Simon Wicks—Wicksy to his rugby teammates—has only ever been interested in women. But when he sets eyes on Lady Gogo, a drag queen who performs at Rainbow Place, he can’t stop thinking about her. He knows there’s a guy behind the fishnets and make-up, but he’s ready to explore his fantasies, and Lady Gogo is game for making them come true.
Charlie adores performing in drag. It allows him to indulge in his love of cross-dressing while earning some extra cash. Fooling around with a mostly straight guy in secret seems like a fun diversion, and gives him the chance to explore his feminine side. He feels safe wearing the mask of his confident alter ego, because the real Charlie is hidden from view.
When Wicksy sees more of the guy behind the make-up and glitter, his attraction to Charlie persists, and he realises he’s bisexual. In turn, Charlie begins to understand and accept his gender fluidity. As their mutual journey of self-discovery brings them closer, the secrecy becomes increasingly hard to deal with. If they’re going to have a future together, they both need to find the courage to show people who they really are.
Although this book is part of a linked series, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
‘Mud & Lace’ is quintessential Jay Northcote - sweet and sexy with some feels.
Simon is a total lad. He’s in to rugby, beer, and the ladies. He’s also totally comfortable with his LGBT friends, and hanging out at the local gay hotspot.
But falling for a drag queen catches Simon completely off guard.
Charlie loves drag. It gives him the freedom and confidence to explore different sides of himself. He’s down to fool around with Simon, if only for the novelty of the hot straight jock.
But things get complicated pretty quickly.
I was a bit skeptical at first. The “straight-boy-and-the-queer is a common trope in MM. But it’s one thing to be attracted to androgynous or cross-dressing men; it’s quite another to ignore your sexual partner’s gender all-together.
Luckily, I didn’t have to worry. Simon gets over his initial hang-ups pretty quickly, and he’s in it just as much for Charlie’s pleasure as his own.
From the moment they give in to their attraction, Charlie and Simon are on fire. They give and take in equal measures, and indulge their kinky sides for some hot action!
Feelings enter the picture gradually. What starts off as just some fun becomes a friendship. Simon and Charlie find themselves wanting to share parts of their lives with each other, and both slowly let their guards down.
There are two major themes in this book - discovery and acceptance. Both go hand-in-hand for our MCs.
For Simon, it’s his sexuality. And for Charlie, it’s his gender identity. I loved how their relationship grew as each man became more comfortable with his fluidity.
Also loved the supportive moms!
It takes some work, but Charlie and Simon work out how to be open about who they are and what they mean to each other. The ending is a strong HFN, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of them in future books!
A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
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