Damage Controlled Don't Ask, Don't Tell Book #3
Military Romance, LGBTQ Romance, Transgender Romance
Heaven Scent Publishing
Aug 8, 2023
Kindle
141
Amazon
What do you do when you find yourself stuck:
East of the Rock…
As Phoenix, Teddy is the reigning Queen of Drag Star, bringing the spark that sets the competition ablaze. However, Teddy’s tired of hiding behind his drag corsets. He’s ready to live his truth and build a committed relationship like his parents and best friends have. Revealing his secret could make it all happen or destroy everything he’s worked so hard for.
West of the Hard Place…
The VA dealt Gregory a crappy hand. All he wants is what he deserves so his life can gain some semblance of normal: a service dog to keep him safe from seizures and fair compensation for his service-connected brain injuries. Maybe then he’ll finally be able to find the one thing he desires most…Love.
Trauma brings Gregory and Teddy together. Catastrophe binds them in a fight for survival. The struggle is real and the possibilities are endless but only if each has what it takes to help the other heal.
Is their fast and fragile relationship strong enough to bring all the damage under control?
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Teddy Washington aka Phoenix has entered a nationally televised Drag Queen contest and is now in the top group. Teddy is a trans and wants to be Phoenix for the rest of his life and after years of questioning when the right time would come for gender reassignment surgery, he finally realized there was no time like the present. He would reveal everything when the reunion for the contest arrived and since he was named the Drag Queen, he was ready to make a statement on his behalf and all the other people like him.
Gregory Grayson is a vet who returned home with traumatic brain injury. Now he must fight to get the help he needs. He has finally been elevated to a higher percentage as far as his injury which will give him more money but his need for a service dog to help him when he has seizures is an ongoing fight. It has been decided that medication is all he needs despite what his neurologist says. Men and women go off to fight for their country and when they return injured their country doesn’t fight for them.
When Gregory and Teddy first meet there is an instant attraction, and he is aware of Teddy’s upcoming surgery. Being bi Gregory is not in any way affected by Teddy’s gender reassignment, but Teddy’s old boyfriend Reuben is not as accepting even though Teddy broke off with him. Reuben has been making threats about saving Teddy money and doing the job for him. Whether that happens or not is not for me to say.
Not only did this book give me a better understanding of what trans go through and the harassment they face daily but also the process of training a therapy dog, it is amazing. In Teddy’s case he has a lot of support from family and friends and now a new boyfriend but not everyone is that lucky. My heart goes out to the LGBTQ community people who just want to be allowed to love who they want and unfortunately have so many people who are unaccepting. If we could accept differences this would finally be the world, we all hope for.
