Elisa Rolle's Blog, page 180

The History of Rainbow Awards: 2010

2010 Rainbow Awards: 221 books, 160 judges

Winners:
LGBT Cover: The Lost Library - Cover Art by Mel Odom
Amazon: The Lost Library

Gay Young Adult/Coming of Age: Summer Song by Louise Blaydon
Amazon: Summer Song by Louise Blaydon

Bisexual / Transgender Contemporary: She's My Dad by Iolanthe Woulff
Amazon: She's My Dad by Iolanthe Woulff

Gay Contemporary: Tales My Body Told Me by Wayne Courtois
Amazon: Tales My Body Told Me by Wayne Courtois

Lesbian Contemporary: 1049 Club by Kim Pritekel
Amazon: 1049 Club by Kim Pritekel

Gay Erotica Contemporary: Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan
Amazon: Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan

Gay Contemporary Romance: More by Sloan Parker
Amazon: More by Sloan Parker

LGBT Fantasy: Diana Comet and Other Improbable Tales by Sandra McDonald
Amazon: Diana Comet and Other Improbable Tales by Sandra McDonald

Gay Fantasy: Hero by Heidi Cullinan
Amazon: Hero by Heidi Cullinan
Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan
Amazon: Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan  

LGBT Historical: The Seduction of Moxie by Colette Moody
Amazon: The Seduction of Moxie by Colette Moody  

Gay Historical: The Lonely War by Alan Chin
Amazon: The Lonely War by Alan Chin  

Gay Mystery / Thriller: The Riddle of the Sands by Geoffrey Knight
Amazon: The Riddle of the Sands by Geoffrey Knight  

Lesbian Mystery / Thriller: The Seeker by Ronica Black
Amazon: The Seeker by Ronica Black  

Gay Paranormal / Horror: Last Chance by Viki Lyn
Amazon: Last Chance by Viki Lyn  

Lesbian Paranormal / Horror: Everafter by Nell Stark & Trinity Tam
Amazon: Everafter by Nell Stark & Trinity Tam  

Gay Sci-fi / Futuristic: Light of the Body by Mark Alders
Amazon: Light of the Body by Mark Alders  

LGBT Non Fiction: The Golden Age of Gay Fiction by Drewey Wayne Gunn
Amazon: The Golden Age of Gay Fiction by Drewey Wayne Gunn  

Best Setting Development: The Lonely War by Alan Chin
Amazon: The Lonely War by Alan Chin  

Best Characters Development: The Lonely War by Alan Chin
Amazon: The Lonely War by Alan Chin
The Seduction of Moxie by Colette Moody
Amazon: The Seduction of Moxie by Colette Moody

Best Writing Style: Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan
Amazon: Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan
The Seeker by Ronica Black
Amazon: The Seeker by Ronica Black
Fever by V.K. Powell
Amazon: Fever by V.K. Powell

Best Bisexual / Transgender Novel: Diana Comet and Other Improbable Tales by Sandra McDonald
Amazon: Diana Comet and Other Improbable Tales by Sandra McDonald

Best Gay Novel: The Lonely War by Alan Chin
Amazon: The Lonely War by Alan Chin  
Best Lesbian Novel: The Seduction of Moxie by Colette Moody
Amazon: The Seduction of Moxie by Colette Moody

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The History of Rainbow Awards: 2009

2009 Rainbow Awards: 108 books, 64 judges

Winners:
LGBT Cover: Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price - Cover Art by Kanaxa
Amazon: Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price

LGBT Young Adult/Coming of Age: Josef Jaeger by Jere' M. Fishback
Amazon: Josef Jaeger by Jere' M. Fishback

LGBT Contemporary: Collision Course by K.A. Mitchell
Amazon: Collision Course by K.A. Mitchell

LGBT Fantasy: Out of Position by Kyell Gold
Amazon: Out of Position by Kyell Gold

LGBT Futuristic: A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day
Amazon: A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day

LGBT Historical: Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen
Amazon: Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen

LGBT Mystery / Thriller: L.A. Heat by P.A. Brown
Amazon: L.A. Heat by P.A. Brown

LGBT Paranormal / Horror: Conflict in Blood by Ariel Tachna
Amazon: Conflict in Blood by Ariel Tachna

LGBT Non Fiction: The First Risk by Charles Jensen
Amazon: The First Risk by Charles Jensen

Best Setting Development: False Colors by Alex Beecroft
Amazon: False Colors by Alex Beecroft

Best Characters Development: A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day
Amazon: A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day

Best Writing Style: A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day
Amazon: A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day

Best Bisexual / Transgender Novel: Holy Communion by Mykola Dementiuk
Amazon: Holy Communion by Mykola Dementiuk

Best Gay Novel: Out of Position by Kyell Gold
Amazon: Out of Position by Kyell Gold
Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen
Amazon: Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen

Best Lesbian Novel: Barking at the Moon by Nene Adams
Amazon: Barking at the Moon by Nene Adams

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2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Parker Williams Runner

1) This was a great story about Matt, and Charlie. Matt has a difficult time adjusting to life based on a traumatic event from childhood which causes him to isolate himself from others, including family. Charlie is the mysterious runner who appears one day in Matt’s life. They each have issues and have flaws. Matt Bowers’s life ended at sixteen, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For ten years he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road. He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence—But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos and he must make the hardest decision of his life This is a great story of love with a character struggling though mental disorder.
2) This story sucked me in from the very beginning. If I had any complaints at all—I wished it had have been longer. I know it’ll be a story I’ll read more than once and be a story I buy for my kindle.

Parker Williams Runner
Gay - Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (July 28, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1635338107
ISBN-13: 978-1635338102
Amazon: Parker Williams Runner

Matt Bowers’s life ended at sixteen, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For ten years he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road. 

He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence— 

But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos and he must make the hardest decision of his life.

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2017 Rainbow Awards Submission: Lillian Francis Renaissance (Village Love 2)

Lillian Francis Renaissance (Village Love 2) 
Gay - Contemporary Romance
File Size: 616 KB
Print Length: 298 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Finally Love Press (April 1, 2017)
Publication Date: April 1, 2017
Amazon: Lillian Francis Renaissance (Village Love 2)

Smudge really needs to get laid, if only to stop himself wondering about the softness of Raleigh’s curls and why he keeps running away.

After his tumultuous teenage years, Smudge has settled into his quiet life in the sleepy English village of Slopy Bottom. He’s his own boss with the time and space to indulge his artistic creativity. And he has friends. He’s happy. Satisfied. Lonely. And the pool of potential soulmates is almost non-existent. His friends, Rick and Mal, flush with their own happy romance, keep trying to set him up with the most incompatible men, and he's never finding true love on Grindr. Hell, he's not even going to manage a hook up based on the kinky messages he’s been getting recently. He'll just have to slake his desire to find his own HEA in the pages of bosom-heaving romance novels.

Raleigh is the darling of Slopy Bottom’s blue rinse brigade: church organist, mobile librarian, and apparently wedded to his trademark cardigans. He seems to be the polar opposite of the artistic Smudge, whose brightly coloured mohawk and piercings should be a red flag to Raleigh. Yet he’s yearning for company too. It’s just that Raleigh has less expectation and definitely less courage to chase after it, for reasons that he keeps very close to his chest. Reasons that don’t stop him from being drawn irresistibly to Smudge.

Smudge is sure that the way Raleigh runs from him whenever he sees him is cruelly deliberate. A reflection on his bad boy looks and his disdain for Raleigh’s precious church. So why can’t he stop thinking about the softness of Raleigh’s curls and his delicate body? Then Raleigh offers an olive branch of sugar and caffeine, Smudge’s favourite combination, starting them on a road to an awkward truce. And when they are conned into working together on a community project at the local hospital, the proximity ignites a spark that can’t be ignored. But navigating the murky waters that could take their relationship beyond tentative friendship all depends on whether Raleigh can release his secret fears – and whether Smudge is the man to share and allay them.

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2017 Rainbow Awards Submission: Parker Williams Runner

Parker Williams Runner
Gay - Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (July 28, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1635338107
ISBN-13: 978-1635338102
Amazon: Parker Williams Runner

Matt Bowers’s life ended at sixteen, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For ten years he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road.

He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence—

But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos and he must make the hardest decision of his life.

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2017 GRL convention... restoring my faith in the LGBT community

So yes, for once I want to write something out of my live and let live policy... but in the end is not so far. And be aware, this is a looong post. Before coming to this year GRL 2017, my 7th (they told me I'm among the more or less 20 people that joined all the GRLs so far), I was of the idea that this one was to be the last one. I did not enjoy much Kansas City, maybe it was me and not the convention, maybe it was the fact it happened few days after I was grilled and served to the social media, with my life questioned and the Rainbow Awards demoted, but yes, that did not pass unnoticed to me, and left scars. So I was not in the better disposition for this year convention. And as soon as I arrived, I read posts about how people were complaining due to the inclusion of erotica, BDSM and other hard core elements in the convention... Now, I'm the first to say BDSM is not my cup of tea, that I do not read erotica cause, I already skip the sex scenes from my romance books, if I read an erotica, it would be basically skipping half if not more of the book, but hey guys and girls, do you know the concept of "inclusion"? is a very nice concept, and if you grilled me since I was not including the Asexual in an LGBT award (that now is actually LGBTA), more or less the same people should not complain if erotica or BDSM or pornography is included as well. Inclusion is not written with an "except" notice at the end. Inclusion is all or nothing. And now I want to tell you my personal experience and the reason why I consider this GRL a nice experience that I will remember fondly. I usually skip the thursday night event, that is usually a naughty party. The first year in New Orleans I spent all the night talking outside in the balcony with someone while inside they told me were happening the most naughy things. This year, from the description of the event, I wasn't expecting anything different, but I happened to be curious since one of the panelists, R.j. Sebastian​, had a connection with a friend of mine, Jesse Archer​, and also since he was in a long-term relationship with his husband, Jake Jaxson​, and having written a book about long-term LGBT couples, of course it was something that picked my interest. Tell you the truth, I did know what Cocky Boys are about (A Thing of Beauty won 2nd place in the Visual Artist category of the Rainbow Awards 3 years ago) but I had never seen one of the movies. Read above, I skip the sex scenes in the books, can you imagine that maybe I'm not really interested in porn, BUT I do like the aesthetic of nudity if it's well done. So I went, but I told my mom, who was at the GRL with me, better if you stay in the room. And my idea was to just have a feeling of the situation and if I did not like it, to just go back to my room. First surprise: the panel room was nicely set up, with totally innocent pins on the tables (so innocent that my mom used them the day after, and my mom is 75 years old...) and some red and blue decorations, red and blues ballons and just one big poster with the name Cocky Boys and nothing else. Susan Lee​ acted as moderator (very good job) and she first interviewed R.J. and Jake, and it was all about how they met, how they started to do pornography, the quality they wanted to achieve in what they do. The first thing you noticed was how humble they were, not cocky at all, and even a little shy. Then three of their actors joined the panel, and yes, they were all good looking boys, toned and sculpted, maybe yes, they were more cockys, but they talked about their families, their motivations in doing this job, and also how you can meet your love interest while doing it. After the panel the night was to continue with dance and music, but first R.J. Sebastian offered to take pictures with the three boys... poor guys I'm not sure they realized what was expecting them: a huge line of people so long that it took all the time they had, up until 1 am to finish. And I remained until the end since I wanted to see if they really were to take all those pictures (mind you, for free) and yes, they did. It was clear they were tired but no one was rejected and each single photo was staged and time was spent to make the one asking for a photo feeling welcomed. So yes, after a specific treatment I received from part of the "inclusive" LGBT community, it restored a little bit of my faith in the above mentioned community to see that indeed, there are (still) really good people. And maybe, after all, I will check out what these Cocky Boys are about... if I was not a fan/subscriber before, I maybe be today, and I'm sure many other in the panel will do the same.

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2017 Rainbow Awards Submission: K'Anne Meinel Pirated Heart

K'Anne Meinel Pirated Heart
Lesbian - Historical Romance
Series: Pirated
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Shadoe Publishing (May 16, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1546702237
ISBN-13: 978-1546702238
Amazon: K'Anne Meinel Pirated Heart

~A swashbuckling good time~ From China to India to Africa and home to England…Will the love that Bettina Carmichaels shares with her wife, Claire, stand the test of time? Will it even last the second year of marriage? Trading, pirating, sword fights, sea battles, near drownings, and imprisonment…a sailor’s life may not be for all. Come along as Tina, also known as ‘Black Betty,’ and Claire attempt to repair their failing marriage and survive sailing on the high seas…

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2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: K'Anne Meinel Vetted

1) This story was good, I will more than likely look for more from this author.
K'Anne Meinel Vetted
Lesbian - Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 332 pages
Publisher: Shadoe Publishing (August 22, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1975638395
ISBN-13: 978-1975638399
Amazon: K'Anne Meinel Vetted

Allyssa is a young college student living her life to please her upper-crust family who want her to take business courses, join her father’s business, and marry the “right” man. Allyssa loves animals and yearns to take courses that speak to her heart, but her family are deaf to her pleas and she is unable or unwilling to stand up to them. Fiona is an older, more established woman; a veterinarian working towards the goal of starting her own large animal practice. When a young woman arrives on her doorstep one night carrying a dog she may have fatally injured with her car, Fiona is thrown for a loop. Vetted—a life that neither woman anticipated, but each learns they want desperately. Will their families, the fates, and rustlers finally bring these women to their knees? The only way they can survive is to stand strong together, but are they both ready to fight for what they want? Only time will tell….

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2017 Rainbow Awards Submission: K'Anne Meinel Vetted

K'Anne Meinel Vetted
Lesbian - Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 332 pages
Publisher: Shadoe Publishing (August 22, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1975638395
ISBN-13: 978-1975638399
Amazon: K'Anne Meinel Vetted

Allyssa is a young college student living her life to please her upper-crust family who want her to take business courses, join her father’s business, and marry the “right” man. Allyssa loves animals and yearns to take courses that speak to her heart, but her family are deaf to her pleas and she is unable or unwilling to stand up to them. Fiona is an older, more established woman; a veterinarian working towards the goal of starting her own large animal practice. When a young woman arrives on her doorstep one night carrying a dog she may have fatally injured with her car, Fiona is thrown for a loop. Vetted—a life that neither woman anticipated, but each learns they want desperately. Will their families, the fates, and rustlers finally bring these women to their knees? The only way they can survive is to stand strong together, but are they both ready to fight for what they want? Only time will tell….

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2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Leona Windwalker Accused (The Talani Trade Alliance #1)

1) I didn’t think I would like it, but by the time the Sachari element entered the story I was hooked. It ended up being an awesome read.
Leona Windwalker Accused (The Talani Trade Alliance #1)
Transgender - Sci-Fi / Futuristic
Series: The Talani Trade Alliance
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Rune Tree Press; 1st edition (December 22, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1541263995
ISBN-13: 978-1541263994
Amazon: Leona Windwalker Accused (The Talani Trade Alliance #1)

Matthias Reynolds loves his life. He's starting to make it as a graphic artist at last and has a job he really likes at a local café that pays the bills. When a night out clubbing leads to an awkward morning after, he's embarrassed and more than ready to forget all about it. When Talani Enforcers show up at the café, he doesn't know what to make of it all as he's led away in restraints. Standing accused of crimes he struggles to understand, he finds he has an unexpected champion: the Talani warrior and war hero J'nah Quislin. J'nah knows that Matty is his. All J'nah has to do is keep Matty safe from those who engineered Matty's charges and sentencing. That, and get Matty to accept that the universe always intended them to be together as one. All it requires is for Matty to return J'nah's devotion and offer his willing submission. Can Matty do it, with all that it will mean for his future?

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