Elisa Rolle's Blog, page 138

Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Daddies by Kimberly Dark

The Daddies[image error]

"I have never read a book like this. Unique, engaging, innovative. Thorough look at life and an introspective look inside ones self. Will be thinking about this one for a while."

The Daddies is a love letter to masculinity, a kaleidoscope of its pleasures and horrors.

The question "Who's your Daddy?" started showing up in mainstream cultural references during the 1990s. Those words can be spoken as a question, or a challenge, as a flirtation, a joke, or a threat. It's all about inflection, intention, and who's asking. Apparently, we have so much shared cultural meaning about "Daddy" the speakers and listeners can simply intuit meaning and proceed to laugh at the joke, or experience the shame, as appropriate.

But who is Daddy in American culture?

The Daddies aims to find out more than who - but how the process of knowing Daddy can prompt listeners to know themselves and their society. This allegory about patriarchy unfolds as a kinky lesbian Daddy/girl love story. Daddy-ness is situated in all people, after all, and we each share responsibility for creating a fairer world.

The Daddies can be used as a springboard for discussion in courses in sociology, gender and women's studies, cultural studies, sexuality studies, and communication. As a work of fiction, The Daddies can also be enjoyed by general audiences.


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Fractured (Don't... #6) by Jack L. Pyke

Fractured: A Gay Thriller (Don't... Book 6)[image error]

"I was fortunate enough to have read the previous books from this series before reading this one. All I can say is WOW! What a ride! Jack L Pyke has taken me into an emotional roller coaster with each and every single book. But the last one, book 6, topped all the feels, all the emotions, leaving me laughing at some points, crying at others. There are two books that are quite hard to read, including this one. It touches on topics that hit damn hard but instead of reproaching the author, I honestly have to thank her because she had the courage of writing what we know is true while most keep away from it and while painful, it's situations that happen on a daily in our perverted world. One of the things I truly enjoy about a crime story is the fact that the perp is hidden until the very end, while said character is shown and appreciated through the book. This is a big plus for me. Well done, Jack! I have to warn everyone, though. This book is NOT for the faint of heart. If you care for violence, rape, etc. stay away from this series. It'll kick your butt. Everyone else? Read it!"

“Don’t let them leave us behind at the roadside, Jan.” – Jack Harrison.

Both psychopath and sinner, Gray Raoul’s falling deep into dangerous territory with Martin and his own “born this bastard way, baby” innateness. But when Gray’s son, Light, is thrown into Gray’s world on the back of a CS gas terror attack at a rave, life never becomes more… fractured. Under the decaying influence of Martin, Gray’s about to interrogate his son with all the coldness of an MI5 director of counterterrorism edge that’s teetering too close to culler roots.

When Gray’s suicidal fall is played to the full with Martin, leaving Jan facing nothing but himself and the culler in Gray, the ultimate questions are tested to the full:

Standing in the shadow of two psychopaths, two sinners who are locked in death-play, did Jan’s “soft lad” soul really ever have a voice in Gray’s dark world? And just where does this all leave Jack Harrison?


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: House of Bliss by T.T. Thomas

House of Bliss[image error]

"House of Bliss is a beautifully written mystery in a setting so carefully and richly described that I felt like I was there! Highly recommend for anyone who would enjoy a complex relationship set within a complicated mystery, all against the backdrop of an historical era marked by both great scientific change and wealth, and the darkness of poverty and despair. Kudos!!"

House of Bliss: The Intersection of Obsession and True Love.

London, 1905 When ladies of the night begin showing up dead in the dark and bawdy alleys of Covent Garden, the victims are wearing House of Bliss corsets made by Sabrina Blissdon. Now the police want to know how and why Blissdon, the bohemian but successful upmarket corsetière, appears to be dressing the dead.

Sabrina does know a few working women, from a time when she found comfort and solace with a couple of the occupants of a so-called tolerated house of London—boarding houses by day, brothels by night. But she is not eager to recall her youthful lusty pursuits—and dredge up memories of falling in love with Annabel North, a working woman who mysteriously disappeared three years earlier.

All Sabrina wants is to focus on her work and enjoy her current romance—substantial respites from old heartaches…but the dead women wearing House of Bliss corsets and the ghost of love forsaken torment Sabrina’s restless soul. Old questions surface and new ones challenge. Did Annabelle disappear on purpose? Is she dead or alive? Is someone intentionally trying to ruin Sabrina’s reputation, or worse, accuse her of murder?

Sabrina Blissdon is soon tempted into pursuing answers that could clear her name and save lives. What she discovers she may not be ready to accept when the evidence reveals the line between obsession and true love is often invisible to the blind spot in one’s heart.

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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Temple Road (Scarlet and the White Wolf #5) by Kirby Crow

The Temple Road: Book Five of Scarlet and the White Wolf[image error]

"As far as I'm concerned, The Temple Road is essentially perfect. Intrigue, love, lust, war, magic... What more can you ask for? My only complaint is that now I need to find the rest of the series!"

Scarlet and Liall set out with the king’s army on a perilous journey to the frozen heart of Rshan. As Scarlet’s fabled magic begins to change, Liall places their entwined fates into the hands of those who covet magic above all else, but will they save Scarlet or enslave him?


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: For A Glance by Dan Ackerman

For A Glance (The Serpent's Throne Trilogy Book 1)[image error]

"Fresh and original treatment of Satan as a kind of good guy who is thoughtful, discerning and far too philosophically aware of his own fall from grace to be overly arrogant. As Lucifer, he (Satan) is in charge of Hell and, apparently, Purgatory, we see and feel the heat as temptation, cruelty, carnal lust, even a kind of romance, flourish in this busy traffic hub of falls from grace. Lucifer is nothing if not Quality Control Manager of the Underworld, despite his royal status as head devil. Although most arrive because of “getting their just desserts,” a few people arrive accidently—some vague algorithmic error or mathematical discrepancy—and are being punished harshly, through no fault of their own, don’tcha know! Meanwhile, the Angels above couldn’t care less—It’s all so beneath them and they are terribly busy, you see! Still, Lucifer has to sort this out. He has, after all, a sense of fairness and justice, however ironic that may seem. In this m/m retelling of the devil-as-(once-) human mythology, the author creates a Fantasy world of oddities and yet familiarities, paradoxes and conundrums. There are parts of the Nine Circles Of Hell that almost conjure up Paradise…lost or otherwise. The novel is spooky that way, and hugely entertaining. Lucifer wants nothing so much as a boyfriend. Complete with hugs, kisses and…hotness. Amusing, thought provoking and well written. Plus cats and kittens."

This new m/m saga by Dan Ackerman expresses Ackerman's familiar languid sensitivity, sensuality, and charm, featuring Lucifer, who first appeared in What Everyone Deserves (2017 Rainbow Award honorable mention), now in his own novel.

As the king of Hell, Lucifer's role is mainly bureaucratic--sorting souls, managing unruly demons, and dealing with the politics of Heaven. A demon sneaks a human lover into Hell, leaving Lucifer conflicted, and with an opportunity for revenge against his enemies back on Earth.

Meanwhile, at a brothel, Lucifer meets Ira, a lovely gray demon. Starting a romance is difficult with his life in constant turmoil and when there are souls to save that don't want saving. Mundanity and horror mix in a sprawling, alluring hellscape.


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Wilder Girls[image error]

"A most beautiful horror story! The writing is sublime and complex and purposefully precise. The characters—none like them! Comparisons were made to a female Lord of the Flies, but the closer comparison is a Wilkie Collins gothic horror story with overtures of romance, but of the f/f variety. Layered and yet cryptic in places, the book is a wonderful, ugly ride until the end. The abruptness of the ending, while not a true cliffhanger, might merit a couple points penalty in some minds, but the overall opus deserves the highest score. Expect more and fabulous from this debut author!"

A feminist Lord of the Flies about three best friends living in quarantine at their island boarding school, and the lengths they go to uncover the truth of their confinement when one disappears. This fresh, new debut is a mind-bending novel unlike anything you've read before.

It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Odd One Out by Nic Stone

Odd One Out[image error]

"Phenomenal dialog, great character develoment. Good, strong pacing. The only element that cost this book a bit of credability is the slight contrivance of the plot toward end of book, which is clumsy and risks the charge of being biphobic by accident, which it isn’t. Coop and Jupe got right up to the moral choice, the edge of the envelope, and the only one who met the challenge was the one character who was actually true to herself, Rae. Still, the overall book is entertaining and introduces issues that are being dealt with on a daily basis by younger LGBTQI folks. The author has abundant talent and a golden ear for dialog."

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin comes an honest and touching depiction of friendship, first love, and everything in between. Perfect for fans of Love, Simon and What If It's Us.

Courtney Cooper and Jupiter Sanchez (Coop & Jupe!) have been next-door neighbors and best friends since they were seven-years-old. She's his partner-in-crime and other half. But lately, Cooper can't ignore he might want something more than friendship from Jupiter.

When Rae Chin moves to town she can't believe how lucky she is to find Coop and Jupe. Being the new kid is usually synonymous with pariah, but around these two, she finally feels like she belongs. She's so grateful she wants to kiss him...and her.

Jupiter has always liked girls. But when Rae starts dating Cooper, Jupe realizes that the only girl she ever really imagined by his side was her.

One story. Three sides. No easy answers.


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Me Myself & Him by Chris Tebbetts

Me Myself & Him[image error]

"Fresh and creative approach to Coming of Age trope through use of parrallel stories and a Narrator point-of-view that is clever, engaging and very funny. Tebbetts has a laser-sharp ear for realism together with a heart for the sentimental. The author’s craft is well-honed and on top of that, it’s a page-turner!"

Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and A. S. King's Still Life with Tornado, this story of parallel time lines cleverly explores how our choices can change and shape us--as well as the ways in which choices don't change the core of our being at all.

When Chris Schweitzer takes a hit of whippets and passes out face first on the cement, his nose isn't the only thing that changes forever. Instead of staying home with his friends for the last summer after high school, he's shipped off to live with his famous physicist but royal jerk of a father to prove he can "play by the rules" before Dad will pay for college.

Or . . . not.

In an alternate time line, Chris's parents remain blissfully ignorant about the accident, and life at home goes back to normal--until it doesn't. A new spark between his two best (straight) friends quickly turns Chris into a (gay) third wheel, and even worse, the truth about the whippets incident starts to unravel. As his summer explodes into a million messy pieces, Chris wonders how else things might have gone. Is it possible to be jealous of another version of yourself in an alternate reality that doesn't even exist?

With musings on fate, religion, parallel universes, and the best way to eat a cinnamon roll, Me Myself & Him examines how what we consider to be true is really just one part of the much (much) bigger picture.


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Immoral Code by Lillian Clark

Immoral Code[image error]

"This stunning YA debut is the real deal! Authentic voices (and dialog), caper-like excitement, and a real-world heist with overtones of Robin Hood, Oceans Eleven and A Fish Named Wanda. The dialog was so pitch-perfect, so precisely what THEY sound like, that it boggles the mind how this amazing novel is a debut. This writer is already a masterful amalgamation of journeywoman skill, wildly imaginative creativity, and talent."

Ocean's 8 meets The Breakfast Club in this fast-paced, multi-perspective story about five teens determined to hack into one billionaire absentee father's company to steal tuition money.

For Nari, aka Narioka Diane, aka hacker digital alter ego "d0l0s," it's college and then a career at "one of the big ones," like Google or Apple. Keagan, her sweet, sensitive boyfriend, is happy to follow her wherever she may lead. Reese is an ace/aro visual artist with plans to travel the world. Santiago is off to Stanford on a diving scholarship, with very real Olympic hopes. And Bellamy? Physics genius Bellamy is admitted to MIT--but the student loan she'd been counting on is denied when it turns out her estranged father--one Robert Foster--is loaded.
Nari isn't about to let her friend's dreams be squashed by a deadbeat billionaire, so she hatches a plan to steal just enough from Foster to allow Bellamy to achieve her goals. Fast-paced and banter-filled, Lillian Clark's debut is a hilarious and thought-provoking Robin Hood story for the 21st century.


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Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: The Amber Necklace by Alex Pyott

The Amber Necklace[image error]

"Author Alex Pyott weaves a wonderful tapestry reminiscent of Old Norse mythology interspersed with current events and issues, and contemporary romance into a complicated, tight story with interesting characters that are well drawn and well matched to the labyrinth of fantasy and reality that makes this novel a fresh offering of both."

The once acclaimed British photojournalist Jade Platt is struggling with daily routine. She can’t escape nightmares that replay a marketplace bombing in Aleppo. Her past, along with her future, has become lost to her, until she meets the beautiful and eccentric Freya Rykkel, an elusive member of the Norwegian royal family.

As the connection between the Jade and Freya deepens, events that were set in motion a millennium ago begin to unfold. Jade soon discovers there is much more at stake than just her heart.


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