2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Face the Wind (Little Sister Island Series #2)

Caren J. Werlinger - Face the Wind (Little Sister Island Series #2)

Overall interesting read with a lot going on. I was a bit confused at times with all the characters in this book and trying to keep them straight. Loved the setting and could almost picture each location. The setting to me is also a character in this one.

https://amzn.to/3fpJ1nC

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: At Sea (A Viv Fraser Mystery #7)

V. Clifford - At Sea (A Viv Fraser Mystery #7)

This was a very well constructed story with a good, strong plot and very well put-together characters. This is the first V. Clifford story I've read and noticed this is a continuing story. I enjoyed it immensely and liked the characters quite well. My only concern is that, being a continuation, if the story will pick up on a future book. This book seems to have an abrupt ending without a resolution. This is not a romance, there were no couples, and most definitely not5 LGBT, or at least not as far as I could see. I'm not even sure if this book should've been included/submitted to the Rainbow Awards. Again, I have not read any of the previous books in the series so I wouldn't know if there are LGBT pairings in the past. It was well written with good pace.

https://amzn.to/3v656Oo

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Always, Ben

Tinnean - Always, Ben

Always, Ben by Tinnean has the unusual premise of misdirected mail being the catalyst for two men to meet and fall in love. Ben, a blue collar worker, recently thrown over by his college boyfriend for not being smart enough, and Jason, a college professor are great characters. Their meeting and subsequent relationship bring a lot of misunderstandings to light and the result is an HEA that rings true. Highly recommended.

https://amzn.to/3flUNiF

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1)

Ariana Nash - King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1)

This was an exceptional book. So good, in fact, that just had to go and buy Volumes two and three right after finishing it. So thank you for the pleasure of getting to read it! Composition of the arc of tension was incredibly well done. Just enough information to keep the reader invested in the proceedings of the story, always with hints thrown in of more to come, but not too sparsely, so I never got confused as to what was going on. A compelling, fascinating, totally absorbing story. Classic high fantasy setting in a vaguely medieval, magic-infused social system.The worldbuilding was subtle, giving a certain sense of place, but only just. I could've done with a map. Introduction and development of the main characters was another highlight of this book. With one exception, however, the side characters remained flat and sketchy. Said exception, though? Scarily brilliant. He almost stole the show from the leads. This would've been yet another ten if not for some editing glitches, like missing half sentences and such. In a book of that high caliber, these oversights stood out.

https://amzn.to/2SQjYlP

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1)

Ariana Nash - King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1)

This book was a refreshing read compared to the majority of the books I read in the last two years awards.

https://amzn.to/2SQjYlP

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Assist (Pucks & Rainbows #2)

L.A. Witt - Assist (Pucks & Rainbows #2)

L.A. Witt has crafted a gay erotic romance story with a dab of social consciousness. The world of hockey is realistically depicted, and the very believable character growth is satisfying to watch. L.A. Witt’s writing style is just right for our times: to the point, entertaining, and engrossing.

https://amzn.to/3wgmEb3

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Foreign Affairs: Male Tales of Lust & Love

Daniel M. Jaffe - Foreign Affairs: Male Tales of Lust & Love

Some of the stories here are a bit too overtly tour-guidey, but they’re consistently well-written and appealing. Well, apart from “In the Colony,” which was excessively creepy and disturbing, though its creepiness worked well as a metaphor for colonial abuses. The writing is literary, so it’s often more evocative than clear, but the author has a strong command not only of English but also of several other languages which he manages to use convincingly. Several of the stories have great first lines, like “The toilets used to be church confessionals.” One story uses an odd mixture of future and conditional tenses for the entire narrative. I’m pretty traditional, so I didn’t really like it, but it felt masterfully done. Many of the stories had Jewish characters, the most haunting “The Return.” And the story of the 80-year-old Catholic who spends his last day in a German bathhouse with the Devil was both horrific and compelling, putting us into the position of siding with the bad guy, like Alfred Hitchcock leading viewers to identify with Norman Bates as he peeks through the hole in the wall. At the end of the collection is a short summary of the real-life inspiration for the various stories. A strong collection.

https://amzn.to/3wazB63

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Silent Sin (A 1920s Hollywood Gay Romance)

E.J. Russell - Silent Sin (A 1920s Hollywood Gay Romance)

So far, it is the best. Surely this author has a great experience in writing books.

https://amzn.to/33MtnNN

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Pet and his Duke

Beryll and Osiris Brackhaus - The Pet and his Duke

Totally and completely enjoyable. I really, really loved that the Pet was an older fellow and the Master quite young. Not so much because of the age difference, but because we see Thomar maturing as time goes by. I like that Thomar treated Robert with respect and decency, unlike the previous owners. I also liked the 'different' world portrayed in this story, the different species, etc. Well written and a great plot.

https://amzn.to/3yiwzyE

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Bully Beatdown

Ki Brightly - Bully Beatdown

This is a complicated story involving vulnerable yet over-whelming people. Casey, the head of a super-tech company is perceived as a bully yet he becomes putty in the hands of Angel Gaffin, a shy, extremely talented, much younger man. After an awkward first encounter Casey and Angel find a mutual attraction despite the difference in their ages and body size. Angel has an abusive father and a mother who has been missing for years. Casey wants to protect Angel, but there are some seemingly insurmountable obstacles to maneuver before anything like an HEA can be attained. Well written, the characters are fleshed out nicely and the story, though having some awkward moments, is a good read.

https://amzn.to/3tUnPvd