Femme

By: Marshall Thornton

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Queeny cocktail waiter Lionel wakes up to find himself in bed with Dog, a straight-acting softball player, and the two embark on a rocky road to romance. A journey that requires coming out of the closet, going into the closet, a pair of red high heels, many pairs of red high heels, a failed intervention, a couple of aborted dates, and homemade pom-poms. Mostly, Lionel and Dog learn what it means to be a man.

Finalist for the 2016 Lambda Award in Gay Romance

Starred review at Publisher's Weekly

Runner-up 2016 Rainbow Awards Gay Romantic Comedy

©2016 Marshall Thornton (P)2017 Marshall Thornton

A reminder that stereotypes hurt everyone.

This is a story that feels like truth more than fiction. It's about how even within the LGBT community stereotypes and prejudices exist. At times I really want to shake some of the characters and tell them to grow up. But there is a lot of self reflection about what "self" and how we are all just trying to fit. As always Joel Leslie gives a wonderful performance and it is totally worth the listen.

Funny, heartwarming with excellent narration

Would you consider the audio edition of Femme to be better than the print version?

In a way, yes. Joel Leslie enhances this good book with an excellent performance. He portrays Lionel with just the right amount of 'swish' without making him a caricature. He got me through the painful bits with his performance.The signature line 'Be yourself, everybody else is taken' embodies Femme. It's a very good story about being true to yourself. The story of effeminate Lionel and jock-like Dog (Doug) is beautiful, heartwarming with a dash of heartbreak and funny. I loved the story, just didn't like the way Dog treated Lionel (and why Lionel put up with it for as long as he did), but we all do stupid crap for/in relationships.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Femme?

So many things about the story are fun when read- the way Carlos and Lionel have female names (Carlotta and Lynette), but when Joel Leslie narrates, it sounds so much better and it showcases how these 2 men are comfortable with being themselves.

If you could take any character from Femme out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Lionel. He's young, independent, funny and fierce. But has a vulnerable side to him. I'd love to get to know him better.

Any additional comments?

It's one thing to read the words, hearing them is good; but listening to a performance a la Joel is the best! This is a very good book with an excellent performance by Mr. Leslie. Highly recommend! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This is definitely a homerun!!!

The last thing straight-acting Dog expects when he wakes up after a long night drinking is to find himself in femme's waiter Lionel's bed, and even if he has little to no recollection of how he got there, they decide to give it a try. However, Dog is not out to his parents and despite his charming personality, not everyone loves Lionel, so the road to HEA might be a rocky one.

I loved Lionel, he was so much fun to listen to and Joel Leslie just captured him perfectly! He was sassy and sweet and not about to bow down for anyone, he was just amazing. Even when he was sort of pushed back into the closet to find a new job, he came out triumphant in the end and didn't let the crappy things that happened to him to bring him down. Now, I liked Dog, but really, there were more than a few instances in which I wanted to slap him silly or throat punch him, or maybe both at the same time, especially during the movie date. However, he really made up for it in the end in a big way (complete with red high heels) and won me over.

I really liked Lionel's best friend and Dog's sister and mother, it took me a bit to like Dog's dad, but the scenes with both his parents were hilarious, so it didn't take me long to warm us to Dog's dad, too.

Overall, the story is really fun, engaging and with characters I really liked, especially Lionel. But what made the book a hit for me was Joel Leslie's narration, he elevated the story (and Lionel) into a whole other plane and gave it, not only more depth and emotion, but nailed the comedic part of the book and gave each character a distinctive voice. Definitely recommendable!

Story 4.5 Stars
Narration 5 Stars
Overall: 4.75 Stars

the only reasons I didn't give this 5 stars

is that number one Joel Leslie is perfectly competent but for whatever reason I just don't like his voice and number two Dog's family really bummed me out. that was the point I guess but boy did I hate his horrible sister, even more than his openly hostile father.

This is one of the best audiobooks I listen to

Prejudice seem to be a common theme in the books I’m picking this days. This wasn’t any different. Lionel has to deal with people judging him because of the way he looks and he does it beautifully.

I listen to the audiobook and it was fantastic. I haven’t read it before. It was amazing. The plot was good, entertaining and interesting enough but the characters were the best part of it. I think I would like it if I had read it, but I have to admit that it was the narration what made me loved it. It’s not the first time I listen to the narrator, but I’ve never been more impressed. It was so easy to notice the change of characters but it was his Lionel personification what impressed me the most. It was absolutely stunning. I’d listen to a few audiobooks, but none as good as this one. The narrator was great.

I loved the main characters, Lionel was hilarious. He made me laugh so many times. It was brilliant. Dog was nice, he was sweet, but not as remarkable as Lionel. The secondary characters were also great. I loved Carlos so much, his friendship with Lionel was lovely. I don’t think I would like him as much if I had read it, again an amazing job made by the narrator. Dog’s family was also so fun. I had such a great time with this book. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun romance to read.

So good!

Would you listen to Femme again? Why?

Yes! This was a great book. I really didn't know what to expect, but it pulled me in from the beginning and I had a hard time putting it down. Joel Leslie of course nailed it.

What did you like best about this story?

There was a lot of humor, I wasn't expecting that. I really enjoyed one of the main characters Lionel. He was so funny, he wasn't affraid to be himself. If he felt like rocking a pair of red heels, he'd go for it. I liked dog to, but he just kept messing things up between him and Lionel.

What does Joel Leslie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Joel is one of my favorite narrators. His voice is so smooth, and he has awesome at changing characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! I finished listening to it in a day 😉

Any additional comments?

This was my first book by Marshell Thornton. Femme was really a good book. I just wish there was more sex scenes in the book. The book is about a couple dog and Lionel. Lionel is outgoing, funny and proud. Dog on the other hand is almost his opposite. Dog hasn't come out to his family yet, and he cares to much about what people think of him. They try to have a relationship, but dog keeps making mistakes. Dog wants his parents approval so bad. In the end dog does redeem himself. I really enjoyed Marshells writtting, and can't wait to read more of his books :);I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."

Could not stop laughing!

This is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. Not only are the main characters fantastic but their interactions with one another kept me cracking up throughout the entire book. I will definitely be rereading this book many times in the future!

Perfect, Feel Good, and So Funny!

YES, every bit as good as everyone says. I'm glad I saved it for when I needed a pick-me-up, and it is definitely going on my re-read shelf!

I did the audio version and Femme was absolutely perfect for Joel Leslie.

Brilliant

Why did I wait so long. Lionel and Dog were wonderful together perfectly written characters and great narration

One of Narrator Joel Leslie's Best Performances

Narrator Joel Leslie's pitch-perfect performance made listening to "Femme" a delight. This book has so many laugh out loud funny moments, and really, how could one that begins with an MC saying "OMFG" not? MC Lionel is hilarious, sweet, bitingly sarcastic, and the shining light of this story - partly because he is just that fabulous, and partly because his boyfriend Doug/"Dog" really is a dog for his repeatedly shoddy and emotionally hurtful treatment of Lionel, however unintentional it may be. Dog never fully redeems himself for that behavior either, despite the glorious public gesture in support of Lionel at the end. I still think Lionel could've done better! About the narration, I was already a Joel Leslie fan and have listened to many of his performances, and this is by far one of my favorites. He definitely elevated the material.