Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Burnt Toast B&B by Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz

1 review

imrereads's review

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was so good! I live and breathe for MLM romance with a trans MC, and this delivered. We follow Derrick, a gay cis man who inherited his parents B&B, and Ginsberg, a queer trans man who broke his arm in his job as a stunt man. This is a slow burn romance, and some of the themes are gender roles and toxic masculinity - specifically Derrick's fragile sense of masculinity. He was relentlessly bullied for perceived femininity, and has basically built his sense of self and comfort around being very traditionally masculine. Ginsberg on the other hand is very secure in his masculinity as well as embracing his feminine sides, and he takes zero bullshit.

One of the things I really love about this book is how every time something problematic or toxic happens, it's handled. It's never swept under the rug, and always dealt with very well. When Derrick ultimately fucks up, he isn't instantly forgiven. I love the emphasis this book puts on accountability.

I also enjoyed the representation in this book. We of course have Derrick who is gay and Ginsberg who is queer and trans, but there's also a minor side character who used ey/em pronouns as well as several side characters who are queer. 

All in all I very much enjoyed this book. 
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