Prima Facie

Anchors #1

by Nicole Field

Never get involved with the client. That's one of the first rules of the business, and a rule Con has never had trouble following. Until Maggie walks through the door. She's smart, charming, isn't impressed by his family, and doesn't care that he's trans. If anyone is worth breaking rules for, it seems to be Maggie.

But things that seem too good to be true often are, and Con soon finds himself caught between his family, Maggie, and figuring out what really matters most to him.

Genres: Romance, Transgender

ebook

First published June 27, 2016

About the author

Nicole has been writing since they were handed a floppy disc and told how many Word documents could fit on it. They write across the spectrum of sexuality and gender identity in multiple genres, and live in Melbourne with their husband, two cats and a whole lot of books. Probably drinking right now from a bottomless cup of tea.

They can be found on Bluesky: @faerywhimsy and Wordpress: nicolefieldwrites.wordpress.com.


Their books are available on: Amazon | Publisher | B&N | Smashwords | Netgalley

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

I sort of want to try this, but I'm also put off when authors rate their own books... decisions, decisions.

[A.M. Leibowitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was just okay. I think the biggest issue for me is that it lacked some good editing and some sensitivity readers. Not because it was full of grammar/spelling errors but because there were a couple of really big issues and because it simply wasn't that compelling.

It started off really well, but I was already put off by the unethical behavior of Con dating a client. It went downhill when they actually hooked up. I am honestly floored that no one caught the huge error there--Con conflates gender dysphoria with being asexual. Those are not the same even remotely. He tells Maggie he doesn't have any bodily dysphoria regarding sex because he's "not asexual." A trans person can experience dysphoria and still not be asexual because those are not synonyms or even necessarily connected. It was disheartening that neither the author nor the editor caught such a large misstep, and it nearly spoiled the rest of the story.

The other big problem I had was that this was a Trans Issues! story. It wasn't a really good story (with a romantic subplot) about a lawyer who happened to be a trans man. It felt like it was trying to make some kind of statement and repeatedly fell flat.

The rest of the narrative was okay, but the plot was entirely contrived. I could not believe that Maggie, with her rich parents who were willing to threaten people over her well-being, would need to lie about the real reason for her divorce. That was pretty far-fetched.

I liked some of the characters, particularly Con, Kit, and Dante. But the rest was just so lukewarm and borderline silly that I couldn't take this very seriously.

**I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review**

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice short read and exactly what I needed to while away a couple of hours. Although it was short, I found that most of the main characters were reasonably well-rounded (although I reckon I could do with a couple more books, one for Kit and one for Dante, for sure). The writing was good, although there were a few typos that pulled me out of the story in places, and yes, there was at least one problematic mistake which gave me pause, but it wasn't enough to ruin my enjoyment of this book. I found the story flowed well and I enjoyed the writing style and the background setting just as much as the plot and the characters. Definitely worth a read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
It's difficult for me to rate short stories well. The whole problem with short stories is that it's hard to put so much into such a little space. And for me, this story suffers for it. There is a lot that seems to be missing with the legal part of the story, especially in the last part. We went from a cursory investigation in part one to a bit more depth in part two to skipping over most of all of the build up for the court case in part three. For me, the case is an integral part of the story, so having the resolution of the case be a whole "oh, we won, that's so great!" without telling me how they won was not satisfying at all. Next, I'm not sure I get Maggie's attraction to Con at all, especially when I find out that it was all initially contrived as a way to ensure Con's attention on her court case. I'm not sure I could be as forgiving as Con seems to be and lying is definitely not a good thing to have as the base or start of a relationship. Is Con's desire for acceptance of who he is so big that he can overlook her blatant attempt to use him? Add in the way her parents and his threaten him into not dropping the case and I'm not sure how he ever gets past the way they met. I liked the concept of the story, and I love how applicable the title is, but for me, it missed in the execution. It may have been easier to work these issues out in a longer format, but the issues for me aren't nearly resolved at the end of this story.
I received a copy of this book from Inked Rainbow Reads for review.

[Nicole Field]

There something about the well cut suit that just… grabs the eye and tugs at the imagination, isn’t there? It almost doesn’t matter who’s wearing it. The casual elegance of some poses, the utter irreverence of others–untied neckpieces and splayed out legs–rugging up or overheating, laughter, seriousness; an individual wearing a suit will always speak their own stories.

And that’s how I conceived of Con. Androgynous to begin with, with hair cut and elegantly done in a coif, this trans gentleman wears his suit as a reassurance to how he will be seen by the outside eye.

I had an absolute ball writing Prima Facie. Con is a strong, young lawyer who also just happens to be trans and on occasion battles with moments of dysmorphia and loneliness.

At first, it had much more of a modern noir feel to it, but it became clear pretty quick that Con’s character wanted to shine through more loud and clearly.

With supporting characters, Kit: Con’s best friend and partner in business, and Maggie: the complicated love interest, I hope this will be a story that grabs people with characters that stick in their minds after the story is finished.

It was also pretty fun to feature Melbourne’s changeable weather into a kind of background character in this novella.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't read any romance featuring a trans character before, and I went into this one overthinking it a bit, because I wasn't sure if I'd find a story that was trying to make a statement. I was pleased to find that although Con's sexuality is obviously part of the story, beyond some conflict with his family's lack of acceptance, it's just one more character trait and not the whole point of the book.

This was not a full-length novel, and I feel like it suffered for it. Although the romance arc was nice, and there was the necessary conflict that tested the main characters' bond, there was nothing that felt deep about this story, and the best descriptor I can come up with is that it was too tidy. It felt like more like an outline for what could have been a really good book.

Field's writing definitely shows promise and I look forward to reading what she publishes in the future, but I'd only give this story 2.5*