Bad Boy

September 19, 2016
Wake (Cam Girl, as Leah Raeder) delivers a provocative and sexually charged novel of vengeance and betrayal set in Chicago. Renard “Ren” Grant, a popular YouTube vlogger, publicly details his intensely emotional gender transition (with echoes of Wake’s own social media chronicles on the subject). But he has a secret life as well, as part of Black Iris, a social-justice group whose mission is to stop abusive men from terrorizing women. When a new assignment goes wrong, Ren is put on suspension, and an attractive new group member seems set to take his place. But soon Ren finds himself framed for rape, and he isn’t sure whom to trust—the members of Black Iris, his former best friend, or the woman he’s falling in love with. Ren can only be certain that a dark character from his past has returned and someone is out to destroy him. This erotic and suspenseful tale offers illuminating—and often heartbreaking—insight into the psychology of its transgender protagonist and compels readers to question their conceptions about gender and desire. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary.

Starred review from October 1, 2016
A transgender YouTube vlogger has a secret identity as a social justice vigilante.With the help of gender-reassignment surgery and testosterone therapy, Renard Grant can outwardly pass as a mana good-looking and ripped one at thatbut his inner transformation is his greatest challenge as he navigates manhood while plotting revenge on the guy who raped him in his female form. Transcriptions of Rens videos serve as flashbacks to his transition, and the modern style is not just trendy; it shows how a trans character relies on the internet to find strength in numbers: Were all stranded on the desert islands of ourselves, sending missive after missive and hoping someone will find us, and reply: Message received. Wake (Cam Girl, 2015, etc.), formerly known as Leah Raeder, writes with abandon and razor-sharp wit as he details the struggles and joys of being a self-made man. I dont hurt women, Ren says, because I know how it feels. But his fluctuating testosterone levels fuel his hostility, and when a fan who seduces him claims he raped her, Ren worries that he might be transitioning into a monster. He cant trust his vigilante group, Black Iris, which targets sexual predators and internet trolls, not to turn on him, too. He's torn between his ex-girlfriend and roommate, Ingrid Svensson, who loves him for the person he once was, and his partner in crime, Tamsin Baylor, who loves him for the person he has become. Having lived as both a man and a woman has both gifted and cursed him with perspectivea shifting dynamic that results in palpable emotional anguish, shocking twists, and scorching love scenes. A fast-paced, mind-bending romantic thriller from an author with humor, heart, and big writing muscles.

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April 1, 2017
In a follow-up to Black Iris and Cam Girl, Wake continues the story of a vigilante group that tries to right the wrongs of Internet misogynists and trolls. This time, Wake focuses on Renard Grant, a popular vlogger who has made a name for himself by documenting his transition from female to male. When he's not online, Ren uses his new muscle mass (thanks to testosterone treatments and obsessive exercise) to work as an enforcer for Black Iris. After meeting Tamsin Baylor, Ren finds that his role in the group is challenged and old demons are unlocked. Wake's exposition is artfully crafted; he doesn't rely on controversy or chest-beating to move the plot along. Ren is a fully developed character who is able to express masculinity, femininity, contentment, and dissatisfaction throughout the narrative. Nor does Wake shy away from writing explicitly about the mechanics of sex or dating as a person whose gender is in flux. However, some of the other characters fall flat, particularly Tamsin. Those who have read the author's previous books will be able to fill in some of the missing characterizations and will appreciate another suspenseful work. VERDICT Consider purchasing where Black Iris and Cam Girl are popular or where there is a need for titles with transgender characters.-Krystina Kelley, Belle Valley School, Belleville, IL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2016
In his first novel written as Elliot Wake, the former Leah Raeder returns to the Chicago in Raeder's Black Iris (2015). There Renard Ren Grant shares his gender transition with millions of subscribers through his YouTube vlog, which readers experience through flashbacks. Five years have passed since then, and though Ren is mostly comfortable with his outward transformation, he is still experiencing a lot of internal struggle. His family disowned him, and his only link to the past is his roommate, Ingrid, who doesn't approve of his sex change. Ren is a member of Black Iris, a group dedicated to seeking out and punishing sexual predators. When an assignment goes wrong, a woman accuses him of rape, and he learns that the man who raped him before his transition has returned to the area and seems to be targeting him and his friends; Ren is no longer sure who he can trust or even if he can trust himself. His hormone levels are out of whack, and it is making him increasingly volatile. Wake presents an intense, suspenseful, and unusual tale of romantic suspense that will make readers question their perceptions of gender and relationships.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016

USA TODAY best-selling author Wake writes romantic suspense that features not-your-mama's heroines who enjoy an underworld of sex, drugs, and revenge. No word on plot, though the author says that it takes place in the universe of his previous three titles, and the protagonist is a member of the vigilante group Black Iris. Note that the transgender Wake was formerly known as Leah Raeder.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.