Rainbow Awards: Best Bisexual, Transgender & Lesbian Historical
And the Rainbow Award goes to:
1) Colette Moody - The Seduction of Moxie (Bold Strokes Books)
I didn't think it possible that I would find a book to give perfect scores, but I did. Moody captures the essence of the era not only in the characters and setting, but in her witty and engaging dialogue. I laughed out loud many times throughout this book. I could spend days with these characters. Well done! --Julie
Aside it being perfectly developed in every way, it was hysterically funny and great to read. I was literally laughing out loud at various points! --Mitzie
When Hollywood-bound actress Violet London meets speakeasy singer Moxie Valette, her trip takes an unexpected turn toward love. New York City, 1931: When wry Broadway actress Violet London and her hard-drinking cohorts venture into a speakeasy the night before she is to board a train for Hollywood, she is floored by sassy blond singer Moxie Valette. As Violet introduces Moxie to an assortment of bootleg liquor, cross-dressers, and sex shows, she vows to find a way to see her again. Moxie is fascinated by Violet in a thrilling and unfamiliar way, and the ensuing evening of bon mots, shameless flirtation, and illicit revelry is unlike anything she has ever experienced. From Manhattan to Los Angeles, both women’s lives are turned upside-down by separation, unscrupulous motion picture studio executives, self-serving agents, eccentric celebrities, and the collection of hedonistic reprobates that are their closest friends.
2) Justine Saracen - Mephisto Aria (Bold Strokes Books)
I’ve never read anything by Ms. Saracen, and I knew the book was about opera - I had a very difficult time starting this book due to the latter. A wide range of characters each thoughtfully brought to life. Three very wide ranging settings to develop which she did well. Easy to read --Debra
Is the history of a dangerous love affair destined to be repeated? At the height of her career, opera singer Katherina Marow is brought crashing down by her father's suicide. Among his effects, she finds his wartime journal and reads the heart-wrenching entries of a soldier in Russia and in war-torn Berlin. She learns the crimes and secrets her father harbored, but cannot condemn him, for while she discovers his demons, she is facing her own. The stage-world she lives in draws her into a lawless ecstatic realm, and she is tempted, as he was, by forces which could destroy her. Has she too made a devil's pact? And if so, will she pay for it, as her father did, with her life?
3) Angelia Sparrow & Naomi Brooks - Showdown at Yellowstone River (Pink Petal Books)
Not truly a transgender story, more of a cross-dressing or unisex sort of stories. It is a good story none-the-less. --Merith
Gunslinger Matt Court has hung it up for good after a disastrous encounter in El Paso. He moved to Dakota Territory, took out a homestead and started courting Annie, the banker's daughter. But when Annie comes up pregnant and runs away with her lover, her father calls in the notorious killer, Paz, to eliminate Matt. But the mysterious Paz holds many secrets and Matt discovers not only the gunfighter's personal code of honor, but a truth that is worth both their lives.
Honorable Mention:
4) Nene Adams - Curse of the Jade Dragon (P.D. Publishing)
5) Roxy Harte - Painted Lady (Loose Id)