Shannon C’s review of Roller Girl (Lake Lovelace, Book 3) by Vanessa North
Contemporary Transgender Romance published by Riptide on 26 Jul 16

What a great book! Roller Girl has all the things I love: body positivity, strong friendships between the female characters, and a sweet and sexy romance. It’s not very long, but reading it felt like taking a cool, refreshing drink of water. I am glad it exists in the world, and I want more like it!

When personal trainer Tina Durham wakes up in the middle of the night to find her kitchen flooded, it’s not a great start to her day. But when the sexy, butch plumber, Joe Delario, comes to her rescue, the two women form an instant connection. Tina, who hasn’t been on the dating scene since her divorce, agrees to go out with Joe, who tells her she’s forming a roller derby team and asks Tina to join. Tina, who used to be a professional wakeboarder before her transition, is excited at the possibility of competing in a sport again, but there’s one catch. Since Joe coaches the roller derby team, she and Tina can’t be open about their relationship, which, as you can imagine, creates some problems.

To be honest, this book didn’t read like a romance so much as it read like F/F flavored women’s fiction. I mean that in the best way possible. The character who grows the most is Tina, as she learns to take back her own strength and confidence. Roller derby gives her the chance for female friendships she feels she’s never gotten, and in turn it’s clear that she’s an excellent match for the team. Watching Tina blossom is a joy, and I was cheering her the whole way.

I also love that this is a book starring a trans woman that is not about her trans-ness. I can’t speak to the authenticity of that portrayal, since I’m a cisgender woman, so take the following gushing with a grain of salt. When a friend came out to me a couple of years ago as trans, I went looking for resources on the Internet, so that I could try to understand her mindset. One of the things I looked for was fiction about trans people, and most of what I found centered around the cis people in their life, and how they came to accept their trans friends for the unique individuals they were, and isn’t that awesome? It wasn’t what I wanted, though. I wanted a story centered around the trans person, one where that character got to be the awesome one, and not just for teaching others around them a life lesson. The things about Tina’s transition are integral to the book, and there are moments where it’s clear it effects her life, such as when she’s misgendered at the hospital. But she’s come to terms with her gender identity. Now she has to find acceptance and fulfillment in the rest of her life, and to me, that’s a much more compelling story.

Not a whole lot actually happens, plot-wise. The main strength of the book is the characters and the connections Tina makes with each of them. I love that Tina is friends with a wide range of different types of people, and there is a lot of great stuff about body positivity that’s integral to the story.

The one thing I didn’t connect with is the romance. I tend to prefer my romances with a slightly slower burn, and Tina and Joe’s connection is so quick that I didn’t quite feel their chemistry as a reader. I also think the romantic conflict is a little silly. Roller derby isn’t a professional sport; Joe wouldn’t have been violating any coach/player ethics by dating Tina, and I’m not at all sure they could have kept it much of a secret for very long.

Despite the silliness of the romance, the rest of the book makes up for it. I smiled a lot, and my eyes got misty. I definitely want to go back and read the other books in the series, so I can see the rest of the town of Lake Lovelace.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Recently divorced Tina Durham is trying to be self-sufficient, but her personal-training career is floundering, her closest friends are swept up in new
relationships, and her washing machine has just flooded her kitchen. It’s enough to make a girl cry.

Instead, she calls a plumbing service, and Joanne “Joe Mama” Delario comes to the rescue. Joe is sweet, funny, and good at fixing things. She also sees
something special in Tina and invites her to try out for the roller derby team she coaches.

Derby offers Tina an outlet for her frustrations, a chance to excel, and the female friendships she’s never had before. And as Tina starts to thrive at
derby, the tension between her and Joe cranks up. Despite their player/coach relationship, they give in to their mutual attraction. Sex in secret is hot,
but Tina can’t help but want more.

With work still on the rocks and her relationship in the closet, Tina is forced to reevaluate her life. Can she be content with a secret lover? Or with
being dependent on someone else again? It’s time for Tina to tackle her fears, both on and off the track.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: