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reviews_and_ramblings
Spice & Vanilla
"Beautifully told tale of a cross-dressing man and his two lovers. Di and Hugh equally meet Raphael/Lucie’s needs until Raphael decides he wants Di to know all of him. Crippled by a car accident, Di feels lucky to have Raphael for a lover, but reacts badly when confronted by Lucie. Emotionally stunted Hugh knows about Raphael/Lucie, but feels threatened when Di is brought into the equation. The author skirts making the trio into a manage, yet manages to create a complicated relationship among the three work well. I wouldn’t have chosen to read this book on my own, but am very glad the contest made me read it."
"Emotional and captivating story of four characters, Lucie, Rafe, Diana and Hugh with a twist. Lucie and Rafe are one person. The dynamics between these amazing people are what kept me riveted to the story. The author has done a marvelous job of drawing their relationships and their love and affection for one another. It would be a spoiler if I said too much about the plot. It unfolds beautifully and has to be relished without me dropping hints as to what may or may not happen. Read it and enjoy."
"Di is a young woman who survived a severe accident, but lost her mobility, her fiance, her profession and her beloved eventing horse. In the isolation of her small cottage, her cat is her companion as she tries to rebuild. Hugh is a gay Dom who hides his heart away and tries to give his subs precisely what they need, without ever being vulnerable himself. Raphael is elegant, musical, both kind and exacting, bisexual and a sub. And Lucie... well Lucie is feminine for Lucifer and she's a kinky masochistic sub to Hugh, who works to indulge her, but she's far far more to Raphael, and eventually to herself as well. This story builds slowly— over time we see the dark places inside these characters but also the light ones. We see love, expressed and hidden, and bad and good choices, as Lucie, in particular, struggles with what it means to be a real girl. I was pulled in gradually, fascinated and engaged with how these people would work out a relationship that could satisfy all the different parts of them without breaking anyone. Recommended."
Time was when Di could dance all night. Time was when she could ride any horse in the stable. Time was when she had a fiancé, a future, and a home she loved. Until a silver SUV came out of nowhere and broke her life in half.
Well concealed under a sarcastic, spiny hide, Hugh has a darkly romantic, passionate soul. Torn between love and terror, he’s held the talented, elegant, magnetic Raphael carefully at arm’s length since the day they met.
Male or female, men or women, kinky or sweet, top or bottom? Angel or devil? Raphael’s life is a string of unanswered questions. And Lucie, his long-hidden female self, may bring it all together or destroy everything he has, whether with Di or with Hugh.
