2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Vegas Stripped by James Brock (336-08-28-2016)

This is a fast-paced, well-written story. It's about a con-man who gets up to his neck in debt and has to do what the loan shark orders him or get killed. Eventually, the conman gets conned by an innocent looking younger guy, only to be redeemed in the end. Well done, quite entertaining. The type of story you pick up and can't put down.

Vegas Stripped by James Brock
Gay Erotic Romance
Paperback: 180 pages
Publisher: Beau to Beau Books (October 28, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1618453688
ISBN-13: 978-1618453686
Amazon: Vegas Stripped
Amazon Kinlde: Vegas Stripped

Loner and con man Sam is a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. Born into a world of scams, hoaxes and schemes, he settles in Miami after making a major art swindle, only to lose his heart to the wrong man. Broke and broken, he rockets out of the sunshine state only to be detoured to Las Vegas. Running from the problem is nothing new to this flim-flam man, but he has always worked alone until now. Pulling off the scam that his life now depends on, he is forced to join a motley crew of amateurs, including a former reality star, a retired showgirl, and a disabled vet and his stripper brother, who is running a con of his own. Love, loss, redemption and sex are set against the bright neon of the Las Vegas strip in this sizzling romance!

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

2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Space Between by Michelle L. Teichman (349-08-30-2016)

1) The read is interesting and realistic enough but what made my day was to find finally a young adult book that does not use the same old cliché about how lesbian girls are in high school. I have really appreciated the fact that the most obvious character to become the closeted, frightened lesbian was not used again in that way. I found very refreshing that the most rebellious character was in fact the one that needed more time to comes to terms with her own sexuality and that made me appreciate the book 10 times more.

2) This was an excellent lesbian YA novel from a first-time author. The characters (popular girl and outcast girl, both entering high school) were well drawn and the internal process of each was extremely well described with palpable and believable emotion. The high school setting in Toronto was well drawn. The conflict situations, pacing and secondary characters were described quite well and were believable. The author lost me in just two places: one, in an internal monologue of the popular girl character that seemed a bit too preachy about cyberbullying and another, an improbably meeting of the outcast character with her English teacher in an empty church on a Saturday. Other than that, I felt the book was very strong and a good example of how important it is to have high quality lesbian YA.

The Space Between by Michelle L. Teichman
Lesbian Young Adult
Paperback: 298 pages
Publisher: Ylva Verlag e.Kfr. (March 2, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 395533581X
ISBN-13: 978-3955335816
Amazon: The Space Between
Amazon Kinlde: The Space Between

Everything’s great for Harper Isabelle, the most popular girl in grade nine. That is, until she meets Sarah Jamieson. Sarah is a reclusive artist, a loner who wears black makeup and doesn’t have any friends, but for some reason, Harper can’t stop thinking about her. Sarah isn’t used to people looking her way, especially popular girls like Harper Isabelle. Scared, religious, and unsure of herself, when Sarah begins to realize that her feelings for Harper might go beyond friendship, she is afraid to take the plunge and tell Harper how she feels. Emotions build between these young women until they both reach their breaking points, and they need to make a choice about coming to terms with who they really are, and what they can and cannot live without.

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

2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Fortunate Blizzard by L.C. Chase (87-04-17-2016)

1) Trevor changes Marc for the better. Marc saves Trevor. They are beautiful together from beginning to end.

2) Marcus and Trevor are meant for each other, but the forces of nature are against them. A needed transplant and a blizzard force their hands as they battle time, and love.

A Fortunate Blizzard by L.C. Chase
Gay Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 164 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (July 3, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1626493405
ISBN-13: 978-1626493407
Amazon: A Fortunate Blizzard
Amazon Kindle: A Fortunate Blizzard

There are worse things than being stranded in a blizzard.

Artist Trevor Morrison has always appreciated the little things in life, treating each day as a gift. And with good reason: he’s been on the transplant-recipient list for too long now. When he learns just how numbered his days truly are, he resolves not to take them for granted. But he won’t be unrealistic, either—which means romantic commitments are off the table.

Marcus Roberts seems to have it all. He’s handsome, financially sound, and on the fast track to partnership at a prestigious law firm. In reality, though, his drive for success has meant no time for friends or relationships. Add in the fact that his family discarded him long ago, and he’s facing yet another holiday season alone.

When the biggest snowstorm to hit Colorado in decades leaves Marc and Trevor stranded at the same hotel, a chance encounter and a night of passion leads to more than either of them expected. Finding comfort in each other is a welcome surprise, but time is not on their side. Either they find a way to beat the odds, or they lose each other forever.

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