Elisa Rolle's Blog, page 118
November 17, 2021
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Winter Masquerade
Winter Masquerade by Kevin Klehr
This is a well written story that is very metaphysical and cleverly done. It has a strong wonderland vibe, and I liked how Ferris’ dream journey mirrored his reality as he worked through his issues. I appreciated the style and art of the story.
https://amzn.to/3HqFgeV
comments
This is a well written story that is very metaphysical and cleverly done. It has a strong wonderland vibe, and I liked how Ferris’ dream journey mirrored his reality as he worked through his issues. I appreciated the style and art of the story.
https://amzn.to/3HqFgeV
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Master of Hounds (Master of Hounds #1)
Master of Hounds (Master of Hounds #1) by R.A. Steffan
I really enjoyed this high-fantasy story about an older military man, Caius, who finds himself watching as his emperor slides into senility, while three legitimate heirs, none worthy of the role, maneuver to take his place. Caius saves an innocent victim from the second son, the most crafty and sadistic of the three. He has no regrets, but he also didn't count on developing feelings for the rescued young man. And now someone wants one, or both, of them dead, as tensions rise in the capitol city. Great characters, solid world-building, an underlying mystery, and engaging narration kept me reading quickly. The ending is indeterminate, so I was very glad to have book 2 to jump right into.
https://amzn.to/3DwEScs
comments
I really enjoyed this high-fantasy story about an older military man, Caius, who finds himself watching as his emperor slides into senility, while three legitimate heirs, none worthy of the role, maneuver to take his place. Caius saves an innocent victim from the second son, the most crafty and sadistic of the three. He has no regrets, but he also didn't count on developing feelings for the rescued young man. And now someone wants one, or both, of them dead, as tensions rise in the capitol city. Great characters, solid world-building, an underlying mystery, and engaging narration kept me reading quickly. The ending is indeterminate, so I was very glad to have book 2 to jump right into.
https://amzn.to/3DwEScs
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Fine Mess (Brimstone #7)
A Fine Mess (Brimstone #7) by Angel Martinez
I loved the mix of humour and seriousness in this story. The world building is fabulous and detailed, and the characters all feel very real, and quirky. I enjoyed the relationships and strong found family vibe, and the twists in the plot. There’s a lot going on, yet this was a fast read as once I started I didn’t want to put it down. Although I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, but now want to, I didn’t have any problems following.
https://amzn.to/3CpHZRK
comments
I loved the mix of humour and seriousness in this story. The world building is fabulous and detailed, and the characters all feel very real, and quirky. I enjoyed the relationships and strong found family vibe, and the twists in the plot. There’s a lot going on, yet this was a fast read as once I started I didn’t want to put it down. Although I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, but now want to, I didn’t have any problems following.
https://amzn.to/3CpHZRK
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Fine Mess (Brimstone #7)
A Fine Mess (Brimstone #7) by Angel Martinez
I loved the mix of humour and seriousness in this story. The world building is fabulous and detailed, and the characters all feel very real, and quirky. I enjoyed the relationships and strong found family vibe, and the twists in the plot. There’s a lot going on, yet this was a fast read as once I started I didn’t want to put it down. Although I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, but now want to, I didn’t have any problems following.
https://amzn.to/3CpHZRK
comments
I loved the mix of humour and seriousness in this story. The world building is fabulous and detailed, and the characters all feel very real, and quirky. I enjoyed the relationships and strong found family vibe, and the twists in the plot. There’s a lot going on, yet this was a fast read as once I started I didn’t want to put it down. Although I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, but now want to, I didn’t have any problems following.
https://amzn.to/3CpHZRK
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1)
King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1) by Ariana Nash
Wow. This is a new author to me, and I’ll be buying the rest of the series as I need to know what happens next. The story and characters pulled me in and kept me hooked until the end. I didn’t see the character twist coming, especially about a character I got very invested in. I thought this was a well written, wonderfully executed, dark fantasy. I need to check out the other series by this author now too.
https://amzn.to/3CjmJNP
comments
Wow. This is a new author to me, and I’ll be buying the rest of the series as I need to know what happens next. The story and characters pulled me in and kept me hooked until the end. I didn’t see the character twist coming, especially about a character I got very invested in. I thought this was a well written, wonderfully executed, dark fantasy. I need to check out the other series by this author now too.
https://amzn.to/3CjmJNP
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1)
King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1) by Ariana Nash
Wow. This is a new author to me, and I’ll be buying the rest of the series as I need to know what happens next. The story and characters pulled me in and kept me hooked until the end. I didn’t see the character twist coming, especially about a character I got very invested in. I thought this was a well written, wonderfully executed, dark fantasy. I need to check out the other series by this author now too.
https://amzn.to/3CjmJNP
comments
Wow. This is a new author to me, and I’ll be buying the rest of the series as I need to know what happens next. The story and characters pulled me in and kept me hooked until the end. I didn’t see the character twist coming, especially about a character I got very invested in. I thought this was a well written, wonderfully executed, dark fantasy. I need to check out the other series by this author now too.
https://amzn.to/3CjmJNP
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Walls Between Hearts
The Walls Between Hearts (A Las Palmas Fencing Club Story) by L.A. Witt
Loved the approach to an older/mature couple and all the baggage and life experiences that come with that. I was intrigued and eager to read this one, which surprised me as at first glance this wasn’t necessarily my kind of read.
https://amzn.to/3Hsl1NH
comments
Loved the approach to an older/mature couple and all the baggage and life experiences that come with that. I was intrigued and eager to read this one, which surprised me as at first glance this wasn’t necessarily my kind of read.
https://amzn.to/3Hsl1NH
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Walls Between Hearts
The Walls Between Hearts (A Las Palmas Fencing Club Story) by L.A. Witt
Loved the approach to an older/mature couple and all the baggage and life experiences that come with that. I was intrigued and eager to read this one, which surprised me as at first glance this wasn’t necessarily my kind of read.
https://amzn.to/3Hsl1NH
comments
Loved the approach to an older/mature couple and all the baggage and life experiences that come with that. I was intrigued and eager to read this one, which surprised me as at first glance this wasn’t necessarily my kind of read.
https://amzn.to/3Hsl1NH
comments
November 16, 2021
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Complete Dragon Mistress Collection
The Complete Dragon Mistress Collection (Eburosi Chronicles Bundles) by R.A. Steffan
As a whole, the series shines. Great fun. Great characters. Great sex. And dragons. The large cast of characters occasionally overwhelms, but the story is never dull and ends satisfyingly.
https://amzn.to/3ChKg1r
comments
As a whole, the series shines. Great fun. Great characters. Great sex. And dragons. The large cast of characters occasionally overwhelms, but the story is never dull and ends satisfyingly.
https://amzn.to/3ChKg1r
comments
2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Splinters of the heart
Splinters of the heart by Alyssa Rabil
Twenty-one year-old Aaron needs money, so he goes for gay-for-pay, Dom-sub porn. The scene goes horribly awry, but he is rescued by ex-doctor, current-savior Silas. In fact, these two keep saving each other, time and again, from bad guys and bad situations. This is a dark romance, but the romance is not all there is to this story, which made this hard to pin down as a genre. The writing is pretty damn good, not gonna lie. The dialogue especially is where this shines. Everything sounds like something real people could say. The traumas are handled well and are believable, even if the plot is at times a tad melodramatic. The way Aaron often mentions he and Silas are standing side by side at a precipice, at any moment about to plunge to their deaths, shows the inner workings of these two broken people. At first the edge refers to death, later changes to mean love and freedom, trust and hope, basically living again. The author did a great job conveying the subtle shift from darker themes to brighter ones. This is reflected in their sex scenes which are so tender and sweet and patient that they legit had me tearing up. Overall, though the story took me for a spin of uncertainty many times in the beginning, this was definitely worth the read. Traditional romance story this is not, and at times this reads more like a crime thriller. But at heart it's about the healing power of love, trust, and hope. Still, no easy fixes here, as Aaron continues going to therapy even after he falls in love because love can fix many things but not everything. The underlying current of hope made me finish this with a happy grin.
https://amzn.to/3wNWJJ2
comments
Twenty-one year-old Aaron needs money, so he goes for gay-for-pay, Dom-sub porn. The scene goes horribly awry, but he is rescued by ex-doctor, current-savior Silas. In fact, these two keep saving each other, time and again, from bad guys and bad situations. This is a dark romance, but the romance is not all there is to this story, which made this hard to pin down as a genre. The writing is pretty damn good, not gonna lie. The dialogue especially is where this shines. Everything sounds like something real people could say. The traumas are handled well and are believable, even if the plot is at times a tad melodramatic. The way Aaron often mentions he and Silas are standing side by side at a precipice, at any moment about to plunge to their deaths, shows the inner workings of these two broken people. At first the edge refers to death, later changes to mean love and freedom, trust and hope, basically living again. The author did a great job conveying the subtle shift from darker themes to brighter ones. This is reflected in their sex scenes which are so tender and sweet and patient that they legit had me tearing up. Overall, though the story took me for a spin of uncertainty many times in the beginning, this was definitely worth the read. Traditional romance story this is not, and at times this reads more like a crime thriller. But at heart it's about the healing power of love, trust, and hope. Still, no easy fixes here, as Aaron continues going to therapy even after he falls in love because love can fix many things but not everything. The underlying current of hope made me finish this with a happy grin.
https://amzn.to/3wNWJJ2
comments
