reviews_and_ramblings | 2009 Rainbow Awards: Best Paranormal / Horror Novel

And the Rainbow Award goes to:

1) Conflict in Blood by Ariel Tachna, Dreamspinner Press

Partnership in Blood Volume 3: Conflict in Blood by Ariel Tachna As the Alliance wizard-vampire partnerships grow stronger, the dark wizards feel the effects and become increasingly desperate to find enough information to counter them, unaware of the growing strain of the blood-magic bonds on the wizards and vampires alike. The conflict is spreading. The strife of uncomfortable relationships, both personal and professional, is threatening to tear up the Alliance from the inside, despite the efforts of Alain Magnier and Orlando St. Clair, Thierry Dumont and Sebastien Noyer, and even Raymond Payet and Jean Bellaiche, leader of the Paris vampires, who is fighting to establish a stable covenant with his own partner so he might lead by example. As the war rages on and heartbreaking casualties mount on both sides, the dark wizards keep searching for clues to understand and counter the strength of the Alliance, while the blood-bound Alliance partners hunt through ancient prejudices and forgotten lore to find an edge that can turn the tide of the war once and for all.

2) The Rest of Our Lives by Dan Stone, Lethe Press

"I loved this book! On a scale of 1 to 30, make it a fifty or so." Victor J. Banis

"The book stayed with me long after I finished it and I realized it was really derserving of a full rating. I even ordered a print copy!" Jem

Colm McKenna has led a guarded life. Gifted with a wintry soul and a photographer's eye, he can stop time as easily as he freezes water, or call down cold north winds. He thinks he is alone and unique in the world. Then, seemingly by accident, he meets handsome writer Aidan Gallagher, his opposite, a young man who not only magically raises temperatures but quickens Colm's heart. In this lighthearted and contemporary, gay romantic fantasy, can two male witches whose passion reincarnates century after century, find a way to express their love for each other again? Can this enchanting pair finally succeed after so many lifetimes?

3) Immortality is the Suck by A.M. Riley, Loose Id

"Yes, I really liked this book, which is suprising because I hadn't expected to! *hee* The many loactions were richly detailed without being too much so. The author didn't merely say the alley was dirty, he or she described it with references to smells and trash, but never went too far over the line. The descriptions were spot-on and just enough that I could picture things in my mind. The main characters were flawed and interesting enough that I wish I'd given this author a try before. Neither of them were entirely good, but even the "bad" one was presented as someone I could see redeeming himself. There was a really interesting plot going on, with secondary characters that were fully fleshed and had enough detail revealed about them that they were far more than two dimensional. The one down side was that the main villain of the piece rarely had any page time, though that might be part of why he was so effective. I didn't see HIM as much as the results of his villainy. I enjoyed the writing style and the way this author used words. I never got bogged down and only saw one or two typos, though that may be because I was so absorbed by what was going on. There's one fight scene that dragged on a bit for me, but I was able to skim it without missing anything that mattered. I know, I know... I'm all "Yay, A.M. Riley" but as this is the first thing of his or hers that I've ever read, I can't help it. I think I actually enjoyed this book more than anything else I've read in the last month, maybe two." T.C. Blue

Adam's an undercover vice cop dealing with a dark past. He's no stranger to bad nights; in fact, he's lived a lot of them. But he won't survive this one. First, a drug deal he's working goes south. Then his partner and sometimes-fuck-buddy Peter has to watch him bleed to death. But the kicker: he's not sure what's worse. Watching Peter cry over him or waking up undead. Peter's a good cop in love with a bad man. Or a bad vampire, now. Watching Adam die was the worst thing he could imagine. Until he woke up. Now their relationship's in crisis. Adam's in the middle of a vampire enclave at the center of Los Angeles motorcycle clubs and Peter just can't hack it. Adam thinks he's fine with that. He's a commitment-phobe. But he's about to discover, immortality is seriously the suck.

Honorable Mention:
4) Angels of the Deep by Kirby Crow, MLR Press
5) Barking at the Moon by Nene Adams, P.D. Publishing
6) On The Ragged Edge Of The World by Jamie Craig, Amber Quill Press
7) Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price, Samhain Publishing
8) Cooking with Ergot by Luisa Prieto, Aspen Mountain Press
9) Notturno by Z.A. Maxfield, MLR Press
10-tie) Faewolf by D.M. Atkins & Chris Taylor, Circlet Press
10-tie) Knowing Caleb by Cameron Dane, Loose Id