Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Charlie is the quintessential bear. Big, muscular and hairy. But that isn’t the type of men he’s attracted to. He is drawn to men like Taylor—short, smooth, and sexy. Taylor is Charlie’s idea of the perfect twink. But there’s something about Taylor Charlie doesn’t know.

Taylor is unsure about a lot of things, but when he sees Charlie, he instantly knows he wants him. The only issue standing in his way is how Taylor views his own masculinity. He’s afraid that Charlie will leave once he knows the secret Taylor wants to keep hidden. Can he be transparent with Charlie and allow him to look behind the image he's so carefully constructed?

 

Book Review

 

The saying that "image is everything" is true for a lot of people, and it's all about being accepted by a group or being seen as "being someone". Usually, it focuses on the surface someone presents to others, but sometimes it goes deeper. Sometimes, it is about who a person really is at the core and wanting to make sure others see them as they are – despite appearances. This is a very tough situation to be in, as anyone who has ever been told they are "not enough" (for whatever reason) will know. Be it body image, mental shortcomings, or sexual orientation, all of them can stand in the way of being accepted as who you are. And in Taylor's case, in this story, it is a combination of factors that makes his hopes for ever finding love seem like a daunting, if not impossible, task.

Taylor, as is hinted in the blurb, is a gay transman. He has gone through part of the transition, and, to the casual observer, passes as the man he is deep inside. But any kind of physical intimacy is impossible unless his partner accepts that he is not fully a biological male (he lacks the "plumbing"). A previous lover has treated Taylor really badly, making his fears worse, and now he's pretty much limiting himself to brief, casual encounters that don’t force him to reveal the full extent of his "shortcomings", as he thinks about them. What better place to do this than a glory hole. It gives Taylor the anonymity he needs while letting him have at least part of what he craves: sucking a man.

The dilemma Taylor faces in this story is, to some extent, no different than a question most of us have faced at some time in our lives: how much to reveal on a first date when it's something we might not want everyone to know right away. Something we figure might be okay if the potential partner just gets to know us as a person first. In Taylor's case it is a pretty fundamental deal breaker for most partners: he is physically not completely the man he passes as in daily life. His feelings and fears are very real and well-described as he goes through an anonymous encounter through the glory hole with Charlie, a bear of a man and exactly Taylor's type. When he runs into Charlie again and it's clear the man is interested in him, "to tell the truth or not to tell the truth" becomes an excruciating dilemma for Taylor. The fear of rejection almost makes him not say anything, and yet Taylor knows he has to be honest if he ever wants more with Charlie.

This story may end well, since Charlie turns out to be very understanding, tolerant, and open to accepting Taylor as he is. It makes for a great love story, but real life is not always so "cooperative". This short book does a good job describing what it can be like for a transman who may be able to pass in daily life, but cannot have the physical intimacy he craves without fearing ridicule. If you want to understand what that can be like, I can recommend this story. It takes a pretty serious subject and translates it into a person, Taylor, and situations we can all relate to.

 

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 13605 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	01-November-2013
Price	$1.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-transparency-1335704-341.html