2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Unnatural by Joanna Chambers (401-09-05-2016)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

1) A tangle of tensions, of the push and pull between an “unnatural” desire and the demands of family and society. The setting and era are beautifully evoked, and although the relationship is frustrating, it is a believable consequence of those men in that time.

2) A very nice historical novel. The characters are both believable and people I'd like to meet, and also fit into their historical era really well. The story is exciting and paced just right. It wasn't quite a 10 on plot development as I felt I'd read very similar stories before, but that is the nature of the genre to some extent. The sense of place was well drawn and I felt I knew the area as I read along; sense​s​ of touch, taste, ​and ​smell were included to bring the scenes alive. ​An obviously skilled author with a good writing style.

3) I enjoyed this book. The jumping time frames were a little distracting, but allowed the reader to get an insight to the characters relationship that linear would not have allowed within the context. Thought the author was true to the times and did a good job of making the complications of gay relationships both plausible and still romantic in nature. Both main characters were well written and multidimensional.

4) The Regency era in this story was described beautifully as was the hardships of the taboo relationships as well. The characters are likable and quite believable. The plot runs smoothly and the reader can quite comprehend the story without words or terms that would detract from the story. Overall, this is a well-written story and I'm looking forward to reading the previous books as well as other stories from this wonderful author.​

Unnatural by Joanna Chambers
Gay Historical Romance
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (November 24, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1619232391
ISBN-13: 978-1619232396
Amazon: Unnatural
Amazon Kindle: Unnatural

The heart breaks but does not change. An Enlightenment Story Captain Iain Sinclair. Perfect son, perfect soldier, hero of Waterloo. A man living a lie. The only person who really knows him is his childhood friend, scientist James Hart. But they've been estranged since Iain brutally destroyed their friendship following a passionate encounter. Iain is poised to leave the King's service to become an undercover agent in India. Before he leaves his old life behind, he's determined to reconcile with James. An invitation to a country house party from James's sister provides the perfect opportunity to pin the man down. James has loved Iain all his life, but his years of accepting crumbs from Iain's table are over. Forgiving Iain is one thing-restoring their friendship is quite another. In the face of James's determined resistance, Iain is forced to confront his reasons for mending the wounds between them. And accept the possibility that James holds the key to his heart's desire-if only he has the courage to reach for it. Warning: Contains a dashing military hero with one weakness-a scientist who feels their chemistry in every cell of his body. Kissing in the rain, skinny dipping, and emotional flashbacks. Huzzah!

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