Cat's Tale: The First Lesson by Aleson Alexander (transgender romance)

Having sampled the shelves of Aleson Alexander with the slow-burn romance of Christine: Courtship, I have been anxious to explore the wilder, kinkier facets of her imagination. Cat's Tale: The First Lesson is not a fetishistic tale - Cat makes that clear very early on - but it is one the deftly explores the blurry intersection of fetish and attraction. It is a story where the content almost contradicts the characters, but the spirit of it all stays true to the core sentiments of adoration and respect.

For starters, take a look at the cover. That hauntingly beautiful woman staring back at you is Cat. As much as she warns of fetishistizing the transgender community, she has chosen to fetishistize herself, dying her hair and eyebrows silver, painting her lips, and leaving her flesh a pale contrast. The difference is that, as a transsexual woman, she has has chosen to accept and embrace a fetishized role. She does a wonderful job of instructing Jason (and the reader) on how to positively and respectfully interact with the transgender community, but she also reminds him (and us) to use the labels, terms, and definitions of each individual woman.

Cat is definitely the dominant in their dalliance, but not in the whips-and-chains, collars-and-cages kind of way. She loves breaking in newbies - they are her fetish - but she is more a guide and a teacher, instructing Jason in how to give and receive pleasure. I love that Aleson was so bold about exploring their relationship, including scenes that might have been sordid and trashy under other circumstances, but which have a beautiful role to play here.

There is, of course, an element of fantasy here - multiple orgasms, high volume ejaculations, the ease of penetration, and the ways in which Jason proves to be such a natural. Cat silently remarks upon Jason's talents herself, wondering if she really is his first, and she addresses the other fantasy aspects as well, which makes them easier for the reader to accept. I loved that the story was so self-aware, never losing sight of the fact that Cat speaks as loudly to the reader as she does Jason.

As it turns out, Cat's Tale: The First Lesson has a lot in common with Christine: Courtship, and I am delighted to see Aleson maintaining her positive themes of erotic and romantic acceptance throughout both. These are stories that feel as if they are written as much for transgender readers as those that love them, so hopefully a few of those readers can enjoy them together.

I'm Aleson Alexander and I've been writing things just for myself my entire life. Now, I want to share a few of them with you. I write a wide variety of stories that span a number of genres. Among them you'll find tales of transgender romance, futanari lust, BDSM domination (and submission), erotic encounters between strangers, cheating wives, and happily married couples who decide to spice up their love lives, just to name a few. I've even got an erotic supernatural tale or two.

A number of my stories contain trans women. Depending on context, I'll use 'trans persons' rather than 'trans people'. There's a reason. When I say 'trans people', it makes me feel like I am talking about a separate sub-race of 'others' that I am trying to distance myself from, whereas when I say 'trans persons', it feels more like I am talking about a group but still recognizing them as individual people who happen to be trans. It's a personal thing.

When I'm not busy writing, I enjoy taking long walks with my two beautiful dogs, finding places for them to swim, and playing fetch with sticks.

@AlesonAlexander
https://alesonalexander.com

Reviewed by Sally