2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Blind Eye

A Blind Eye by David Jackson Ambrose

It took a long while to get through this book, for several reasons. First, the subject matter is difficult and unpleasant. Second, as a white man reading a book largely about black experiences, I wanted to be as objective as possible, afraid I’d lower my assessment because of my personal discomfort. It also didn’t help that the book is long at 370 pages. That said, I did like learning about PWS, which I’d never heard of before. I liked seeing the different types of cultural appropriation and outright lies (made with the “best of intentions,” of course). The opening is great, the POV strong, comparing and contrasting Black/white interpretations of the same experience. There was far too much exposition for my taste, though, but that’s also subjective. It just takes a long time before anything happens. There’s a fascinating dog bite scene, an interesting and unexpected development in the relationship between Babe and Chance, lots of truly interesting stuff in here. But it’s mostly unhappy and tragic, and because of my white privilege, I set the book aside for long periods before returning to it. Because it was uncomfortable. It’s a well-written book, worth reading, but it’s not one I’ll read again. I’m not sure I’m the target audience, though there was plenty of info in there I needed to know. So take my reflections with a grain of salt.

https://amzn.to/3vWUAKL

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Fantastic Fluke

The Fantastic Fluke by Sam Burns

The story opens strong, engaging from the start, and continues in a charming way to the end. Charm isn’t easy to write, but then the main character is a social mage (not a socialist!). The title itself, “The Fantastic Fluke,” isn’t particularly compelling. It would not have caught my attention if I wasn’t asked specifically to read the book. Our introduction to Gideon is funny and sweet. Iris is an appealing character as well. Beez is OK but we simply don’t get enough of her to truly connect. The father is rather flat as a character, but that doesn’t mean he’s not believable. Some folks are just horrible human beings. I did like how the more we learned about the father, the worse he became. In that sense, there was still character development. I anticipated Grandma’s golem assistance, but the author still introduced it into the storyline in an unexpected and charming way. The one sex scene is well-written and not cliché. It was perfect near the end to have Sage figure out the big spell on his own (other than Fluke’s insistence he use the knife). I suspected who the villain was early on, but I didn’t feel cheated by that. I’d hoped that we’d learn the stepfather who killed Sage’s mother had done so because he’d been forced into it by a spell. Perhaps that will come out in a sequel. There’s still more to that incident to be revealed, I’m sure. I did not like that the book ended with a cliffhanger. I’d have preferred this to work as a stand-alone, even if it’s part of a series. Overall, the writing is confident and controlled. I noted no more than two or three awkward sentences in the entire book. A truly enjoyable read all around.

https://amzn.to/3pFL9y7

2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Seaworthy (Character Bleed Trilogy #1)

Seaworthy (Character Bleed Trilogy #1) by K.L. Noone

Making a movie that involves a sex scene with a co-star who doesn't like to be touched could be tricky. Jason, a macho, and at times snarky, action star finds his patience tested when faced by the lovable, if quirky, Colby, the producer/star of a movie he desperately wants to be in. During rehearsal, Jason gets carried away by the sexual close quarters necessary for the scene and expects to be fired. There isn't exactly an HEA to this interesting and definitely different story, but there is a part 2, so hopefully all desires will be fulfilled.

https://amzn.to/3GDgsQv