sam’s freaking out.
He’s 30 in three weeks. And what has he done in his twenties? It’s pretty simple math: nothing exciting at all. But hey, he has three weeks right? Maybe that’s just enough time to tick his way through a 20s Must Do List . . .

Luke’s freaking screwed.
He’s come out to his family, and his friends. Except there’s a certain someone who doesn’t know yet: his neighbor of 7 years. Who also happens to be his best friend. Who Luke needs to tell the truth, but he just . . . can’t . . . seem to . . .

Jeremy’s freaking over-the-moon.
It’s the countdown to his 15th birthday, and his goal is simple. No matter what, he’s going to spend heaps of time with saucy Suzy. But first he needs to get his over-protective, no-girlfriend-'cause-you’ll-get-her-pregnant parents off his back. And what better way than pretending he’s gay?

Sam, Luke, and Jeremy. Three guys who have a lot of history together, and a lot of future too—

—well, if they can sort out their issues, that is.

UK GLBTQ Meet Ebook Giveaway: Anna Martin - Cricket

I asked to all the authors joining the UK GLBTQ Fiction meet in Manchester in July (http://ukglbtfictionmeet.co.uk/2013-event/2013-attendees/spotlight_authors-2/) a personal favor, a special Ebook Giveaway: twice a week I will post 1 book from each author, and among those who will leave a comment, I will draw a winner. Very easy and very fast ;-) I will send a PM to the winner, so remember to not leave anonymous comments!

And the ebook giveaway goes to: londonronnie

Today author is Anna Martin: Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England. After spending most of her childhood making up stories (early versions of her illustrated tales starring her stuffed animals should be available on eBay shortly), she studied English Literature at university before attempting to turn her hand as a professional writer.
Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, she is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), travelling, learning to play the ukulele, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.
Although her most recent work is in the LGBT Adult Fiction genre, in the past Anna has worked on a variety of different projects including short stories, drabbles, flash fiction, fan fiction, plays for both children and adults, and poetry. She has written novels in the Teen/ Young Adult genre, Romance, and Fantasy novels.
Anna is, by her own admission, almost unhealthily obsessed with books. The library she has amassed is both large and diverse; "My favourite books," she says, "are 'The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee and 'Oryx and Crake' by Margaret Atwood." She also owns multiple copies of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park books and re-reads the Harry Potter novels with almost startling regularity.
Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.

Cricket by Anna Martin
Publisher Dreamspinner Press (July 1, 2013)
Language English
ISBN-10 1623808766
ISBN-13 978-1623808761
Amazon: Cricket
Amazon Kindle: Cricket

New York native Henry Richardson needs a change. His boyfriend just dumped him, and his business has fallen victim to the economy. But is jumping on a plane after a surprise phone call taking things too far?

The promise of a new opportunity drags Henry away from the city to a tiny village in the English countryside and an enormous manor house his great-grandmother wants to bequeath him. As an experienced wedding planner, he sees the potential in renovating the dilapidated building and using it for events. All he needs is to find some local businesses to provide the essentials.

That's how Henry meets Ryan Burgess, the shy but hardworking owner of an organic farm. The spark between them sizzles slowly while work on the house continues, but Ryan is deeply in the closet and unwilling to take the last step. They finally find something that clicks in cricket, something that Henry, a former amateur baseball player, is surprisingly good at. For him, cricket helps bridge the gap between England and New York-but unless Ryan can find something to span the divide between his sexuality and his fear, their relationship doesn't stand a chance.