C. J. Payne

When it comes to transgender erotic romance, it seems like many authors tend to take one of two routes with their book – gender confusion or sexual confusion. In the case of the former, they approach every transgender individual as a full-fledged transsexual, just waiting to be revealed. In the case of the latter, they use transvestism as a cover or a coping mechanism for repressed homosexual urges, and explore it as an act of coming-out.

What few authors seem content to do is explore gender expression for what it is, which is an act of expression. Rarely do they allow a transvestite to simply be a straight man who takes comfort in occasionally expressing himself as a woman.

With Kiss, C J Payne focuses, for the most part, on that gender expression. Even if she does eventually cross some lines in terms of sexual identity, there’s no confusion, no covering, and no coping, just the natural progression of placing one’s self in situations that enhance the look and feel of femininity.

Alex Mann is an average, ordinary, well-adjusted young man who very much enjoys his transvestite outings. He is a man who carefully studies the way women walk, talk, and move about, looking for traits to emulate. For him, transvestism isn’t about the feel of the clothes or the taste of lipstick, it’s about the act of taking on a new persona and being accepted in it. When Kara Richardson begins developing a friendship with him, he looks to her as not just a girlfriend, but also as a ‘girl’ friend.

In fact, it’s Kara who is the main character here, and the narrator of the story, which offers an interesting twist on things. It is Kara who drives Alex’s sexual explorations, and Kara who deliberately puts him in situations where he is tempted to further explore the authenticity of his feminine experience. Ultimately, it’s the act of being courted and desired as a woman that convinces Alex to consummate his relationship with a man, but he never loses sight of the fact that it’s Kara that he loves.


Originally reviewed for Frock Magazine… (mer)