Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that should absolutely be put at the top of your TBR pile. Recommended books will vary across genre and age category and include shiny new books, older books you may have missed, and some classics I suggest finally getting around to.
Before I get to today’s book, I want to mention that Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge is in its ninth year, with a set of 24 tasks that invite readers to expand their worldview through books. Read one book per task, or do some multi-tasking by counting one book for multiple tasks. It’s all fine! The point of the challenge is to push yourself to expand your horizons. To find the tasks and subscribe to our newsletter for tips and recommendations, visit Read Harder 2023.
Today’s pick is an incredibly sexy romance that is also one of the sweetest books I’ve ever read.
For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes
April French is a regular at Frankie’s, a BDSM club in Austin. Everyone knows April: she is the welcome wagon and the person who makes sure things get done and that everyone feels safe.
April is also a trans woman dealing with a lot of self-doubt. She doesn’t really think she deserves a happily-ever-after so she’ll have a string of short sexual relationships, but she is always very protective of her heart. She is very much the type to think that “no expectations, no disappointments” is an acceptable way to live in the world. In the meantime, she’ll be sweet and friendly and likable and never ask for anything, only give.
Dennis Martin is new to Austin. He just moved there from Seattle to take a job as a Chief Technology Officer. He doesn’t really need to work because he made millions and millions of dollars at a start-up. He doesn’t really tell anyone, though. His best friend, Jason, is also an undercover millionaire. Jason lives in Austin and Dennis is staying with him while the contractor he hired finishes his house. Jason is the one who let Dennis know about Frankie’s, a local kink club he frequents.
Yes, this is a BDSM romance but it is unexpectedly tooth-meltingly sweet. BDSM is so often portrayed in books or film as this very serious, intense, painful, activity that people do with each other but in reality, more often than not, it’s full of laughter and jokes and sarcasm. There’s a reason we refer to it as “playing” and the author really gets that.
I was really rooting for these characters the whole way through this book even though there were definite times when they were both being absolute chuckleheads. It’s definitely on my list of must-read romances.
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That’s it for now, book-lovers!
Patricia
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