And the Rainbow Award goes to:
1) Robin Summers - After the Fall
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books; 1 edition (July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602822344
ISBN-13: 978-1602822344
Amazon:
After the Fall WOW! This book is really good! I could not for the life of me turn my computer off and walk away from it! The storyline was believable enough to make one wonder what could happen if.... Believable enough to make you a little afraid of the future but, at the same time it gives you enough hope to think that one can survive. Very well written and easy to read. --Mitzie
When the world ends, what’s left to care about? Taylor Stone is no hero. She has three simple rules for life after the plague: Keep moving. Keep to yourself. Don’t get involved. The plague took a particular joy in killing the women of the world, making it that much harder for the few who survived. The only thing that matters since she escaped from a small farm outside of Pittsburgh is the truth waiting at the end of her journey home. The rest of the world, or what’s left of it, can go straight to Hell as far as she’s concerned. When a group of survivors offers her food and shelter, she is more than happy to spend a few days, take what she needs, and get out, like she always does. But in a place called Burninghead Farm, despite all her rules and plans, Taylor finds a group of people who have more to offer than the basics of survival. Most of all, there is Kate, a woman who makes Taylor realize love is still alive and makes her dream of a future she thought was no longer possible. If only Taylor can find the courage to fight for it. It turns out that the end of the world isn’t about the end of the world at all, but about what happens after.
2-tie) Colette Moody - Parties in Congress
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (February 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602822026
ISBN-13: 978-1602822023
Amazon:
Parties in Congress I would likely never have picked the story up on my own, but wowza, am I ever glad it got assigned to me, because otherwise I’d have missed out on a brilliant, humorously written piece of fiction. This story is a gem well worth reading. I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever been disheartened by the political system here in the US, anyone who has struggled with an improper attraction, anyone with a heart and a brain. Bravo Ms. Moody, bravo. You’ve made a fan out of me. I can't think of a single flaw in the writing of that story. I really believe the story to be one of the best written pieces of fiction it's been my pleasure to read for quite some time. --Cherie
Nicely paced story with good supporting cast. Loved the humor throughout the story. --Tammy
This story was really enjoyable; the story drew the relationship growth between Bijul & Colleen. It may not have been hot & heavy but it showed that sometimes relationships are more than just the sex. I liked the fact that there was diversity in races with the characters. Also the humour was pretty cool as was the sarcastic banter between Bijal & Colleen when the first meet. To be honest I didn’t think I would enjoy it but I am so glad that I read it; it was a real surprise. --Norma
They say politics makes strange bedfellows... Elated to secure her first paid political staff position, Bijal Rao is eager to focus her efforts on the election of her candidate to U.S. Congress. However, Bijal's first unforeseen obstacle is her profound and unexpected attraction to their opponent-incumbent Congresswoman Colleen O'Bannon¬-who is outspoken, charismatic, and openly lesbian. An even greater hurdle is the subterfuge and pretense that pervades the climate in Washington, D.C., where small missteps are readily painted as major gaffes, and lies are explained away as "in the public's best interest." During the heated campaign, both Bijal and Colleen struggle not to cross the lines of propriety-and perhaps more importantly, their party lines.
Q. Kelly - Strange Bedfellows
Paperback: 242 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (September 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1466304812
ISBN-13: 978-1466304819
Amazon:
Strange Bedfellows I've read books that are so good that I just can't put them down until I finish them. I've also read books that have been very difficult to get through because they are terrible. This book was different. I wanted the story to go on forever and found myself putting it down just so that I could come back to it later! It's kind of difficult to explain but it was so well written, and the characters were so realistic, I just wanted to have it to come back to again and again. Great read! --Mitzie
Loved the characters, loved the story! --Tammy
What happens when the queen of the ex-gay movement decides to come out of the closet? The person who helps Frances Dourne with this enormous task is a call girl Frances hires. A call girl with a secret of her own. Can they learn to trust each other enough to find the love they seek in each other's arms? Frances is grappling with something else, too. Her daughter, Marissa, has been gone 11 years. She was kidnapped by her father on her third birthday. Frances hopes her coming out will also ease the way for Marissa's return.
3) Karis Walsh - Harmony
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (August 16, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602822379
ISBN-13: 978-1602822375
Amazon:
Harmony Loved the storyline. I could not put this book down! --Mitzie
Sometimes conformity and control are only shields, and all it takes is the right woman to shatter the illusions forever. Andrea Taylor craves peace in her life, no matter what the personal sacrifice. She arranges her career as a violist, her relationships with family and friends, and even her love life so she can avoid strife at all costs. Everything is going according to plan until she meets Brooke Stanton the night before Brooke’s wedding rehearsal and her ordered existence falls apart. When Brooke hires a string quartet to play at her rehearsal dinner, she doesn’t expect to meet a woman who threatens the security of her already predetermined future. Suddenly she has doubts about the conventional path she has chosen and desires she can no longer ignore. In an eclectic neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, these two women face a life-altering decision-will they fight the attraction that threatens their carefully structured lives or take a chance on finding the harmony only love creates?
Honourable Mention:
5) Lisa Girolami - Jane Doe
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822174/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 I very much enjoyed reading this book. Lisa Girolami is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers. --Mitzie
6) Bobbi Marolt - Loving Liz
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822107/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 I love Marolt's writing style, and how she gets you into the head of her characters. --Tammy
7) Lesley Davis - Playing Passion’s Game
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822239/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 This story just completely sucked me in... I am not a gamer and have no interest in gaming but Lesley Davis’ Playing Passion’s Game... really did have me enthralled. I started out just to read the first 50 pages and the next thing I knew I was at the end of the book. In my opinion for a book to suck me in like that it has to be good. --Norma
8) Radclyffe - Firestorm
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822328/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 Firefighter paramedic Mallory "Ice" James commands a crew of smokejumpers-twenty women and men who eat together, sleep together, and parachute into the face of raging forest fires together. Discipline and teamwork mean the difference between life and death on the line, and she's earned her reputation as cool and controlled in the face of danger..
9-tie) Rachel Spangler - The Long Way Home
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/160282178X/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 This was a different type of story, and I found it refreshing. The main character was really well written - I found it easy to connect to the struggle in her decisions. --Jorgi-Anne
D.L. Line - Head Trip
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602821879/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 I found this story very difficult to get into at first, it took me three goes to get through it... but once I did get past the hurdle the story got really interesting and sucked me in. --Norma