2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Hearts of Darkness Andrea Speed

1)OH MY GOD HOW MUCH FUN WAS THIS????  Kaed is the world-weary, seen-it-all son of a mad scientist supervillain. Ash is a genetically engineered assassin/bodyguard raised in a monastery by an isolated death cult. Together…well, they don’t exactly fight crime, but they do have quite a few adventures—and fall in love. Of a sort. There’s SO MUCH to enjoy in this story, but the best part, in my opinion, was Kaed’s eye-rolling, tongue-in-cheek narration—made all the more relatable as Ash gets under his skin. Seriously, this is one of the most fun things I’ve read in a long time. Just fantastic. 

Hearts of Darkness Andrea Speed
Gay - Fantasy
Paperback
Publisher: DSP Publications (November 8, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1634775481
ISBN-13: 978-1634775489
Amazon: Hearts of Darkness Andrea Speed

Kaede Hiyashi is sick and tired of living in the shadow of his father, supervillain Doctor Terror. Brilliant but crazy, Doctor Terror sends his son to Corwyn, California, for reasons Kaede can't imagine. Sent to accompany and protect him is Ash, a genetically modified supersoldier raised and trained by an infamous death cult.

Corwyn is lousy with superheroes, led by the obnoxious Dark Justice. Kaede finds himself dancing around Dark Justice as he digs into his father's mysterious business and teaches his socially awkward--but physically lethal--bodyguard to acclimate to "normal" life. Can these two wacky supervillains figure out what Doctor Terror wants them to do, solve the riddle of the villain known as Black Hand, and keep Dark Justice from raining on their bloody parade? The course of love--and world domination--never did run smooth.

2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Better Than Suicide (The Yakuza Path #2) Amy Tasukada

1) This is the second installment of Amy Tasukada'a The Yakuza Path. Written from the third person point of view, this is a very well crafted tale of love, gang warfare, and traditions. The characters are alive and multidimensional. The story flows easily and the book is hard to put down. Even though I enjoyed the first book better, this book stands alone very well. The prose is poetic and addictive. A wonderful tale of lust, love, and the Japanese culture. Amy Tasukada's writing style is crisp and lyrical, like snowflakes dancing in the night. She describes with the same ease and elegance steeping of tea and spilling of blood. Without getting into unnecessary detail, she transports us to historical Kyoto as the background of the "Yakuda" -- or mafia. In this chapter, drugs are the problem for everyone knows that the Matzukada do not deal drugs. If you are looking for a bittersweet romance, you'll find it here. If you're looking for blood and guts, you'll find it here. And if you are looking for a glimpse into a Japan which very few of us will have the chance to know, you'll find it here. Highly recommended! 

Better Than Suicide (The Yakuza Path #2) Amy Tasukada
Gay - Mystery / Thriller
Series: The Yakuza Path
Paperback: 376 pages
Publisher: Macarons & Tea Publishing (May 20, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0997865342
ISBN-13: 978-0997865349
Amazon: Better Than Suicide (The Yakuza Path #2) Amy Tasukada

If you buy the paperback, you'll get the ebook for FREE!
A bag of drugs. A twisted cop. A mob on the verge of self-destruction…

Nao Murata is the new Godfather of the Matsukawa syndicate. When Detective Yamada confronts Nao over a dead drug dealer, the Nao knows his organization isn’t responsible. The Matsukawa doesn’t deal drugs… or does it?

When Nao discovers drugs in a locker owned by his syndicate, he no longer knows who to trust. With the police bearing down on the Matsukawa, Nao must make unlikely allies to find out the truth. Can he discover who is betraying him before time runs out, or will everyone suffer for a crime he didn’t commit?

Better Than Suicide is the second book in a Japanese mafia thriller series. If you like complex plots, gripping suspense, and splash of gay romance, then you’ll love the next installment in Amy Tasukada’s Yakuza Path series.
Buy Better Than Suicide to start the race against the clock today!

2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Time to Keep Morgan Cheshire

1) This was a beautifully written book that had me enthralled from the first page to the last. I was emotionally involved with the characters and transported in time and place to the village of Thornton and into the lives of Matthew, Ben and Sam.  I have no hesitation at all to give this book top marks. 
2) This felt like one of those generations-long epics. You can feel time fly by, how people try to grasp at happiness and love, only to be foiled by life, war, and death, and in the end renewing their passion for life. The writing is plain and matter-of-fact, yet full of rich natural imagery and lovingly painted landscapes, and that is what makes the whole thing work. There's the historical framework of WWI against the lives and loves of two young men--and then a third. This story speaks of memories gilded by the passage of time, of a nostalgia for better days before wars decimated men and left them as walking shadows. It speaks of hope most of all, how love endures even in the face of death, and how love can transform sorrow to happiness. An absolutely beautiful story, and I’m not even a fan of the 20th century.

A Time to Keep Morgan Cheshire
Gay - Historical
File Size: 1943 KB
Print Length: 213 pages
Publisher: Manifold Press (August 1, 2017)
Publication Date: August 1, 2017
Amazon: A Time to Keep Morgan Cheshire

It’s 1909, and on leaving the workhouse young lovers Ben and Matthew must find their places in the world. Luck brings jobs and somewhere to live, but their security is short-lived when England begins to prepare for war. Ben can’t wait to go to France and fight for his country, and it isn’t long before Matthew receives the news he’s dreaded. Ineligible for military service Matthew must stay at home, his life disintegrating – until, years later, the arrival of a stranger helps him learn to live for the future again.

2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Sparkwood Daria Defore

1)After a less-than-exciting start, this book took me by surprise. The setting was beautifully described from the beginning, but I didn't expect to fall so madly in love with the characters. Slowly but surely, Finn and Robin really engrossed me. I was engrossed by the combination of old world fairy myths, the other-world paranormal trope, and a rather new spin on fairy culture and physiology. 
2) Initially, I was prepared not to like this, since Finn was so unlikable for the first half, but I loved the concept and enjoyed the faery world, so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did, because it developed quite nicely in the second half.

Sparkwood Daria Defore
Bisexual - Fantasy Romance
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press (February 14, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1620049813
ISBN-13: 978-1620049815
Amazon: Sparkwood Daria Defore

Finn has never trusted fairies, so it's no surprise to him when his twin brother turns up dead, probably by magical means. What he doesn't expect is an invitation to the funeral—in the fairy realm—and a chance to find out who killed him. Investigating Luke's death is probably the stupidest thing Finn has ever done, and soon he's up to his neck in fairy trouble. In the midst of it all is Robin, the fairy who's supposed to be watching out for him—but who just might have had something to do with Luke's death.