REVIEW: 'Becoming Kerry' by Lynn Kelling
Title: Becoming Kerry
Author: Lynn Kelling
Published: August 8, 2017
Publisher: ForbiddenFiction - Imprint of Enspire Publishing Cover Artist: Siol na Tine
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance
Length: 456 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; BDSM; D/s; Bisexual; Genderqueer; Transgender; Comfort/Hurt; Coming Out; First Time; HFN; Kink: Exhibitionism, Voyeurism; CW: Violence/Gay Bashing, Off Page - Abuse and Child Abuse, Rape and Murder
About Becoming Kerry
Kerry Sanderson’s life is falling apart. He’s crushing himself to fit into the boxes others have put him in: dutiful son, good boyfriend, real man. But even the small rebellions he’s fought for himself—moving into a sketchy part of town and becoming an exotic dancer—aren’t giving him the freedom he needs. Ewyn Garrity, a security guard at the gay club where Kerry dances, has found himself in protecting others. Everyone thinks he’s straight, but Ewyn doesn’t fit into simple boxes, either. When he meets Kerry, he makes a not completely innocent offer of company after work.
Ewyn and Kerry hit it off, each finding something he desperately needs in the other. But when Kerry is forced to confront the pain and self-doubt that keep him crushed in his boxes, he’s afraid that no one, not even Ewyn, will be able to love who he is when he finally, truly becomes Kerry.
5 HEART READ
REVIEW:
Kerry Sanderson, the main character in Lynn Kelling’s latest novel Becoming Kerry, identifies as genderqueer and I will observe Kerry’s preference for the feminine pronouns in my review.
As Kerry states, “‘My whole life I’ve felt like a mistake and I’m not a mistake.’”
Growing up in a house where deviating from accepted standards was completely unacceptable, Kerry has struggled to come to terms with feelings about who she can love and what clothing is okay to wear. Spending her life miserable trying to conform to what society and her family expect, and longing to be at peace, Kerry gradually begins to recognize that she is genderqueer.
Accepting and embracing her desire to be true to herself is a long and difficult journey.
Masquerading as a straight man at her former job Kerry says she felt like she was, “‘playacting instead of being’” herself. Looking to make a significant change, moving jobs to a gay bar doesn’t help as much as she had hoped...until she meets Ewyn. Ewyn helps Kerry realize she needs to be true to herself and see the positive spin her misfortunes can provide in her life.
When she begins to embrace who she is on the inside, and gets the outside to match, Kerry finally starts to find some peace.
Lynn Kelling always presents such beautifully complicated, muti-layered characters. The unique relationships and the intense emotions they explore always bring interesting issues to the surface. What makes Kelling a powerful author for me is how she establishes the plausibility of these relationships.
These characters just need each other so completely, they could not be whole without the other. Kerry, with her honest submission, satisfies Ewyn’s need to dominate. Ewyn, who admits he’s overbearing and too domineering, needs to be the protector in his relationships. This self admitted vulnerability makes Ewyn’s character so real and meaningful for me.
Kerry’s character, at the most basic level, simply needs to trust somebody. To put her physical and mental wellbeing into the hands of someone else.
At a higher level Kerry needs to find herself, to find the courage to be honest to her true nature.
It always just hits me the way Kelling writes her men. She gets so far into their heads, into their insecurities and doubts (and the complex intricacies of human nature). She plays with their pasts, brings issues forward, and makes them relevant to the story. She creates a powerful attraction between the MCs which is absolutely alluring, and so undeniably hot.
I really appreciate the message Kelling sends in Becoming Kerry about duality, the image we present to society and what we are willing to do to make ourselves happy. In the journey of finding ourselves, and deciding to be honest to our true nature, what are we willing to give up?
Kelling has created a thought provoking, powerful story that will stay with me for some time.
A copy of Becoming Kerry was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Lynn Kelling, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Meet the Author
Lynn Kelling began writing in order to tell stories that aren’t afraid of the dark, don’t hold anything back and always strive to be memorable, forging lasting attachments between character and reader. Her inspiration comes from taking a closer look at behaviors and ideas lurking at the fringes of life—basically anything that people may hesitate to speak of in mixed company, but everyone wonders about anyway. Her work is driven by the taboo in order to expose the humanity within it. Lynn is an artist, designer and lover of any form of creative self-expression that comes from a place of honesty and emotion, whether it’s body art or opera. She is an award-winning author who has written over fifty works of erotic fiction of varying lengths, and always has several novels in progress.
For more from Lynn be sure and visit her website.
