Sugar Town

Hazel Newlevant’s Sugar Town is just the kind of lightweight but meaningful happy romance I needed. (Newlevant previously edited Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers.)

Hazel meets Argent at a party. Hazel’s already in a relationship with a guy, but they’re “open, or poly, or whatever”, and Hazel is fascinated by Argent (and her work as a dominatrix). A new date is just the thing, as Hazel is visiting Portland from New York.

The bright colors and open lines Newlevant uses keep the mood upbeat. It creates an excitement for the reader that mimics well the fizzy feelings of first attraction and flirting. I loved reading about such interesting queer characters, and the different choices they’ve made from the traditional, and how well it was working for them. The characters are open and accepting about their feelings for each other, making them great examples to follow in living an authentic life.

You can see a number of preview pages at Newlevant’s website.