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reviews_and_ramblingsAnd the Rainbow Award goes to...
1.
Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
A Muse to Live For
"A beautifully written romance with characters you can't help loving. Nathaniel is a brilliant artist suffering from depression and unable to paint until one night he sees Gabrielle under a street lamp. The world sees her as a whore, Nathaniel considers her his muse and knows he not only must paint her, he must love her. Even when he discovers that Gabrielle is in fact, Gabriel, his love does not waver. Rescuing him from a life of poverty and abuse becomes Nathaniel's goal in life. Together, and with the help of an old friend of Nathaniel's, they escape to Europe. Nathaniel's paintings of only Gabrielle are a small sensation in the art world. Could it be that at last Gabriel has found a way to live his life as he wishes, or will the artist tire of his muse and return him to the seedy streets of London? As I said, beautifully written with prose and dialogue that will alternately chill and delight you. Excellent."
"A beautiful and unusual love story, with a character who is not so much trans as truly androgynous. It seems as though it could be genuinely historical – though the 'historical footnote' and book/author quoted at the end turn up no internet search hits. It's a credit to the author that I did try to find out if that book was real."
"This was such a beautiful read, a wonderful romance about a sad young painter and the lady of the night who becomes his muse. Wyvern's story is a work of art about the creation of art, one that perfectly evokes an era, reading like a rediscovered Victorian manuscript that she has simply given a polish for a contemporary audience."
Katherine Wyvern - Spice & Vanilla
Spice & Vanilla
"Beautifully told tale of a cross-dressing man and his two lovers. Di and Hugh equally meet Raphael/Lucie’s needs until Raphael decides he wants Di to know all of him. Crippled by a car accident, Di feels lucky to have Raphael for a lover, but reacts badly when confronted by Lucie. Emotionally stunted Hugh knows about Raphael/Lucie, but feels threatened when Di is brought into the equation. The author skirts making the trio into a manage, yet manages to create a complicated relationship among the three work well. I wouldn’t have chosen to read this book on my own, but am very glad the contest made me read it."
"Emotional and captivating story of four characters, Lucie, Rafe, Diana and Hugh with a twist. Lucie and Rafe are one person. The dynamics between these amazing people are what kept me riveted to the story. The author has done a marvelous job of drawing their relationships and their love and affection for one another. It would be a spoiler if I said too much about the plot. It unfolds beautifully and has to be relished without me dropping hints as to what may or may not happen. Read it and enjoy."
"Di is a young woman who survived a severe accident, but lost her mobility, her fiance, her profession and her beloved eventing horse. In the isolation of her small cottage, her cat is her companion as she tries to rebuild. Hugh is a gay Dom who hides his heart away and tries to give his subs precisely what they need, without ever being vulnerable himself. Raphael is elegant, musical, both kind and exacting, bisexual and a sub. And Lucie... well Lucie is feminine for Lucifer and she's a kinky masochistic sub to Hugh, who works to indulge her, but she's far far more to Raphael, and eventually to herself as well. This story builds slowly— over time we see the dark places inside these characters but also the light ones. We see love, expressed and hidden, and bad and good choices, as Lucie, in particular, struggles with what it means to be a real girl. I was pulled in gradually, fascinated and engaged with how these people would work out a relationship that could satisfy all the different parts of them without breaking anyone. Recommended."
2.
L.A. Witt – Adrift
Adrift (Cruising Book 1)
"What an enjoyable read! I had a great time with Eric and Andrew in this book. The conflict, setting, and narrative voices were established quickly and well, and the description of the excursions on land took me back to the sultry heat of summer in Western Europe. Not to mention (of course!) the wonderful heat between the two leads. The story offered some nicely negotiated surprises and good internal character development, especially for Eric as he came to terms with the recent dissolution of his previous relationship. Eric has a delightful and warm vulnerability, the kind where you have evolved past giving a crap about people who disapprove of you, but sometimes it still creeps up on you and tries to push you down. Toward the end, the narrative voices lost some of their uniqueness; I had a harder time orienting myself as to whose head I was in at chapter changes. But this did not detract from the truly engaging love story between two people with a lot of chemistry. The sex scenes were steamy and varied; I fully believed that, by the end, these two just-mets were definitely ready to try for more."
"A sweet story of two men meeting on a cruise ship - one, Eric is on his own after being dumped by his fiance and the other, Andrew accompanying his parents. They meet at an LGBT mixer on board although they had bumped into each - literally- before. They talk, are attracted to each other, but before it goes any further, Eric tells Andrew he is trans. Rather than being turned off, Andrew is intrigued, and the sexual encounter becomes a much deeper connection. Well written, with characters you will be easily drawn too. Highly recommended."
Brooklyn Ray - Darkling
Darkling (Port Lewis Witches Book 1)
"A dreamy powderkeg of emotions, magic, and the risks of being true to oneself. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. Writing style is first off, the author’s use of metaphor blends with the magical setting to wonderful effect; the lines between the literal and the fantastical blurs, granting a dreamlike effect to the prose. The use of magic to convey emotions highlights this ability quite well. Furthermore, descriptions in this tale utilize all senses, which makes it engaging on multiple levels for the reader. In addition, all the characters have distinct voices, even the minor side characters or non-verbal characters such as the familiars. If anyone ever asks me to pinpoint a pinnacle of craft when it comes to descriptive prose, this book is going to the top of that list."
"This was a very engaging book, super intense. The story was well written and the world building was wonderful. I loved the characters! I will be checking into the rest of the series directly."
3.
Tia Fielding – Four
Four (Love by Numbers Book 2)
"Just as I thought I loved this book as much as I loved the last book. I loved the characters. Both the main ones and the secondary ones. Hell, I loved the township as a whole. This one even had me crying in spots."
1.
Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
A Muse to Live For
"A beautifully written romance with characters you can't help loving. Nathaniel is a brilliant artist suffering from depression and unable to paint until one night he sees Gabrielle under a street lamp. The world sees her as a whore, Nathaniel considers her his muse and knows he not only must paint her, he must love her. Even when he discovers that Gabrielle is in fact, Gabriel, his love does not waver. Rescuing him from a life of poverty and abuse becomes Nathaniel's goal in life. Together, and with the help of an old friend of Nathaniel's, they escape to Europe. Nathaniel's paintings of only Gabrielle are a small sensation in the art world. Could it be that at last Gabriel has found a way to live his life as he wishes, or will the artist tire of his muse and return him to the seedy streets of London? As I said, beautifully written with prose and dialogue that will alternately chill and delight you. Excellent."
"A beautiful and unusual love story, with a character who is not so much trans as truly androgynous. It seems as though it could be genuinely historical – though the 'historical footnote' and book/author quoted at the end turn up no internet search hits. It's a credit to the author that I did try to find out if that book was real."
"This was such a beautiful read, a wonderful romance about a sad young painter and the lady of the night who becomes his muse. Wyvern's story is a work of art about the creation of art, one that perfectly evokes an era, reading like a rediscovered Victorian manuscript that she has simply given a polish for a contemporary audience."
Katherine Wyvern - Spice & Vanilla
Spice & Vanilla
"Beautifully told tale of a cross-dressing man and his two lovers. Di and Hugh equally meet Raphael/Lucie’s needs until Raphael decides he wants Di to know all of him. Crippled by a car accident, Di feels lucky to have Raphael for a lover, but reacts badly when confronted by Lucie. Emotionally stunted Hugh knows about Raphael/Lucie, but feels threatened when Di is brought into the equation. The author skirts making the trio into a manage, yet manages to create a complicated relationship among the three work well. I wouldn’t have chosen to read this book on my own, but am very glad the contest made me read it."
"Emotional and captivating story of four characters, Lucie, Rafe, Diana and Hugh with a twist. Lucie and Rafe are one person. The dynamics between these amazing people are what kept me riveted to the story. The author has done a marvelous job of drawing their relationships and their love and affection for one another. It would be a spoiler if I said too much about the plot. It unfolds beautifully and has to be relished without me dropping hints as to what may or may not happen. Read it and enjoy."
"Di is a young woman who survived a severe accident, but lost her mobility, her fiance, her profession and her beloved eventing horse. In the isolation of her small cottage, her cat is her companion as she tries to rebuild. Hugh is a gay Dom who hides his heart away and tries to give his subs precisely what they need, without ever being vulnerable himself. Raphael is elegant, musical, both kind and exacting, bisexual and a sub. And Lucie... well Lucie is feminine for Lucifer and she's a kinky masochistic sub to Hugh, who works to indulge her, but she's far far more to Raphael, and eventually to herself as well. This story builds slowly— over time we see the dark places inside these characters but also the light ones. We see love, expressed and hidden, and bad and good choices, as Lucie, in particular, struggles with what it means to be a real girl. I was pulled in gradually, fascinated and engaged with how these people would work out a relationship that could satisfy all the different parts of them without breaking anyone. Recommended."
2.
L.A. Witt – Adrift
Adrift (Cruising Book 1)
"What an enjoyable read! I had a great time with Eric and Andrew in this book. The conflict, setting, and narrative voices were established quickly and well, and the description of the excursions on land took me back to the sultry heat of summer in Western Europe. Not to mention (of course!) the wonderful heat between the two leads. The story offered some nicely negotiated surprises and good internal character development, especially for Eric as he came to terms with the recent dissolution of his previous relationship. Eric has a delightful and warm vulnerability, the kind where you have evolved past giving a crap about people who disapprove of you, but sometimes it still creeps up on you and tries to push you down. Toward the end, the narrative voices lost some of their uniqueness; I had a harder time orienting myself as to whose head I was in at chapter changes. But this did not detract from the truly engaging love story between two people with a lot of chemistry. The sex scenes were steamy and varied; I fully believed that, by the end, these two just-mets were definitely ready to try for more."
"A sweet story of two men meeting on a cruise ship - one, Eric is on his own after being dumped by his fiance and the other, Andrew accompanying his parents. They meet at an LGBT mixer on board although they had bumped into each - literally- before. They talk, are attracted to each other, but before it goes any further, Eric tells Andrew he is trans. Rather than being turned off, Andrew is intrigued, and the sexual encounter becomes a much deeper connection. Well written, with characters you will be easily drawn too. Highly recommended."
Brooklyn Ray - Darkling
Darkling (Port Lewis Witches Book 1)
"A dreamy powderkeg of emotions, magic, and the risks of being true to oneself. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. Writing style is first off, the author’s use of metaphor blends with the magical setting to wonderful effect; the lines between the literal and the fantastical blurs, granting a dreamlike effect to the prose. The use of magic to convey emotions highlights this ability quite well. Furthermore, descriptions in this tale utilize all senses, which makes it engaging on multiple levels for the reader. In addition, all the characters have distinct voices, even the minor side characters or non-verbal characters such as the familiars. If anyone ever asks me to pinpoint a pinnacle of craft when it comes to descriptive prose, this book is going to the top of that list."
"This was a very engaging book, super intense. The story was well written and the world building was wonderful. I loved the characters! I will be checking into the rest of the series directly."
3.
Tia Fielding – Four
Four (Love by Numbers Book 2)
"Just as I thought I loved this book as much as I loved the last book. I loved the characters. Both the main ones and the secondary ones. Hell, I loved the township as a whole. This one even had me crying in spots."
