Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Athlete and the Aristocrat by Louisa Masters

The Athlete and the Aristocrat (Dreamspun Desires Book 73)

"I really enjoyed this book. The plot had good movement and I felt engaged in the outcome throughout. The romance developed at a natural pace. I even had a couple years in my eyes at the end. I like how the author used different cities and maintained the atmosphere that makes them unique."

Sometimes love takes balls.

Newly retired championship footballer Simon Wood is taking on his next challenge. His plan for a charity to provide funding for underprivileged children to pursue football as a career has passed its first hurdle: he has backers and an executive consultant. Now it’s time to get the ball rolling.

Lucien Morel, heir to the multibillion-euro Morel Corporation, is shocked—and thrilled—to learn his father has volunteered him as consultant to a fledgling football charity. Better yet, the brains behind it all is heartthrob Simon Wood, his teenage idol and crush.

Although Simon and Lucien get off on the wrong foot, it’s not long before they’re getting along like a house on fire—sparks included. But with the charity under public scrutiny, can their romance thrive?

Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Murder, Romance and Two Shootings by Todd Allen Smith

Murder, Romance, and Two Shootings

"This is based on real events and although a little humor is injected with the writer's attitude to being shot twice on two separate occasions, the harrowing aspect of the aftermath and recovery is very real and uncomfortable. Mixed in are the dramas of failed romances, lack of compassion and the shock of losing his job as a reporter after the second shooting. My only quibble is the writing style which could have used better editing, but the story is real and I was glad it worked out for the best in the end."

"I thought the 'plotting' seemed a little awkward… then realized it was non-fiction.  A painful but inspiring survivor's tale."

The scent of his own blood shakes away the disbelief of the gunman entering the city council room. Todd remembers that smell and can’t deny that he is once more the target of a gunman’s bullet.

Healing from his physical wounds is the easy part, grounded in gratitude for his very survival. Rebuilding his life will be the hard part. But he is reminded he is luckier than others whenever he thinks of his friend Rick.

After the first time he was shot, Todd had to learn to walk again, but now he faces the bigger challenge of learning how to love.