Blogtour Review : For the Love of April French – Penny Aimes

Posted 23 August, 2021 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Blog Tour, Reviews / 3 Comments

Blogtour Review : For the Love of April French - Penny Aimes

*I received a free copy of For the Love of April French from Carina Adores via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *

Blogtour Review : For the Love of April French – Penny AimesFor the Love of April French by Penny Aimes
Published by Carina Adores on 31 August 2021
Genres: Adult, BDSM, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
5 Stars

April French doesn't do relationships and she never asks for more.

A long-standing regular at kink club Frankie's, she's kind of seen it all. As a trans woman, she’s used to being the scenic rest stop for others on their way to a happily-ever-after. She knows how desire works, and she keeps hers carefully boxed up to take out on weekends only.

After all, you can't be let down if you never ask.

Then Dennis Martin walks into Frankie's, fresh from Seattle and looking a little lost. April just meant to be friendly, but one flirtatious drink turns into one hot night.

When Dennis asks for her number, she gives it to him.

When he asks for her trust, well…that's a little harder.

And when the desire she thought she had such a firm grip on comes alive with Dennis, April finds herself wanting passion, purpose and commitment.

But when their relationship moves from complicated to impossible, April will have to decide how much she's willing to want.

Adult - (un)Conventional Bookviews BDSM - (un)Conventional Bookviews Contemporary - (un)Conventional Bookviews

For the Love of April French is a tender, sweet romance between April and Dennis, where they both have some past demons to overcome.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this novel, I knew I had to read For the Love of April French! A romance with a trans woman as the main character appealed to me, and the fact that the author is also a trans woman is what completely sold me. I loved getting to know April, and to understand how she thought through so many things before acting. In many ways, she was so very self possessed, and in others, she was insecure and a little afraid. I think that is par for the course for trans people everywhere in the world today!

Fo the Love of April French is so very tender, because April really wants to be loved for who she is, but she isn’t sure that will ever be in the cards for her. She’s a regular at Frankie’s, a kink club in Austin. That’s where she meets Dennis when he first arrives to town. April is a very caring woman, and she has helped a lot of newcomers to the bar feel welcomed and respected. All the while also protecting those who are already regulars. When Dennis arrives, he sees her straight away, and he just has to get to know her better.

For the Love of April French is very well written, and I felt like I got a very good understanding of who April was at the moment of the story. I learned some of what she had already been through, and a lot of what was happening to her at the moment. Workplace difficulties, how she felt like she might not be accepted by her trans friends if she told the about her kink, and how her parents felt like she had ‘killed’ their son. That last one made me cry to be honest! Her parents still had their child – the fact that she was now a woman should not change that fact, nor their love for her.

The romance between Dennis and April was very slow – because they had both been burnt in the past. Dennis as a dom had not been knowledgeable enough in his last relationship, and April had an ex-wife who had abused her after her transition. Add in some workplace difficulties, and you have a complete story with a big heart. I loved how April had so many friends, even if she sometimes still thought she had to do the hard emotional lifting on her own.

Most of the novel is written from Aprils point of view, but there are some chapters from Dennis’ perspective as well – this definitely brought depth to his character as it made me see more of his inner thoughts.

Penny Aimes is a trans woman writing contemporary romance about trans women and other people who don’t always find themselves in romance novels.

She was assigned Hoosier at birth but has lived on the east coast and in China before landing in Austin, Texas. She lives in the heart of the music district with her wife and a very small bird with a very loud voice.

Connect with Penny Aimes

Website | TwitterGoodreadsAmazon 

 

 

 

 

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

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3 responses to “Blogtour Review : For the Love of April French – Penny Aimes

  1. Stephanie - Bookfever

    This sounds like an emotional read but also amazing and interesting with the added kink. Love that it’s ownvoices!

  2. Sophia Rose

    Glad the character-driven story was as good as the blurb sounded. I’ll have to add this one to my big list. 🙂

  3. This sounds like such an interesting read you have here and I do love seeing dual POV so I can see both perspectives of the story. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

    Great review.

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