Change of Heart

No rating because I have mixed feelings. I really enjoyed this book, but parts of it kind of bothered me. It's about a cis lesbian who falls in love with a trans woman, and it's totally in the cis woman's point-of-view. Cis reviewer here, and I don't know how trans people received this book.

First, I like that the cis woman (Clara) is a lesbian, rather than bi/pan. I see it as a problem that many writers don't write characters who are hetero or gay/lesbian in relationships with trans people. I also think Clara's reactions to learning that Vaughn is trans are reasonable, but she does have some (mild) negative thoughts at first, in case that's something someone prefers not to read about it. She takes some time to get used to the idea, then decides she loves Vaughn.

But the trans character gets brutally beaten, and Clara discovers Vaughn is trans when she has to undress her while she's unconscious. That scene felt disrespectful to me, because Vaughn didn't choose to tell Clara, but she had to trust Clara when she was very vulnerable. I also didn't like how severe the violence was. I know some of these are common romance tropes, though.

Other than all of that (which is a lot), it's a sweet romance with a good plot and a solid HEA. It also has a strong and distinctive voice; Clara really feels like an innocent farm girl in the big city. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I had no idea Thaddeus was a character in other books. So, I can say it definitely stands alone. I'm curious to read more by this author.