Elisa Rolle's Blog, page 265

George Henry Boker (October 6, 1823 - January 2, 1890)

George Henry Boker was an American poet, playwright, and diplomat.
Born: October 6, 1823, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: January 2, 1890, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Education: Princeton University
People also search for: Thomas Buchanan Read, Henry Taylor, Sculley Bradley
Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA, Plot: Section A, Lot 91

Bayard Taylor was an American poet, literary critic, translator, and travel author. Taylor had a close relationship with poet/diplomat George Henry Boker, founder of Nassau Monthly. Taylor was famous for his books about the Gold Rush in California, including Eldorado and California Life. He also wrote about passionate relationships between men, including Twin Love and the poem To a Persian Boy. Joseph and His Friend is considered the first American novel to deal with gay feelings. It recounts an intimate friendship between two men and is believed to be inspired by the poets Fitz-Greene Halleck and Joseph Rodman Drake, who died in young age: during a train ride Joseph Asten's eyes settle on a stranger, passenger Philip Held. Feeling his stare, Philip looks back. “[t]he usual reply to such a gaze is an unconscious defiance…but the look which seems to answer, 'We are men, let us know each other!' is, alas! Too rare in this world.” In time, yielding to “manly love...as tender and true as the love of woman,” they kiss. Yet, Joseph finds a potential bride, leaving Philip “vicariously happy, warmed in [his] lonely sphere by the far radiation of [Joseph's] nuptial bliss.”
They met in 1848, friends until Bayard Taylor’s death in 1878: 30 years
Bayard Taylor (January 11, 1825 – December 19, 1878)
George Henry Boker (October 6, 1823 - January 2, 1890)



Days of Love edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
ISBN-10: 1500563323
Release Date: September 21, 2014
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?...
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?...

At Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19132) is buried George Henry Boker (1823-1890), American poet, playwright, and diplomat. Bayard Taylor and Richard Henry Stoddard would be long-lasting friends. Also buried here is Anna Lukens (1844-1917), graduated from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, in 1870. A member of the class attending clinics in the Pennsylvania Hospital, November, 1869, when the students from the Woman's Medical College were hissed by the male members of the clinic. Miss Lukens and a Miss Brumall led the line of women students who passed out of the hospital grounds amid the jeers and insults of the male students, who even threw stones and mud at them, but these brave women were not discouraged by such conduct and might be considered to have blazed the way for other women who today enjoy the privilege.



Queer Places, Vol. 1 edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1532901904
ISBN-10: 1532901909
Release Date: July 24, 2016
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/6228297
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532901909/?...
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1BU9K/?...

comments

Edwin D. Peacock (January 2, 1910 – August 23, 1989)

Lived: Greenwood Plantation, GA 84, Thomasville, GA 31792, USA
The Book Basement, 9 College Way, Charleston
Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Thomasville, Thomas County, Georgia, USA

Edwin Tralona Davis married Martha Tallulah Jones, daughter of Thomas Jones and his wife Lavinia Young. They had two daughters, Martha Davis (b. 28 Feb. 1867), who married Edmund Dutcher on 28 Aug. 1902, and Marion Davis (b. 26 Sep 1873), who married J. W. Peacock on 12 Sep. 1893, 8 children, one of whom was Edwin Peacock.
Address: GA 84, Thomasville, GA 31792, USA (30.85423, -84.01696)
Type: Private Property
National Register of Historic Places: 76000650, 1976
Place
Greenwood Plantation is a plantation in the Red Hills Region of southern Georgia, just west of Thomasville. The original Greek Revival mansion on the property was designed by British architect John Wind and built about 1838 for Thomas and Lavinia Jones. The house was completed in 1844, and the Jones family occupied the plantation until it was sold in 1889 to S.R. Van Duzer of New York. Van Duzer later sold the home Col. Oliver Hazard Payne, who bequeathed the home in 1916 to his nephew, the millionaire and horse racing enthusiast Payne Whitney. After Payne's death, Greenwood was inherited in 1944 by his son Jock Whitney, who was responsible for arranging the financing for the movie version of “Gone with the Wind,” which premiered in Atlanta in December 1939, with Jock Whitney in attendance. The plantation reportedly served as "a model of southern elegance for the movie." In 1899, Payne engaged noted architect Stanford White of the firm McKim, Mead & White to add two small, symmetric side wings and additional living and kitchen space in the rear of the main house. In 1942, Jock married Betsey Cushing, former wife of James Roosevelt. The Whitneys, who also owned a number of other homes in New York and England, regularly visited Greenwood as their winter home, often bringing their thoroughbred race horses with them. Jock served as the American ambassador to the Court of St. James's from 1957 to 1961 under President Dwight Eisenhower, who while a visitor at Greenwood enjoyed quail and turkey hunting. Many other famous friends of the Whitneys stayed at Greenwood over the years, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Fred Astaire. In February 1964, shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, his widow Jackie spent several weeks at the plantation as a guest of the Whitneys, who provided her a much-needed refuge from media attention. Mrs. Kennedy's visit again in 1967 provided some fodder for the tabloids of the day as Lord Harlech, the ambassador to the US from the Court of St. James's, was also a guest during her stay. The main house was renovated and restored in 1965, and redecorated by society decorator Sister Parish in 1993; but just when the redecoration had been completed, a fire broke out, gutting the interior but leaving the external walls intact. Jock died in 1982, and his widow in 1998; upon her death, she left the plantation to the family's Greentree Foundation, who maintained the property according to a conservation plan created by her and expert consultants. In 2013, the foundation offered the plantation for sale. The plantation includes 5,200 acres of forest used for quail hunting with 1,000 acres of old-growth longleaf pines, some up to 500 years old.
Life
Who: Edwin D. “Eager Wings” Peacock (January 2, 1910 – August 23, 1989) and John Asbury Zeigler, Jr (February 5, 1912 – October 2, 2015)
Edwin Peacock and John Zeigler, Jr. were together for 50 years. Edwin was born in Thomasville, Georgia in 1910; John was born in Manning, South Carolina two years later. “Edwin and John: A Personal History of the American South” is a Southern love story set against the backdrop of WWII and the post-war South, where they opened a bookshop in what was then the small town of Charleston. How these two men forged a relationship that endured the conflicts of war and emotion, openly shared their lives, and dealt with tragedy and death is Edwin and John's story. This is also a tale of two boys growing up gay in the South during an era in which "gay" was simply an ordinary word and discussion of any type of sexuality was, at the very least, impolite. Edwin was raised in a large family. His father was a druggist, and his mother, born on her family's ante-bellum Greenwood Plantation, had moved to Thomasville at the turn of the century. While Edwin had few sexual experiences growing up, he knew his attractions were to men. He enjoyed the friendship of women, telling stories and pulling harmless pranks. His greatest childhood love, though, was botany. After graduating from high school and a couple of years working in his father's drugstore, the twenty-something Edwin moved to Columbus, Georgia for work in the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was there he met Carson Smith, an adolescent pianist who had suffered from rheumatic fever. The two formed a lifelong friendship as Edwin encouraged her writing interest. Carson would later fictionalize Edwin as the homosexual deaf-mute, John Singer, in her first novel, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” John's family moved from town to town before settling in Florence, South Carolina when he was five years old. His father also had been a druggist but soon began a newspaper, in which he editorialized against the Klan and venal Southern politicians. Although less outgoing than Edwin, John found more opportunities for same-sex relationships, including a lad who became his lifelong friend. John moved to Charleston to enter The Citadel in 1928, where he fell in love with poetry and with his second-year roommate. Edwin died in 1989 and is buried alongside his parents at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Thomasville. John died in 2015 and his body was donated to medical science, to The Medical University of South Carolina.



Queer Places, Vol. 1 edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1532901904
ISBN-10: 1532901909
Release Date: July 24, 2016
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/6228297
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532901909/?...
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1BU9K/?...

The ground floor of 9 College Way, owned by relatives of John Zeigler, housed The Book Basement, the leading independent bookstore in the city of Charleston for decades; it was where most College of Charleston library books were purchased. It was owned and run by Edwin Peacock (1910-1989) and John Zeigler, (born 1912) one of the city’s most prominent gay couples. Not only was it a meeting place for various civil rights groups, but gay people visiting and passing through Charleston, including the likes of children’s author Maurice Sendak and Harlem Renaissance poet and writer Langston Hughes, stopped here and became friends of the owners. Edwin Peacock introduced bisexual southern writer Carson Smith (1917-1967) to her eventual husband Reeves McCullers. Carson McCullers is remembered today for “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” “The Member of the Wedding” and other works. Peacock was a good friend to her for her entire life, and some believe that Peacock, hard of hearing and universally pleasant to all, may have been an inspiration for John Singer, the central mute character in “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” Peacock and Zeigler opened their bookstore on Carson’s birthday in 1946 and she was a frequent guest here. This might be the only site in Charleston mentioning a gay couple. Although their names are linked only as business partners, their names are together on the plaque in front of the building. Their relationship is detailed in Zeigler’s’ cycle of memorial poems, “The Edwin Poems” and in his autobiography, “Edwin and John: A Personal History of the American South.” A drawing of the building by gay artist Prentiss Taylor was often used on postcards advertising events at the store. Of further gay interest is the fact that John Zeigler appears renamed as “Nicky” in the book “Jeb and Dash: A Gay Life, 1918-1945” published from the diaries of Carter Bealer, edited by his niece Ina Russell.



Queer Places, Vol. 1 edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1532901904
ISBN-10: 1532901909
Release Date: July 24, 2016
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/6228297
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532901909/?...
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1BU9K/?...

comments

Bob Ashe (born January 2, 1954)

Married: June 13, 2014

Mark Merlis is an American writer, author of the novels American Studies and An Arrow’s Flight. His new novel JD is coming soon from the University of Wisconsin Press. His work has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Ferro-Grumley Award for distinction in gay writing. Bob Ashe retired as an executive of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, part of Johnson & Johnson. They live in Philadelphia, where they were married on June 13, 2014. “We met in Leon’s, a dive bar in Baltimore, in 1982. Each of us was cruising someone else; each of us struck out; it was last call. We saw each other and thought, ‘This will do for one night.’ We’ve been together ever since.”
Together since 1982: 32 years.
Bob Ashe (born January 2, 1954)
Mark Merlis (born March 9, 1950)
Married: June 13, 2014



Days of Love edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
ISBN-10: 1500563323
Release Date: September 21, 2014
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?...
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?...


comments

Antonio “Tony” Lujan (January 2, 1879 – January 27, 1963)

Buried: Taos Pueblo Cemetery, Taos Pueblo, Taos County, New Mexico, USA

Mabel Dodge Luhan was a wealthy American patron of the arts. She was actively bisexual during her early life and frankly detailed her passionate physical encounters with young women in her autobiography Intimate Memories (1933). Her first marriage was to Karl Evans, the son of a steamship owner in 1900. Karl died in a hunting accident leaving her a widow at the age of 23. Later she married Edwin Dodge, a wealthy architect. The Dodges lived in Florence from 1905 to 1912. At her palatial Medici villa—the Villa Curonia in Arcetri, not far from Florence—she entertained local artists, as well as Gertrude Stein, her brother Leo, Alice B. Toklas, and other visitors from Paris, including André Gide. In mid-1912, the Dodges returned to America, and she began to set herself up as a patron of the arts, holding a weekly salon in her new apartment at 23 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. Often in attendance were such luminaries as Carl Van Vechten, Margarett Sargent, Emma Goldman, Charles Demuth, "Big Bill" Haywood, Max Eastman, Lincoln Steffens, Hutchins Hapgood, Neith Boyce, Walter Lippmann, and John “Jack” Reed (who became her lover). In 1916, Dodge married Maurice Sterne. In 1919 Dodge, her husband, and Elsie Clews Parsons moved to Taos, New Mexico, and started a literary colony there. In 1923, after divorcing Sterne, she married Tony Luhan, a Native American. The couple lived together until Mabel died, a year before Tony did.
Together from 1923 to 1962: 39 years
Mabel Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan née Ganson (February 26, 1879 – August 13, 1962)
Tony Luhan (died in 1963)



Days of Love edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
ISBN-10: 1500563323
Release Date: September 21, 2014
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?...
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?...

Mabel Dodge Luhan House, also known as Big House and St. Teresa House, is a house in Taos, New Mexico. It was a home of artist Mabel Dodge Luhan and was a haven for artists and writers.
Address: 240 Morada Ln, Taos, NM 87571, USA (36.40837, -105.56653)
Type: Guest facility (open to public)
Phone: +1 575-751-9686
National Register of Historic Places: 78001832, 1978. Also National Historic Landmarks.
Place
The house is "one of the earliest examples of Pueblo Revival style in Taos." It is located on Luhan Lane, off Morada Lane, in Taos. It is now used as a hotel and conference center.
Life
Who: Mabel Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan, née Ganson (February 26, 1879 – August 13, 1962)
Mabel Dodge Luhan was a wealthy patron of the arts. She is particularly associated with the Taos art colony. Her first marriage, in 1900 at the age of 21, was to Karl Evans, the son of a steamship owner. They had one son, and Karl died in a hunting accident two and a half years later, leaving her a widow at the age of 23. Her family sent her to Paris because she was having an affair with a prominent Buffalo gynecologist. Later that year she married Edwin Dodge, a wealthy architect. She was actively bisexual during her early life and frankly details her passionate physical encounters with young women in her autobiography “Intimate Memories” (1933.) In mid-1912, the Dodges returned to America, and she began to set herself up as a patron of the arts, holding a weekly salon in her new apartment at 23 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. She sailed to Europe at the end of June 1913. Her new acquaintance John Reed (Jack)—worn out from having recently organized the Paterson Pageant—travelled with her. They became lovers after arriving in Paris, where they socialized with Stein and Pablo Picasso. They moved down to the Villa Curonia, where the guests this time included Arthur Rubinstein. They returned to New York in late September 1913. In October 1913 Reed was sent to report on the Mexican Revolution by Metropolitan Magazine. Dodge followed him to Presidio, a border town, but left after a few days. Over 1914–16 a deep and continuing relationship developed between the intelligentsia of Greenwich Village and Provincetown. In 1915 she went to Provincetown with painter Maurice Sterne. She then moved to Finney Farm, a large Croton estate. In 1919 Dodge, her by then husband, Maurice Sterne, and Elsie Clews Parsons moved to Taos, New Mexico, and started a literary colony there. On the advice of Tony Luhan, a Native American whom she would marry in 1923, after divorcing Sterne, she bought a 12-acre (49,000 m2) property. D.H. Lawrence accepted an invitation from her to stay in Taos and he arrived, with Frieda his wife, in early September 1922. Dodge and Luhan hosted a number of influential artists and poets including Marsden Hartley, Arnold Ronnebeck, Louise Emerson Ronnebeck, Ansel Adams, Willa Cather, Robinson Jeffers and his wife Una, Florence McClung, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mary Hunter Austin, Frank Waters, Jaime de Angulo, and others. Dennis Hopper bought the Mabel Dodge Luhan House after seeing it while filming “Easy Rider.” Dodge died at her home in Taos in 1962 and was buried in Kit Carson Cemetery (Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM 87571). Antonio "Tony" Lujan (1879-1963) is buried at Taos Pueblo Cemetery (Taos Pueblo, NM).



Queer Places, Vol. 1 edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1532901904
ISBN-10: 1532901909
Release Date: July 24, 2016
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/6228297
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532901909/?...
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1BU9K/?...

comments

2016 Rainbow Awards

Almost than 420 books, 165 judges, all over the world, and many, many submissions, from indie publishers, from mainstream publishers and self-published authors. And, to me more important of everything, we raised more than 14.000 dollars donated to LGBT charities:

( 14026$ Grand Total )

First of all a big thank to all the judges who helped me to arrive to this result:

( Jury )

And as always a big thank you to the Publishers which allow me and the judges to have all the books for the reading phase:

( Publishers  )

And now what all you are waiting, the 2016 Rainbow Awards. And the Rainbow Awards go to:


"Rainbow Pride Cheesecake" is the official pin-up boy of the Rainbow Awards especially created by Paul Richmond

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Cover
Winners:
1. Broken, Author: Nicola Haken, Artist: Reese Dante
2. Witches of London, Author: Aleksandr Voinov, Artist: Anna Tiferet Sikorska
3. Scardust, Author: Suzanne van Rooyen, Artist: Louisa Maggio
Runners Up:
4. Under a Sky of Ash, Author: Brandon Witt, Artist: Anne Cain
Full Domain, Author: Kindle Alexander, Artist: Reese Dante
5. Mirror’s Gaze, Author: Rae D. Magdon, Artist: Rachel George
6. The Mystery of Nevermore, Author: C.S. Poe, Artist: Reese Dante
7. Starless Night, Author: Rae D. Magdon & Michelle Magly, Artist: Rachel George
8. Captive, Author: Jex Lane, Artist: Jay Aheer
9. What Remains, Author: Garrett Leigh, Artist: Garrett Leigh/L.C. Chase
10. A Mended Man, Author: Jaime Reese, Artist: Reese Dante

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Fantasy
Winners:
1. The Beast That Never Was by Caren J. Werlinger - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy
2. The Mirror’s Gaze (Amendyr Series #4) by Rae D. Magdon - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy
3. The Broken Coil (The Glass Pantheon #1) by Sy Itha - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Bisexual Fiction
Winners:
1. Enemies of the State by Tal Bauer - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Romantic Suspence
2. For the Clan by Archer Kay Leah - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
3. Midnight at the Orpheus by Alyssa Linn Palmer - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Historical

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Romantic Comedy & Suspence
Winners:
1. Love Bites by Lila Bruce - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Romantic Comedy
2. Love's Redemption by Donna K. Ford - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Romantic Suspence
3. The Wrong Kind of Woman by Voss Porter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Romantic Comedy

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best LGBT Non Fiction & Poetry (The Dirk Vanden Award)
Winners:
1. What Does "Queer" Mean Anyway: The Quick and Dirty Guide to LGBTQIA+ Vocabulary by Chris Bartlett - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Non Fiction
2. The Short and Long Of It: Expand, Adapt, and Publish Your Short Fiction by Paul Alan Fahey - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Non Fiction
3. Archer's Omnibus of Oddities, Mischievous Exploits & Sundry Tales of Insubordination: A Queer Collection of Essays by Jesse Archer - Gender: Gay - Genre: Non Fiction

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best LGBT Alternative Universe/Reality
Winners:
1. Risk (Dark Light #2) by Dusk Peterson - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Alternative Universe/Reality
2. The Servant Duchess Of Whitcomb (Scandalous Whispers Of the Remmington Realm #2) by Vicktor Alexander - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Alternative Universe/Reality
3. Staged by Kim Fielding - Gender: Gay - Genre: Alternative Universe/Reality

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Fantasy Romance
Winners:
1. Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory by Barbara Ann Wright - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance
2. Beauty and Cruelty by Meredith Katz - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance
3. Glove of Satin, Glove of Bone by Rachel White - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Sci-fi / Futuristic
Winners:
1. Starless Nights (Dark Horizons #2) by Rae D. Magdon & Michelle Magly - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
2. Paladins of the Storm Lord by Barbara Ann Wright - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
3. A Quantum Convergence (Nexus Trilogy #1) by C.A. Farlow - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Fantasy
Winners:
1. Tournament of Losers by Megan Derr - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
2. Malachite by Kirby Crow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
3. The Necromancer's Dance and The Necromancer's Dilemma (2 books as 1 submission) by S.J. Himes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Transgender Romance
Winners:
1. What It Looks Like by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Contemporary Romance
2. The Complete Horse Mistress Collection by R.A. Steffan - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Fantasy Romance
3. The Gift of Gravity by Sage C. Holloway - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Contemporary Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Bisexual Historical & Paranormal Romance
Winners:
1. Knight of Flames (Inheritance #2) by Amelia Faulkner - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance
2. For Never and Always by Ana J. Phoenix - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance
3. Thorns and Fangs by Gillian St. Kevern - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Contemporary General Fiction & Young Adult
Winners:
1. Backcast by Ann McMan - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
2. From Third to Home by Chris Paynter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
3. It Pours by C.D. Cain - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Bisexual Fantasy & Fantasy Romance
Winners:
1. Enchanted Soles by Sasha L. Miller - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Fantasy Romance
2. The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Fantasy Romance
3. Seven Tears at High Tide by CB Lee - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Fantasy

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Historical & Paranormal Romance (The Cate Culpepper Award and The Sandra Moran Award)
Winners:
1. Ex-Wives of Dracula by Georgette Kaplan - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Paranormal Romance
2. The Strange Case of the Big Sur Benefactor by Jess Faraday - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Historical
3. Shaken to the Core by Jae - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Historical Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Transgender Fiction & Biography / Memoir
Winners:
1. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Young Adult
2. Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Biography / Memoir
3. Perihelion by Tami Veldura - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best LGBT Anthology / Collection / Contemporary Romance & Fiction
Winners:
1. Leather Wishes – The Adventures of the Fancy Man by Julian Keys - Gender: Gay - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Contemporary Romance
2. Sweet & Sexy (4 novellas as 1 submission) by Jeff Adams - Gender: Gay - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Contemporary Romance
3. Love Unlocked by Claire Davis and Al Stewart, Victoria Milne, Dawn Sister, J P Walker, Caraway Carter, Ofelia Gränd, Debbie McGowan - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Contemporary Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Historical
Winners:
1. Across Your Dreams by Jay Lewis Taylor - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical
2. Games of Rome (Dominus #2) by J. P. Kenwood - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical
3. Lessons for Sleeping Dogs by Charlie Cochrane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Mystery / Thriller
Winners:
1. Cold to the Touch by Cari Hunter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
2. Death Wears Yellow Garters by Rae D. Magdon - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
3. Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Contemporary General Fiction & Humor
Winners:
1. Two Natures by Jendi Reiter - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
2. King of the Kitchen by Bru Baker - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
3. Deluge by Vincent Meis - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Romantic Comedy
Winners:
1. Winter Ball by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Comedy
2. Loving Djinni by Beryll & Osiris Brackhaus - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Comedy
3. Femme by Marshall Thornton - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Comedy
Groomzilla & Groomzilla Does Vegas by Tere Michaels - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Comedy

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Young Adult
Winners:
1. Foxes by Suki Fleet - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
2. The Italian Word for Kisses by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
3. Private by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Romantic Suspence
Winners:
1. The Edge of Control by Lou Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
2. The Art of Hero Worship by Mia Kerick - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
3. Tackling the Tight End by Tara Lain - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
Runners Up:
4. Time: Wounds All Heal by Princess S.O. - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
5. Broken Soldier by Jamie Lynn Miller - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Bisexual Contemporary Romance & Fiction
Winners:
1. The Worst Bad Thing by J.E. Birk - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
2. What Remains by Garrett Leigh - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. Two Man Advantage, Game Misconduct, Full Strength (3 novellas as 1 submission) by V.L. Locey - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Erotic Romance
Runners Up:
4. Between Ghosts by Garrett Leigh - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
5. The Art House by Scarlett Knight - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Erotic Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Fantasy Romance
Winners:
1. Tempest by Cari Z. - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
2. Ringed Love (Sentries #6) by Elizabeth Noble - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
3. Rag and Bone by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
Runners Up:
4. Beauty, Inc. by Tara Lain - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
5. Ravenhearth by Lotus Oakes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Historical Romance
Winners:
1. Broken Blades by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
2. The Innocent Betrayal by Victoria Sue - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
3. Beloved Unmasked by Brita Addams - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
Runners Up:
4. A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
5. Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
Other Side of the Line by Marguerite Labbe - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Mystery Thriller (The Dorien Grey Award)
Winners:
1. Tracefinder: Contact (Tracefinder #1) by Kaje Harper - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
2. Blow Down by J.L. Merrow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
3. A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy & Shira Anthony - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Runners Up:
4. In Deep by Adam Fitzroy - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
5. It's a Sin by Steve Burford - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Sci-fi / Futuristic
Winners:
1. Insurrection (Interscission Project #3) by Arshad Ahsanuddin - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Scardust by Suzanne van Rooyen - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
2. Makepeace (Taking Shield #3) by Anna Butler - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Where There's A Will by Cari Z. - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
3. Checkmate Ever After by Lex Chase - Gender: Gay - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Sci-Fi / Futuristic
Runners Up:
4. The Avian Emperor by Pelaam - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
5. Risking the Wild Places by Shannon West - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
6. Whipping Boy by Jordan Brewer - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
7. The Forbidden Zone by Victoria Zagar - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
8. Inherent Cost by Alicia Cameron - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
9. In Pain by Caethes Faron - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
10. Cardinal Sins by Lissa Kasey - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Erotic Romance & Erotica (The Bobby Michaels Awards)
Winners:
1. A Kind of Romance by Lane Hayes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
2. Come Back To Me by Edmond Manning - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
3. Better Than Safe by Lane Hayes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
Runners Up:
4. A Kind of Truth by Lane Hayes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
5. Quillon’s Covert by Joseph Lance Tonlet & Louis Stevens - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
6. The Arrangement by Felice Stevens - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
7. The Biggest Lover by R. Jackson - Gender: Gay - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Erotica
Lock and Key by Z. Allora - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
8. Building Bonds + Safe Limits (2 novellas as 1 submission) by Morticia Knight - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
9. Second to None by Felice Stevens - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
10. Kestrel's Talon (The Stonewatchers #1) by Bey Deckard - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
Not Just Another Pretty Face by Louis Flint Ceci - Gender: Gay - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Erotica

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Contemporary & Erotic Romance
Winners:
1. Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
2. A Kiss Before Dawn by Laurie Salzler - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. Just Physical by Jae - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Embracing the Dawn by Jeannie Levig - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Runners Up:
4. Heartwood by Catherine Lane - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
5. Slow Burn in Tuscany by Giselle Fox - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
A Touch of Temptation by Julie Blair - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Erotic Romance
6. Deal-Breaker by Siri Caldwell - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
7. Built to Last by Aurora Rey - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
8. Nothing To Lose by Clare Lydon - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
9. Capturing Forever by Erin Dutton - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Whirlwind Romance by Kris Bryant - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
10. Stuck Landing by Lauren Gallagher - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Paranormal Romance
Winners:
1. Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
2. A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
3. Some Assembly Required by Bru Baker and Lex Chase - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
Runners Up:
4. The Tenth Muse by Belinda McBride - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
How to Walk like a Man by Eli Easton - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
5. Witches of London: Lars by Aleksandr Voinov - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
6. Devil's Gamble by Tess Barnett - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
7. Supernatural Consultant, Vol 1 by Mell Eight - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
8. Priddy's Tale by Harper Fox - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
Truth and Consequences by Sarah Madison - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
9. Candy Land by Lissa Kasey - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
Love is for the Living by Nicholas Kinsley - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
10. Dragon Dreams & Fairy Wings by Bailey Bradford - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Contemporary Romance (The William Neale Award)
Winners:
1. A Second Harvest by Eli Easton - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
2. The Heart As He Hears It by A.M. Arthur - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. Once Upon A Haunted Moor, Tinsel Fish, Don’t Let Go, Kitto, Guardians Of The Haunted Moor, Third Solstice (The Tyack & Frayne Mystery Series, 6 novellas as 1 submission) by Harper Fox - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Runners Up:
4. Selfie by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
A Fortunate Blizzard by L.C. Chase - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Lord of a Thousand Steps by Tara Lain - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
5. The World As He Sees It by A.M. Arthur - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
’Til Death Do Us Part by Addison Albright - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Lollipop by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Strong Medicine by J.K. Hogan - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
6. Under the Knife by Laurin Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
7. Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
8. Come What May by A.M. Arthur - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
9. Under a Sky of Ash by Brandon Witt - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tumbled by E.E. Grey - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Unquiet by Melanie Hansen - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
10. Moment of Silence by Karen Stivali - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Farm Fresh by Posy Roberts - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
11. Love Can't Conquer by Kim Fielding - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
12. Small Steps by Chris McHart - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
13. Wyatt’s Recipes for Wooing Rock Stars by Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Fool's Gold by Sarah Madison - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
14. Rain Shadow by L.A. Witt - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
15. Red Envelope & Herc and Pyotr (two novellas as 1 submission) by Atom Yang - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Restitution: A Love Story by Aubrey Cullens - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Prince of the Playhouse by Tara Lain - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
16. Falling by Sierra Riley - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Island Doctor by Sue Brown - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
17. Snakes Among Sweet Flowers by Jason Huffman-Black - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
18. Someday by Sierra Riley - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Penalty Shot (Hat Trick #3) by Jeff Adams - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Unguarded by Lou Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
19. Nobody’s Son by Shae Connor - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
20. Hawaiian Orchid by Meg Amor - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Indigo Road by R.J. Jones - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Delicious by Sierra Riley - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Debut Asexual Book
Winners:
1. Alexey Dyed in Red by A.M. Valenza - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Fantasy
2. To Terminator, With Love by Wes Kennedy - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
3. We Go Forward by Alison Evans - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Debut Bisexual, Transgender and LGBT Book
Winners:
1. What Does "Queer" Mean Anyway: The Quick and Dirty Guide to LGBTQIA+ Vocabulary by Chris Bartlett - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Non Fiction
2. Perihelion by Tami Veldura - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
3. Paralian: Not Just Transgender by Liam Klenk - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Biography / Memoir

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Debut Lesbian Book
Winners:
1. Beauty and Cruelty by Meredith Katz - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance
2. Slow Burn in Tuscany by Giselle Fox - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. A Quantum Convergence (Nexus Trilogy #1) by C.A. Farlow - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Runners Up:
4. Hurricane Season by B.J. Phillips - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
5. Winter's Harbor by Aurora Rey - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Love on The Red Rocks by Lisa Moreau - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
The Broken Coil (The Glass Pantheon #1) by Sy Itha - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Debut Gay Book
Winners:
1. The Edge of Control by Lou Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
2. Under the Knife by Laurin Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. It's a Sin by Steve Burford - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Runners Up:
4. Two Natures by Jendi Reiter - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
5. Small Steps by Chris McHart - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best LGBT Book
Winners:
1. What Does "Queer" Mean Anyway: The Quick and Dirty Guide to LGBTQIA+ Vocabulary by Chris Bartlett - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Non Fiction
2. The Short and Long Of It: Expand, Adapt, and Publish Your Short Fiction by Paul Alan Fahey - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Non Fiction
3. Risk (Dark Light #2) by Dusk Peterson - Gender: LGBT - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Alternative Universe/Reality

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Asexual Book
Winners:
1. For Promise Yet Unbroken by Tygati - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Fantasy Romance
2. Alexey Dyed in Red by A.M. Valenza - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Fantasy
3. To Terminator, With Love by Wes Kennedy - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Transgender Book
Winners:
1. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Young Adult
2. Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Biography / Memoir
3. Perihelion by Tami Veldura - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Runners Up:
4. Transformed: San Francisco by Suzanne Falter & Jack Harvey - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Humor
5. Spy Stuff by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Young Adult
What It Looks Like by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Contemporary Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Bisexual Book
Winners:
1. Enchanted Soles by Sasha L. Miller - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Fantasy Romance
2. The Worst Bad Thing by J.E. Birk - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. Knight of Flames (Inheritance #2) by Amelia Faulkner - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance
Runners Up:
4. For Never and Always by Ana J. Phoenix - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance
5. What Remains by Garrett Leigh - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
6. Enemies of the State by Tal Bauer - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Romantic Suspence
7. The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Fantasy Romance
8. For the Clan by Archer Kay Leah - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Two Man Advantage, Game Misconduct, Full Strength (3 novellas as 1 submission) by V.L. Locey - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Erotic Romance
9. Between Ghosts by Garrett Leigh - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
10. The Art House by Scarlett Knight - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Erotic Romance
Thorns and Fangs by Gillian St. Kevern - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Book
Winners:
1. Backcast by Ann McMan - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
2. Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. Cold to the Touch by Cari Hunter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Runners Up:
4. From Third to Home by Chris Paynter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
5. Death Wears Yellow Garters by Rae D. Magdon - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
6. The Beast That Never Was by Caren J. Werlinger - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy
7. Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory by Barbara Ann Wright - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance
Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
8. A Kiss Before Dawn by Laurie Salzler - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
9. It Pours by C.D. Cain - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
10. Cast Me Gently by Caren J. Werlinger - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
Just Physical by Jae - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Embracing the Dawn by Jeannie Levig - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
11. Love Bites by Lila Bruce - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Romantic Comedy
12. Going Coastal by Jane DiLucchio - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
The Songbird Thief by Skye Allen - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Young Adult
13. Heartwood by Catherine Lane - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
14. Ex-Wives of Dracula by Georgette Kaplan - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Paranormal Romance
15. The XYZ Mysteries by Iza Moreau - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Beauty and Cruelty by Meredith Katz - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance
16. Slow Burn in Tuscany by Giselle Fox - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
A Touch of Temptation by Julie Blair - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Erotic Romance
17. Deal-Breaker by Siri Caldwell - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
18. Starless Nights (Dark Horizons #2) by Rae D. Magdon & Michelle Magly - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
19. The Dance by Suzie Carr - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
20. Paladins of the Storm Lord by Barbara Ann Wright - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
The Mirror’s Gaze (Amendyr Series #4) by Rae D. Magdon - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Book
Winners:
1. Broken Blades by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
2. Tracefinder: Contact (Tracefinder #1) by Kaje Harper - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
3. Tournament of Losers by Megan Derr - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
The Innocent Betrayal by Victoria Sue - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
Runners Up:
4. A Second Harvest by Eli Easton - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Across Your Dreams by Jay Lewis Taylor - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical
5. Beloved Unmasked by Brita Addams - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
Blow Down by J.L. Merrow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
The Edge of Control by Lou Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
6. A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
7. A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
Malachite by Kirby Crow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
Other Side of the Line by Marguerite Labbe - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
8. The Heart As He Hears It by A.M. Arthur - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
9. Insurrection (Interscission Project #3) by Arshad Ahsanuddin - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Scardust by Suzanne van Rooyen - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
10. Foxes by Suki Fleet - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
11. Some Assembly Required by Bru Baker and Lex Chase - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
Unnatural by Joanna Chambers - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
A Kind of Romance by Lane Hayes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
12. A Gentleman's Position by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
The Innocent Auction by Victoria Sue - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
13. The Italian Word for Kisses by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
14. A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy & Shira Anthony - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
The Tenth Muse by Belinda McBride - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
How to Walk like a Man by Eli Easton - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
15. To Love a Traitor by J.L. Merrow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
16. Tempest by Cari Z. - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
Come Back To Me by Edmond Manning - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
Once Upon A Haunted Moor, Tinsel Fish, Don’t Let Go, Kitto, Guardians Of The Haunted Moor, Third Solstice (The Tyack & Frayne Mystery Series, 6 novellas as 1 submission) by Harper Fox - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
17. Private by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
The Necromancer's Dance and The Necromancer's Dilemma (2 books as 1 submission) by S.J. Himes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
18. Witches of London: Lars by Aleksandr Voinov - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
Winter Ball by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Comedy
Selfie by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
A Fortunate Blizzard by L.C. Chase - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Better Than Safe by Lane Hayes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
Lord of a Thousand Steps by Tara Lain - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
19. The World As He Sees It by A.M. Arthur - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
In Deep by Adam Fitzroy - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
’Til Death Do Us Part by Addison Albright - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Lollipop by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Makepeace (Taking Shield #3) by Anna Butler - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Where There's A Will by Cari Z. - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Ringed Love (Sentries #6) by Elizabeth Noble - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
Strong Medicine by J.K. Hogan - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
The Art of Hero Worship by Mia Kerick - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
20. Resistance by Amy Rae Durreson - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
Rag and Bone by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
Sire by Kate Pavelle - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
Under the Knife by Laurin Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Yesterday by Mickie B. Ashling - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
Devil's Gamble by Tess Barnett - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance



"Air de Capri" is a 1923 painting by Gerda Wegener, with Gerda herself and her husband, transgender male to female, Lili Elbe


comments

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Book

And the Rainbow Award goes to:

1. Broken Blades by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
Paperback: 312 pages
Publication Date: February 15, 2016
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1523448040
ISBN-13: 978-1523448043
Amazon: Broken Blades
Amazon Kindle: Broken Blades

1) A strong book set at a time that to me is still more the dominion of history lessons and horror and those childhood stories that my grandparents never, ever tell. So not exactly a time that lends itself to romance, and I admit I was sceptical when I first picked this book up. Happily my scepticism was misguided. Instead of the wartime romance I was half-dreading, this book is the story of two men struggling to stay human in an increasingly inhuman world; remembering that the enemy soldier is a human being, too, is just one part of it. Very well done. But then, everything about this book is well done: The plot is solid and gripping and although it jumps ahead in time twice, it doesn’t seem episodic; the characters are all complex and layered, even the secondary characters – even the obligatory super-Nazi was interesting from a meta perspective! – and the protagonists have a depth that is sometimes more hinted at than revealed fully; the setting was evocative and done right – at least, this German reader was very pleased to come across genuine German names as well as properly spelled and grammatically correct German sentences; the writing, finally, flowed smoothly, at a good pace, and managed to keep me up way past my bedtime because I simply could. Not. Stop. Reading. Last but not least, I quite enjoyed seeing the Germans from the American character’s perspective, all those little comments and observations on manners and language, and I couldn’t help grinning at the bit where Mark wonders at Armin’s mood because from his tone of voice he can’t tell whether Armin is annoyed or not, what with German sounding the same all the damn time. :-)

2) Writing as you wish it do be when you look for this kind of reading; well-developed characters; perfect research; and some very little flaws are covered by a gripping story, although dark, mesmerizing.

3) One of the most touching, heartbreaking beautiful story I ever read. Set in a German POW camp at the end of WWII, it is not a easy reading, the covered topics certainly leave its marks on the reader. But you won’t be able to put it down, you need to know how the main characters get to their well deserved happy ending. Be ready to cry, a lot, be ready to get angry, to feel relieved. The authors managed to engage the readers describing the environment and every action with such powerful attention to detail that you can almost see yourself there. There must have been a lot of reserch behind it, a very good job. A book to read at least once in a lifetime.

4) This book wasn’t at all what I was expecting. The setting is about as dramatic as it gets, but the story itself, the development of the romance and the tightly-written scenes between Armin and Mark are surprisingly easy to read. It was so engaging I couldn't put it down.

5) Full marks from me on this excellent story of two men who meet at the 1936 Olympics, have one night of passion and eight years later are reunited during World War II. Armin is the POW camp Commandant where Mark, an American airman is brought when his plane crashes. The men at first are wary of one another, but as time passes the attraction they felt eight years earlier is rekindled and their purpose becomes to save each other's lives, as the Allies close in on a defeated Germany. Couldn't put this down until I had read and savored every word. Without a doubt my favorite book of this year.

2. Tracefinder: Contact (Tracefinder #1) by Kaje Harper - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
3. Tournament of Losers by Megan Derr - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
(tie) The Innocent Betrayal by Victoria Sue - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance



Runners Up:
4. A Second Harvest by Eli Easton - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) Across Your Dreams by Jay Lewis Taylor - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical
5. Beloved Unmasked by Brita Addams - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
(tie) Blow Down by J.L. Merrow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
(tie) Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
(tie) The Edge of Control by Lou Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
6. A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
7. A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
(tie) Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
(tie) Malachite by Kirby Crow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
(tie) Other Side of the Line by Marguerite Labbe - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
8. The Heart As He Hears It by A.M. Arthur - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
9. Insurrection (Interscission Project #3) by Arshad Ahsanuddin - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
(tie) Scardust by Suzanne van Rooyen - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
10. Foxes by Suki Fleet - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
11. Some Assembly Required by Bru Baker and Lex Chase - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
(tie) Unnatural by Joanna Chambers - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
(tie) A Kind of Romance by Lane Hayes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
12. A Gentleman's Position by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
(tie) The Innocent Auction by Victoria Sue - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
13. The Italian Word for Kisses by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
14. A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy & Shira Anthony - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
(tie) The Tenth Muse by Belinda McBride - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
(tie) How to Walk like a Man by Eli Easton - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
15. To Love a Traitor by J.L. Merrow - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
16. Tempest by Cari Z. - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
(tie) Come Back To Me by Edmond Manning - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
(tie) Once Upon A Haunted Moor, Tinsel Fish, Don’t Let Go, Kitto, Guardians Of The Haunted Moor, Third Solstice (The Tyack & Frayne Mystery Series, 6 novellas as 1 submission) by Harper Fox - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
17. Private by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
(tie) The Necromancer's Dance and The Necromancer's Dilemma (2 books as 1 submission) by S.J. Himes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
18. Witches of London: Lars by Aleksandr Voinov - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance
(tie) Winter Ball by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Comedy
(tie) Selfie by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) A Fortunate Blizzard by L.C. Chase - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) Better Than Safe by Lane Hayes - Gender: Gay - Genre: Erotic Romance
(tie) Lord of a Thousand Steps by Tara Lain - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
19. The World As He Sees It by A.M. Arthur - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) In Deep by Adam Fitzroy - Gender: Gay - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
(tie) ’Til Death Do Us Part by Addison Albright - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) Lollipop by Amy Lane - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) Makepeace (Taking Shield #3) by Anna Butler - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
(tie) Where There's A Will by Cari Z. - Gender: Gay - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
(tie) Ringed Love (Sentries #6) by Elizabeth Noble - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
(tie) Strong Medicine by J.K. Hogan - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) The Art of Hero Worship by Mia Kerick - Gender: Gay - Genre: Romantic Suspence
20. Resistance by Amy Rae Durreson - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy
(tie) Rag and Bone by K.J. Charles - Gender: Gay - Genre: Fantasy Romance
(tie) Sire by Kate Pavelle - Gender: Gay - Genre: Young Adult
(tie) Under the Knife by Laurin Kelly - Gender: Gay - Genre: Contemporary Romance
(tie) Yesterday by Mickie B. Ashling - Gender: Gay - Genre: Historical Romance
(tie) Devil's Gamble by Tess Barnett - Gender: Gay - Genre: Paranormal Romance



comments

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Lesbian Book

And the Rainbow Award goes to:

1. Backcast by Ann McMan - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bywater Books (December 8, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1612940633
ISBN-13: 978-1612940632
Amazon: Backcast
Amazon Kindle: Backcast

1) Ann's books are always pretty good. As usual, the storyline was great and the scenes flowed effortlessly. I found myself engrossed in the characters and enjoyed myself immensely.

2) I enjoyed this book by Ann McMan. I had to read it 2 times through as I found a lot going on and ALOT of characters.

3) Backcast is a masterpiece of plot weaving and thematic diversity. There are colorful, relatable and three-dimensional characters, and the author has a rare and refreshingly approachable writing style that makes this book so readable. I dare anyone not to shed a tear or two at “essays” 7, 10 and 12.

4) This imaginative author gives us a multi-dimensional story with interesting characters and a relatable story line all wrapped in a unique writing style. Highly recommended.

2. Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. Cold to the Touch by Cari Hunter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller



Runners Up:
4. From Third to Home by Chris Paynter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
5. Death Wears Yellow Garters by Rae D. Magdon - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
6. The Beast That Never Was by Caren J. Werlinger - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy
7. Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory by Barbara Ann Wright - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance
Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
8. A Kiss Before Dawn by Laurie Salzler - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
9. It Pours by C.D. Cain - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
10. Cast Me Gently by Caren J. Werlinger - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
Just Physical by Jae - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
Embracing the Dawn by Jeannie Levig - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
11. Love Bites by Lila Bruce - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Romantic Comedy
12. Going Coastal by Jane DiLucchio - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
The Songbird Thief by Skye Allen - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Young Adult
13. Heartwood by Catherine Lane - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
14. Ex-Wives of Dracula by Georgette Kaplan - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Paranormal Romance
15. The XYZ Mysteries by Iza Moreau - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Beauty and Cruelty by Meredith Katz - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy Romance
16. Slow Burn in Tuscany by Giselle Fox - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
A Touch of Temptation by Julie Blair - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Erotic Romance
17. Deal-Breaker by Siri Caldwell - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary Romance
18. Starless Nights (Dark Horizons #2) by Rae D. Magdon & Michelle Magly - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
19. The Dance by Suzie Carr - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Contemporary General Fiction
20. Paladins of the Storm Lord by Barbara Ann Wright - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
The Mirror’s Gaze (Amendyr Series #4) by Rae D. Magdon - Gender: Lesbian - Genre: Fantasy



comments

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Bisexual Book

And the Rainbow Award goes to:

1. Enchanted Soles by Sasha L. Miller - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Anthology / Collection / Fantasy Romance
Paperback: 330 pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press (June 1, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1620047969
ISBN-13: 978-1620047965
Amazon: Enchanted Soles
Amazon Kindle: Enchanted Soles

1) Overall, this imaginative collection of short stories was a joy to read, hosting some wonderfully unique characters and creative plots, all of which were very well written. Three Nights was a full story for such a short tale that had me completely absorbed from start to finish. Beautifully written. Dame Fortune was entertaining and the author showed a wonderful imagination, Aelfwear was charming and entertaining, Into the Hollowed Veil was uniquely creative and emotionally evocative. I may have shed a tear or two over that one.

2) Sometimes these are hard to judge as I have to do the whole book and not just an individual story… So, in saying that I found some stories better than others but they each had something about them that appealed to the readers.

3) This anthology touches on many aspects of queer identity from bisexuality to trans identity to asexuality and beyond. It's refreshing in that respect and more so in its inclusion of fantasy and fairy tales from sources outside just European culture. There's a touch of science fantasy too, a little something for everyone, and I don't mean that in the very limited and privileged context in which it's usually used. Well written and edited with just a few minor errors, this is an anthology worth exploring.

4) Each story's plot isn't something that's particularly new, but the little details and changes that the authors of these stories made are what makes them really special. The plots are straightforward, but the twists make the stories. They're quick, fun reads that are really enjoyable. Good show! Each story had its own feel and voice. I really appreciate how much work the authors put into these and how much care the editor used to curate them. They're all a nice little taste of something, and the variety is amazing. Characters seem to have their own unique voices. At no time did any two characters feel like they were just a mask over a similar voice. They each had motivations and quirks that made them stand apart on their own. Excellent job overall. Good writing overall. Clear, a little slow in pacing, but just enough slowness to make things enjoyable. Strongly Recommend for an Award.

2. The Worst Bad Thing by J.E. Birk - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
3. Knight of Flames (Inheritance #2) by Amelia Faulkner - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance



Runners Up:
4. For Never and Always by Ana J. Phoenix - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance
5. What Remains by Garrett Leigh - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
6. Enemies of the State by Tal Bauer - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Romantic Suspence
7. The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Fantasy Romance
8. For the Clan by Archer Kay Leah - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic
Two Man Advantage, Game Misconduct, Full Strength (3 novellas as 1 submission) by V.L. Locey - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Erotic Romance
9. Between Ghosts by Garrett Leigh - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Contemporary Romance
10. The Art House by Scarlett Knight - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Erotic Romance
Thorns and Fangs by Gillian St. Kevern - Gender: Bisexual - Genre: Paranormal Romance



comments

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Transgender Book

And the Rainbow Award goes to:

1. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Young Adult
Age Range: 10 and up
Grade Level: 5 and up
Lexile Measure: 0680
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (May 3, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553536745
ISBN-13: 978-0553536744
Amazon: Lily and Dunkin
Amazon Kindle: Lily and Dunkin

1) I know 40 is the highest score but this is the only book I've read out of all the years reading for the Rainbow Awards that I thought was perfect. Well written, entertaining, thought provoking, challenging....the whole thing was just really well done.

2) This story has a complex realistic plot with a good balance of challenges for each of the two characters. It also offers a vivid hot, humid Florida setting though I would have liked more of a sense of which city/town was featured and a sense of its location and size. I liked the three-dimensional characters, especially Dunkin's Jewish background, his complicated mental issues, and his conflicted urges to ingratiate himself with the popular crowd versus being an outcast with Lily. This absorbing story is told in a smooth, professional writing style with deft handling of a tricky narrative centering on alternating first-person viewpoints.

3) Funny and insightful, peopled with two very engaging main characters, reading this well-written novel was a delight.

2. Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Biography / Memoir
3. Perihelion by Tami Veldura - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic



Runners Up:
4. Transformed: San Francisco by Suzanne Falter & Jack Harvey - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Humor
5. Spy Stuff by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Young Adult
What It Looks Like by Matthew J. Metzger - Gender: Transgender - Genre: Contemporary Romance



comments

2016 Rainbow Awards: Best Asexual Book

And the Rainbow Award goes to:

1. For Promise Yet Unbroken by Tygati - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Fantasy Romance
Series: No Man's Land
Paperback: 284 pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press (October 21, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1620046792
ISBN-13: 978-1620046791
Amazon: For Promise Yet Unbroken (No Man's Land #2)
Amazon Kindle: For Promise Yet Unbroken (No Man's Land #2)

1) This book was gorgeous, entertaining and threw enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes.

2) A thoroughly satisfying, sweet, funny, exciting Western-Sci-Fi romp of a novel, with quiet undertones of coming-of-age, discovering who you are and finding your place. Lovely, and I for one will definitely look for more of this author to come.

3) I enjoyed getting to know Jeremy as the man he grew into. He isn’t the bratty trouble-maker anymore. I also enjoyed getting to see him grow into his role as a rider. While there are some inevitable parallels between his relationship with Sapphire and the one between Charlie and Zorevan from Darkness, their story and relationship are all their own.

2. Alexey Dyed in Red by A.M. Valenza - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Fantasy
3. To Terminator, With Love by Wes Kennedy - Gender: Asexual - Genre: Sci-fi / Futuristic




comments