Day: February 26, 2020

Review: Three of Hearts by Stephanie Park

Great novella with a trans main character. The blurb really didn’t do this novella justice.

5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 92 pages. Published June 15th 2019 by JMS Books LLC

Blurb:

Noah likes people watching, so when he notices a cute gay couple who don’t seem to have a reflection, he’s fascinated. They can’t actually be vampires, can they? 

As he learns more about the enthralling pair, he soon discovers his wild suspicion is more than correct. But Noah is hiding a secret of his own, and how could two men from decades or even centuries in the past possibly care, possibly understand, when they discover Noah wasn’t always Noah? 

That first hurdle is only the beginning, though. But Jack and Gabe are immortal vampires, so it’s hardly surprising Noah isn’t the only one who has a troublesome past. 

Likes:

  • A trans main character.
  • All the characters.
  • The plot.
  • The vampire’s reaction to being found out.
  • All the little bumps along the way.
  • Good smut.

Dislikes:

  • The blurb doesn’t do the book justice.
  • I wanted more.

This is the first longer story I’ve read with a trans main character. I think Park did a wonderful job with Noah’s character. Yes, he’s trans, but there’s more to him than just that. Noah is a great main character on his own terms, and I enjoyed reading about him, Gabe, and Jack.

Noah’s excitement at finding the vampires felt very real, in a millennial reaction sort of way. And Gabe and Jack’s fear at being found out was understandable. I liked that it took a bit for the relationships to get off the ground. It felt more realistic than just falling into bed, especially considering Noah’s gender dysphoria and the fact that there were three of them.

There were bumps along the road to working out their physical and emotional relationships. Bumps that worked well with the story. Everyone had their own issues. But in the end, they were able to be happy together.

The drama with Jack’s past added a nice bit of drama. It had just the right bit of danger, as well as a satisfying ending. Best of all, it brought the men closer together. I would absolutely have read a full novel about this trio, or even a sequel to the novella.