Best Gay Historical
And the Rainbow Award goes to:
1) Jeff Mann - Purgatory (Double
)
Mann does write lovely passages - this sits uneasily when it's torture he's writing about, it feels gratuitous in parts to the point of revelry, and the slow burn and self-discovery is what does work for this story very well. -Michelle
I truly loved every bit of this novel, the whole damn book. Brilliant. -Miria
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Bear Bones Books (March 5, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590213750
ISBN-13: 978-1590213759
Amazon: Purgatory: A Novel of the Civil War
During the Civil War, two young soldiers on opposite sides find themselves drawn together. One is a war-weary but scholarly Southerner who has seen too much bloodshed, especially the tortures inflicted upon the enemy by his vicious commanding officer, his uncle. The other is a Herculean Yankee captured by the rag-tag Confederate band and forced to become a martyr for all the sins of General Sheridan's fires. When these two find themselves admiring more than one another's spirit and demeanor, when passions erupt between captor and captive, will this new romance survive the arduous trek to Purgatory Mountain?
2) Charlie Cochrane - Home Fires Burning
Both stories were well-written and very enjoyable. The author brought two separate historical times to life and intrigued and entertained. I will definitely be looking for more from Charlie Cochrane. -Kathy
Paperback: 198 pages
Publisher: Cheyenne Publishing (September 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 098282677X
ISBN-13: 978-0982826775
Amazon: Home Fires Burning
Two stories, two couples, two eras, timeless emotions. "This Ground Which Was Secured At Great Expense" It is 1914 and The Great War is underway. When the call to arms comes, Nicholas Southwell won't be found hanging back. It's a pity he can't be so decisive when it comes to letting his estate manager Paul Haskell know what he feels before he has to leave for the front line. In the trenches Nicholas meets a fellow officer, Phillip Taylor, who takes him into the unclaimed territory of physical love. Which one will he choose, if he's allowed the choice? "The Case of the Overprotective Ass" Stars of the silver screen Alasdair Hamilton and Toby Bowe are wowing the post WWII audiences with their depictions of Holmes and Watson. When they are asked by a friend to investigate a mysterious disappearance, they jump at the chance-surely detection can't be that hard? But a series of threatening letters-and an unwanted suitor-make real life very different from the movies. Charlie Cochrane, author of the delightful Cambridge Fellows series, brings her familiar romantic, roguish style to the two novellas that together are "Home Fires Burning."
3) KevaD - Whistle Pass
Loved this story! Engaging, well-written, and with fully developed characters I wanted to root for. One of my favorites. -Pamela T.
Paperback: 210 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (February 27, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1613723768
ISBN-13: 978-1613723760
Amazon: Whistle Pass
On the battlefields of WWII Europe, Charlie Harris fell in love, and after the war, Roger marched home without a glance back. Ten years later, Charlie receives a cryptic summons and quickly departs for his former lover's hometown of Whistle Pass. But Roger Black isn't the lover of Charlie's dreams anymore. He's a married, hard-bitten political schemer who wants to secure his future by destroying evidence of his indiscreet past. Open homosexuality is practically a death sentence, and that photo would ruin Roger and all his wife's nefarious plans. Caught up in foggy, tangled events, Charlie turns to hotel manager Gabe Kasper for help, and Gabe is intrigued by the haunted soldier who so desperately desires peace. When helping his new lover places Gabe in danger, the old warrior in Charlie will have to take drastic action to protect him... or condemn them both.
Honorable Mention:
4) Kaje Harper - Into Deep Waters
This was an amazing story of two people’s life together. The novel covered the significant event of their over 65 years together. This is definitely a contender. -Andrew
Paperback: 172 pages
Language: English
5) G.N. Chevalier - Bonds of Earth (
)
I re-read this book for the awards, thinking I might not like it as much as the first time - but, well, I probably liked it even more. I can't think of anything I would change in this book. -Melissa
I really loved the manor house and the WWI settings. I found them very believable and the author did a great job of portraying the time period. I especially liked how she mentioned that not everyone would know how to drive a car. -Kirsten
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (January 9, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 161372327X
ISBN-13: 978-1613723272
Amazon: Bonds of Earth
6) Marguerite Labbe & Fae Sutherland - The Gladiator's Master
I really liked this one. It seemed that the author(s) took care in making sure the historical details were right. Also found it easy to care about the characters. -Pamela T.
Publisher: Carina Press (September 19, 2011)
Amazon Kindle: The Gladiator's Master
7) Ryan Loveless - Forgotten Man
The Forgotten Man was one of the best books I've read recently. The author got her history *spot on* and every single character leaped off the page. Also, the prose is lovely. -Jessica
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (December 20, 2011)
Amazon Kindle: The Forgotten Man
8) Lara Biyuts - A Handful of Blossoms (
)
The author produce a setting which is detailed and believable, and also characters which the reader gets to know well. Also the plot moves along nicely through-out the story. -April O.
Published: June 01, 2012
Words: 96246 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781476118024
9) Charlie Cochrane - All Lessons Learned
Excellent historical m/m mystery/romance that takes place ten years after the seventh book, after the Great War. I cried quite a bit during this one. But rest assured that there's a happy ending, copious tears notwithstanding. -Chris
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609283996
ISBN-13: 978-1609283995
Amazon: All Lessons Learned (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries)
10) Bonnie Dee - Loving Peter
Though generally not a fan of historicals, I was captivated by this story, and it was cover-to-cover read for me. I couldn't put it down. I laughed and wept and at times cheered. This beautifully-written tale of romance and forced-separation is most definitely a must-read. I highly recommend it. -Jeff
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (June 15, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1611249139
ISBN-13: 978-1611249132
Amazon: Loving Peter
Heidi Cullinan - A Private Gentleman
With a very modern take on trauma, this is more of a historical fantasy-romance than a historical with romance, but what the heck, it’s got melodrama and angst up the wazoo, and that, in this book, is a good thing. -Michelle
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (February 5, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 160928898X
ISBN-13: 978-1609288983
Amazon: A Private Gentleman
This journal is friends only. This entry was originally posted at http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/3370552.html. If you are not friends on this journal, Please comment there using OpenID.
1) Jeff Mann - Purgatory (Double
)
Mann does write lovely passages - this sits uneasily when it's torture he's writing about, it feels gratuitous in parts to the point of revelry, and the slow burn and self-discovery is what does work for this story very well. -Michelle
I truly loved every bit of this novel, the whole damn book. Brilliant. -Miria
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Bear Bones Books (March 5, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590213750
ISBN-13: 978-1590213759
Amazon: Purgatory: A Novel of the Civil War
During the Civil War, two young soldiers on opposite sides find themselves drawn together. One is a war-weary but scholarly Southerner who has seen too much bloodshed, especially the tortures inflicted upon the enemy by his vicious commanding officer, his uncle. The other is a Herculean Yankee captured by the rag-tag Confederate band and forced to become a martyr for all the sins of General Sheridan's fires. When these two find themselves admiring more than one another's spirit and demeanor, when passions erupt between captor and captive, will this new romance survive the arduous trek to Purgatory Mountain?
2) Charlie Cochrane - Home Fires Burning
Both stories were well-written and very enjoyable. The author brought two separate historical times to life and intrigued and entertained. I will definitely be looking for more from Charlie Cochrane. -Kathy
Paperback: 198 pages
Publisher: Cheyenne Publishing (September 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 098282677X
ISBN-13: 978-0982826775
Amazon: Home Fires Burning
Two stories, two couples, two eras, timeless emotions. "This Ground Which Was Secured At Great Expense" It is 1914 and The Great War is underway. When the call to arms comes, Nicholas Southwell won't be found hanging back. It's a pity he can't be so decisive when it comes to letting his estate manager Paul Haskell know what he feels before he has to leave for the front line. In the trenches Nicholas meets a fellow officer, Phillip Taylor, who takes him into the unclaimed territory of physical love. Which one will he choose, if he's allowed the choice? "The Case of the Overprotective Ass" Stars of the silver screen Alasdair Hamilton and Toby Bowe are wowing the post WWII audiences with their depictions of Holmes and Watson. When they are asked by a friend to investigate a mysterious disappearance, they jump at the chance-surely detection can't be that hard? But a series of threatening letters-and an unwanted suitor-make real life very different from the movies. Charlie Cochrane, author of the delightful Cambridge Fellows series, brings her familiar romantic, roguish style to the two novellas that together are "Home Fires Burning."
3) KevaD - Whistle Pass
Loved this story! Engaging, well-written, and with fully developed characters I wanted to root for. One of my favorites. -Pamela T.
Paperback: 210 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (February 27, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1613723768
ISBN-13: 978-1613723760
Amazon: Whistle Pass
On the battlefields of WWII Europe, Charlie Harris fell in love, and after the war, Roger marched home without a glance back. Ten years later, Charlie receives a cryptic summons and quickly departs for his former lover's hometown of Whistle Pass. But Roger Black isn't the lover of Charlie's dreams anymore. He's a married, hard-bitten political schemer who wants to secure his future by destroying evidence of his indiscreet past. Open homosexuality is practically a death sentence, and that photo would ruin Roger and all his wife's nefarious plans. Caught up in foggy, tangled events, Charlie turns to hotel manager Gabe Kasper for help, and Gabe is intrigued by the haunted soldier who so desperately desires peace. When helping his new lover places Gabe in danger, the old warrior in Charlie will have to take drastic action to protect him... or condemn them both.
Honorable Mention:
4) Kaje Harper - Into Deep Waters
This was an amazing story of two people’s life together. The novel covered the significant event of their over 65 years together. This is definitely a contender. -Andrew
Paperback: 172 pages
Language: English
5) G.N. Chevalier - Bonds of Earth (
)
I re-read this book for the awards, thinking I might not like it as much as the first time - but, well, I probably liked it even more. I can't think of anything I would change in this book. -Melissa
I really loved the manor house and the WWI settings. I found them very believable and the author did a great job of portraying the time period. I especially liked how she mentioned that not everyone would know how to drive a car. -Kirsten
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (January 9, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 161372327X
ISBN-13: 978-1613723272
Amazon: Bonds of Earth
6) Marguerite Labbe & Fae Sutherland - The Gladiator's Master
I really liked this one. It seemed that the author(s) took care in making sure the historical details were right. Also found it easy to care about the characters. -Pamela T.
Publisher: Carina Press (September 19, 2011)
Amazon Kindle: The Gladiator's Master
7) Ryan Loveless - Forgotten Man
The Forgotten Man was one of the best books I've read recently. The author got her history *spot on* and every single character leaped off the page. Also, the prose is lovely. -Jessica
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (December 20, 2011)
Amazon Kindle: The Forgotten Man
8) Lara Biyuts - A Handful of Blossoms (
)
The author produce a setting which is detailed and believable, and also characters which the reader gets to know well. Also the plot moves along nicely through-out the story. -April O.
Published: June 01, 2012
Words: 96246 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781476118024
9) Charlie Cochrane - All Lessons Learned
Excellent historical m/m mystery/romance that takes place ten years after the seventh book, after the Great War. I cried quite a bit during this one. But rest assured that there's a happy ending, copious tears notwithstanding. -Chris
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609283996
ISBN-13: 978-1609283995
Amazon: All Lessons Learned (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries)
10) Bonnie Dee - Loving Peter
Though generally not a fan of historicals, I was captivated by this story, and it was cover-to-cover read for me. I couldn't put it down. I laughed and wept and at times cheered. This beautifully-written tale of romance and forced-separation is most definitely a must-read. I highly recommend it. -Jeff
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (June 15, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1611249139
ISBN-13: 978-1611249132
Amazon: Loving Peter
Heidi Cullinan - A Private Gentleman
With a very modern take on trauma, this is more of a historical fantasy-romance than a historical with romance, but what the heck, it’s got melodrama and angst up the wazoo, and that, in this book, is a good thing. -Michelle
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (February 5, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 160928898X
ISBN-13: 978-1609288983
Amazon: A Private Gentleman
This journal is friends only. This entry was originally posted at http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/3370552.html. If you are not friends on this journal, Please comment there using OpenID.