Queen B’s Decree: Second Chances in New Port Stephen is a second chance (I mean, it’s literally in the title) romance between a trans man and his high school boyfriend. Eli and Nick haven’t seen each other for about twenty years, and a lot has changed since then.
Eli…was annoying. So much that happened could have been prevented had Eli learned how to communicate. With Nick, his parents, his best friend, etc. At this point, I’m going with the theory that Eli is going through puberty again due to hormone treatments and that is why he is such a negative Nellie.
Despite how Eli annoyed me, Second Chances in NPS was still a pretty fun and entertaining read. Nick and his daughter were wonderful, and his co-parenting arrangement with his ex-wife was so refreshing. I basically just love Nick. His reaction to discovering Eli is trans was great, and I loved how introspective he became when he realized his changing feelings. Ugh, so much love for Nick (and none for Eli).
This my third read from TJ Alexander and it doesn’t live up to my love of Chef’s Choice (ALL THE STARS!) but I still am so happy to see more trans character representation.
Book: Second Chances in New Port Stephen
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Hotness: medium salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: second chance, transgender