2020-2021 Rainbow Awards: Best Gay Book
And the Rainbow Award goes to:
The Man from Milwaukee by Rick R. Reed:
- This enthralling book exemplifies the best of fiction, combining compelling characters, an intricate plot, exhilarating twists and turns, and finally the perfect ending. Reed exhibits his mastery at storytelling through this memorable and moving book.
- I thought this was a very powerful story about loneliness, not fitting in, obsession, and fantasy. It’s not an easy read and is a very real journey into the dark side of human nature. The characters are layered, and the setting atmospheric, and although I was nervous about what might happen next, I had to keep reading.
- Brilliantly written, suspenseful, chilling. Reed has an amazing ability to bring a story to full living and breathing life. This book is a must-read for fans of horror and psychological thrillers.
- Superb depiction of time and place - can almost smell the bus exhaust. Skillful tie-in to real-life events. Excellent depiction of one man's obsession and the damage his mental imbalance does to friends and family - but without losing the sense of his own humanity. Top-notch!
- Amazing blend of fact and fiction, delusion and reality.
- One of the first thoughts to cross my mind on how to describe Mr. Reed's story is Mastermind, genius. Makes me wonder the amount of research the author has to do to be able to put on 'paper' the wonderful, derange, creepy, horrific stories he puts out. I'd go crazy! LOL This story in particular was done to perfection. If Mr. Reed's goal was to creep me out, Mission accomplished, Mr. Reed. Mission accomplished for this story really creep me out. The twists, especially toward the end, I wasn't expecting, and that is part of the 'mastermind' mentioned above. To have the reader believe in one thing to then learn that no, it's not what you've thought all along, is genius! For anyone who likes horror, intrigue, and the feeling of 'creeped out', this is for you. Highly recommended.
Runners Up:
Hallelujah by Kim Fielding & F.E. Feeley Jr. tied with A Leap of Faith by Mel Gough
A Blind Eye by David Jackson Ambrose tied with Silent Sin (A 1920s Hollywood Gay Romance) by E.J. Russell
The God's Eye (Lancaster's Luck #3) by Anna Butler tied with Hair Balls (Balls to the Wall) by Tara Lain
Dig Two Graves (The Man Who Loved Cole Flores and The Man Who Hated Ned O'Leary) by K.A. Merikan tied with Weekend at Bigfoot’s by Addison Albright
The Valet by Mel Gough tied with A Fine Mess (Brimstone #7) by Angel Martinez
Conned (The Bureau #6) by Kim Fielding tied with Shadow of Justice by Jess Faraday
Forsaken Fae (The Complete Series, Books 1-3) by R.A. Steffan tied with Entity (A StarStation Novel) by Toshi Drake
Consorts of the Red King by Eden Winters tied with Penumbra by Dan Ackerman
Geoffrey the Very Strange by Angel Martinez tied with Smash & Grab (RELIC #1) by Maz Maddox tied with The Eighth Key by Laura Weyr
The Venetian and the Rum Runner by L.A. Witt tied with Dead Sea (Mia Kerick Story Ballads #2) by Mia Kerick tied with Fade Out (Boystown #13) by Marshall Thornton
Must Love Demons (Magic Emporium #6) by Meghan Maslow tied with The Silver Medalist by T.J. Blackley
King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1) by Ariana Nash tied with Redemption (Men of Hidden Creek #6) by E. Davies
Until the World Stops by L.A. Witt tied with Owl by M. Raiya tied with Passion of a Papillon (Fuzzy Love #1) by Tara Lain tied with Year of the Rat (Dom Reilly Mysteries #1) by Marshall Thornton
Racism by Proxy by Johnny Townsend tied with We Cry The Sea (The Moth and Moon) by Glenn Quigley tied with The First Age (The Secret Histories #1) by Arshad Ahsanuddin tied with Hollywood To Horses by Dez Schwartz tied with Drifter by Eden Winters
Farview (Greynox to the Sea) by Kim Fielding tied with Better Red (Ever After, New York #1) by Tara Lain tied with Bent Not Broken by Z. Allora tied with TAD by M.D. Neu
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The Man from Milwaukee by Rick R. Reed:
- This enthralling book exemplifies the best of fiction, combining compelling characters, an intricate plot, exhilarating twists and turns, and finally the perfect ending. Reed exhibits his mastery at storytelling through this memorable and moving book.
- I thought this was a very powerful story about loneliness, not fitting in, obsession, and fantasy. It’s not an easy read and is a very real journey into the dark side of human nature. The characters are layered, and the setting atmospheric, and although I was nervous about what might happen next, I had to keep reading.
- Brilliantly written, suspenseful, chilling. Reed has an amazing ability to bring a story to full living and breathing life. This book is a must-read for fans of horror and psychological thrillers.
- Superb depiction of time and place - can almost smell the bus exhaust. Skillful tie-in to real-life events. Excellent depiction of one man's obsession and the damage his mental imbalance does to friends and family - but without losing the sense of his own humanity. Top-notch!
- Amazing blend of fact and fiction, delusion and reality.
- One of the first thoughts to cross my mind on how to describe Mr. Reed's story is Mastermind, genius. Makes me wonder the amount of research the author has to do to be able to put on 'paper' the wonderful, derange, creepy, horrific stories he puts out. I'd go crazy! LOL This story in particular was done to perfection. If Mr. Reed's goal was to creep me out, Mission accomplished, Mr. Reed. Mission accomplished for this story really creep me out. The twists, especially toward the end, I wasn't expecting, and that is part of the 'mastermind' mentioned above. To have the reader believe in one thing to then learn that no, it's not what you've thought all along, is genius! For anyone who likes horror, intrigue, and the feeling of 'creeped out', this is for you. Highly recommended.
Runners Up:
Hallelujah by Kim Fielding & F.E. Feeley Jr. tied with A Leap of Faith by Mel Gough
A Blind Eye by David Jackson Ambrose tied with Silent Sin (A 1920s Hollywood Gay Romance) by E.J. Russell
The God's Eye (Lancaster's Luck #3) by Anna Butler tied with Hair Balls (Balls to the Wall) by Tara Lain
Dig Two Graves (The Man Who Loved Cole Flores and The Man Who Hated Ned O'Leary) by K.A. Merikan tied with Weekend at Bigfoot’s by Addison Albright
The Valet by Mel Gough tied with A Fine Mess (Brimstone #7) by Angel Martinez
Conned (The Bureau #6) by Kim Fielding tied with Shadow of Justice by Jess Faraday
Forsaken Fae (The Complete Series, Books 1-3) by R.A. Steffan tied with Entity (A StarStation Novel) by Toshi Drake
Consorts of the Red King by Eden Winters tied with Penumbra by Dan Ackerman
Geoffrey the Very Strange by Angel Martinez tied with Smash & Grab (RELIC #1) by Maz Maddox tied with The Eighth Key by Laura Weyr
The Venetian and the Rum Runner by L.A. Witt tied with Dead Sea (Mia Kerick Story Ballads #2) by Mia Kerick tied with Fade Out (Boystown #13) by Marshall Thornton
Must Love Demons (Magic Emporium #6) by Meghan Maslow tied with The Silver Medalist by T.J. Blackley
King of the Dark (Prince’s Assassin #1) by Ariana Nash tied with Redemption (Men of Hidden Creek #6) by E. Davies
Until the World Stops by L.A. Witt tied with Owl by M. Raiya tied with Passion of a Papillon (Fuzzy Love #1) by Tara Lain tied with Year of the Rat (Dom Reilly Mysteries #1) by Marshall Thornton
Racism by Proxy by Johnny Townsend tied with We Cry The Sea (The Moth and Moon) by Glenn Quigley tied with The First Age (The Secret Histories #1) by Arshad Ahsanuddin tied with Hollywood To Horses by Dez Schwartz tied with Drifter by Eden Winters
Farview (Greynox to the Sea) by Kim Fielding tied with Better Red (Ever After, New York #1) by Tara Lain tied with Bent Not Broken by Z. Allora tied with TAD by M.D. Neu
This journal is friends only. This entry was originally posted at https://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/5432834.html. If you are not friends on this journal, Please comment there using OpenID.