My tastes are varied

[commentator]

Christina knows that my tastes extend a good deal beyond what many of you probably enjoy - which makes making recommendations somewhat hazardous. I enjoy many forced femme stories. I even enjoy some one-handed fiction when the plot is especially interesting or the writing is better than normal. I do love HAE stories and have plenty of favorites in that area. I have enjoyed the writings of those of you here that I have read and commented on some of them.

I will try to be descriptive when I make a recommendation - enough so you can judge whether it might be worth reading. Some will be older stories that you may have read along with more recent stories. To that end I'll mention a few stories I have read recently and recommended to Christina.

Wearing the Pants  by Zeno  
   
     This is an example of a writer constantly improving and finding his voice. His previous tales are good reading but this one and The Executive Assistant particularily show his voice. They are about crossdressers who aren't ashamed of who they are and have a strength of character that is admirable and oft missing in stories on FM.

Costumes by Teek

     I came across this when the author started posting a new story and found it on her author page. I enjoy stories of younger people finding themselves. One of the difficulties in writing stories about younger individuals is finding the balance between writing that is not juvenile yet believable. It's a fine line and Teek walks it quite well in this story.

Maid for the Mansion by Kriz

     This author has carved out a niche  that I refer to as Margaret Jeannette 2.0/Monica Graz on estrogen. His stories revolve around a poor soul being turned into a maid and basically tortured and cuckolded before turning the tables and getting his back. A kind of having your BDSM cake and eating it too. They read like a crossdresser who enjoys getting dressed and getting off and then once he does is disgusted with himself and condemns what he just did.
     Despite this I enjoy his stories but a few of them actually stand out. This is one of them, partly because the main character's suffering is kept to a minimum and the plotline is enjoyable. If you read and enjoy this one then The Quiet Geek  and Stuck  are recommended though the latter does have a gang rape scene that is not pleasant.

Amanda's Maid  by Anne Bauer

     Okay. I confess I like a good maid story and this is one of the better ones out there. Once again the main character is not a wimp and takes actual pride in what he does. He's smart, engaging and a great maid. Anne manages to incorporate several tropes into the story without them becoming trite. Over time I've come to appreciate how much better this story is than ones of this genre you usually find.

The above are all available to read for free. Below are some books that I found worth spending the money on.

Port of Departure and Port of Arrival by Karin Bishop

     This two book set is my favorite of her many books. Karin always does excellent research on her subject so I don't shake my head and go 'what?' when reading her books. In this tale an onboard musician finds himself literally when encouraged to dress as a woman rather than lose his job. A familiar trope yet handled with particular aplomb by Miss Bishop. I confess i enjoy all her stories  but this is my favorite.

Regiment of Women by Thomas Berger

     Some of you might recognize the author  as the writer of Little Big Man  the book that was made into a movie with Dustin Hoffman. He also wrote this alternative reality story in which woman wear the pants and rule the world. For it's time (1973) it was rather forward. This is actually an anti-feminist screed but like The Wizard of Oz which was intended as a political parody many young gender-confused individuals found this book exciting partly because it was available in the library unlike Sandy Thomas books. 

I have a lot more but will stop for now.





 



  

[commentator]

Okay now that you've read all the stories and books I recommended. . . what you haven't? Oh well I guess I can wait to make more recommendations. No, forget that I can't. (the doctor says this habit of talking to myself is harmless even if I answer - as long as I don't change clothes each time I talk to myself). In any case here are some more recommendations.

You Have It All Wrong by Sara UK

     The first thing I have to tell you is this is the start of a whole series of stories revolving around Chrissy, her friends and later their children. The second thing I have to tell you is that the editing in this series is absolutely atrocious. I sometimes believe the editor deliberately chose the wrong word. I mean could anyone actually make this many editing mistakes? You'll also find yourself sometimes wanting to yell at the main character to grow a set which is unseemly but it's proof of how engaged you can get in a story that one wants to do that!
      Despite that this is one of the most enjoyable tales even if Chrissy is more sensitive than a women's clitoris during sex. (okay so I grinned a little bit wickedly when writing that). Young Chris overcomes abuse and fear of virtually everything to eventually become Chrissy and a beacon of hope and love to all those around her. It's the kind of tale that just makes you feel good about people even when things seem bad. Yeah I'm a sucker for sappy stories and Sara UK writes a bundle of them that could keep you reading for weeks.

Trick of the Mind by Maeryn Lamonte

     One of the most interesting takes on hypnosis that I've ever read. I don't want to spoil the plot so let me just say it is fascinating and Maeryn writes well and gives good depth to her characters, not to mention a good plotline. She has plenty more where this comes from if you enjoy her work.

It'll Be Fun by Persephone

   This could be labeled forced femme but let's just say as smart as our protagonist is someone else is smarter. Still it's all a positive and the story's title says it all. And if you like it this author wrote another story that is an excellent example of the body swap story - Misdirected Magic.

I'll save the book recommendations for another day.

[Tanya]

Appreciate your honesty and openness, Dawn. When I get a moment I'm going to take a look...

[Bryony Marsh]

HAE?

[commentator]

Jan 30, 2019 6:54:28 GMT Bryony Marsh said:

HAE?

Happily Ever After

[jessica]

Bryony, I didn't know either. :-)

[commentator]

Another day - more recommendations - some new some old

Lady Maud's Desire  by Trish

    This is the latest by an author that wrote one of my many musically-inclined favorites Rock On. This is one of those stories where the motive dovetails with desire. Trish establishes excellent characters whose motivations move the story line forward with ease. While we know what's coming in the end Trish manages to surprise the reader with the deviousness of Lady Maud and her giving our poor protagonist a Hobson's Choice. 
    I enjoyed most of her stories and they are varied enough to show her ability to create interesting plotlines. 

A Year In My Life  by Teddie S

    Teddie has new story up that's already 149 chapters long. I may read it if she ever finishes it. However she has finished several stories and this is one of my favorites. Teddie S is like Daring Diane, she loves CD stories where the protagonist passes extremely well but has no desire to become a female as there is usually a female love interest who loves him in both his forms. What Teddie likes to do is create a reason for the young man to dress for the first time and of course he finds he likes it. The stories are generally sweet and this one is a nice romance with bumps along the way. She is also an author whose early stories are mild forced femme but she moves on from there to more pleasing stories, well unless you are into forced femme, I like those stories of hers too, What's Taking So Long  being a favorite too.

Some Book Recommendations too

Peaches  by Angela Rasch and Amelie R

    This book was published in 2015 but was available  many years earlier on classic BC. It is still my favorite of her stories. In virtually all her books the main character gets feminized but also triumphs in the end. In this book four young high school students, each with their own unique character and story get involved in a class project. I will say that their is a much darker version of this story called Shannon's Course that has a very similar story line but the forced femme is much harsher but once again in the end the protagonist prevails. 
    Angela has written a large number of stories and most of them involve some degree of forced femme but the protagonist embraces and/or overcomes it. Angela writes well with good solid characterization. She knows how to move a plot along and her characters remain consistent, There are a number of her stories available to read for free on BC. One of my favorites is The Handshake That Hides the Snake with it's excellent plot and bite them in the ass ending.

Tips by HW Coyle - This the first in the Newly Chronicles, a trilogy that follows young Anthony Newly from his college days through his transition. The book needs better editing but the story starts out with a typical plot line but soon evolves into much more over the course of the three books. the character is built up very slowly and there are a lot of fits and starts along the way. It has more action than expected from the start and the books get better as Ms. Coyle improves with each book.


     

[commentator]

There are some stories i return to like a moth to a flame. They are necessarily better but somehow when I read them they stuck with me and like comfort food at certain times i find myself reading them again.

Tuck by Ellen Hayes

    This series which has 142 chapters remains unfinished (which may be where my dislike of serials came from) is filled with standard tropes but years ago I didn't know that and I still enjoy all the predicaments poor Tuck manages to get himself into - usually with help. Ellen has some rather unique ideas and Tuck's family is definitely different which adds to the flavor,

Trailer Park Baby by Valentine

     This was my first experience with niche fiction - a very small niche. When I read the first few pages i almost stopped reading, thinking it was going to be a humiliation fest but things turned around quickly and then it became sweet in its own way. Its own way being basically adult baby fiction. Now Mary Beth Sanford has almost a lock on this niche but as much as i enjoy a lot of her work and am editing for her now this story is a my favorite of this type of fantasy.  



     

[commentator]

This post was triggered by a reader on BC looking for a story, one I immediately recognized. I even remembered the title and it is in my top 100 favorites as are the other two recommendations below,

I never Wanted to be a Girl by Samantha Michelle 

   This is one of those 'I became a crossdresser for a noble reason' stories. The principal character gets hurt saving a girl from being injured and she in turn helps him recover - a recovery that results in him wearing women's clothes. Sweet with a little kink thrown in as most of Samantha's stories are. Other good ones are College Bound and Emily and Me

Blue Nails by Emma Dee-
   This is perhaps my all time favorite CD story, heartbreaking and heartwarming all in one. The main character dresses to be with his girlfriend while she goes through rehabilitation.  Those who like Daring Diane's  Lee Corcoran character will love the young man here.

Texas Gal by Crystal (C. Sprite)

    The creator of Story Site authored this tale and I have said that if she took out the kinky scenes and made the character female from the start it would make a great YA book. The machinations of the young lady as she basically turns around a failing paper company and outwits her rivals  is much better than the dressing up and kinky scenes that really have no bearing on the story line. Three additional chapters are available at BC  Texas Gal 51-53. In addition Penny Reed Carlton has written a fanfic continuation called DD Rides Again that does an excellent job of matching the style of Crystal.

[commentator]

Chat tonight reminded of two authors. One is Jenny Walker who has four ebooks available on Lulu, all of which I recommend. My favorite is

Breaking Cover - a spy thriller wrapped around a CD story. I won't say much because I don't want to reveal the plotline.

No Half Measure I & II - a musician only fully realizes his talent when he takes on the accoutrements of a female.

Chasing Hope - a PR person with a past goes to work to elect a President. Think early West Wing with a TG twist.

The second author is Carmenica Diaz who has written several books worth reading. My favorites include:

Elizabeth Grey - another story where the main character finds success as a female. It also has a good plotline to open the story.

Cathy Lawrence - Similar to the above except in this case the principal is an aspiring actor.

Body Double - tThe main character down on his luck joins a drag review and is approached by the Secret Service.

Royal Alchemy (four book series) - an alternate England where alchemy works. A nice period piece.

[rebeccajane]

Thank you for recommending Allison’s Pledge, finished that one last night and really enjoyed it. Started Blue Nails this morning at 1st break. Now just have to finish part 2 nice I get dinner finished lol.

Becc

[commentator]

Ifound Allison's Pledge interesting but I think you will REALLY enjoy Blue Nails.

[commentator]

Time again for a few recommendations.

The Makeover by Lauren Brooks

     One of the more thoughtful CD stories around. It brings up one of the fears wives and girlfriends have - that their significant other actually looks better than them as a female. in this case the husband realizes what is happening and finds a solution.

The next two authors have written a number of TG classics so I am only going to list my favorites by them.

The Scholarship 1, The Scholarship 2, The Scholarship 3 by Julie O

    This novel explores the changes of the protagonist as he enters a high school contest to win a scholarship. The contest involves dressing and living as a female student and covers a multitude of tropes. A warning, it does have some violent scenes but they are necessary to the plot and this is one of the few stories where the aftermath is handled well and in depth.

Transposed Melody by Julia Manchester

    Julia is probably best known for her SF story, Scrambled Souls but this story is a favorite of mine. One of many stories where a young man finds success as a female singer or musician. This is a standard trope but written nearly twenty years ago and yet stands the test of time. 

[Sam]

Been a while since I read any of Julie Manchester or Julie O stories must have a catch-up.

I would recommend Brenda B on FM her stories tend to be of acceptance and understanding for transgendered individuals only one of her stories went down a different path not to be visited again.

Would suggest Adjustment, Escape and Companion

[commentator]

Mar 21, 2019 11:04:20 GMT Sam said:

Been a while since I read any of Julie Manchester or Julie O stories must have a catch-up.

I would recommend Brenda B on FM her stories tend to be of acceptance and understanding for transgendered individuals only one of her stories went down a different path not to be visited again.

Would suggest Adjustment, Escape and Companion

Have read most of Brenda B - Three Cheers is in the 'to be read' pile. I liked Bob and Alice, The Radio Contest and of course her maid story among others.