Kaje Harper's Blog, page 12
December 19, 2019
My Favorite Reads of 2019
Every year, I'm amazed and delighted by how many wonderful and different stories keep coming out, from familiar favorite authors and great new finds. The ten books I picked for this year's favorites list are a mix of my auto-buy authors and new-to-me writers who are now on my radar. Not all of these books are brand new releases, but I read them in 2019. All are books I reread at least once already.
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My very favorite for this year is
Thrown Off the Ice
by Taylor Fitzpatrick. This is not a romance as much as a love story— the funny, heart-breaking, poignant, gruff, sweet, devastating story of two men falling in love over 17 years. The end is bittersweet, but this account of two hockey players who take possession of each other's hearts, throughout everything life throws at them, isn't just a tearjerker. It's filled with humor and warmth (and heat) too. It's written in the matter-of-fact tone of a strong man facing up to the good, the bad, and the crazy, and Mike's voice carries it along. I adored Mike and Liam, together and apart. A Rainbow Award winner, and a 4-times reread to date.
.
Runners-up in no particular order:
Sword Dance
by A.J. Demas - A historical alternate-universe fantasy set in a world with echoes of the Ancient Romans/Greeks and Celts. Two men on opposite sides in battle save each other's lives, and then find themselves isolated together, long enough for attraction and a meeting of like minds to become something more. Adares has a very appealing mix of self-confidence, curiosity, and intelligence. Rus is also intelligent, more instinctive, from a society less formal and organized, but with its own kinds of power. For a brief moment they find happiness together that neither of them could have imagined. But they can't hide from the war forever, and what they have together doesn't translate to who they are when the world intrudes on their sanctuary. Great characters and world-building.
.
The Sea Ain't Mine Alone
by C.L. Beaumont - A returned Vietnam veteran tries to hide both the scars on his body and the scars on his soul from his time in the jungle, but not half as deep as he hides his attraction to men, even from himself. His wonderful best friend Rob was a stranger who came up to him one dark day and said, "Hey, you surf?" and the sport, the sea, Rob, and Rob's sweet girlfriend, are the things keeping Jimmy from drowning in his own head. If he has a crush on Rob, he's not admitting it to himself, and it can't go anywhere. Then one day Jimmy sees champion surfer Danny, in town for a competition, and everything he knows about himself has to change. An atmospheric, slow-burn, sports romance with a lot of period feel.
.
Heated Rivalry
by Rachel Reid - This is a hot, hockey-player, enemies-to-lovers story, skipping forward through the years from a first fumbling encounter in Juniors, driven past anger and irritation by lust, through very occasional meetings for "just sex." Both men plan to break it off, next time, next year, soon... Both try to find other lovers. Both gradually realize that it's not just the sex they can't give up, but a touch, a look, a brief connection. I'm not generally a fan of books with such a high sex-content ratio in the first half of the book but in this case, not only was the sex well written and not overly drawn-out, but it was necessary to the story. Sex brings these men together over and over, and their relationship is slowly built in a hundred tiny moments woven into the sex, before one of them heads out the door.
.
Hither, Page
by Cat Sebastian - This story, a small-village cozy mystery set in the years after WWII, is quieter than Sebastian's Regency romances, bleaker, yet there's an undercurrent of emotion in it that hit me just right. James Sommers was a doctor in the British military in WWII, and after leaving the service, he's still haunted by all he saw and did. Leo Page was recruited into a black-ops type of service in his teens, before the war, and all he has ever known is intrigue, spycraft, assassination, and war. Leo is sent to James's small town by his covert ops boss to make the murder-mystery go away, whatever that takes, and he finds in James an honesty and decency he'd almost forgotten existed. But the era is not one kind to gay men, and murder is afoot.
.
The Music of What Happens
by Bill Konigsberg - I really enjoyed the banter between the two teen guys in this one, as they try to get a food truck off the ground as a source of income. I also loved the quiet moments when there was depth and pain lurking. Coming out is not a big issue here, which is great, as it leaves room for the other real issues these boys are coping with. Addressing things as tricky as consent, sexual assault, addiction, parental neglect and more is a challenge, and Konisberg hit a sweet spot for me, keeping it feeling real and nuanced, emotionally valid but not mined for angst. There are no cardboard villains here, and no one is perfect (although Max is a sweetheart.) The story is pretty well balanced, and while young love is real, it isn't a cure-all.
.
Earth Fathers Are Weird
by Lyn Gala - This was a fun, well-crafted SciFi romance with a biologically-plausible take on MPreg and tentacles, and inter-species romance. Lyn Gala really has a talent for imaginative plausibility, showcased in this lighter story. I liked human Max. He was optimistic, intelligent, adaptable, determined, and willing to roll with a series of big punches. The alien "Rick" was an interesting character, a creature of honor, honest and sympathetic without being too human in his outlook. I loved that the MPreg was biologically possible, and also not slavery or rape or seduction or feminizing, but a badly-translated job offer.
.
Behind These Doors
by Jude Lucens - The story of a gay journalist from humble origins, and a bisexual, polyamorous nobleman, working to fit a growing loving relationship into the minimal overlap of their lives in turn-of-the-century London. I really appreciated the historical grounding of this story, from the clothes and social mores, to the details of the women's suffrage movement and the strains of class differences. I also loved having strong female characters, an ace-spectrum character, and a polyamory where a new lover isn't a reason to devalue the old. The progression of the relationships felt realistic, and the obstacles valid. The ending wraps up a bit easily, with a couple of big obstacles swept away, but it was warm and sweet and didn't impose limits on love.
.
Carved in Bone
by Michael Nava - Michael Nava is one of my favorite gay mystery writers. I read the original series when it came out back in the 1980s and fell in love with Henry Rios, with his honor, his intelligence, his fierce need to find the truth and see justice done, his drinking, his flaws, his strained family past, and all the parts that make up this amazing, gay, Hispanic lawyer and crusader. So a new Henry Rios story after all this time is a gift. This book slots in after the first story in the series (The Little Death which has now been rewritten as Lay Your Sleeping Head ) - here we see Henry after he has hit bottom with his drinking and his losses, managing to finally get help.
There's both a good mystery, and the 1980s impact of AIDS in each of these books, particularly this one. We see gay men hit by disaster just as they were beginning to believe that their families and churches and authorities were wrong about gay being unnatural and evil. For some, the painful question becomes how do you purge an internalized shame and self-disgust from your soul, when God now seems to be striking down gay man after gay man with the most horrific suffering? When the more gay sex a guy has had, the higher his risk? When everything about this plague seems designed to confirm that gay men are miserable sinners unfit for love, undeserving of life? This book is lest-we-forget reading with a great character and plot to go with it, and I'd like to see young people read this for the immersive effect it has on understanding gay history. This could stand alone just fine, although I recommend the whole series, which has a romantic HEA in the last book.
.
Spice & Vanilla
by Kathrine Wyvern - a slow-building story that begins with 4 points of view. Di is a young woman who survived a severe accident, but lost her mobility, her fiance, her profession, and her beloved 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. A genderqueer main character, in a story I at first didn't think would work, but eventually couldn't put down. A Rainbow Awards winner.
.
I read many other good books this year, more than I had time to even review on Goodreads, but these ones stand out to me. If you have a best book you read this year (a 2019 release or not) please do mention it in the comments. I'm always looking to add good stuff to my (long) TBRs.
Best wishes for happy reading to you all in 2020.
- Kaje
.
My very favorite for this year is
Thrown Off the Ice
by Taylor Fitzpatrick. This is not a romance as much as a love story— the funny, heart-breaking, poignant, gruff, sweet, devastating story of two men falling in love over 17 years. The end is bittersweet, but this account of two hockey players who take possession of each other's hearts, throughout everything life throws at them, isn't just a tearjerker. It's filled with humor and warmth (and heat) too. It's written in the matter-of-fact tone of a strong man facing up to the good, the bad, and the crazy, and Mike's voice carries it along. I adored Mike and Liam, together and apart. A Rainbow Award winner, and a 4-times reread to date. .
Runners-up in no particular order:
Sword Dance
by A.J. Demas - A historical alternate-universe fantasy set in a world with echoes of the Ancient Romans/Greeks and Celts. Two men on opposite sides in battle save each other's lives, and then find themselves isolated together, long enough for attraction and a meeting of like minds to become something more. Adares has a very appealing mix of self-confidence, curiosity, and intelligence. Rus is also intelligent, more instinctive, from a society less formal and organized, but with its own kinds of power. For a brief moment they find happiness together that neither of them could have imagined. But they can't hide from the war forever, and what they have together doesn't translate to who they are when the world intrudes on their sanctuary. Great characters and world-building. .
The Sea Ain't Mine Alone
by C.L. Beaumont - A returned Vietnam veteran tries to hide both the scars on his body and the scars on his soul from his time in the jungle, but not half as deep as he hides his attraction to men, even from himself. His wonderful best friend Rob was a stranger who came up to him one dark day and said, "Hey, you surf?" and the sport, the sea, Rob, and Rob's sweet girlfriend, are the things keeping Jimmy from drowning in his own head. If he has a crush on Rob, he's not admitting it to himself, and it can't go anywhere. Then one day Jimmy sees champion surfer Danny, in town for a competition, and everything he knows about himself has to change. An atmospheric, slow-burn, sports romance with a lot of period feel. .
Heated Rivalry
by Rachel Reid - This is a hot, hockey-player, enemies-to-lovers story, skipping forward through the years from a first fumbling encounter in Juniors, driven past anger and irritation by lust, through very occasional meetings for "just sex." Both men plan to break it off, next time, next year, soon... Both try to find other lovers. Both gradually realize that it's not just the sex they can't give up, but a touch, a look, a brief connection. I'm not generally a fan of books with such a high sex-content ratio in the first half of the book but in this case, not only was the sex well written and not overly drawn-out, but it was necessary to the story. Sex brings these men together over and over, and their relationship is slowly built in a hundred tiny moments woven into the sex, before one of them heads out the door. .
Hither, Page
by Cat Sebastian - This story, a small-village cozy mystery set in the years after WWII, is quieter than Sebastian's Regency romances, bleaker, yet there's an undercurrent of emotion in it that hit me just right. James Sommers was a doctor in the British military in WWII, and after leaving the service, he's still haunted by all he saw and did. Leo Page was recruited into a black-ops type of service in his teens, before the war, and all he has ever known is intrigue, spycraft, assassination, and war. Leo is sent to James's small town by his covert ops boss to make the murder-mystery go away, whatever that takes, and he finds in James an honesty and decency he'd almost forgotten existed. But the era is not one kind to gay men, and murder is afoot. .
The Music of What Happens
by Bill Konigsberg - I really enjoyed the banter between the two teen guys in this one, as they try to get a food truck off the ground as a source of income. I also loved the quiet moments when there was depth and pain lurking. Coming out is not a big issue here, which is great, as it leaves room for the other real issues these boys are coping with. Addressing things as tricky as consent, sexual assault, addiction, parental neglect and more is a challenge, and Konisberg hit a sweet spot for me, keeping it feeling real and nuanced, emotionally valid but not mined for angst. There are no cardboard villains here, and no one is perfect (although Max is a sweetheart.) The story is pretty well balanced, and while young love is real, it isn't a cure-all. .
Earth Fathers Are Weird
by Lyn Gala - This was a fun, well-crafted SciFi romance with a biologically-plausible take on MPreg and tentacles, and inter-species romance. Lyn Gala really has a talent for imaginative plausibility, showcased in this lighter story. I liked human Max. He was optimistic, intelligent, adaptable, determined, and willing to roll with a series of big punches. The alien "Rick" was an interesting character, a creature of honor, honest and sympathetic without being too human in his outlook. I loved that the MPreg was biologically possible, and also not slavery or rape or seduction or feminizing, but a badly-translated job offer. .
Behind These Doors
by Jude Lucens - The story of a gay journalist from humble origins, and a bisexual, polyamorous nobleman, working to fit a growing loving relationship into the minimal overlap of their lives in turn-of-the-century London. I really appreciated the historical grounding of this story, from the clothes and social mores, to the details of the women's suffrage movement and the strains of class differences. I also loved having strong female characters, an ace-spectrum character, and a polyamory where a new lover isn't a reason to devalue the old. The progression of the relationships felt realistic, and the obstacles valid. The ending wraps up a bit easily, with a couple of big obstacles swept away, but it was warm and sweet and didn't impose limits on love. .
Carved in Bone
by Michael Nava - Michael Nava is one of my favorite gay mystery writers. I read the original series when it came out back in the 1980s and fell in love with Henry Rios, with his honor, his intelligence, his fierce need to find the truth and see justice done, his drinking, his flaws, his strained family past, and all the parts that make up this amazing, gay, Hispanic lawyer and crusader. So a new Henry Rios story after all this time is a gift. This book slots in after the first story in the series (The Little Death which has now been rewritten as Lay Your Sleeping Head ) - here we see Henry after he has hit bottom with his drinking and his losses, managing to finally get help. There's both a good mystery, and the 1980s impact of AIDS in each of these books, particularly this one. We see gay men hit by disaster just as they were beginning to believe that their families and churches and authorities were wrong about gay being unnatural and evil. For some, the painful question becomes how do you purge an internalized shame and self-disgust from your soul, when God now seems to be striking down gay man after gay man with the most horrific suffering? When the more gay sex a guy has had, the higher his risk? When everything about this plague seems designed to confirm that gay men are miserable sinners unfit for love, undeserving of life? This book is lest-we-forget reading with a great character and plot to go with it, and I'd like to see young people read this for the immersive effect it has on understanding gay history. This could stand alone just fine, although I recommend the whole series, which has a romantic HEA in the last book.
.
Spice & Vanilla
by Kathrine Wyvern - a slow-building story that begins with 4 points of view. Di is a young woman who survived a severe accident, but lost her mobility, her fiance, her profession, and her beloved 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. A genderqueer main character, in a story I at first didn't think would work, but eventually couldn't put down. A Rainbow Awards winner. .
I read many other good books this year, more than I had time to even review on Goodreads, but these ones stand out to me. If you have a best book you read this year (a 2019 release or not) please do mention it in the comments. I'm always looking to add good stuff to my (long) TBRs.
Best wishes for happy reading to you all in 2020.
- Kaje
December 13, 2019
Rainbow Advent Calendar - my story
It’s is my turn for this fun holiday writing event. My story is up today, both posted here and available for download. (Link below.)
It’s always a bit of a surprise for me, to see where my holiday stories go. I’m not particularly good at the holiday sweet and fluffy, (although my older story Where the Heart Is comes close.) This time, I ended up with a bit of an adventure:
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– Shooting Star –
Dr. Dillon Shaw hiked to a remote lake on Christmas Eve to close one chapter of his life, with no idea what came next. He didn’t expect ‘next’ to be getting tackled into the mud, or gunshots, or a burly cop in trouble. . About 13,000 words. (Note a content warning for violence, and transient mention of infant death.)
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And I hope you’ll also check out all the other goodies from this event. From the 1st – 24th of December over 40 authors of GLBT+ fiction will be opening a door to a selection of festive stories to while away the winter days and get you in the holiday spirit.
The schedule is a surprise – you have to keep checking to see who has a story gift for you each day. Some are posted on the blogs, many are available for download.
The MASTER LIST of stories and links is here: http://alexjane.info/rainbow-advent-c...
Or check the Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rainb...
So far we’ve had lovely stories of all kinds, from hockey players to gingerbread to a ghost cat, from poignant to sweet, several from favorite authors of mine.
You can find my story posted on my blog here: https://kajeharper.wordpress.com/2019...
Or download it from Prolific Works - https://claims.prolificworks.com/free...
I hope you enjoy my story, and all the rest, and have a lovely holiday season.
December 8, 2019
Rainbow Awards winners
The Rainbow Awards are complete for 2018-2019, thanks to a huge undertaking by Elisa Rolle, who organized 450 books, 106 judges, all over the world. The event raised over $12,000 as donations to LGBTQ charities.
So many good books were honored with these awards. I was thrilled that my Kira Harp YA story collection, Rainbow Briefs volume 2, won the collection/anthology award this year.
***
Here's a full list of the winners. (Categories with large numbers of entries were awarded proportionally more than 3 top choices. Award numbers with multiple titles are ties.)
***
Gay - Young Adult
1. Laura Lascarso – Hiroku
Laura Lascarso - When Everything Is Blue
2. S.M. James - In Case You Missed It
Eli Easton - Boy Shattered
3. Mia Kerick – Torn
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Humor
1. Michael Scott Garvin - Aunt Sookie & Me: The Sordid Tale of a Scandalous Southern Belle
2. Joe Cosentino - Drama Dance (Nicky and Noah mystery #8)
Joe Cosentino - Drama Detective (Nicky and Noah mystery #5)
3. David Nora - Slasher Crasher
Damian Serbu - Santa Is a Vampire
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Romantic Comedy
1. Lynn Ames - Great Bones
2. Lisa Moreau - Lovebirds
3. A.J. Adaire - Match Me
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Poetry
1. Jan Steckel - Like Flesh Covers Bone
2. Renée Vivien (translator Samantha Pious) - A Crown of Violets
Sandra de Helen - Desire Returns for a Visit
3. Lisa Dordal - Mosaic of the Dark
Julie Marie Wade - Same-Sexy Marriage: A Novella in Poems
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Historical & Paranormal Romance
1. Jude Lucens - Behind These Doors (Radical Proposals #1)
2. E.J. Russell - Demon on the Down-Low (Supernatural Selection #3)
3. Lexi Ander - Caledonia Destiny
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Historical
1. Elena Graf - Lies of Omission
Elena Graf - Acts of Contrition
2. Jane Alden - Across A Crowded Room
3. Kim Finney - Under The Microscope
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Fantasy
1. Jeanne G’Fellers - Cleaning House
2. Ariana Nash - Silk & Steel
3. Megan Derr - Dragon Magic
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Fantasy & Paranormal Romance
1. Beryll and Osiris Brackhaus - Orc Haven
2. Helen Jayne - Aegle: sapphic Soulmates
3. Veronica Watts - Her of the Wood
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Fantasy
1. Xia Xia Lake - Shinigami
2. Angel Martinez - The Mage on the Hill
3. Dan Ackerman - For A Glance
Lisa Henry – Anhaga
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Fantasy
1. Caren J. Werlinger - A Bittersweet Garden
2. Kellie Doherty - Sunkissed Feather and Severed Ties
3. Benny Lawrence - Beggar’s Flip
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Contemporary General Fiction & Erotica
1. Caren J. Werlinger - When the Stars Sang
2. Susan Stocker - Kiss Your Elbow (An Embellished Memoire of Growing Up in the 50's and 60's)
3. Rae D. Magdon - Fur and Fangs (Vol 1-10)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Contemporary General Fiction, Humor, Mystery / Thriller & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. Debbie McGowan - The Great Village Bun Fight
2. Lori A. Witt - Incel
Vicki Clifford - Deception is the Old Black: A Viv Fraser Mystery
3. Mia Kerick - The Weekend Bucket List
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Anthology / Collection
1. Kira Harp - Rainbow Briefs volume 2
2. Angel Martinez - Brandywine Investigations: Family Matters
3. Dusk Peterson - Danger (Dark Light #3)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Historical Romance
1. Edale Lane - Heart of Sherwood
2. T.T. Thomas - House of Bliss
Jane Alden - Jobyna’s Blues
3. K’Anne Meinel – Pioneering
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Asexual - Contemporary, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance & Romantic Comedy
1. R.A. Steffan - The Complete Lion Mistress Collection
2. Jae - Perfect Rhythm
Ava Kelly - Havesskadi
3. Sam Burns - Strike Up the Band
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Contemporary General Fiction, Fantasy & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. Anna Butler - Day of Wrath (Taking Shield #5)
2. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
3. E.J. Runyon - Good People
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Fantasy Romance
1. Meredith Katz - How Saeter Robbed the Underworld
2. Freddy MacKay - Waiting on the Rain
3. Casey Wolfe - A Mage's Power
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Biography / Memoir
1. Ruth Simkin - Dear Sophie
2. Todd Allen Smith - Murder, Romance and Two Shootings
Judith Branzburg - The Liberation of Ivy Bottini
3. Carla Grant - Uncommon Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Mystery / Thriller
1. J.L. Merrow - Lock Nut
2. Clancy Nacht - For Immediate Release
3. C.S. Poe - The Mystery of the Moving Image (Snow & Winter #3)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Alternative Universe/Reality & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. Angel Martinez - Safety Protocols for Human Holidays
2. Matt Doyle - The Fox, The Dog, and The King (The Cassie Tam Files #2)
Rae D. Magdon - Lucky 7
3. Matt Doyle - LV48 (The Cassie Tam Files #3)
K. Aten - Waking the Dreamer
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Mystery / Thriller
1. Cari Hunter - Alias
2. Jody Klaire - Noble Heart
3. Claire Highton-Stevenson - The Doll Maker
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Historical Romance
1. Alex Jane - The Arrangement
Anna Butler - The Jackal's House (Lancaster's Luck #2)
2. Eli Easton - Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride
3. Rebecca Cohen - Captain Merric
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Historical
1. Tanya Chris - Predestination Unknown
2. Daniel M. Jaffe - Yeled Tov
3. Stephan Knox - Anáil Dhragain (Dragon's Breath)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Contemporary General Fiction
1. Dan Ackerman - The Things That Come
Dan Ackerman - That Doesn't Belong Here
2. J. Scott Coatsworth - The River City Chronicles
3. A.M. Leibowitz - Keeping the Faith
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Transgender - Contemporary, Erotic, Historical & Paranormal Romance
1. Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
Katherine Wyvern - Spice & Vanilla
2. L.A. Witt – Adrift
Brooklyn Ray - Darkling
3. Tia Fielding – Four
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Romantic Suspence
1. Tara Lain - The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean
2. Amy Lane - A Few Good Fish
3. Eden Winters - Suspicion (Diversion #7)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Young Adult
1. Iza Moreau - Swamp Girl
2. Iza Moreau - Ghost in the Piano
3. Jessica Yeh - Bend for Me
Jacqueline Rohrbach - The Soulstealers
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Erotic Romance
1. L.A. Witt - Sink or Swim
2. Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid - The Congressman's Whore: A Marriage of Convenience
Lane Hayes - Leaning Into the Look
Lane Hayes - Leaning Into Forever
3. L.M. Somerton - Trusting Him
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Young Adult
1. Amy Klobuchar; Edited by In This Together Media - Nevertheless, We Persisted
Chris Tebbetts - Me Myself & Him
2. R. Zamora Linmark - The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
Chad Sell - The Cardboard Kingdom
Stefani Deoul - Zero Sum Game
Emily Skrutskie - Hullmetal Girls
3. M. Rose Flores - The End
Mia Kerick - The Princess of Baker Street
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Alternative Universe/Reality & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. M.D. Neu - Conviction (A New World #2)
M.D. Neu - Contact (A New World #1)
2. J. Scott Coatsworth - The Stark Divide
3. Arshad Ahsanuddin - Ascension
4. C.C. Bridges - Angels Rising
5. Pelaam - Strawberry Fields
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Fantasy Romance
1. Jamie Sullivan - Heart of the Dragon
2. J. Scott Coatsworth - Ithani
J. Scott Coatsworth - Lander
3. Meredith Katz - Smoke Signals
4. Jacqueline Rohrbach - The Dragon's Rebel
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Paranormal Romance
1. Jackie North - Honey From the Lion
2. E.J. Russell - Single White Incubus (Supernatural Selection #1)
3. Tara Lain - Hidden Powers
4. Sara Dobie Bauer - Escaping Exile
5. Jackie North - Wild as the West Texas Wind
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Contemporary and Erotic Romance & Romantic Suspence
1. E. Davies – Tremble
E. Davies - Miracle
2. L.A. Witt - The Torches We Carry
L.A. Witt - Rank & File
3. Johnny Miles - Café y Chocolate
4. Kyell Gold - Ty Game
5. L.A. Witt - It Was Always You
Freddy MacKay - Watermelon Kisses
6. K. Evan Coles and Brigham Vaughn - Behind the Stick (The Speakeasy #3)
7. L.A. Witt - Blood & Bitcoin
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Contemporary and Erotic Romance & Romantic Suspence
1. Jeannie Levig - A Heart to Call Home
2. Geonn Cannon - Can You Hear Me
3. C.J. Murphy - Frame by frame
Lynn Ames - Chain Reactions
4. Jeannie Levig - A Wish Upon a Star
5. Heather Blackmore - It's Not a Date
6. Clare Ashton - The Goodmans
7. Jae - Just for Show
8. Suzie Carr - The Curvy Side of Life
9. Jae - Paper Love
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Contemporary Romance & Romantic Comedy
1. Taylor Fitzpatrick - Thrown Off the Ice
2. Morningstar Ashley - Risking It All
3. Amy Lane – Crocus
4. Tara Lain - Home Improvement — A Love Story
5. L.A. Witt - Rabi and Matthew
6. Tara Lain - High Balls
7. Tara Lain - Love You So Special
8. Kelly Wyre – Fight
9. L.A. Witt - The Husband Gambit
10. E.J. Russell - Mystic Man
11. Jodi Payne & B.A. Tortuga – Wrecked
Kim Fielding - A Full Plate
Kim Fielding - The Little Library
L.A. Witt - Wash Out
12. Eli Easton - Family Camp
A.M. Leibowitz – Drumbeat
13. C.S. Poe - Color of You
E. Davies - Hard Hart
L.A. Witt - Bouncing Back
Marguerite Labbe - A Little Side of Geek (Geek Life #1)
Marguerite Labbe - A Whole Latte Sass (Geek Life #2)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Asexual Debut Book
1. Ava Kelly - Havesskadi
2. Evelyn Benvie - Something To Celebrate
3. Kail Muse – Homeplanet
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA Debut Book
1. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
2. R. Zamora Linmark - The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
3. Rory Power - Wilded Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual Debut Book
1. Jude Lucens - Behind These Doors (Radical Proposals #1)
2. M. Rose Flores - The End
3. Ariana Nash - Silk & Steel
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay Debut Book
1. Xia Xia Lake - Shinigami
2. Stephan Knox - Anáil Dhragain (Dragon's Breath)
3. MD Neu - The Calling
Maz Maddox - Heartache & Hoofbeats
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian Debut Book
1. C.J. Murphy - Frame by frame
2. Susan Stocker - Kiss Your Elbow (An Embellished Memoire of Growing Up in the 50's and 60's)
3. Chris Zett - Irregular Heartbeat
4. Helen Jayne - Hestia: sapphic soulmates
5. Gail Newman - Sunlight in the Shadows
Cheryl Espinosa-Jones - An Ocean Between Them
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Asexual Book
1. R.A. Steffan - The Complete Lion Mistress Collection
2. Jae - Perfect Rhythm
Ava Kelly - Havesskadi
3. Sam Burns - Strike Up the Band
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA Book
1. Anna Butler - Day of Wrath (Taking Shield #5)
2. Chris Tebbetts - Me Myself & Him
Amy Klobuchar; Edited by In This Together Media - Nevertheless, We Persisted
3. Stefani Deoul - Zero Sum Game
R. Zamora Linmark - The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
Chad Sell - The Cardboard Kingdom
Emily Skrutskie - Hullmetal Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Transgender Book
1. Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
2. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
3. Mia Kerick - The Princess of Baker Street
4. Mia Kerick - All Boy
5. Carla Grant - Uncommon Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual Book
1. Jan Steckel - Like Flesh Covers Bone
2. E. Davies – Tremble
3. Jude Lucens - Behind These Doors (Radical Proposals #1)
4. M. Rose Flores - The End
E. Davies - Miracle
5. E.J. Russell - Demon on the Down-Low (Supernatural Selection #3)
6. Lexi Ander - Caledonia Destiny
Meredith Katz - How Saeter Robbed the Underworld
7. Debbie McGowan - The Great Village Bun Fight
L.A. Witt - The Torches We Carry
S.M. James - Not Gonna Lie
8. Freddy MacKay - Waiting on the Rain
Johnny Miles - Café y Chocolate
L.A. Witt - Rank & File
9. Casey Wolfe - A Mage's Power
10. Kyell Gold - Ty Game
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian Book
1. Cari Hunter - Alias
2. Jeannie Levig - A Heart to Call Home
3. Caren J. Werlinger - When the Stars Sang
4. Geonn Cannon - Can You Hear Me
5. C.J. Murphy - Frame by frame
Lynn Ames - Chain Reactions
6. Jeannie Levig - A Wish Upon a Star
7. Heather Blackmore - It's Not a Date
8. Clare Ashton - The Goodmans
9. Ruth Simkin - Dear Sophie
Jae - Just for Show
10. Suzie Carr - The Curvy Side of Life
11. Jae - Paper Love
12. Judith Branzburg - The Liberation of Ivy Bottini
13. G. Benson - Who'd Have Thought
14. S.L. Kassidy - Learning to Walk Again
15. Wendy Hudson - Meant to be Me
Iza Moreau - Swamp Girl
16. C.J. Murphy - Gold Star Chance
17. Chris Paynter - Just a Touch Away
18. Caren J. Werlinger - A Bittersweet Garden
19. Susan Stocker - Kiss Your Elbow (An Embellished Memoire of Growing Up in the 50's and 60's)
Jae - Not the Marrying Kind
20. Sandra de Helen - Desire Returns for a Visit
Sallyanne Monti - Light at the End of the Tunnel, A Memoir
Chris Zett - Irregular Heartbeat
Renée Vivien (translator Samantha Pious) - A Crown of Violets
21. Kellie Doherty - Sunkissed Feather and Severed Ties
22. Helen Jayne - Hestia: sapphic soulmates
23. Rae D. Magdon - Fur and Fangs (Vol 1-10)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay Book
1. Jackie North - Honey From the Lion
2. Tanya Chris - Predestination Unknown
3. Taylor Fitzpatrick - Thrown Off the Ice
Jamie Sullivan - Heart of the Dragon
Alex Jane - The Arrangement
E.J. Russell - Single White Incubus (Supernatural Selection #1)
Anna Butler - The Jackal's House (Lancaster's Luck #2)
M.D. Neu - Conviction (A New World #2)
4. Tara Lain - Hidden Powers
5. J. Scott Coatsworth – Lander
Morningstar Ashley - Risking It All
Dan Ackerman - The Things That Come
J. Scott Coatsworth - The Stark Divide
Todd Allen Smith - Murder, Romance and Two Shootings
6. Xia Xia Lake - Shinigami
Laura Lascarso - Hiroku
Daniel M. Jaffe - Yeled Tov
7. Arshad Ahsanuddin – Ascension
8. Sara Dobie Bauer - Escaping Exile
Tara Lain - The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean
Stephan Knox - Anáil Dhragain (Dragon's Breath)
J. Scott Coatsworth - Ithani
9. Eli Easton - Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride
Eli Easton - Boy Shattered
Glenn Quigley - The Lion Lies Waiting
S.M. James - In Case You Missed It
Amy Lane - Crocus
10. J.L. Merrow - Lock Nut
11. Tara Lain - Home Improvement — A Love Story
12. M.D. Neu - Contact (A New World #1)
Jackie North - Wild as the West Texas Wind
L.A. Witt - Rabi and Matthew
13. Dan Ackerman - That Doesn't Belong Here
C.C. Bridges - Angels Rising
14. Angel Martinez - The Mage on the Hill
Tara Lain - High Balls
Meredith Katz - Smoke Signals
15. Laura Lascarso - When Everything Is Blue
Kayla Jameth - Save a Horse, Dive a Cowboy
16. J.P. Kenwood - Blood Before Wine (Dominus #3)
Meredith Katz - Empty Vessels
17. Elin Gregory - Midnight Flit
18. Tara Lain - Love You So Special
Pelaam - Strawberry Fields
Amy Lane - A Few Good Fish
Jacqueline Rohrbach - The Dragon's Rebel
19. Rebecca Cohen - Captain Merric
20. Alex Whitehall - Magic Runs Deep
Kelly Wyre – Fight
L.A. Witt - Sink or Swim
21. L.A. Witt - The Husband Gambit
Eden Winters - Suspicion (Diversion #7)
Barry Brennessel - Ánh Sáng
Sam Burns - Blackbird in the Reeds
22. E.J. Russell - Mystic Man
S.J. Himes - Knight's Fire
Meghan Maslow - Be Fairy Game
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
So many good books were honored with these awards. I was thrilled that my Kira Harp YA story collection, Rainbow Briefs volume 2, won the collection/anthology award this year.
***
Here's a full list of the winners. (Categories with large numbers of entries were awarded proportionally more than 3 top choices. Award numbers with multiple titles are ties.)
***
Gay - Young Adult
1. Laura Lascarso – Hiroku
Laura Lascarso - When Everything Is Blue
2. S.M. James - In Case You Missed It
Eli Easton - Boy Shattered
3. Mia Kerick – Torn
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Humor
1. Michael Scott Garvin - Aunt Sookie & Me: The Sordid Tale of a Scandalous Southern Belle
2. Joe Cosentino - Drama Dance (Nicky and Noah mystery #8)
Joe Cosentino - Drama Detective (Nicky and Noah mystery #5)
3. David Nora - Slasher Crasher
Damian Serbu - Santa Is a Vampire
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Romantic Comedy
1. Lynn Ames - Great Bones
2. Lisa Moreau - Lovebirds
3. A.J. Adaire - Match Me
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Poetry
1. Jan Steckel - Like Flesh Covers Bone
2. Renée Vivien (translator Samantha Pious) - A Crown of Violets
Sandra de Helen - Desire Returns for a Visit
3. Lisa Dordal - Mosaic of the Dark
Julie Marie Wade - Same-Sexy Marriage: A Novella in Poems
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Historical & Paranormal Romance
1. Jude Lucens - Behind These Doors (Radical Proposals #1)
2. E.J. Russell - Demon on the Down-Low (Supernatural Selection #3)
3. Lexi Ander - Caledonia Destiny
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Historical
1. Elena Graf - Lies of Omission
Elena Graf - Acts of Contrition
2. Jane Alden - Across A Crowded Room
3. Kim Finney - Under The Microscope
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Fantasy
1. Jeanne G’Fellers - Cleaning House
2. Ariana Nash - Silk & Steel
3. Megan Derr - Dragon Magic
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Fantasy & Paranormal Romance
1. Beryll and Osiris Brackhaus - Orc Haven
2. Helen Jayne - Aegle: sapphic Soulmates
3. Veronica Watts - Her of the Wood
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Fantasy
1. Xia Xia Lake - Shinigami
2. Angel Martinez - The Mage on the Hill
3. Dan Ackerman - For A Glance
Lisa Henry – Anhaga
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Fantasy
1. Caren J. Werlinger - A Bittersweet Garden
2. Kellie Doherty - Sunkissed Feather and Severed Ties
3. Benny Lawrence - Beggar’s Flip
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Contemporary General Fiction & Erotica
1. Caren J. Werlinger - When the Stars Sang
2. Susan Stocker - Kiss Your Elbow (An Embellished Memoire of Growing Up in the 50's and 60's)
3. Rae D. Magdon - Fur and Fangs (Vol 1-10)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Contemporary General Fiction, Humor, Mystery / Thriller & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. Debbie McGowan - The Great Village Bun Fight
2. Lori A. Witt - Incel
Vicki Clifford - Deception is the Old Black: A Viv Fraser Mystery
3. Mia Kerick - The Weekend Bucket List
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Anthology / Collection
1. Kira Harp - Rainbow Briefs volume 2
2. Angel Martinez - Brandywine Investigations: Family Matters
3. Dusk Peterson - Danger (Dark Light #3)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Historical Romance
1. Edale Lane - Heart of Sherwood
2. T.T. Thomas - House of Bliss
Jane Alden - Jobyna’s Blues
3. K’Anne Meinel – Pioneering
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Asexual - Contemporary, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance & Romantic Comedy
1. R.A. Steffan - The Complete Lion Mistress Collection
2. Jae - Perfect Rhythm
Ava Kelly - Havesskadi
3. Sam Burns - Strike Up the Band
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Contemporary General Fiction, Fantasy & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. Anna Butler - Day of Wrath (Taking Shield #5)
2. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
3. E.J. Runyon - Good People
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Fantasy Romance
1. Meredith Katz - How Saeter Robbed the Underworld
2. Freddy MacKay - Waiting on the Rain
3. Casey Wolfe - A Mage's Power
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Biography / Memoir
1. Ruth Simkin - Dear Sophie
2. Todd Allen Smith - Murder, Romance and Two Shootings
Judith Branzburg - The Liberation of Ivy Bottini
3. Carla Grant - Uncommon Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Mystery / Thriller
1. J.L. Merrow - Lock Nut
2. Clancy Nacht - For Immediate Release
3. C.S. Poe - The Mystery of the Moving Image (Snow & Winter #3)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Alternative Universe/Reality & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. Angel Martinez - Safety Protocols for Human Holidays
2. Matt Doyle - The Fox, The Dog, and The King (The Cassie Tam Files #2)
Rae D. Magdon - Lucky 7
3. Matt Doyle - LV48 (The Cassie Tam Files #3)
K. Aten - Waking the Dreamer
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Mystery / Thriller
1. Cari Hunter - Alias
2. Jody Klaire - Noble Heart
3. Claire Highton-Stevenson - The Doll Maker
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Historical Romance
1. Alex Jane - The Arrangement
Anna Butler - The Jackal's House (Lancaster's Luck #2)
2. Eli Easton - Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride
3. Rebecca Cohen - Captain Merric
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Historical
1. Tanya Chris - Predestination Unknown
2. Daniel M. Jaffe - Yeled Tov
3. Stephan Knox - Anáil Dhragain (Dragon's Breath)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Contemporary General Fiction
1. Dan Ackerman - The Things That Come
Dan Ackerman - That Doesn't Belong Here
2. J. Scott Coatsworth - The River City Chronicles
3. A.M. Leibowitz - Keeping the Faith
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Transgender - Contemporary, Erotic, Historical & Paranormal Romance
1. Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
Katherine Wyvern - Spice & Vanilla
2. L.A. Witt – Adrift
Brooklyn Ray - Darkling
3. Tia Fielding – Four
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Romantic Suspence
1. Tara Lain - The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean
2. Amy Lane - A Few Good Fish
3. Eden Winters - Suspicion (Diversion #7)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Young Adult
1. Iza Moreau - Swamp Girl
2. Iza Moreau - Ghost in the Piano
3. Jessica Yeh - Bend for Me
Jacqueline Rohrbach - The Soulstealers
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Erotic Romance
1. L.A. Witt - Sink or Swim
2. Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid - The Congressman's Whore: A Marriage of Convenience
Lane Hayes - Leaning Into the Look
Lane Hayes - Leaning Into Forever
3. L.M. Somerton - Trusting Him
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA - Young Adult
1. Amy Klobuchar; Edited by In This Together Media - Nevertheless, We Persisted
Chris Tebbetts - Me Myself & Him
2. R. Zamora Linmark - The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
Chad Sell - The Cardboard Kingdom
Stefani Deoul - Zero Sum Game
Emily Skrutskie - Hullmetal Girls
3. M. Rose Flores - The End
Mia Kerick - The Princess of Baker Street
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Alternative Universe/Reality & Sci-Fi / Futuristic
1. M.D. Neu - Conviction (A New World #2)
M.D. Neu - Contact (A New World #1)
2. J. Scott Coatsworth - The Stark Divide
3. Arshad Ahsanuddin - Ascension
4. C.C. Bridges - Angels Rising
5. Pelaam - Strawberry Fields
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Fantasy Romance
1. Jamie Sullivan - Heart of the Dragon
2. J. Scott Coatsworth - Ithani
J. Scott Coatsworth - Lander
3. Meredith Katz - Smoke Signals
4. Jacqueline Rohrbach - The Dragon's Rebel
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Paranormal Romance
1. Jackie North - Honey From the Lion
2. E.J. Russell - Single White Incubus (Supernatural Selection #1)
3. Tara Lain - Hidden Powers
4. Sara Dobie Bauer - Escaping Exile
5. Jackie North - Wild as the West Texas Wind
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual - Contemporary and Erotic Romance & Romantic Suspence
1. E. Davies – Tremble
E. Davies - Miracle
2. L.A. Witt - The Torches We Carry
L.A. Witt - Rank & File
3. Johnny Miles - Café y Chocolate
4. Kyell Gold - Ty Game
5. L.A. Witt - It Was Always You
Freddy MacKay - Watermelon Kisses
6. K. Evan Coles and Brigham Vaughn - Behind the Stick (The Speakeasy #3)
7. L.A. Witt - Blood & Bitcoin
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian - Contemporary and Erotic Romance & Romantic Suspence
1. Jeannie Levig - A Heart to Call Home
2. Geonn Cannon - Can You Hear Me
3. C.J. Murphy - Frame by frame
Lynn Ames - Chain Reactions
4. Jeannie Levig - A Wish Upon a Star
5. Heather Blackmore - It's Not a Date
6. Clare Ashton - The Goodmans
7. Jae - Just for Show
8. Suzie Carr - The Curvy Side of Life
9. Jae - Paper Love
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay - Contemporary Romance & Romantic Comedy
1. Taylor Fitzpatrick - Thrown Off the Ice
2. Morningstar Ashley - Risking It All
3. Amy Lane – Crocus
4. Tara Lain - Home Improvement — A Love Story
5. L.A. Witt - Rabi and Matthew
6. Tara Lain - High Balls
7. Tara Lain - Love You So Special
8. Kelly Wyre – Fight
9. L.A. Witt - The Husband Gambit
10. E.J. Russell - Mystic Man
11. Jodi Payne & B.A. Tortuga – Wrecked
Kim Fielding - A Full Plate
Kim Fielding - The Little Library
L.A. Witt - Wash Out
12. Eli Easton - Family Camp
A.M. Leibowitz – Drumbeat
13. C.S. Poe - Color of You
E. Davies - Hard Hart
L.A. Witt - Bouncing Back
Marguerite Labbe - A Little Side of Geek (Geek Life #1)
Marguerite Labbe - A Whole Latte Sass (Geek Life #2)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Asexual Debut Book
1. Ava Kelly - Havesskadi
2. Evelyn Benvie - Something To Celebrate
3. Kail Muse – Homeplanet
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA Debut Book
1. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
2. R. Zamora Linmark - The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
3. Rory Power - Wilded Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual Debut Book
1. Jude Lucens - Behind These Doors (Radical Proposals #1)
2. M. Rose Flores - The End
3. Ariana Nash - Silk & Steel
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay Debut Book
1. Xia Xia Lake - Shinigami
2. Stephan Knox - Anáil Dhragain (Dragon's Breath)
3. MD Neu - The Calling
Maz Maddox - Heartache & Hoofbeats
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian Debut Book
1. C.J. Murphy - Frame by frame
2. Susan Stocker - Kiss Your Elbow (An Embellished Memoire of Growing Up in the 50's and 60's)
3. Chris Zett - Irregular Heartbeat
4. Helen Jayne - Hestia: sapphic soulmates
5. Gail Newman - Sunlight in the Shadows
Cheryl Espinosa-Jones - An Ocean Between Them
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Asexual Book
1. R.A. Steffan - The Complete Lion Mistress Collection
2. Jae - Perfect Rhythm
Ava Kelly - Havesskadi
3. Sam Burns - Strike Up the Band
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
LGBTA Book
1. Anna Butler - Day of Wrath (Taking Shield #5)
2. Chris Tebbetts - Me Myself & Him
Amy Klobuchar; Edited by In This Together Media - Nevertheless, We Persisted
3. Stefani Deoul - Zero Sum Game
R. Zamora Linmark - The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
Chad Sell - The Cardboard Kingdom
Emily Skrutskie - Hullmetal Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Transgender Book
1. Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
2. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
3. Mia Kerick - The Princess of Baker Street
4. Mia Kerick - All Boy
5. Carla Grant - Uncommon Girls
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Bisexual Book
1. Jan Steckel - Like Flesh Covers Bone
2. E. Davies – Tremble
3. Jude Lucens - Behind These Doors (Radical Proposals #1)
4. M. Rose Flores - The End
E. Davies - Miracle
5. E.J. Russell - Demon on the Down-Low (Supernatural Selection #3)
6. Lexi Ander - Caledonia Destiny
Meredith Katz - How Saeter Robbed the Underworld
7. Debbie McGowan - The Great Village Bun Fight
L.A. Witt - The Torches We Carry
S.M. James - Not Gonna Lie
8. Freddy MacKay - Waiting on the Rain
Johnny Miles - Café y Chocolate
L.A. Witt - Rank & File
9. Casey Wolfe - A Mage's Power
10. Kyell Gold - Ty Game
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Lesbian Book
1. Cari Hunter - Alias
2. Jeannie Levig - A Heart to Call Home
3. Caren J. Werlinger - When the Stars Sang
4. Geonn Cannon - Can You Hear Me
5. C.J. Murphy - Frame by frame
Lynn Ames - Chain Reactions
6. Jeannie Levig - A Wish Upon a Star
7. Heather Blackmore - It's Not a Date
8. Clare Ashton - The Goodmans
9. Ruth Simkin - Dear Sophie
Jae - Just for Show
10. Suzie Carr - The Curvy Side of Life
11. Jae - Paper Love
12. Judith Branzburg - The Liberation of Ivy Bottini
13. G. Benson - Who'd Have Thought
14. S.L. Kassidy - Learning to Walk Again
15. Wendy Hudson - Meant to be Me
Iza Moreau - Swamp Girl
16. C.J. Murphy - Gold Star Chance
17. Chris Paynter - Just a Touch Away
18. Caren J. Werlinger - A Bittersweet Garden
19. Susan Stocker - Kiss Your Elbow (An Embellished Memoire of Growing Up in the 50's and 60's)
Jae - Not the Marrying Kind
20. Sandra de Helen - Desire Returns for a Visit
Sallyanne Monti - Light at the End of the Tunnel, A Memoir
Chris Zett - Irregular Heartbeat
Renée Vivien (translator Samantha Pious) - A Crown of Violets
21. Kellie Doherty - Sunkissed Feather and Severed Ties
22. Helen Jayne - Hestia: sapphic soulmates
23. Rae D. Magdon - Fur and Fangs (Vol 1-10)
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
Gay Book
1. Jackie North - Honey From the Lion
2. Tanya Chris - Predestination Unknown
3. Taylor Fitzpatrick - Thrown Off the Ice
Jamie Sullivan - Heart of the Dragon
Alex Jane - The Arrangement
E.J. Russell - Single White Incubus (Supernatural Selection #1)
Anna Butler - The Jackal's House (Lancaster's Luck #2)
M.D. Neu - Conviction (A New World #2)
4. Tara Lain - Hidden Powers
5. J. Scott Coatsworth – Lander
Morningstar Ashley - Risking It All
Dan Ackerman - The Things That Come
J. Scott Coatsworth - The Stark Divide
Todd Allen Smith - Murder, Romance and Two Shootings
6. Xia Xia Lake - Shinigami
Laura Lascarso - Hiroku
Daniel M. Jaffe - Yeled Tov
7. Arshad Ahsanuddin – Ascension
8. Sara Dobie Bauer - Escaping Exile
Tara Lain - The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean
Stephan Knox - Anáil Dhragain (Dragon's Breath)
J. Scott Coatsworth - Ithani
9. Eli Easton - Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride
Eli Easton - Boy Shattered
Glenn Quigley - The Lion Lies Waiting
S.M. James - In Case You Missed It
Amy Lane - Crocus
10. J.L. Merrow - Lock Nut
11. Tara Lain - Home Improvement — A Love Story
12. M.D. Neu - Contact (A New World #1)
Jackie North - Wild as the West Texas Wind
L.A. Witt - Rabi and Matthew
13. Dan Ackerman - That Doesn't Belong Here
C.C. Bridges - Angels Rising
14. Angel Martinez - The Mage on the Hill
Tara Lain - High Balls
Meredith Katz - Smoke Signals
15. Laura Lascarso - When Everything Is Blue
Kayla Jameth - Save a Horse, Dive a Cowboy
16. J.P. Kenwood - Blood Before Wine (Dominus #3)
Meredith Katz - Empty Vessels
17. Elin Gregory - Midnight Flit
18. Tara Lain - Love You So Special
Pelaam - Strawberry Fields
Amy Lane - A Few Good Fish
Jacqueline Rohrbach - The Dragon's Rebel
19. Rebecca Cohen - Captain Merric
20. Alex Whitehall - Magic Runs Deep
Kelly Wyre – Fight
L.A. Witt - Sink or Swim
21. L.A. Witt - The Husband Gambit
Eden Winters - Suspicion (Diversion #7)
Barry Brennessel - Ánh Sáng
Sam Burns - Blackbird in the Reeds
22. E.J. Russell - Mystic Man
S.J. Himes - Knight's Fire
Meghan Maslow - Be Fairy Game
https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwi...
December 7, 2019
Rainbow Advent Calendar free stories.
I wanted to let you folks know about a holiday writing event I'm participating in : From the 1st - 24th of December authors of GLBT+ fiction will be opening a door to a selection of festive stories to while away the winter days and get you in the holiday spirit. Find stories from your favorite writers and discover some new ones along the way.
The schedule is a surprise - I'm on it, but you have to keep checking to see who has a story gift for you each day. Some are posted on the blogs, many are available for download.
The master list of stories and links is here:
http://alexjane.info/rainbow-advent-c...
Or check the Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rainb...
So far we have had lovely stories from Clare London, Sue Brown, Ki Brightly, Liam Livings, Julie Bozza, Shane K Morton, HJ Perry, Kim Katil, Anna Martin, and HL Day. (A couple of my auto-buy authors already on that list, and some new to me.)
I'm enjoying the free gifts of writing each day, and look forward to sharing my story... sometime in the next three weeks :) I hope you'll join us.
November 30, 2019
Changes Coming Down released
Changes Coming Down - Changes Book 1 is now available on Smashwords and Amazon, with other retailers to follow. I had great fun revisiting Will, my quiet cowboy, Casey, the tough county sheriff, and Scott, a talented hockey player with his eyes fixed on the NHL. The book began as a challenge for a gift anthology, to write a story with those three main characters. It became a favorite excursion into mystery and the dynamics of love between three very different people. I've wanted to write the sequel for a long time, and this refurbishing and expanding of the original was the chance to also take their story further. The sequel - Changes Going On will release in the new year.
For three gay men in love, opening the closet door could be a risky move.
Buy Links for Changes Coming Down
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Changes-Coming...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Changes-Comi...
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Chapter 1 Excerpt :
Scott Edison shoved his phone in his jeans pocket and ran his hand over his hair. Not that he could do much with the short cut he wore during the hockey season, but it was habit. Shit. Fuck. Motherfucking hell with a side order of son-of-a-bitch.
He’d gotten into town an hour ago, looking forward to reconnecting with his guys. Hot, intense Casey and sweet, mellow Will. After a month with nothing but long-distance calls and his imagination, he was finally back in Kansas, with three days carved out of his schedule to remind them all how good they were together. He wondered every day how he got so lucky.
But this apparently wasn’t his lucky day. Instead of losing himself in Casey’s strong hands, and then both of them heading out to see Will after evening chores, he was going to spend his rare free time breaking Will’s heart.
And way to go, making this all about yourself.
Snorting in self-disgust, he pushed off the bed and stood. He was half-naked, his shirt open to frame his chest, a calculated display of some of the toned muscle he knew Casey liked. Now he buttoned it with unsteady fingers.
The Slaters were dead. He’d been lucky enough at twenty-three to not lose anyone he loved yet. It was so unfair that Will, who’d lost his real family early in some painful not-to-be-discussed way, now had to face the deaths of the new family he’d adopted as his own.
Merde. Câlis. Tabarnac. The colorful swearwords of his French-speaking teammates didn’t help any either. He dug clean socks out of a drawer, found his sneakers under the bed, and headed out.
It was cold for the beginning of November, and before he’d even started the car, he was regretting grabbing his lightest leather jacket. Habit, because he knew Will liked the way he looked in it, but that would hardly matter tonight. He cranked the heater and practiced phrases as he drove.
“I have something to tell you…”
“Casey called me and wanted me to… asked if I would…”
“We should go inside and…”
Goddamn it.
The drive out to the ranch took about twenty minutes. Long enough for him to decide that he wasn’t ever going to find the right words. Also long enough to decide that the first thing out of his mouth needed to be “Casey’s okay.” Because he’d bet that Will also had nightmares where someone showed up unexpectedly, looking stunned, and said, “I have bad news about Casey…” Just like he’d clutched for a moment when Casey had said someone was dead and then stopped. For an instant he’d pictured life without Will, and it’d been like a punch to the heart.
The news he was delivering was awful, but at least it wasn’t that news.
The road past the gates of the Tri-Cross ranch was rough. With the ease of long practice, he pulled left around the washout by the big oak and slowed near the hill, watching for the potholes that got filled every spring and hollowed out again in the freeze and thaw of winter. The bounce of the suspension was familiar. How many times had he done this drive in the last couple years? Lots, but never enough.
There were still lights on in the barn and the bunkhouse. The Slaters’ big house was dark and quiet.
It would stay that way now.
Scott pulled into the parking area and turned the engine off. For a minute he sat there. He could hear a couple of the hands in the barn, joking back and forth as they tossed down hay bales from the loft. The dogs lay in the long grass near the barn door, snoozing in the spill of yellow light. They’d barely glanced his way before returning to their nap, familiar with the sound of his Camaro. Off in the quiet night, he could hear the fluttering hum of the wind generator, the soft whicker of horses, the creak of some hinge in need of oiling. All the sounds of Will’s home.
He gave it one more minute. And one more. The last moments in time when all would be well on the Tri-Cross. Then the barn door swung wider. Someone glanced out and yelled back into the barn, “Hey, Will, Scott’s here.” Now time had to move forward. He unfolded his tall body from behind the wheel of the sports car and got out.
Will appeared in the barn doorway. He paused for an instant, silhouetted against the light. Despite everything, Scott felt a rush of want for that lean, wiry, perfect piece of cowboy. It’d been far too long. But he suppressed the thought as Will hurried toward him, his expression anxious.
“Casey’s fine,” he said, before Will could even ask.
“Then what are you doing here so early?”
“Casey asked me to come. To tell you…” He swallowed, but there was really no good way. “Graham and Annmarie were killed a little while ago in a car crash.”
Will froze, standing so still Scott wasn’t sure he was even breathing. Then he slowly swallowed, licked his lips, and said, “That’s not possible.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“No, you don’t understand. They’ll be back in a couple of hours. They’re out to dinner. It’s their anniversary. They should be back soon.”
“Will.” Scott’s chest ached in sympathy.
“We’re just finishing chores. Annmarie will want to see Thunder’s hoof before I turn him out for the night. They’ll be here soon.” Will turned, peering down the driveway as if he could make the old couple’s truck appear by the force of his stare.
“I’m so sorry,” Scott repeated. He really wanted to reach out and touch Will, but not here, where at any moment one of the men might appear. “Casey will come as soon as he can.”
Will shook his head. “No.”
“What can I do? Tell me what to do.”
Will pulled out his phone, fumbling, dialing with shaking fingers. “Casey? Scott just pulled up at the ranch spouting this crazy piece of nonsense…” He froze, listening. “No. Oh God, no.” Then after a pause, “How? Was it… fast?”
Scott stood there feeling useless, as Will pressed the phone to his ear. All Scott could make out was the bass rumble of Casey’s voice. Then Will held the phone out to him. “He wants to talk to you.” He walked off, away from the barn, and leaned on the paddock fence staring into the darkness.
Scott kept his eyes on Will’s back as he answered, “Yeah, Case?”
“How’s Will? How are you?”
“I’m good, he’s… shaken.”
“No shit. Listen, you did good. You’re there and you told him, straight out.”
“He didn’t believe me. He called you.” Scott hadn’t realized how much that had hurt until he said it. He worked his ass off to be an equal partner to the two older men, and now when something important happened, Will had immediately turned to Casey for confirmation. Like Scott didn’t know what he was talking about.
“I’m a cop, and I’m the one who was on the scene. He needed to hear it again. If I’d phoned him, likely he wouldn’t have wanted to believe me at first either. Now hang up and take care of him.”
“When will you get here?”
“A couple of hours yet. You guys hang tough.”
“Right.”
Scott tapped off the phone and walked toward Will, making enough noise that Will would hear him coming. Will didn’t move as Scott came up beside him. Scott offered back the phone. “Casey says two hours yet.”
Will didn’t look at him. “Okay.”
When Will didn’t reach for the phone, Scott slipped it into Will’s jacket pocket, taking the chance to give Will’s arm a squeeze. “We’ll both wait.”
There was a long silence. Scott shivered as the late fall breeze found its way down his collar, chilling his back. A cloud crossed the moon, darkening the barnyard to shadows. Behind them, there was a yelp of laughter, and something thumped lightly.
“How do I tell them?” Will’s voice came disembodied in the sudden darkness. “Graham and Annmarie were special to everyone. And this is their home too, all those hands. How do I tell them they’re gone, that it’s all gone?”...
Read the rest of Scott, Casey's and Will's story in Changes Coming Down ebook, and soon available in paperback as well.
November 28, 2019
Black Friday Author Chat
If you're on Facebook, Rainbow Gold Reviews is having a 15-hour Black Friday of chat with many of your favorite authors. Join in to talk to over 50 authors, and maybe win some books. I'm on at 10 am Central time. I hope to see you there.
https://www.facebook.com/events/41377...
November 15, 2019
Transgender guys in M/M
I blogged briefly on Love Bytes Reviews about how much I appreciate seeing trans guys in more M/M romances.http://lovebytesreviews.com/2019/11/1...
Also for anyone waiting for me to get my newsletter up and running, Mail Chimp and I are battling that one out. Hopefully coming soon. And Changes Coming Down looks on track for a Dec 1 release, with the sequel coming out in Feb-March if all goes well.
October 10, 2019
Cover Reveal - Changes Coming Down
(with thanks to cover artist Karrie Jax for another great one.)Changes Coming Down - Changes Book 1
For three gay men in love, opening the closet door could be a risky move.
Sheriff Casey Barlow has a slick, media-savvy challenger out to beat him in the upcoming election. Casey's damned good at his job, but he hasn't kissed the right asses, and early polls suggest voters like his opponent's style. Coming out now, let alone revealing his relationship with two men, could sink any hope of keeping his badge.
Scott Edison has a real shot at the NHL. He's playing the best hockey of his life. Whenever he can, he travels home to his gruff sheriff and their laid-back cowboy, but there are no out gay players in the NHL. As a rookie working his ass off to be called up, he can't afford to make waves.
Will Rice always figured he'd live alone, managing Graham and Annmarie Slaters' cattle ranch, but a hot, young hockey player and a compact, muscled lawman rearranged his plans. Even though he's older and lanky and ordinary, he's been sharing their lives and their beds. He doesn't need to be out— isn't sure he ever wants the Slaters to know about him. Life's good the way things are.
Then Graham and Annmarie are killed in a hit and run that may not be an accident. As Will grieves, and Casey investigates, the coming changes will shake all their lives.
** this is a re-edit and expansion of the free story in "Hunting Under Covers" ; I hope to release it in a month or so, with Book 2 release planned for early 2020.
September 16, 2019
When Love is Bittersweet
I blogged on Love Bytes Reviews about books that are romance-focused but with non-traditional endings. http://lovebytesreviews.com/2019/09/1...
September 5, 2019
Diverse Reader spotlights GRL authors
I have an author spotlight on Diverse Reader - where Meredith King describes GRL and is opening the blog to all the authors who will be at GayRomLit in October this year. Check out the recent older posts in the series for several of those authors and their books.
My spotlight : https://diversereader.blogspot.com/20...
My spotlight : https://diversereader.blogspot.com/20...
