2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Fate by Rob Rosen (155-06-23-2016)

This is far from a typical romance. There's one protagonist--and four guys he loves over the years (plus one later on). The relationships Eddie forms as the years go by feel natural, their development organic. In other words, realistic. With an ample touch of humor to lighten the mood. Rosen shows us the growing-up process of a gay boy into a teenager, young adult, and finally into an adult. This reads with ease, a nice pacing and smooth flow to the plot. The characters feel different and unique, even though we don't get their POVs.

Fate by Rob Rosen
Gay Romantic Comedy
Paperback: 262 pages
Publisher: MLR Press, LLC (February 11, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608209962
ISBN-13: 978-1608209965
Amazon: Fate
Amazon Kindle: Fate

Eddie is in love. The problem is, Eddie's in love with four men... four men simultaneously, that is. But who does Eddie love more? And can the heart feel for that many men equally? Ah, but it does have four chambers, so four seems the most logical choice... at least, of course, to Eddie.

Paula is Eddie's famous mom. One by one, each of his lovers comes to work for her, their lives so connected that if one of them itches, another one scratches. But who will wind up with whom in this comedic tale of life and love and friendship? In the end, it's up to fate to decide what none of them could possibly have seen coming.

Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2016.html

2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Hawaiian Orchid by Meg Amor (012-02-17-2016)

1) Meg Amor takes the reader on a journey that’s both a love story between two complicated men, and a cultural travelogue of far-flung places which most of us will never see in person. Now I want to meet both Rob and Kulani, and I also want to go to Hawai’i and New Zealand, I want to feel the searing kiss of the tropical sun and taste the salt of the sea spray. I want to learn the Haka and learn more about the Maori, and I want more orchids! The plot, the characters, and the setting kept drawing me in, and the writing was strong enough despite the fact that I am not a big fan of the present tense. I’m looking forward to more books like “Hawaiian Orchid!"

2) This is a beautifully written story with passionate, well-developed characters about whom I grew to care deeply as I read. Amor’s descriptive powers are masterful, making me feel as if I had visited Hawaii and New Zealand even as she created a movie in my head. I am not usually a fan of stories written in 1st person, especially in the romance genre. But the alternating 1st person point-of-view, combined with the author’s use of the present tense created for me a vivid fictional dream. I was sad to see this book end and will seek out more of this author’s work.

Hawaiian Orchid (The Hawaiians Book 2) by Meg Amor
Gay Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (September 15, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: Hawaiian Orchid (The Hawaiians Book 2)

Kulani Mahikoa is “The Orchid,” a young, insecure, pro surfer from a rough background on the Big Island of Hawai’i. He’s Beau Toyama’s cousin from Hawaiian Lei and a healer with a heart as deep as the ocean he’s part of. Like many of the great Hawaiians, Kulani epitomizes the spirit of aloha and love. Kulani’s healing his own wounds, and “The Lost Boys”--young, homeless abandoned and abused gay boys he cares for.

He meets the lone and lonely New Zealand widower, Rob Masterson--a wounded psychologist who’s trying to come to terms with his husband’s death. When he died, they were separated but still living together. Rob needs to reconcile all the pieces of guilt and love to heal before he can fall in love again.

The age difference raises one barrier, and besides that, Kulani has more layers than Rob--with his own New Zealand heritage and tangled knot of emotion--ever bargained for. Traveling between the South Sea Islands of beautiful New Zealand and the exotic Hawaiian Islands, they forge a bond--two wounded men find a home for their shrapnel-laced souls.

Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2016.html

2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Murder in the Desert by J.P. Bowie (014-02-21-2016)

This book is a great read, but it is part of an ongoing series so I would strongly recommend reading the books in order so that you get the complete feel of the world created by the author.

Murder in the Desert (A Nick Fallon Investigation #5) by J.P. Bowie
Gay Mystery / Thriller
Series: A Nick Fallon Investigation
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: MLR Press, LLC (February 14, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608209970
ISBN-13: 978-1608209972
Amazon: Murder in the Desert (A Nick Fallon Investigation 5)
Amazon Kindle: Murder in the Desert (A Nick Fallon Investigation 5)

A 'clothing optional' gay resort is threatened by a vandal with perhaps more than just destroying property on his mind. When Nick Fallon is hired to investigate a series of threatening phone calls and vandalism at a gay resort in Palm Springs, he and his husband, Eric Jamieson, are given first class treatment by the owners... when they first arrive. Coming face to face with a group of men who all seem to have something to hide, except their dislike for one another, frustrates Nick as he tries to sift through the lies and deception. A fire, and a seemingly senseless murder, complicates Nick's search for the truth. As he uncovers details of past criminal records and a murky family history that includes arson and violence, his frustration grows. Which of these men had motive and means to commit murder? The answer is-all of the above.

Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2016.html