Reviewing Fem by Seth King

Fem by Seth King 2*
BLURB: Peter Martin is living two lives inside one body.
Although he is openly gay, a lifetime of taunting from his family and community for being “too feminine” has still left him clad in false armor, portraying a character that is entirely fake, but keeps him safe from ridicule all the same. Stand tall, speak deeply, keep a strong handshake, never draw attention, never be “too gay.” But deep in his wildest dreams, Peter is a fabulous, flamboyant diva – he is just terrified of what it would mean for his life if he ever let his true rainbow colors shine through.
Until he meets Andre Munoz.
Andre is a traditionally masculine gay man who happens to love men like Peter, and who treasures Peter for everything he ever hated and concealed about himself. Andre is also into the “lace lifestyle,” a mysterious underground world of men who reject society’s rules and engage in sex while wearing gender-bending looks involving lingerie, fishnets, heels, and more. Peter is instantly hooked – on Andre, and on the lingerie.
Peter and Andre soon fall electrically in love, and their increasingly mind-blowing – and boundary-pushing – sex sessions come with an unexpected side effect. For the first time, Peter is embracing, exploring, and even accepting his own femininity. Glowing with all this newfound confidence, Peter soon gets a wild idea: after years of being half-alive, why not finally unleash his truest self and launch the side career of his dreams as a drag queen?
But Peter’s family is still his family, and his town is still his town. Will Andre prove to be his ultimate savior, or the catalyst of the biggest mistake of his life?

My Review: I got a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. I gave this a second try (couldn't finish it on the first attempt) because when I first tried to read it I was on a bit of a science fiction binge. But it turns out the story itself was to blame as it still took me a lot to really get into it. Unfortunately I was expecting a nice romance about a guy who slowly comes to accept himself and a story about men enjoying lace and flamboyant clothing. The style of writing just felt more like that of an autobiography rather than a fictional romance and I believe that's why it didn't work for me.
n.b. I might not have enjoyed this book but don't let that deter you from trying it yourself because, from what I can tell, it has a lot of 5* reviews so possibly it is just me.