This book really had me puzzled. On one hand it was unique as the protagonist met and fell in love with a transvestite. But on the other it was overly predictable with a plethora of troupes.
Frieda (Fred), the protagonist, a native of Dublin arrives home drenched one day and meets her new neighbour, the handsome Nicholas (Viv). She gets talking to him and he invites her to the club where he works and will be debuting his new stage show. She doesn’t know what his show entails and gets quite a shock when she sees him appear on stage in full drag. Frieda thinks that Nicholas may be gay, but soon realises he’s as straight as they come when they form a friendship with instalust at its core. Right from the off Nicholas will barely let up with the sexual innuendo and after a long period of playing around they finally get it together.
My main problem with the book is that it tried so hard to be different and succeeded, only to then fall back on nearly every troupe that exists in new-adult fiction. There was the gay friend, the slutty friend, the vixen friend, the insecure protagonist, the sexually undernourished heroine and the list goes on.
Then there was the problem with the characters which except for Frieda and Nicholas, suffered from serious underdevelopment. Too much focus was put on Nicholas and how self-assured he was in his sexuality. Don’t get me wrong, I think Fred and Viv were portrayed really well, especially Fred, but it stopped with these too.
The sex was another matter. It wasn’t particularly well-written and it certainly wasn’t hot. And If I heard Frieda refer to her lady parts as ‘the mound’ one more time I was seriously planning to drop my kindle in the bath. FYI, there was quite a bit of sex, so if that’s not your thing, stay clear.
There was also the strange narration. Frieda talked openly to the reader which only served the purpose of making it easier to info-dump. It didn’t serve the book in any other way. The story would have benefited hugely from a lot of the filter words being removed and the POV being deeper.
And what was the gender swapping in names all about? Viv the transvestite and Fred the girlfriend? I take it the author was trying to solidify the notion that gender was interchangeable? It could have been done in a much more satisfying way.
Despite all this I did find the story interesting enough to keep me reading, however I won’t be reading anything from the author again, ill actively avoid her.
I didn’t want this to end ! I love Viv and Fred they are so interesting and work so well together. I am a character reader, I can take a poor story if the characters are fabulous. Give me great character and a fabulous story and I'm one happy Yodamom. I’ve read many of the reviews there are so many complaining about it being too long, in need of serious editing….. wah wah. Perhaps, from another POV it does. I can’t say they are wrong ! (but they are)
♥ ♥ ♥ 4 STARS ♥ ♥ ♥
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“I want to ruin you Freda, in the best way possible.”
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Freda is a 25 year old woman that doesn't seem to have a filter when it comes to her mouth, but she is a lovable character nonetheless. You can easily relate with her at times. She has a few insecurities concerning her weight. Then she meets her new neighbour, Nicholas, who's sees her as his perfect woman. To him she is all curves in the right places, with a personality that immediately brightens his day. Freda doesn't understand what is going on when Nicholas, who is highly attractive and fit, begins flirting with her.
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“You colour my world, Freda.”
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Nicholas has had his share of women, but there is something about Freda that just does it for him. So he proposes they have sex and is very disappointed when he is turned down. Freda isn't the one night stand kind of girl, despite her attraction to Nicholas, she just can't do it. They end up becoming flirty friends, and Freda notices something effeminate about him. When he invites her to a bar where he does a show, she agrees. It takes her awhile but she soon realizes it is a gay bar and becomes a bit shocked to see that this is where Nicholas performs in drag as Vivica Blue.
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‘I want him so badly it hurts. But I want all of him. Not just the sex. I want his smiles and his teasing, his smouldering looks. His sad eyes when he thinks nobody’s watching. Most of all I want his heart.’
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These two characters were such a hoot. I really enjoyed them both. I loved Freda's sense of humour and Nicholas was pretty damn sexy, even in women's clothing. Freda ends up being Nicholas' assistant in getting him ready for his performances. Every time they spend time together, the more closer they become. It was so cute seeing them fall for each other. The sexual tension between them was awesome, and quite hot. Thie story itself was so cute and unique. I loved the humour in this book. But it was also quite emotional, that it broke my heart. Despite me enjoying this book, there were some parts that were slow. I also became frustrated with Nicholas at times. Overall, I enjoyed the originality of the story, I don't think I have ever read a book like this. It was funny, steamy, and sweet. It's definitely worth checking out.
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