It is simple to categorize For The Love of April French as a romance. It is a romance, but it is so much more.

Penny Aimes tackles identity on two fronts: Black with money and what being a Transwoman who cannot pass is like. There is a scene that sticks out for me, Dennis talking about being allowed in an expensive restaurant with allwhite people because he had on an expensive suit. If he didn’t they wouldn’t have allowed him in. In that moment April was able to step out of her trans window and see that they share similar stories. That she should be there for him like he is for her. A beautiful moment.

Aimes scripts these “aha” moments through the diversity of their characters. Fatima is from Pakistan. Dennis has another step on it moment with a deaf woman. We also get to see different points of view through a poly lesbian and a couple of gay men. Heck Dennis even asks his Mom for advice. The diversity of color, sexual identity, gender, disability, and age is wonderful to read.

Now let’s get to what I know best: the BDSM portions of the book. The communication about consent, limits, and kinks is awesome. The actions of how a BDSM community works together to make everyone better in their roles is fabulous. What is missing is the much needed discussion of safety. There is no mention of condoms, gloves, or tests. Just because someone goes to a club does not mean that they follow all of the rules. Aimes even points out how the club in Austin is very different from the one in Seattle. Rainbows: safety, safety, safety. I cannot say this enough.

Everything else about For The Love of April French I love. There is great romance, fun in the sheets, someone else cooking the eggs, and a happily-ever-after.

For the Love of April French is an absolutely stunning debut novel.

April French is a woman who's used to being a stopping post in other people's journeys and doesn't really believe she deserves anything better. So she sits at Frankie's, her local kink bar, night after night, helping everything to run smoothly and making everyone feel safe. And when Dennis Martin arrives one Wednesday night, she slips into the welcome wagon role to which she is accustomed. But Dennis sees April as so much more.

The structure of this book is a little unusual, but works beautifully. We begin with a fairly conventional meeting scene through an agreement to keep their relationship sexual only, then we see the next six months through April's eyes, followed by the same six months through Dennis', before their timelines meet up again. I really liked how we got to see both characters work through things and have scenes overlap.

Dennis decides to be better. He made mistakes in his first D/s relationship, and he keeps making mistakes with April, so he educates himself on trans issues and seeks out mentors. He. Does. The. Work. And I love when a character does the work.

This book is emotional, and sexy, and I adore April and Dennis.

I can't wait to see what Penny Aimes does next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You know the hurt/comfort trope? This book felt like that for me, where I was the hurt person and this book was doing the comforting. It’s centered on a queer friendly kink community in Austin and a very loving and accepting relationship, but it also smacks you in the face with the realities of what’s like to be a trans woman who doesn’t pass.

April moved to Austin to give herself a fresh start, and, well, it’s sort of working. She has a job that pays the bills and she helps out at the local kink club, where everyone knows her. And if being a kinky trans woman in Austin is sometimes exhausting, well, she can deal with it. And then she meets Dennis at the club. Dennis left the high tech startup world in Seattle for a hopefully slower paced job in Austin, and visiting the club his friend suggested is just another way of trying to settle into his new community. And then he meets April. The two hit it off right away and they both can see the inklings of something more in their one night stand, but April’s hesitant. After all, why would such a kind and handsome man chose her?

“And once it had seemed like enough, like such a precious thing, just for April to exist, for April to be allowed to exist. But now she wanted more, a huge ugly angry wanting, and she didn’t know how to fill it.”


I spent most of the book alternately wanting to wrap April up in a cozy blanket or smack her upside the head. April is a sweet, kind person, except she doesn’t apply that same kindness to herself. She’s the person who’s always there to lend an ear if someone needs help, always willing to help organize an event at the club, but she’s shocked at how kind Dennis is to her. And while she wants a relationship with Dennis, she’s convinced that he’ll get tired of her before long. April tries to convince herself that she’s content having fun with Dennis while it lasts – and she knows, deep down, that it won’t last very long. April’s head isn’t always a great place to be; she’s so vulnerable and insecure that I absolutely ached for someone, anyone to show her an ounce of the caring that she habitually doled out to everyone else.

“How good to let herself go, be totally out of control, and then be brought back under control by someone so kind and handsome and thoughtful. For once, she didn’t have to control herself, because this gentle stranger was doing it for her.”


And there was Dennis, a cis Black man and a dom. He’s kind and has his own caretaking streak (which extends into his kink, some permutations of which I’d never heard of before), and he’s not about to let this chance with April go. While his own struggles with racism and finding his community are included, they’re not emphasized as much as April’s are. What’s important to him is being the man that April deserves. He’s got his own demons to work through from a past relationship, but he does the work to own up to them (partly through therapy, and I loved that both characters went to therapy) and prevent them from happening again.

“You can make a place for them that’s safe,” she said. “A place they can always come back to and see how love is supposed to work. But they’ve got to decide to come back. And sometimes that means they have to change, and not everyone is ready to do that.”


The way the author uses alternating POVs was masterful. Like most romances, the book starts with alternating POVs between April and Dennis until the pivotal moment where April lies about not wanting a more formal relationship with Dennis, afraid of how much it’ll hurt when he eventually dumps her, as she’s certain he will. The next portion of the book is solely from April’s POV, covering a span of months in their relationship and all of April’s certainties that Dennis isn’t really that interested in her. It culminates in another pivotal moment, when we switch back to Dennis and then get to see those same months from his perspective. Now, you would think that rehashing the plot, down to the exact same conversations, would be boring, but instead it was fascinating to see everything from Dennis’ point of view. While he doesn’t want to coerce April into a relationship with him, he’s convinced there’s something special between them and he’ll do everything he can to show her how good they could be together. After that second moment, the POVs start alternating more frequently as they grow closer together, culminating in POV switches nearly every paragraph. Rather than being confusing, it’s enlightening as to how far they’ve come. It’s not a narrative choice I’ve seen before, but I absolutely loved it.

Overall, an easy four-and-a-half stars, and I hope to see more of Frankie’s and some of the other side characters. I will definitely be following the author to see what she writes next!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC & the former for the finished copy as well. All opinions provided are my own.

Penny Aimes’s For the Love of April French is a tender, sensual read told in an unconventional way.

Dennis Martin is a dominant who’s recently moved to Austin from Seattle & meets April, a trans woman & submissive who has a reputation for being “Mama April,” at kink club Frankie’s.

Dennis is still reeling from a relationship that went wrong (see CWs for this) & April has been ultimately rejected by so many people that she’s pretty much given up on the idea of a lasting relationship.

They know they have something special together but when the topic of exclusivity comes up, April says no, & they agree to an orgasm control “project” where they’ll have check-ins.

But that’s not the whole story, & we see both sides as the book progresses, as Dennis & April make more memories together & secrets are revealed.

This book touched my heart—as April’s insecurities & fears about her body are repeatedly met with Dennis’s undeniable attraction & care for her. As she grows more confident in herself & about what she deserves.

Dennis also grows throughout the book, having to process what happened in his past relationship & how to be the dom he wants to be through doing the work.

Not only is there steam—there are great discussions of limits & safe words & obvious respect & appreciation between leads. The conflict is compellingly developed & features one of my catnip: a MC who’s in it for the long haul, who wants to wait with hope for the other MC to change their mind.

On one hand the book’s set-up in showing the same timeline from both perspectives is such a cool way to give more insight into the respective characters, but on the other I did somewhat miss the extra opportunity to see them develop more new, in-person memories together.

Still, this is such a loving read & I rooted for this couple—for their own separate happiness & their happiness as a couple.

4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 08/31.


[CW: Transphobia. Dennis’s first experience as a dom was not done entirely safely—he & his then partner didn’t have appropriate measures in place to maintain limits & boundaries. DM for details. & April has an impact play experience with another dom while she & Dennis are involved in their orgasm control project, although she was “permitted” to do so per their agreement.]

Included as a top pick in bimonthly August New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

April is a woman used to being enjoyed in the short term, but sees herself as a stepping stone on the way to someone better. Dennis is a professional used to being in control, who is carrying the weight of his failures in his last relationship. Can these two people and their baggage make it work? When they meet at a local BDSM club, it could be the start of what they both need.

I don't read much of this subgenre, but I was intrigued by the mix of characters and wanted to see how it played out.

It was interesting to see that the BDSM lifestyle wasn't fetishised by the novel. It is not in the story to be exotic, but it is considered, along with the importance of respect, safety and trust in building a healthy relationship in the lifestyle. As a transgender woman, April was a fully crafted character that was more than just her transition

Although I am not personally sold on the subgenre, I thought this was a fantastic example, and would recommend it to people who do enjoy it.

Oh, how I love this book - let me count the ways.

The quickfire oh-so-good:

- First, this is an incredibly sweet romance. It's a kink-based relationship and the love and care are utterly melt-worthy.

- Romance featuring a trans woman, written by a trans woman! Woo!

- It does not read like a debut at all. The voice is assured, and considering some of the tricks Aimes pulls off? Woah.

- One of the most interesting things, as a long-time romance reader, is the way she plays with narrative. The story isn't completely linear, but it's not a chopped salad of events, either. Everything makes sense, and the way it plays with conflict and expectations is amazing.

- Speaking of - reader expectations are subverted on the regular in the most interesting way.

- With the non-traditional narrative and subverted expectations, the conflict comes from places you rarely see it, and it's worked through in similarly non-traditional ways. I would love to get into more details, but the last thing I want to do is spoil it for anyone, please forgive.

- Dennis is a Black millionaire and April is a white trans woman, and they recognize that they've both faced oppression and microaggressions while also recognizing that one person's experience doesn't equal the other's. That, being white, April doesn't have the same interactions with police that Dennis does. That Dennis will never know what it's like to move through the world, and more specifically Texas, as a trans person.

- The bits that could be repetitive aren't, and it's so carefully plotted.

- Both characters go to therapy for great reasons! And we see two therapy sessions with different people and dynamics! And Dennis gets a Dom mentor to go over the emotional side of being a top, which I've never seen before!

- Each character has a bestie, but they are very different, not only from the person they're besties with, but the relationship itself. Jason is a white guy who has been friends with Dennis forever and they can read each other's moods and expressions with ease. Fatima is a hijabi woman who's lunch friends with April at work, and over the course of the book we see their relationship deepen and grow.

- ...did I mention that it's sweet and melt-worthy?

The only less-than-perfect things for me are details of a subplot and not even worth mentioning here.

If you like romance and are open to reading a (sweet!) kink-based relationship, you have to give For the Love of April French a try. And feel free to shout at me on social media as you do!

Content notes: BDSM/kink including impact play; mentions of surgery; misgendering; a short, mini panic attack on the page

This is a DNF for now. I know everyone is loving this book, so this is totally a me thing and I just don’t feel like I’m in the right mood to read it?

I like the kink but everything feels…like it’s being over explained somehow. Which, is fine but not what I usually go for in kinky books.

I think what really doesn’t work for me though is that this book is told from third-person (thankfully past, not present) which I don’t usually have an issue with, but the writing feels like it’s being told too much from a distance instead of a more intimate third-person. Does that make sense?

Then there’s all the tech business side of this story that’s too much work talk for me. I’m already living that life so having to read about it is just very not my thing at the moment.

Maybe one day I’ll come back to this one. Like, if it ever gets made into an audiobook? I really like April, I like the POSSIBILITY of angst in the storyline, and I like Dennis too. It’s also fun that it takes place in Austin, TX since I actually travel there often. But this book is just not for me right now. DNF @ 17%.

***Thanks to the publisher for giving me an e-ARC for review.***

This is a book about power. It's a book about both the sexual and the social power between a wealthy cis Black man and a white trans pan woman. It is such an incisive and magnificent romance about how different people navigate power, and what it means to love and care for someone whose privileges are vastly different from your own. The emotional journeys that each of these characters had to got through - both together and apart - in order for them to be good partners for one another were perfect. This book is a shining example of what romance can do.

I don't read a lot of kink (it's just not really my bag), but I found this book to be so captivating. The sex was raw and intimate. It was incredible to watch these two fall in love through their sexual relationship, and learn to understand and eventually love one another within that space of intense vulnerability.

The structure is fascinating, It's divided into four parts, and begins with quick shifts in POV. However, Parts II and III cover the same period of time, each from different perspectives and then the fourth part brings the two perspectives back together. This structure is so smart, and it's unlike any I've seen in a romance novel before.

Over all, this book was a privilege to read. I cannot wait to see what else Penny Aimes does.

Thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the ARC!

CW: transphobia, misgendering, controlling partners

Confession Time: I had no expectations going into this book. I accepted it for review after reading the synopsis because . . . well, I'm not sure what drove me to accept it and sign on for the book tour other than I found the synopsis intriguing. I do read and review LGBTQ books so that didn't play into my decision to give it a chance. At any rate, I'm so glad I did! What a jewel!

April French is a kinky, trans woman who's smart, attractive, and a loner. She only does one night stands as she learned the hard way that opening oneself up enough to trust another person means heartbreak. She's just a stopping point for others on their way to forever. People never stay in her life. She's never been anyone's "one and only" and now she prefers it that way. April frequents kink club Frankie's and is actually known there as "mama" for her loving care and willing shoulder for everyone else. Just don't ask April to do relationships . . . not going to happen.

Dennis Martin is a gorgeous if slightly nerdy guy looking for his forever. He's wary after his relationship with his ex-wife went haywire following a bad experimental kink session. Dennis is carrying the blame and trying to learn to do things right. When he walks into Frankies, he's looking for a new, hopefully forever lover and there sits April. It's lust at first sight and after a night together, Dennis manages to convince April to give him her phone number. Can he also win her trust?

Oh my goodness, For the Love of April French is a pure delight to read! I could not believe what a sweet, caring romance this book turned out to be. It's not simple, in fact the story becomes convoluted with some major issues to be worked through, but Dennis's undying devotion in pursuing April and making the relationship work was beautiful to witness. The emergence of the real April French was also a wonderful experience - from being wary and vulnerable to the constant scrutiny of her appearance and confusion over her gender to a loving, confident woman ready to welcome her own forever. I loved every single moment and page of this book. I didn't expect to, but trust me friends - this story is beautifully crafted and written. It delivers on the romance, the trans gender elements, the kink, the love story and the education on so many things I had no idea about. Fans of romance, kinky romance and/or just great love stories will adore this couple and book. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this kinky romance, April and Denis were two fantastically messy characters who had a lot of chemistry with each other and were good to and for each other.
April a white trans woman, who feels like a Sub stepping stone Doms play with before moving on with others. She is divorced and has many insecurities and well-earned fears. Dennis is a black cis man who is a millionaire, he is new to town but comes with a mountain of scars from his past relationship and he is still figuring out how to be a Dom. I loved the character development, their interactions with each other was so respectful and caring. Dennis hadn’t been with a trans woman before, he wasn’t sent into “crisis mode”, his response was to be open, always check in with her and learn more so he wouldn’t make April uncomfortable or hurt.
Told in an interesting way, the story is broken into four sections. Beginning with dual POV, the following six months in April’s POV, then the same six months in Denis’ POV, finally coming together again in dual POVs. I really think this enhanced the story and gave us a good amount of time to get to understand both April and Denis well.
I have only read a small amount of books with kink in it, but none had actually told it in a way that made me understand the world. There was plenty of healthy communication with checking in before and during, and a good time spent on after care. Their romance and intimacy was so sweet without sugar coating the kink play. I will be looking our for more Penny Aimes work, she is such a wonderful writer!

4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Adores, an imprint of Carina Press for an ARC of this book.

Gosh, I adored this book so much!!

April French doesn’t date, but she does enjoy her trysts and dalliances and friendships and community at Frankie’s, a kink bar in Austin. One night she meets Dennis Martin, who recently moved to Austin from Seattle, and they immediately connect.

This book feels like a warm hug, which feels like an odd sentiment for a book with kink so central to the relationship and the dynamic between April and Dennis, but it is the best way I can describe it. The romance is so soft and warmed my heart so much. There are so many great lines and small gestures that really display how smitten Dennis especially is for April.

Another element I really enjoyed is how things come up about their experiences and fears, hers as a trans woman and his as a Black man, and the ways they have to navigate the world. This is not an angsty book and it’s definitely not focused on racism or transphobia, but I appreciate the nod to realism as it adds to the hope I feel reading the story. And I loved how both April and Dennis acknowledge how while they’re marginalized in certain ways, they don’t know all the experiences their partner will have, and make efforts to educate themselves. In my mind, this further shows the love they have for one another.

This is just so wonderful! It brought me so much joy to read, and it was so hard to put down because I felt so warm reading this book. I didn’t want to leave the romance because it was so sweet.

I also loved the way Penny Aimes wrote this in terms of pacing and perspective. It’s unique but it works so well at showing the progression of the relationship through April and Dennis’ perspective. It starts with their meeting and is alternating perspectives, but then we get the next several months from April’s POV before getting those same several months from Dennis’ POV, and the final part goes back to alternating between April and Dennis. It allows for a very deep immersion in how each character is experiencing the series of events and the thoughts that go into their choices. It just truly worked so well!

This is absolutely a new favorite, and I hope this book gets all the love it deserves! Especially as I selfishly want more from books from Penny Aimes!

Stunning, sweet, steamy, angsty, and definitely one of my favorite romance reads this year. It’s surprising to think of a BDSM romance as sweet too, but this one did such a good job of balancing the kink journey and emotional evolution between the main couple. It’s a story about love but also acceptance and SELF-acceptance, as well as learning to be truly vulnerable with someone on every level. I really enjoyed the POV formatting of it too, it didn’t adhere to the regular structure of alternating chapters but rather gave the first half to April and the second to Dennis before letting us see both of them simultaneously toward the end, which I thought was a really fascinating narrative choice.

content notes: misgendering, transmisogyny, references to past poor dom/sub behavior, references to past emotionally abusive relationship

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Now here's a romance that is very fully centered on a burgeoning relationship but still feels like it's set in a rich world with rounded out side characters! A real feat! What I think this book captures SO WELL is the way certain coping mechanisms for life can work for a time but also end up becoming harmful. And it can affect relationships and careers, and be very hard to undo because it very much feels like intentionally making bad decisions or losing control. This is the journey that April French takes, and she's very lovable and it's so gratifying to see her get all the love she deserves!

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

A sweet and spicy romance with excellent representation and great characters. I really enjoyed this book and it’s opened my interest into reading other books with BDSM romance - although I really think this book has set a high bar of expectation. This book was so full of warmth and the characters felt so real and genuine - the main characters April and Dennis - but also the supporting cast of characters too. The pacing is good.. the story was always moving but there was room for anticipation and suspense. As other reviewers have referenced, I found some of the jumping between time periods a little distracting at first but I soon got used to it and it I actually enjoyed revisiting scenes from the other character’s perspective. All in all this is a pretty perfect romance - great tension between the couple and the inevitable hiccups in the romance felt natural and not forced, and were resolved in a way that felt earned and genuine. All in all - loved the characters, loved the pacing and have been left with all the warm fuzzy feelings of a good romance!

“She wanted to orbit him like a cold planet eternally falling towards the sun; desperate for the warmth, but afraid to burn.”*

Submissive April meets dominant Dennis at her favorite kink club. Used to short-term relationships, she’s wary of their instant chemistry and fast-moving partnership. Dennis, still reeling from his recent divorce, worries about making similar mistakes. Both deal with work issues, which are complicated by April’s need for a job that covers transition-related medical expenses.

It feels strange to call a BDSM romance “sweet,” but Dennis’s unconditional regard for April was nothing short of swoon-worthy. I loved the way he wanted to be the best partner he could in and out of the bedroom. Both April and Dennis are likable, with strong backstories. The secondary characters are nicely developed, and April’s work bestie, Fatima was my favorite along with April’s Dungeon and Dragons group members. With the cool kink club setting and extended friends and family, this story world could easily sustain a series.

The book nicely tackles work issues from April’s fears of losing her medical coverage and being misgendered to Dennis’s confrontations with a competitive colleague. April’s challenges as a trans woman create conflict, but never overwhelmed the story.

While I very much enjoyed the book overall, I struggled with how the points of view were presented. Some scenes were repeated to show both characters’ perspectives and the end section moved quickly back and forth between April and Dennis’s heads, which provided insight but became a bit exhausting to read. Still, I’d love to read more by Penny Aimes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Adores, an imprint of Carina Press, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.

I want to start off by saying I don't read a lot of BDSM romances, or if I do read BDSM, only small elements of this kink show up in small ways here and there. The most I can think of is Katee Robert and that is an extremely different vibe than this book. Because this book is so gosh darn sweet and challenged the way I see kink in such a refreshing way. Because when I think of dom/sub relationships they seem so... fantastical. Like something so outside my purview, it seems impossible for me to think of it as a real thing. But Dennis and April's relationship didn't feel like something that could never happen. It felt natural, mundane but still interesting and titillating. I mean they had spreadsheets for their scenes!! How wonderful is that! I just like exploring the world of kink in an accessible way by an author that obviously has such love and joy for it. Also, I loved reading about a trans woman finding her happy ending (in more ways than one) that was written by another trans woman. It just feels like such an intimate world and experience I am let in on and delighted to learn more about it.

I did not finish this and will not be finishing it. I am so grateful to be able to get books from Carina, but none of the pitch emails I received about this indicated it was kinky/BDSM related. I respect that theme/genre/trope it just isn't something I am currently interested in reading.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, in particular the two leads Dennis and April. I thought their whole dynamic was really interesting and I really liked how they both had to overcome some of their past trauma in order to find happiness with one another. The only thing that didn't work for me was the structure of the story. I found the timeline a little difficult to follow, especially with the parts that seemed to be told from both POVs at different times. I found myself getting a little lost. But the love story itself was very sweet!

We meet April and Dennis just before they meet each other. The first couple of chapters of For the Love of April French capture perfectly that feeling of endless possibility when you meet a potential new romantic partner – all the wonder of meeting someone you want to know better and all the fear that they will be awful, or reject you when they get to know you. It’s an expansive, joyful, terrifying feeling and Penny Aimes nails it.

For the Love of April French is going to end up on my list of favorite reads for 2021. It is an unusual romance, and not because the author and main character are trans women. Aimes plays with the structure of the alternating POV using it to show connection and disconnection. The romance is kink heavy, but it’s not the kind of physical sensation kink more common in BDSM romances. Instead it’s a mental/power kink [spoiler] power exchange with long term orgasm denial, clothing approval with a little sugar daddy/financial power exchange, and doll play[end spoiler].

Penny Aimes has blown me away with her talent. April and Dennis dive into this intense relationship that requires enormous trust and vulnerability while at the same time holding back central pieces of themselves. Aimes is so good at showing her characters hold these conflicting emotional states in the same body at the same moment. The alternating POVs allow us to sink into their hopes and insecurities. We spend a long time with April seeing only her perspective long enough to accept her belief that eventually her relationship with Dennis will end. And then we spend time with Dennis, feeling his tension and vulnerabilities. As the two become more in synch, the POV changes come more quickly.

There is some fairly heavy emotional stuff, but no violence. Both April and Dennis feel broken in ways and their relationship is intense. One of my favorite things in a book is when characters go to the therapy, and Dennis and April each have their own therapy journey. It’s an incredibly thoughtful and well considered book. For the Love of April French is not a romance that you go through like potato chips and it’s gorgeous in it’s difference.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.