Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Dragon's Rebel by Jacqueline Rohrbach

The Dragon's Rebel

"I really enjoyed this book, and I don't usually gravitate towards fantasy. I found the storyline intriguing without being overly complicated. It had good movement with twists and turns that kept me from turning off the reader. Very creative setting without being so fantastical that I couldn't relate to it. Multidimensional and flawed characters in just the right places. The connection between the 2 protagonists built in a realistic fashion. Good use of show vs tell. Writing appropriate to setting."

"This is the type of story where the more you read the more it grabs you by the 'feels'. It was well written and the author did what I love in a story; she captured my attention to the point that I didn't want to put the book down, nor did I want the story to end. "

Cheron, former rebel leader and newly crowned king, comes to Wren Gardens on a holy mission to free his goddess from exile and bring peace to his kingdom, but he’s distracted by an unholy and very beautiful concubine, Ekos.Ekos may be more than a simple love slave, though. The King of Wren Gardens seems afraid of the strange and often blasphemous concubine and swears the man is cursed. Cheron agrees, especially when Ekos mocks and taunts Cheron’s sense of honor. But the urge to distance himself from Ekos can’t compete with the desire to remain close. Nor is it as strong as the urges in his body—urges he hasn’t felt in years.As Cheron tries to refocus on his mission, Ekos throws him off again—this time by offering to help him in his holy quest. Cheron knows he shouldn’t trust a man who’s in the employ of a rival king, particularly not one who seems to know all Cheron’s deepest secrets. But he can’t ignore the signs from the goddess telling him to entwine his fate with this tricky, captivating man.He prays the signs aren’t simply wishful thinking, manifestations of his very unholy desires. Time is running out, and Cheron is falling deeper for Ekos—and deeper into danger of another betrayal. One that could cost him his life.

Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: To See the Sun by Kelly Jensen

To See the Sun

"This intergalactic romance follows all the tropes of a standard romance, but still managed to keep me wondering how it would resolve. The details of the three worlds (including the starship) were robust and incredibly distinct from one another, especially the harsh, stark Alkirak where they grew into their love. The characters evolved believably, flawed enough to enable the twists, but not cloyingly so. I would have liked to be more surprised, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway."

Survival is hard enough in the outer colonies - what chance does love have?

Life can be harsh and lonely in the outer colonies, but miner-turned-farmer Abraham Bauer is living his dream, cultivating crops that will one day turn the unforgiving world of Alkirak into paradise. He wants more, though. A companion - someone quiet like him. Someone to share his days, his bed, and his heart.

Gael Sonnen has never seen the sky, let alone the sun. He's spent his whole life locked in the undercity beneath Zhemosen, running from one desperate situation to another. For a chance to get out, he'll do just about anything - even travel to the far end of the galaxy as a mail-order husband. But no plan of Gael's has ever gone smoothly, and his new start on Alkirak is no exception. Things go wrong from the moment he steps off the shuttle.

Although Gael arrives with unexpected complications, Abraham is prepared to make their relationship work - until Gael's past catches up with them, threatening Abraham's livelihood, the freedom Gael gave everything for, and the love neither man ever hoped to find.