Elisa - My reviews and Ramblings

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 This cycle of the Rainbow Awards saw 348 submissions, almost 10.000$ donated to various charities and the volunteering of almost 100 readers in 3 continents.

Below the list of winners and runners up for each category. Please be aware that most of the time just 0.1 point was between a winner and a runner up. For me all the submissions are winners, because they contributed to awesome LGBTA charities.





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 And the Rainbow Award goes to:

The Man from Milwaukee by Rick R. Reed:
- This enthralling book exemplifies the best of fiction, combining compelling characters, an intricate plot, exhilarating twists and turns, and finally the perfect ending. Reed exhibits his mastery at storytelling through this memorable and moving book.
- I thought this was a very powerful story about loneliness, not fitting in, obsession, and fantasy. It’s not an easy read and is a very real journey into the dark side of human nature.  The characters are layered, and the setting atmospheric, and although I was nervous about what might happen next, I had to keep reading.
- Brilliantly written, suspenseful, chilling. Reed has an amazing ability to bring a story to full living and breathing life. This book is a must-read for fans of horror and psychological thrillers.
- Superb depiction of time and place – can almost smell the bus exhaust. Skillful tie-in to real-life events. Excellent depiction of one man's obsession and the damage his mental imbalance does to friends and family – but without losing the sense of his own humanity. Top-notch!
- Amazing blend of fact and fiction, delusion and reality. 
- One of the first thoughts to cross my mind on how to describe Mr. Reed's story is Mastermind, genius. Makes me wonder the amount of research the author has to do to be able to put on 'paper' the wonderful, derange, creepy, horrific stories he puts out. I'd go crazy! LOL This story in particular was done to perfection. If Mr. Reed's goal was to creep me out, Mission accomplished, Mr. Reed. Mission accomplished for this story really creep me out. The twists, especially toward the end, I wasn't expecting, and that is part of the 'mastermind' mentioned above. To have the reader believe in one thing to then learn that no, it's not what you've thought all along, is genius! For anyone who likes horror, intrigue, and the feeling of 'creeped out', this is for you. Highly recommended.

Runners Up:
Hallelujah by Kim Fielding & F.E. Feeley Jr. tied with A Leap of Faith by Mel Gough
A Blind Eye by David Jackson Ambrose tied with Silent Sin (A 1920s Hollywood Gay Romance) by E.J. Russell
The God's Eye (Lancaster's Luck #3) by Anna Butler tied with Hair Balls (Balls to the Wall) by Tara Lain
Dig Two Graves (The Man Who Loved Cole Flores and The Man Who Hated Ned O'Leary) by K.A. Merikan tied with Weekend at Bigfoot’s by Addison Albright
The Valet by Mel Gough tied with A Fine Mess (Brimstone #7) by Angel Martinez
Conned (The Bureau #6) by Kim Fielding tied with Shadow of Justice by Jess Faraday
Forsaken Fae (The Complete Series, Books 1-3) by R.A. Steffan tied with Entity (A StarStation Novel) by Toshi Drake
Consorts of the Red King by Eden Winters tied with Penumbra by Dan Ackerman
Geoffrey the Very Strange by Angel Martinez tied with Smash & Grab (RELIC #1) by Maz Maddox tied with The Eighth Key by Laura Weyr
The Venetian and the Rum Runner by L.A. Witt tied with Dead Sea (Mia Kerick Story Ballads #2) by Mia Kerick tied with Fade Out (Boystown #13) by Marshall Thornton
Must Love Demons (Magic Emporium #6) by Meghan Maslow tied with The Silver Medalist by T.J. Blackley
King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1) by Ariana Nash tied with Redemption (Men of Hidden Creek #6) by E. Davies
Until the World Stops by L.A. Witt tied with Owl by M. Raiya tied with Passion of a Papillon (Fuzzy Love #1) by Tara Lain tied with Year of the Rat (Dom Reilly Mysteries #1) by Marshall Thornton
Racism by Proxy by Johnny Townsend tied with We Cry The Sea (The Moth and Moon) by Glenn Quigley tied with The First Age (The Secret Histories #1) by Arshad Ahsanuddin tied with Hollywood To Horses by Dez Schwartz tied with Drifter by Eden Winters
Farview (Greynox to the Sea) by Kim Fielding tied with Better Red (Ever After, New York #1) by Tara Lain tied with Bent Not Broken by Z. Allora tied with TAD by M.D. Neu

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 And the Rainbow Award goes to: 

Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae:
- Nice slow burn romance with “ real characters. Totally relatable. Easy read, wetting flows through whole book.
- Sweet story capturing a slow burn alliance between two women, one straight, one lesbian, who meet because of a wrong number. Story had great dialog and good characters but suffered a bit from too much inner thought, which in turn affected some of the pacing. Overall, a lovely story.
- This book put Jae back on track for sure. The plot was interesting, the chemistry between the protagonists was evident and it was interesting enough to not feel like the plot was unnecessarily dragged. I particularly enjoyed that the characters were actually interesting in their own rights even beside the romantic plot and relationship. Good book and a fun read!

Runners Up:
The Anti-Quest (The Pudding Protocol Universe) by Angel Martinez tied with The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins
How to Steal a Star by Geonn Cannon
Remember Me, Synthetica by K. Aten tied with Other Girls Like Me by Stephanie Davies
Forever Theirs (Mistress #3) by Anna Stone tied with The Solstice Pudding (The Pudding Protocol Universe) by Angel Martinez
The Road to Kalazad by K.L. Mitchell tied with Eye of the Damned (Terran-Novan Universe Series #3) by Sandra Barret tied with A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
Trafalgar & Boone Against the Forty Elephants by Geonn Cannon tied with Lucky 8 (Lucky Breaks #2) by Rae D. Magdon
Safe Haven by Ellen Hoil tied with Breathe by Cari Hunter tied with The Lost Temple of Psiere (Mystery of the Makers #2) by K. Aten
Face the Wind (Little Sister Island Series #2) by Caren J. Werlinger tied with The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper by A.J. Fitzwater tied withStranger Things: Rebel Robin by  A.R. Capetta

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 And the Rainbow Award goes to:

On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating by Karina Manta:
- A heartfelt memoir of teenage angst. The author is engaging and well aware of her faults. The reader comes to trust her because of her ability to unflinchingly stare down her defects and demons. Although the themes include body image, eating disorders, and internalized homophobia, its message and appeal are universal because, as Manta points out, it's the rare teenager who isn't swaddled in a cocoon of insecurity. A life-affirming message for everyone.
- I love a good Bio, and this one sucked you into the story. Like I was in a room talking with the author and she was telling me her life story. It was really good.

Runners Up:
Peacemaker by E.M. Hamill
Frost & Raine by K.L. Noone
Give Me Grace by Bethany A. Perry tied with When I First Saw Red (The Soldiers and Mercenaries) by Kasia Bacon
The Envoy's Honor (Chronicles of Tournai #8) by Antonia Aquilante
The Dancer's Dilemma (Campus Connections #3) by CJane Elliott
Revenge of the Brobot (A Steam Room Story) by JC Calciano tied with Constant (The Valespian Pact #3) by Lexi Ander

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 And the Rainbow Award goes to:

By Imperial Decree (ESTO Universe) by Angel Martinez:
- A nicely written space story that had it all: overcoming adversity with ingenuity, embracing who they are without question, trust, romance, and love.  
- This is the kind of trans representation I would love to see in queer storytelling. Shiro is running away from his suitors and ends up on Bremen station where he is rescued by Marsh. The romance between them ignites in diversity, but there is more to their story. The trans representation is well-done and just one facet of a much bigger story. The world-building is fantastic, and it is wonderful to see the community-based culture that Marsh grew up in. The secondary characters lift the story of the main characters and add to the overall development of the story. This is one story in part of Martinez's ESTO universe, where each story is stand alone, but for the readers who have read the other stories, there are easter eggs and appearances from other stories. It's a rich universe that I enjoy thoroughly.

Runners Up:
Freedom (F-Word) by E. Davies
Foxhunt by Rem Wigmore

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 And the Rainbow Award goes to:

Franklin in Paradise by John Patrick:
- A lot is going on here. A post-apocalypse setting described, in the first person, by someone who is on the autism spectrum in love with someone who is on the asexual spectrum. I think John Patrick Franklin took too much on. Still, Franklin imagined the setting--an Amish museum cum working farm--brilliantly. And kudos for thinking of telomeres as the cause of the apocalypse.
- The author does a fantastic job here bringing the characters to life and making them engaging. Also, the coming-of-age -during-the-apocalypse story keeps the reader turning those pages.
- Very well written all around. His handling of autism was truly outstanding and a subject that I believe is extremely important for more people to see the reality. I only deducted one point from writing style because I felt there were a couple of loose ends in plot finalization.

Runner Up:
Socially Orcward (Adventures in Aguillon #3) by Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey

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 And the Rainbow Award goes to:

The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins:
- This is nicely written, with well-drawn characters (MCs Molly and Carmen in particular), and the plot kept me engaged from beginning to end.
- This was a great read.  Throwback to the 90’s with a little history thrown in. Love a book where I can learn something new. Loved the interplay between the MC’s. Kind of a slow burn but so relevant to the storyline.
- Oh, this is what a debut looks like by Quinn Ivins? By all means well done! This romance is set at the brink of freedom for gay people in the late 90s – young students are coming more and more out, others who group up in the closet still practice silence. A silence which comes at great cost personally. The author does an extremely good job to capture this historic moment: an out grad student age 30 and her professor age 39. Been there done that: in a misogynistic, sexist environment it was indeed a great achievement to succeed, most lesbians wouldn’t risk coming out and get strike two against them which in many cases would have been a strike out. Very well done – although there are a few possible ahistoric references (trans woman were by no means casually regarded as woman, to ask a lesbian whether she is a lesbian or bisexual was offensive, since acceptance of bisexuality was not really there and I think yoga moms with strollers is more recent than the late 90s) – it shows how far we have come in two decades. I loved that there a two female mathematicians – yeah! The story is well done, the plot and pace appropriate and I really like – because it’s true to the characters and the times that the love story was very low key until it could come out of the closet too with a big roar. 

Runners Up:
On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating by Karina Manta tied with Franklin in Paradise by John Patrick tied with The Eighth Key by Laura Weyr

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 And the Rainbow Award goes to:

Hair Balls (Balls to the Wall) by Tara Lain:
- This is an author whose name has been so familiar for so many years, I was surprised to discover I'd never read her work. Character development seems to be her greatest strength (though, honestly, I detected no weaknesses of any kind). By the end of this book, I felt I knew Rick and Jimothy so well they must've been my close friends for many years! The secondary characters are also very true-to-life. The plot took a number of unexpected turns, all of which were driven, quite naturally, by the characters as they developed, and settings were drawn in a way that I always had a clear sense of the surrounding sights and sounds. This is another new (to me) author who I will no doubt binge-read as time and finances allow!
- I have not read any of the previous books in the series but that didn't matter. The MCs characters leapt off the page and kept me turning pages because I needed to know how their relationship would develop. The story arc was very satisfying and well supported by a cast of minor characters. I shall be reading more by this author in the future.
- I Love, Love, Love reading Tara Lain's books. They always give me so many good feels and leave me super content. There's everything to like about the MCs and the secondary characters in this story. You betcha I'd recommend for anyone who wants a good feel tale.

Runners Up:
Redemption (Men of Hidden Creek #6) by E. Davies
Drifter by Eden Winters
The Thaw by Pat Henshaw
Gideon's Wish by Bryan T. Clark
Hide Your Love Away (IF I FELL #1) by Mia Kerick tied with The Walls Between Hearts (A Las Palmas Fencing Club Story) by L.A. Witt
Keeping Promises by Jodi Payne & BA Tortuga
The Road Home by L.A. Witt
Healing Hearts (Stealing Hearts #2) by K. Evan Coles tied with Always, Ben by Tinnean tied with Can't Erase You by Leigh Vining
How I Accidentally Slept With a Prince by Susan Laine tied with Stupid Love by S.J. Carter tied with Making the Holidays Happy Again by Pat Henshaw
Hold the Door (An Open Doors Novel) by Vinni George

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 And the Rainbow Award goes to:

Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae:
- Nice slow burn romance with “ real characters. Totally relatable. Easy read, wetting flows through whole book.
- Sweet story capturing a slow burn alliance between two women, one straight, one lesbian, who meet because of a wrong number. Story had great dialog and good characters but suffered a bit from too much inner thought, which in turn affected some of the pacing. Overall, a lovely story.
- This book put Jae back on track for sure. The plot was interesting, the chemistry between the protagonists was evident and it was interesting enough to not feel like the plot was unnecessarily dragged. I particularly enjoyed that the characters were actually interesting in their own rights even beside the romantic plot and relationship. Good book and a fun read!

Runners Up:
The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins
Forever Theirs (Mistress #3) by Anna Stone
Safe Haven by Ellen Hoil tied with Breathe by Cari Hunter
The Thing About Tilly by G. Benson
Chemistry Lessons by Jae
Dare to Love by A.L. Brooks
Ensnared Hearts (Mistress#2) by Anna Stone

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