reviews_and_ramblings | Best Bisexual/Transgender Debut Novel/Book

And the Rainbow Award goes to:

1-tie) Luke Hartwell - Atom Heart John Beloved ()

A refreshing novel which made you feel alive again, and horny, too. Beautiful parts where the two boys make love, actually ‘fuck’ because it was raw, filthy enough to get me hard, if only for an instant, I can imagine what it can do to a much younger reader. Bravo to the author! Welcome to the ranks of truth tellers and seekers. –Mick

This was the book I liked most of all the ones this year. Only the cheating in the middle got on my nerves and I would have loved to hear Nathan's voice as well. --Anke

Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Antinous Press, USA (October 26, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615722350
ISBN-13: 978-0615722351
Amazon: Atom Heart John Beloved

Atom Heart John Beloved chronicles the lives of two boys who become friends at age thirteen. The story is told by eighteen-year-old John, who quietly whispers to his best friend one night in bed, "Do me." This novel is a breathtaking love story and an intense coming of age story that resembles no other book. John's narrative voice is one of the most unique in gay literature. Atom Heart John Beloved is literate, intimate, erotic, and delightful, delivering unexpected moments of grace.

Michelle Moore & Reesa Herberth - The Slipstream Con

I like this book very much. At first glance I expected it to be a routine ménage sci-fi adventure. And it’s all those things, but done with a deft touch to the material; I found myself staying anchored in the story and not speculating ahead. The authors took a relaxed approach to the pacing – not forcing the action, or using heavy foreshadowing to make their points, but also not allowing the story to lag or wander off. –Linda E.

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609284437
ISBN-13: 978-1609284435
Amazon: The Slipstream Con

Is love the biggest con of them all? A Ylendrian Empire story. For three years, Kellen Frey has led bounty hunters Tal and Vanya on a merry chase, evading capture with flair and style. Now, just when they finally have their pet project—and object of their mutual fantasies—cornered, the elusive con artist turns the tables and gives himself up. A sudden attack of conscience, perhaps? Tal and Vanya know better. Their suspicions are confirmed when a crime lord comes dangerously close to killing them all, and the rapidly sickening thief is forced to confess the truth—he’s been accidentally dosed with a highly illegal form of nanotechnology. If Kellen can’t get his hands on another dose, he’s finished. The problem is, the only thief who’s ever broken in to Slipstream Labs is his ex-girlfriend, and she’s allergic to bounty hunters. As he does his best to play both sides, he struggles with his growing desire to be more than a prisoner to Tal and Vanya. Without trust, they won’t survive long. The clock is ticking as they race to uncover a conspiracy that spans the Ylendrian Empire.

2) Beth Burnett - Man Enough ()

A beautiful understanding thoughtful novel about people trying to live as best they could. Normal everyday people getting out of bed, yawning, scratching themselves and living life as best as they could. Was a perfect novel at that, bravo! No, triple bravo!!! –Mick

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Kindle: Man Enough

Things are going well for Davey Carter. She loves her job and she has a comfortable bed. Granted, her love life is non-existent, her pot-smoking mother is wreaking havoc in her apartment, and she is starting to suspect that her lesbian best friend might be secretly in love with her. But none of that matters when Davey meets Danny, a kind, loving, intelligent man who just may be the love of Davey's life. Until it turns out that Danny is harboring a secret of his own.

3) Rae Gee - Mars on the Rise

At first I didn’t think I would like this story I had never read steampunk before. And I found it a little weird but this book moved me to tears – even for the character I didn’t like. So in my opinion this was a very good book – I sure the hell hope there will be a book two as this book left you needing to know more and find out what happened. –Norma

Paperback: 340 pages
Publisher: Torquere Press (April 25, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1610403053
ISBN-13: 978-1610403054
Amazon: Mars on the Rise

A storyteller steps off a pier and into a world of steampunk oddities, fearsome weapons, and a dangerous man. Promised fame and fortune by the country's largest weapons manufacturer, Cedo gratefully falls into the arms of Erus Veetu. Dark, dangerous and with nothing to lose, Erus shows him that Svenfur isn't all Cedo thought it was. For beneath the streets is a dark, gas lit world of slavery, human sacrifice ,and deadly machines. With the machines waging war in the East, can Cedo stop the country's deadliest man from bringing it to the shores of England? Or is he too late to penetrate the cold exterior of his Master and halt the cogs and gears of progress? Set in a Victorian world of sex, drugs and steampower, Mars on the Rise tells is a dark, gritty story of what happens when our dreams come true. Whether we want them to or not.

Honorable Mention:

5) Jennifer Lynne - Aphrodite Calling

Oh my goodness, what a story! I had high hopes going into this one, and I was delighted to find that it did not disappoint. Not having read Gods of Love, I'm not sure if I missed any nuances, but the mythological element paired very nicely with Gina's gender identity. It was passionate, physically and emotionally satisfying all the way. I would have loved for it to be longer, but that's a wish, not a complaint. –Sally

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Kindle: Aphrodite Calling (Gods of Love)