I’ll start with the narration of Femme. I was excited when I first found out Femme was going to be narrated by Joel Leslie. I felt like he would do the characters justice, especially the effeminate Lionel who can really play up the drama. Joel didn’t disappoint. I thought it was excellent as an audiobook and I thought he brought life to the story.

Before Femme, I had read Marshall Thornton’s Nick Nowak series and loved the mystery and historical aspects. This book was very different from what I knew of this author’s writing. To start off, the story is contemporary. Unlike the gay fiction series, this one would be considered a romance between the effeminate Lionel and jock Doug who is mostly referred to as Dog in the story. But I would say it is much more than that.

Though Lionel was a server at the bar that sponsors Dog’s gay softball league and they had seen each other before, they hadn’t ever really spoken to each other. Their first encounter turns into a drunken one night stand that Dog can’t remember. Dog isn’t thrilled to wake up in the bed of a femme guy but it doesn’t really stop him from being attracted to him. For me, this book was a lot about breaking through labels and the expectations people have for themselves or expectations others have of them. It is also a lot about self acceptance.

Dog is out mostly. Everyone knows he’s gay… except his family. He worries if they will accept him if they know he’s gay. His mom wants him to settle down and give her grandchildren. His dad, well his dad proves his fears true when he does tell him he’s gay. He tells him he’s not a man. And for masculine Dog that is what he fears most about being gay, that he won’t be seen as manly. I feel that Dog is basically a good guy. He doesn’t like bullying or oppression. He loves his family. But there are a few times I would like to have slapped him in this story for the way he treats Lionel.

Lionel, though, knows how to take care of himself and he lets Dog have it when he leaves him stranded on several dates all because he doesn’t want to be seen with a guy especially not one who likes red high heels and tight clothes. Lionel is definitely out and proud, but when he needs to look for a job he suddenly he starts to question everything about himself. He wonders if he is too femme to get hired. He questions why he is that way. He even tries to hide his true self under khakis and loose t-shirts.

This story is about Dog and Lionel fumbling their way into a relationship and accepting each other, but both men have to learn to accept themselves in the process. To be happy, despite the people around them who tell them what and who they should be.