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Be My Queen
Lavender doesn't want a man in her life, not if it means exposing that she's trans. Fortunately, Diego's only in LA for a week. She can enjoy the attention without him finding out her secret.
Falling in love isn't part of the plan. Neither is the jealous housemate determined to ruin everything.
Falling in love isn't part of the plan. Neither is the jealous housemate determined to ruin everything.
- GenresRomanceTransgenderLGBT
154 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2015
1 person is currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
RayeAnn Carter
2 books2 followersIdeas are easy.
They come to me all day long. While arranging flowers, filling balloons, walking around the block, really anything repetitious that my body can do without much though. Like: A prince fathered four children with his stepmother (who’s about his age) and everyone (including the king) thinks they‘re the king’s.
Why would he do this? Why would their mother? What would either have to gain from the arrangement? Does he hate his father, yet love king and country despite his father and the king being one and the same? Is he effeminate, which would be fine if he were merely one of the king’s men, but not as his oldest son and heir? What does the prince hope to gain? How could his actions hurt him even if he wins? What would he count as winning: His father finding out in the most hurtful way possible, while everyone else is in the dark, so his children continue to be treated like legitimate children of the king? What gifts are in his power to bestow on his stepmother for giving him children? (Whether she did it from anger, pride, or desperation.) Her heart’s desire: traveling to distant land and never coming back (to keep her safe from the king’s wrath).
How will he use his power (knowledge) over his father? By seducing the king of another country’s younger brother. Maybe when this foreign prince comes to watch over his nephew whose is being fostered during a war the Main Prince’s country isn’t involved in. Other Prince knows he’s being used, but is using him in return. And Main Prince gives him the upper hand declaring that if the other king dies and Other Prince has to go home and be regent for his nephew, Main Prince will follow him back.
This hurts the first king as the Main Prince is his only son. He is uninterested in having one of his grandchildren be his heir. So he sends troops to help and Other Prince looks good to his people who never respected him. (Maybe being gay is illegal/socially unacceptable there).
This was a nice little story to finish when I was in the shower, but it, like most of it’s kin, will never be written. Summarized maybe, getting all the kinks worked out, but nothing that would take more than an hour or two. Most don’t even get that. Otherwise that’s all I’d do.
Like I said, ideas are easy. Molding the idea into a workable story takes more energy. And research. The fun really starts when I write it down and see where it goes. (Most of the time I know how a story will end before I start naming the characters, but I might not know how they get there.) Sometimes I realize early on that I have the wrong point of view (like the story above would be better told by the Other Prince). Sometime it becomes something I didn’t expect (in one case, the lead character falls for two people other than my intended love interest). Sometimes the story piddles away into nothingness. And sometime the cute little story grows to seven, ten, or even twenty thousand words from two to five thousand like I’d hoped.
A short story I can write in a day. Longer ones eat up much more time. And with all those ideas fighting for attention, the story has to grip me hard for me to want to spend hours or even days on it.
I have stories I’d like to write (a girl sets about killing the men who organized the terror that led to the new government that they now run; in a land covered in magic, an orphan would rather be thought a whore than be known as an assassin; the back story of how a boy's ancestor was spirited away by a mountain god and the curses and blessing that came with it .)
But all those will have to wait, because I always have more ideas.
I write as frogs-of-war at FictionPress and AO3.
They come to me all day long. While arranging flowers, filling balloons, walking around the block, really anything repetitious that my body can do without much though. Like: A prince fathered four children with his stepmother (who’s about his age) and everyone (including the king) thinks they‘re the king’s.
Why would he do this? Why would their mother? What would either have to gain from the arrangement? Does he hate his father, yet love king and country despite his father and the king being one and the same? Is he effeminate, which would be fine if he were merely one of the king’s men, but not as his oldest son and heir? What does the prince hope to gain? How could his actions hurt him even if he wins? What would he count as winning: His father finding out in the most hurtful way possible, while everyone else is in the dark, so his children continue to be treated like legitimate children of the king? What gifts are in his power to bestow on his stepmother for giving him children? (Whether she did it from anger, pride, or desperation.) Her heart’s desire: traveling to distant land and never coming back (to keep her safe from the king’s wrath).
How will he use his power (knowledge) over his father? By seducing the king of another country’s younger brother. Maybe when this foreign prince comes to watch over his nephew whose is being fostered during a war the Main Prince’s country isn’t involved in. Other Prince knows he’s being used, but is using him in return. And Main Prince gives him the upper hand declaring that if the other king dies and Other Prince has to go home and be regent for his nephew, Main Prince will follow him back.
This hurts the first king as the Main Prince is his only son. He is uninterested in having one of his grandchildren be his heir. So he sends troops to help and Other Prince looks good to his people who never respected him. (Maybe being gay is illegal/socially unacceptable there).
This was a nice little story to finish when I was in the shower, but it, like most of it’s kin, will never be written. Summarized maybe, getting all the kinks worked out, but nothing that would take more than an hour or two. Most don’t even get that. Otherwise that’s all I’d do.
Like I said, ideas are easy. Molding the idea into a workable story takes more energy. And research. The fun really starts when I write it down and see where it goes. (Most of the time I know how a story will end before I start naming the characters, but I might not know how they get there.) Sometimes I realize early on that I have the wrong point of view (like the story above would be better told by the Other Prince). Sometime it becomes something I didn’t expect (in one case, the lead character falls for two people other than my intended love interest). Sometimes the story piddles away into nothingness. And sometime the cute little story grows to seven, ten, or even twenty thousand words from two to five thousand like I’d hoped.
A short story I can write in a day. Longer ones eat up much more time. And with all those ideas fighting for attention, the story has to grip me hard for me to want to spend hours or even days on it.
I have stories I’d like to write (a girl sets about killing the men who organized the terror that led to the new government that they now run; in a land covered in magic, an orphan would rather be thought a whore than be known as an assassin; the back story of how a boy's ancestor was spirited away by a mountain god and the curses and blessing that came with it .)
But all those will have to wait, because I always have more ideas.
I write as frogs-of-war at FictionPress and AO3.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 22, 2015
(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
It's my first time to read this kind of genre and I really appreciate how the author took the challenge to make everything in this book convincing.
Be My Queen is a transgender romantic story. It talks about Lavender who fell in love with Diego despite all the reluctance she felt while being with him. Lavender did not plan to fall for Diego because she didn't want Diego to know she's a trans. She's afraid of whatever reaction she can get from him. But of course, she was not able to dictate her heart and she ended up taking the risk.
This book is actually good, but I found the plot quite simple. I have nothing agains insta-love but the insta-love in this book did not get me. It was too instant, I guess. To the point that it's already unbelievable.
But I admire the concept and I like the way the story gives a refreshing feel. It's a light and easy read and the writing style of the author is not difficult to get into.
I rarely encounter books about transgender romances so this is really something new to me. I am an open-minded person and I support these stories, so keep it up, Miss RayeAnn Carter!
Rating: 3 Stars
It's my first time to read this kind of genre and I really appreciate how the author took the challenge to make everything in this book convincing.
Be My Queen is a transgender romantic story. It talks about Lavender who fell in love with Diego despite all the reluctance she felt while being with him. Lavender did not plan to fall for Diego because she didn't want Diego to know she's a trans. She's afraid of whatever reaction she can get from him. But of course, she was not able to dictate her heart and she ended up taking the risk.
This book is actually good, but I found the plot quite simple. I have nothing agains insta-love but the insta-love in this book did not get me. It was too instant, I guess. To the point that it's already unbelievable.
But I admire the concept and I like the way the story gives a refreshing feel. It's a light and easy read and the writing style of the author is not difficult to get into.
I rarely encounter books about transgender romances so this is really something new to me. I am an open-minded person and I support these stories, so keep it up, Miss RayeAnn Carter!
Rating: 3 Stars
April 30, 2015
You know that feeling when you get in a groove, where it seems like every book that leaps into your hand is a winner? It doesn't happen often, but I do so love it when it does! First I got to admire Drag Dolls, Dames & Divas for the latest issue of Frock, then I landed an early review copy of The Broken Forest that I loved, and now I've finished lingering over the romantic beauty that is Be My Queen by RayeAnn Carter . . . and I couldn't be more delighted.
As transgender romances go, this is the best that I've read in years. It hooks you emotionally as well as intellectually, making you care about Lavender, even as you swoon over Diego. There's some real uncertainty to the tale, which Carter develops nicely from the first page, making us wonder even as she reveals the facets of Lavender's life that drive those uncertainties. She's such a beautiful girl, but one who is deeply vulnerable and so terribly afraid to allow herself to feel any sort of hope, especially for love.
The early revelation that Diego is bisexual certainly helps to alleviate some of that uncertainty, but there are so many other factors at play, so many other people with the power to come between Lavender and love. I've never rooted for a fictional character as much as I did for her. I was completely invested in her life, her love, and her dreams. I wanted to see her get the happiness she deserved, but there were moments when I really doubted whether we'd get a happily-ever-after. When I say I cried at the point where she returns home to find her room trashed, her hormones stolen, and her journal missing, I'm talking real tears - the kind that make your mascara run.
The transgender element here is both prominent and respectful. Carter does a wonderful job of establishing the friendships and rivalries between the girls, of exploring how they cope with being outsiders, and how they strive to fit in. Lavender's personal history is tragic, but I loved how she took charge of her life and her transition. It's expensive, but it's entirely sweet the way she works whatever odd jobs she can, like flirting with boys to woo them into the ice cream shop of her adopted grandfather. Similarly, I thought Carter was very tactful in dealing with the challenges of being a woman with an erection that betrays her attraction to Diego. It's a situation that's as humorous as it is uncomfortable, but one that's never played strictly for laughs.
Romantic and endearing, Be My Queen is a lovely story that that's well-told, with remarkable characters, and a genuine feel for the art of romance.
As published on Bending the Bookshelf
As transgender romances go, this is the best that I've read in years. It hooks you emotionally as well as intellectually, making you care about Lavender, even as you swoon over Diego. There's some real uncertainty to the tale, which Carter develops nicely from the first page, making us wonder even as she reveals the facets of Lavender's life that drive those uncertainties. She's such a beautiful girl, but one who is deeply vulnerable and so terribly afraid to allow herself to feel any sort of hope, especially for love.
The early revelation that Diego is bisexual certainly helps to alleviate some of that uncertainty, but there are so many other factors at play, so many other people with the power to come between Lavender and love. I've never rooted for a fictional character as much as I did for her. I was completely invested in her life, her love, and her dreams. I wanted to see her get the happiness she deserved, but there were moments when I really doubted whether we'd get a happily-ever-after. When I say I cried at the point where she returns home to find her room trashed, her hormones stolen, and her journal missing, I'm talking real tears - the kind that make your mascara run.
The transgender element here is both prominent and respectful. Carter does a wonderful job of establishing the friendships and rivalries between the girls, of exploring how they cope with being outsiders, and how they strive to fit in. Lavender's personal history is tragic, but I loved how she took charge of her life and her transition. It's expensive, but it's entirely sweet the way she works whatever odd jobs she can, like flirting with boys to woo them into the ice cream shop of her adopted grandfather. Similarly, I thought Carter was very tactful in dealing with the challenges of being a woman with an erection that betrays her attraction to Diego. It's a situation that's as humorous as it is uncomfortable, but one that's never played strictly for laughs.
Romantic and endearing, Be My Queen is a lovely story that that's well-told, with remarkable characters, and a genuine feel for the art of romance.
As published on Bending the Bookshelf
April 21, 2015
I really liked this gorgeous little novella about falling in love for the first time – in Lavender’s case anyway. Living in LA, she doesn’t have a lot of prospects in life, helping to sell ice cream occasionally in order to earn money for her medication, Lavender lives with other trans girls in a boarding house and pretty much drifts through life. Until she meets Diego, a man who seems determined to fall in love, no matter how reluctant Lavender is to feel the same.
Diego is adorable. He really is. He’s a guy who’s been looking for love for a long time (even though he’s only around twenty-four), and after taking one look at Lavender he’s certain he’s finally found it. Yeah, he moves fast, but only in securing her interest, everything else he takes as slowly as Lavender needs it to be. Like I said, adorable. He buys her gifts, he introduces her to his friends, he wants to spend as much time with her as possible, wants to take her home (to Portland) to meet his mother and… well, you’ll have to read it to find out more. He’s just perfect.
Okay, possibly a little too perfect, as is the way things fan out towards the end. I really liked Lavender, but I couldn’t help wondering what plans she had for her life beyond getting from one day to the next. Even when Diego is inviting her to go and live with him, she never once thinks about what she’d do in Portland or how she might source and pay for her meds somewhere else. As if it doesn’t matter – when clearly it does, as certain events in the book show.
This is a story that lives in the moment. The idea of falling in love in a week is made surprisingly believable, the revelation of Lavender’s secret done well, the revelation of Diego’s own (not intentionally kept) secret given a chance to raise problems and be dealt with. I have to admit I wasn’t all that fond of Diego’s friends (though the mother is a real gem), but Lavender’s housemates were interesting side characters providing both support and conflict.
In all it’s cute and enjoyable, presenting just a few of the problems trans girls like Lavender face, though avoiding a long-term view of life. Short and sweet, the romance is feel good and it definitely made me smile. I liked it.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
Diego is adorable. He really is. He’s a guy who’s been looking for love for a long time (even though he’s only around twenty-four), and after taking one look at Lavender he’s certain he’s finally found it. Yeah, he moves fast, but only in securing her interest, everything else he takes as slowly as Lavender needs it to be. Like I said, adorable. He buys her gifts, he introduces her to his friends, he wants to spend as much time with her as possible, wants to take her home (to Portland) to meet his mother and… well, you’ll have to read it to find out more. He’s just perfect.
Okay, possibly a little too perfect, as is the way things fan out towards the end. I really liked Lavender, but I couldn’t help wondering what plans she had for her life beyond getting from one day to the next. Even when Diego is inviting her to go and live with him, she never once thinks about what she’d do in Portland or how she might source and pay for her meds somewhere else. As if it doesn’t matter – when clearly it does, as certain events in the book show.
This is a story that lives in the moment. The idea of falling in love in a week is made surprisingly believable, the revelation of Lavender’s secret done well, the revelation of Diego’s own (not intentionally kept) secret given a chance to raise problems and be dealt with. I have to admit I wasn’t all that fond of Diego’s friends (though the mother is a real gem), but Lavender’s housemates were interesting side characters providing both support and conflict.
In all it’s cute and enjoyable, presenting just a few of the problems trans girls like Lavender face, though avoiding a long-term view of life. Short and sweet, the romance is feel good and it definitely made me smile. I liked it.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
May 2, 2015
This story is the epitome of what it means to live in the moment. Lavender is a transgender female who is out to dinner with her friends and meets Diego. He's in town for a week visiting friends and he's smitten with Lavender. He's a perfect gentleman. He takes everything at her pace and he doesn't mind. He takes her secret very well... he even has a secret of his own (although he never intended to keep it a secret... it just never came up). If you just take a chance and live in the moment... something beautiful could happen!
March 19, 2016
Title: Be My Queen
Author: RayeAnn Carter
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
ISBN: 9781620045268
Buy Link: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/boo...
Reviewer: Teresa - Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Lavender doesn't want a man in her life, not if it means exposing that she's trans. Fortunately, Diego's only in LA for a week. She can enjoy the attention without him finding out her secret.
Falling in love isn't part of the plan. Neither is the jealous housemate determined to ruin everything.
Summary:
Lavender's fear that her secret would be revealed and she would face hatred was shown as her story unfolded in her first person account in this story. The difficulties Lavender and her friends faced living as transgender individuals was very sad. The first time Lavender saw Diego, her conflicting feelings of fear that she could be hurt were at odds with her desire to get to know him. Form the moment Diego first set eyes on Lavender he knew that she was everything he ever wanted and her reluctance to even talk to him made the feelings even stronger. It wasn't until his feelings for her were put to the test that it showed the kind of man he truly was. I can't imagine how it would feel to know that your body wasn't what it should be and we as a society should give individuals the support they need to be happy with themselves without questioning how they feel.
Author: RayeAnn Carter
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
ISBN: 9781620045268
Buy Link: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/boo...
Reviewer: Teresa - Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Lavender doesn't want a man in her life, not if it means exposing that she's trans. Fortunately, Diego's only in LA for a week. She can enjoy the attention without him finding out her secret.
Falling in love isn't part of the plan. Neither is the jealous housemate determined to ruin everything.
Summary:
Lavender's fear that her secret would be revealed and she would face hatred was shown as her story unfolded in her first person account in this story. The difficulties Lavender and her friends faced living as transgender individuals was very sad. The first time Lavender saw Diego, her conflicting feelings of fear that she could be hurt were at odds with her desire to get to know him. Form the moment Diego first set eyes on Lavender he knew that she was everything he ever wanted and her reluctance to even talk to him made the feelings even stronger. It wasn't until his feelings for her were put to the test that it showed the kind of man he truly was. I can't imagine how it would feel to know that your body wasn't what it should be and we as a society should give individuals the support they need to be happy with themselves without questioning how they feel.
January 30, 2017
A fairly quick, pacy read which I did like but I wanted more.
I was looking forward to this one as I am interested how that first 'real me' conversation goes. In this book, it was perhaps too gushy and at a high level. I was wanting more depth that perhaps a longer treatment would give me.
It all just seemed a bit easy. I did wonder at having met Diego an hour earlier why Lavender, or anyone, would go off to a deserted beach and even more so with Lavender being worried that Diego would discover that she was more than what was seen.
Lavender's worries and concerns were deep set as expected but I thought Diego was too over the top.
I would have liked to learn more of how Lavender got to where she was.
I was looking forward to this one as I am interested how that first 'real me' conversation goes. In this book, it was perhaps too gushy and at a high level. I was wanting more depth that perhaps a longer treatment would give me.
It all just seemed a bit easy. I did wonder at having met Diego an hour earlier why Lavender, or anyone, would go off to a deserted beach and even more so with Lavender being worried that Diego would discover that she was more than what was seen.
Lavender's worries and concerns were deep set as expected but I thought Diego was too over the top.
I would have liked to learn more of how Lavender got to where she was.
March 6, 2017
Simple, modern transgender fairy tale romance
This was a relatively simple, short, and extremely sweet novella regarding a handsome bisexual guy sliding into town and sweeping a young transgendered woman off her feet. It was a quick, nicely escapist and rather straightforward contemporary fairy tale, a wonderful little "feel good" romance with protagonists who could use more love and representation from fiction and real life presentations. It's fantastic to have a transgendered heroine, which is clearly the draw of this piece, but I was also pleased to read a fun story with fully realized, not confused bisexual character.
This was a relatively simple, short, and extremely sweet novella regarding a handsome bisexual guy sliding into town and sweeping a young transgendered woman off her feet. It was a quick, nicely escapist and rather straightforward contemporary fairy tale, a wonderful little "feel good" romance with protagonists who could use more love and representation from fiction and real life presentations. It's fantastic to have a transgendered heroine, which is clearly the draw of this piece, but I was also pleased to read a fun story with fully realized, not confused bisexual character.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews