Christine: Pain by Aleson Alexander (transgender romance)

In reviewing Christine: Love, I mentioned that I love Christine so much, that I feel so protective of her, I needed to pause before opening myself to Christine: Pain. I needed to compose myself, to prepare myself. As the evening wore on, however, I found myself needing to know she would be okay, so I took that deep breath and picked up the next book.

This was still a lovely story, and still wonderfully romantic, but it was a difficult read at the same time. I have so many questions for Aleson Alexander, so many things I want to know about the 'why' behind Christine's behavior, but that is something she and I can chat about later since it is hardly fair to review a story with info or insights not available to the reader.

We already know that Christine is a fragile soul, a woman who has been hurt physically and emotionally, and I have to give Aleson credit for tackling that lingering pain, even if I did not like reading through it. What this story boils down to is insecurity, an inability to accept that Alex loves her unconditionally, leading her to throw out a series of increasingly darker, more daring, more taboo tasks. Were this just another work of erotica, Alex would accept the challenges, the story would get super kinky, and we would move on. Instead, we continually see Christine shocked by his acceptance, and forced to backpedal from things she does not really want him to do.

I will admit, as much as I love Christine, I became somewhat exasperated with her tests, sympathizing with Alex's frustration. I honestly began to wonder if there was more to it than insecurity, if perhaps she were suffering a mental break.That brings me back to that title, Christine: Pain. The story opens and closes with physical pain that bookends the emotional pain throughout. There are two very similar scenes of rough sex, one more intense than the other, but what really differentiates them is who initiates them and why. If I was a bit uncomfortable with the first, I was really uncomfortable with the second.

Even now, having slept on the story for the night, I do not know how I feel about where we leave Christine and Alex. Maybe I am reading too much into this chapter, or maybe I am reading too much of myself into Christine, but my heart is in my throat waiting for their final chapter. I can tell you that Aleson and I have talked, and knowing the title of the next book does settle my heart a little, but I am still anxious to see what it entails.

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