The Assistant by M.C. Questgend (transgender romance)

If you have had the pleasure of enjoying any of M.C. Questgend's stories, then you know there is always a little bit of darkness to them. She writes of real-life challenges, and she never shies away from the consequences. The Assistant has all of that - darkness and challenges and consequences - but it also has a romance at its heart that captures her at her very best.

Cory Jones is a successful businessman who is so consumed by his work that it cost him his first marriage. When his lawyer insists that he hire an assistant, he rejects all of the 'approved' candidates and decides to take a chance on a young woman who showed up late for her interview but who offered the only real conversation of the day. His lawyer is not happy with the choice, but I will say no more about the plots and schemes lurking beneath the surface of this story.

What I do want to talk about - and celebrate - is the relationship between Cory and Alex. This is a relationship built on mutual respect, and turns into a genuine friendship, and which only gives into the romantic tension when it makes sense to do so. The unwavering, very public support for Alex's transgender identity as well as her tragic past is absolutely beautiful. Given that Cory is such a powerful businessman, he has several opportunities to speak at length to the press and they are some of the most powerful words M.C. Questgend has ever written.

The Assistant does have some fun kinks to offer in the closing chapters, but by that point the erotic elements are a natural next step, and the mutual exploration and discovery a natural part of learning about one another. This is a beautiful story that made me very happy.

Born in 1971, M.C. Questgend traveled the country with his parents as a military brat. Settling in Texas where he was first introduced to alternative lifestyles, he was able to finish high school and continue his new "hobby" in college. After college, he and "she" returned to start a family, but the strain of his "secret" was too much for his now ex-wife. Married a second time was not the answer, so M.C. has transferred the stress to the pen and keyboard. Writing erotic stories - some loosely based on his and "her" life as well as stories involving aspects of the LGBT community, a community and lifestyle he has come to privately embrace. M.C. Questgend is a pen name used to protect his privacy and anonymity. The intent was to write stories that entertain, inspire and motivate - which are as much sensual and heartwarming as they are sexual and explicit.

@mcquestgend
http://www.mcquestgend.com

Reviewed by Sally