Review: Takes risks, and delivers!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2012
First, I have to make special note of the dedication in this book: "This story is for everyone, transgender or otherwise, who has ever struggled with identity or felt as if they are outside the "mainstream" of society--it takes enormous strength of character to fight for what you know is right when others say the opposite."For that dedication alone, I applaud the author!Okay. Now for the book...I was already a fan of Jennifer Lynne's, and really enjoyed the first book of this series, Platinum Passion. Needless to say, I was excited to read Aphrodite Calling, knowing Lynne wouldn't disappoint (which she doesn't). What I didn't expect, was the storyline. I already knew the basis of the series going in, but I still read the book blurb to get my bearings before I got started. And my jaw just about dropped. Not because I was appalled by the content, but because I was impressed by the risks she was about to take. I couldn't wait to dig in!Himeros (the Greek god of sexual desire) is everything you would expect--tall, muscled, gorgeous, sexual...and oozing enough sensuality it made me want to jump into the book and have my fill. But the real surprise here was Gina, a transsexual woman.Gina was a real treat to experience. Born as a man, she always knew deep down she was a woman. Through cleverly-written flashbacks (something I'm not usually a fan of, but it works here), we experience Gina's psychological journey, from the point she was a woman with man genitalia, until present day post-op as a "true" female. We are privy to her heartache as a struggling teen, to her relationship and subsequent rejection pre-surgery, to her post-surgery insecurities and fears. And through it all Lynne holds Gina's voice and her unique perspective to a tee--no confusing he/she references, no straying from the character's mindset, and no holding back as she explores Gina's world. It truly added a nice, intimate layer (real depth, real life) as she mixed it with that of the mystical world of Greek gods.Going in, I thought a Greek god and a male-to-female transsexual would have absolutely nothing in common, but then that would be where I was wrong. (Thankfully so!) Himeros and Gina actually complement each other perfectly, each being lost in their own existence and trying to find their place in the world. They each have wounds to be licked, and hearts to be mended. And it was a joy to watch them come together, each fulfilling a need in the other.Now, usually I'm gushing about the love scenes in an erotic romance. And don't get me wrong--Lynne delivered in her usual style. I love her build-ups to where the reader is just as immersed in the moment as the characters are--the excitement, the anticipation, the heat (not to mention the voyeurism). All good things!! But, for me, Gina's journey was the delicious center of it all. Loved it, loved it, loved it!!