Review of Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat by Sydney Blackburn. Ninestar Press. 2017.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this meet-cute Halloween queer romance short. The MC is a genderfluid pansexual man (named on the page), and I really liked him. His bisexual love interest is a sweetheart who seems to really get him and appreciate him.

There’s a bit of the MC overexplaining about his gender to the reader early in the story. Also there was family drama around the love interests bisexuality that seemed over the top and generally unnecessary. I was charmed by this story, despite those things. It did feel quite short and like it cut off right when it was starting to get interesting, romance wise. I would appreciate this at novella or novel length.

I liked the sex scene, and the specificity of how the MC was glad that the LI wanted him naked. The references to worries about being fetishized and objectified felt real, and resonated for me as a non-binary reader who was genderfluid for many years. The sex was hot and also sweet at the same time. I really appreciate the moment when they are having sex and David slips out of Drew accidentally. It’s so realistic and common, and I never see that depicted in romance. That detail made the story feel so real.

Representation

• Genderfluid pansexual man MC
• Bisexual man love interest
• Genderfluid author

Content Warnings (in white, highlight to read)
Queer hatred, threat from family members to not allow a character contact with his nephew. References to fetishization around gender. Sex on the page.

Disclosures

• Source of the book: I bought this book myself.
• I have had no contact with the author.

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