His Womanly Ways by K. Lynn

Depending on who you ask, the magical curse is either a familiar trope of gender-bending fiction, or an overused cliché. As these stories usually go, an arrogant, womanizing, alpha male hooks up with a beautiful woman, sates his lust, and then walks out of her life with little more than a thank-you. This is where the curse comes in, usually something along the lines of wishing he'd understand what it means to be a woman.

His Womanly Ways certainly embraces the trope, but avoids the cliché by taking the story in a different direction. K. Lynn begins by offering up one of the best morning-after revelations I've ever come across in the genre. After that, she plays to expectations by having Alex desperately search for the woman who cursed him, but she doesn't settle for having the entire story hinge on that search. In fact, that futile search eventually fades to the background, leaving Alex to cope with the changes to his body, his emotions, and his life.

The transformation itself is wonderfully detailed, and deliciously slow. There are so many clichéd ways Lynn could have handled that morning-after revelation, but she forgoes the lusty exploration and settles for a very realistic approach. Alex is horrified to find a fully functional vagina between his legs, and does his very best to pretend it's not there. That resistance doesn't last forever, but it's a gradual evolution of his new feminine sexuality, assisted by an equally gradual erosion of his masculine prejudices and fears. Along the way, Lynn keeps the focus on the realistic consequences of the situation, teaching him the fine art of packing (to fake the 'proper' fit of his pants), binding (to hide his growing breasts), and . . . well, dealing with that time of the month.

This is not just Alex's story, however - it's also the story of Eve, his neighbor and best friend. It's that friendship that guides much of the story, and which keeps Alex sane throughout. Again, avoiding the cliché, Lynn doesn't just make her the instantly understanding, perpetually amused best friend. No, Eve freaks out almost as much as Alex - on more than one occasion - and struggles alongside him. Their relationship is the emotional core of the novel, and it's what keeps things optimistic, with moments of real happiness and contentment to balance out all the fear and the drama.

Where Lynn ultimately takes the story I won't spoil here, but it's a resolution that's both surprising and refreshing. His Womanly Ways is a story that's fun, smart, and sexy.

Reviewed by Sally