Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Healing Glass (A Gifted Guilds Novel) by Jackie Keswick

Healing Glass: A Gifted Guilds Novel

"This book was a thoroughly engaging read: well written; original ideas within the plot; characters' actions had clear motivations; strong dynamic between the MCs and also the supporting characters and, what has stayed with me, the sentient glass city an intriguing creation."

A dying city.
An ancient, forgotten accord.
And two gifted men caught in a web of greed and dark magic.

Despite belonging to different guilds, glass master Minel and warrior captain Falcon are friends. Their duties keep them apart, but when Minel falls ill and chooses death rather than the only known cure, nothing can keep Falcon from his side.

As their friendship grows into more, old wrongs and one man’s machinations threaten the floating city and leave both Minel and Falcon fighting for their lives. Can they learn to combine their gifts to save the city and its magic, or will everything they know and love perish before their eyes?

Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Apple Boy (The Quiet Work #1) by Isobel Starling

Apple Boy (The Quiet Work Book 1)

"This totally captivating tale of two young men making their way through the rigors of a tough world reads like a modern day fairytale. Well done!"

A lost lordling, a farm boy, and a tale of mystery, magic, and murder!

After a traumatic event, Winter Aeling finds himself destitute and penniless in the backwater town of Mallowick. He needs to travel to the city of Serein and impart grave news that will bring war to the Empire, but without a horse, money, and with not a soul willing to help him, he has no choice but to line up with the common folk seeking paid work on the harvest.

As wagons roll into the market square and farmers choose day laborers, Winter is singled out for abuse by a brute of a farmer. The only man who stands up for him is the farmer's beguiling son, Adam, and on locking eyes with the swarthy young man Winter feels the immediate spark of attraction.

Winter soon realizes there is a reason he has been drawn to Blackdown Farm. The farmer possesses a precious item that was stolen long ago from Winter’s family, and he determines to retrieve it. He also cannot take his eyes off Adam, and as the young man opens up Winter can’t help wondering if Adam is just kind or his kind!

Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Vampire's Heart by Kayleigh Sky

A Vampire's Heart (Ellowyn Found Book 1)

"An interesting twist on vampire and cop stories, this novel combines believable angst and an intricate plot to keep readers guessing until the very last chapter."

Vampires live.

And they hunger…

Otto Jones, a cop assigned to the seemingly random murder of a vampire, would rather hide out in the nearest bar than waste his time on a dead vamp. He hates the bloodthirsty demons. But when the king of the vampires commands him to work with one of the lesser princes and find the killer, he has no choice.

Prince Jessamine Senera is ready to sacrifice his happiness in a loveless marriage for his family’s benefit… but not yet. He dreams of adventure, excitement, and true love. He lives on romance novels and detective stories and wishes he could drink synthetic blood like every other vampire. But he can’t. He needs human blood to survive and is hated by vampires and humans alike.

As Otto and Jessa draw closer to an entity that doesn’t want to be discovered, Otto finds the heart he thought long dead opening to the romance-loving Jessa. No good can possibly come from falling in love with a vampire, but when a shadowy assailant attacks Jessa, Otto will descend into the darkest pit of the earth to rescue him.

If you like vampires, mythical and urban settings, intense suspense, and happy ever after, then you’ll love this first book in the dark and mysterious Ellowyn Found trilogy!

A Vampire’s Heart is a stand-alone paranormal dystopian noir romance with a satisfying conclusion to the love story and a central mystery that weaves the trilogy together.

Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Gremlins Are Malfunctioning by Susan Laine

Gremlins are Malfunctioning

"Interesting storyline that was more Syfy than paranormal. The creatures – Mythkins - were new and unique, which was a plus to the overall story. There were a few missing words here and there. It could also probably use a BDSM warning in the cover synopsis."

A year ago, supernatural creatures swarmed the earth—and ensured that human technology could no longer function without them.

Eliot Tate works for the Civilian and Environmental Protection Agency, so he's on the receiving end of customer complaints about their gas gremlins. Despite his efforts, though, he can't figure out what's wrong.

He gets help in the form of Alek Saroyan, an agent with the Mythkin Energy Research Facility, but right from the start the two men despise each other. With antagonism, the gas gremlin problem, and rising questions about mythkin sentience hanging over their heads, Eliot and Alek are going to have find their own balance if they stand any chance of restoring the balance that's been lost.