Most Fascinating Hero Award – Mako's
Bounty by Diane Dooley
It
isn't often that a SFR can surprise me in such a good way, but this one boldly
ventured into rarely explored territory with a bad boy hero who comes complete
with unique twist--he's a man of faith. When confronted with a feisty heroine
who's hot on his trail and after his head, Vin
'The Saint' Sainte resorts not to emotional manipulation
but...prayer? And it works beautifully! I found this a fascinating character
facet seldom seen in SFR (or most Romance genres, for that matter) and it made
for a refreshing, endearing--and sometimes humorous--leading man. Mako's
Bounty was published by Decadent Publishing, 1NS Series, March
11, 2012. 38 pages.
Best New Arrival From Another Genre Award – Dragonfly
by Erica Hayes
I'm
always on the lookout for new writers to add to my Favorites in SFR list. This
author has been publishing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal, so when her first SFR
debuted on December 1, 2012, I had to check it out. Eureka! The heroine is a counter-terrorist agent
with a deadly grudge, out to entrap Dragonfly, the notorious thief who killed
her close friend—or did he? This story offers plenty of action and intrigue,
with authentic lingo and cutting-edge tech (perhaps a benefit of the author
being a former air force officer), shiny world-building, multi-faceted
characters, an edgy romance and page-turning plot. Dragonfly was
published by Momentum, 340 pages in length.
Most Entertaining Sidekick Award – Kicking
Ashe by Pauline Baird Jones
There
are plenty of reasons to bestow a rain of sparkly kudos on this novel. It's
intelligent, fun, and infused with imagination and humor. It opens with the
heroine getting swept up in a time tsunami and dumped on a dying planet to face
Vidor Shan, a man—or at least a version of him—that she knew from another time.
The paradox alone makes for a great story, but the high tech sidekick was a
real standout for me. Though, technically, he's not a sidekick, he's a mindkick.
Lurch is a nanite that exists inside the head of the heroine--Time Service
Agent Ashe--and delivers an ongoing dialogue that's clever and at times
painfully observant. For the heroine, it must be like having a big brother in
her head. Or maybe a snarky Siamese twin. Lurch's presence sometimes gives the
hero reason to ponder what's really going on inside the enigmatic
heroine's head. (He doesn't want to know.) Kicking Ashe was
published by L&L Dreamspell, Project Enterprise series, released February
19, 2012. 214
pages.
About
Laurie A. Green
Laurie A. Green is a three-time RWA® Golden Heart® finalist
and science fiction romance enthusiast who founded the SFR Brigade
community of writers, which now totals over 300 members. Her extended family
includes her husband, David, four dogs, three cats and several horses, all who
reside on a ranch in beautiful New Mexico.
When she's not writing, networking, or searching out the perfect cup of
Starbucks, she's usually busy exercising her left brain as a military budget
director.
Website: http://www.laurieagreen.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/SFRLaurie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaurieAGreen
Great authors! Congrats all!
ReplyDeleteOh, those books sound terrific! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all!
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank you so much. I'm incredibly flattered and very pleased you enjoyed Mako's Bounty so much.
ReplyDeleteI figured out how to comment! Wow, thank you so, so much! This is so fun! My TBR is growing again!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Pauline and Diane! Well deserved.
ReplyDeleteAnd Erica, too, who I don't think has found her way here yet.