Genre: Contemporary
LGBTQ+ Category: Trans FTM
Reviewer: Whiskey November
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About The Book
Devin is enjoying his new ability to pass as male. Maybe a little too much. He’s jumping from guy to guy leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him. When an attractive new guy Peter steals his heart, Devin realizes that he might want more. More than just another one-night stand or friend with benefits.
Peter has just moved from Idaho to Portland, and is enjoying being able to openly date for the first time now that he no longer lives in a tiny conservative town. When the handsome Devin asks him out, he’s ecstatic.
Can Devin overcome his instinct to ride off into the sunset alone? And can Peter really settle for settling down?
This 30,000 word novella has a fake relationship and is a low-stakes, homopobia-free feel good steamy story with two dudes who love each other and their new, open lifestyle. Each book in the T-Guides series stands alone and they can be read in any order.
The Review
The first thing you should know about this novella is that ‘Roadie’ refers not to ‘crew for a touring entertainer’ but to ‘guy who rides his bike for hundreds of miles.’ The second thing is that the main characters are both gay trans men.
It’s refreshing to read a book in which the setting is familiar (Portland, Oregon) but the main characters’ milieu is not. Here we have an LGBTQ+ community which functions as part of the larger straight community but in which the characters DGAF about said straight community. We really don’t see them acting in the larger context. The social, support, and friend groups in this story, as well as a key business owner, are all LGBTQ+.
Main characters Devin (a graphic designer) and Peter (a tailor) are introduced right away. Devin is an established member of a biking group; Peter is new to it. The attraction is evident on both sides, but for Reasons – including the ‘I want to play the field’ dynamic – these two don’t progress as a couple until quite late in the story.
Peter has come from a much more conservative environment and is enjoying (while adapting to) his new freedoms.
I would have liked a bot more character development for both Devin and Peter. We are given certain facts which inform their behavior, but the reasons they begin to connect with and care about each other aren’t fully fleshed out. They both have some deep-seated issues which are not fully explored. A Roadie’s Guide to Boyfriends is a promising start for a story which deserves a bit more space.
What’s noteworthy about this novella, though, is the matter-of-factness. This isn’t an angst-filled story of whether and why and how to transition; it’s about people who just happen to be trans, living a full, everyday life. I applaud that.
The Reviewer
Whiskey is an urban professional with close family & friendship ties to the LGBTQ+ community. She supports the work of GLAAD, Broadway Cares, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, among others. She reads in excess of 250 books a year (romance, mystery, science fiction, history, and memoir) and is a self-published writer of contemporary and historical romance.
