I received this book free from the publisher via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Please see my full reviews available at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.com.

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This is my third Renee James book to read about Bobbi and probably the toughest one for me to get through. My issue wasn’t the writing which was great as usual but some of the content because of how vivid and detailed James writes.

Her character work allows you to explore the world around Bobbi, her protagonist who is a transwoman, thanks to some interesting supporting characters. Her characters are definitely the best part of the story as the plot line is pretty brutal. In Bobbi we find a strong woman, a rape survivor, and someone who is still dealing with the psychological torment of what was done to her.

I lost track of how often my heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds, my body tense from the horror unfolding before my eyes, or my eyes dripping with tears at the evil humanity is willing to inflict on each other for the most asinine of reasons. At times this book nearly became too depressing to continue but I felt forced to continue because I had to know where this story would lead.

If you have issues with violence and rape scenes, you may need to steer clear of James as she doesn’t hold her punches which I found to be a good thing because it provides a deeper experience into understanding the character of Bobbi not to mention taboo subjects. But if you’re willing to give her a chance you’ll also find she has an insightful ability to create a love story; one that forces you to recognize our tendency to prejudge people and how we would be better off waiting until we know them so our lives can be richer for the experience.

Hopefully throughout her series, readers will develop an appreciation for the fact that Transgendered people are no different than anyone else as James reflects this in her character style. ( )