Static by L.A. Witt

Title:  Static, 2nd edition

Author: L.A. Witt 

Genre:   Bisexual/Transgender/ Sci-Fi/ Romance

Length:  Novel (283 pages)

Publisher:  Riptide Publishing (January 20^th 2014)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Blurb: After two years together, Alex has been dreading the inevitable moment when Damon learns the truth: that Alex is a shifter, part of a small percentage of the population able to switch genders at will. Thanks to a forced implant, though, Alex is suddenly static—unable to shift—and male. Overnight, he’s out to a world that neither understands nor tolerates shifters . . . and to his heterosexual boyfriend.

Damon is stunned to discover his girlfriend is a shifter, and scared to death of the dangers the implant poses to Alex’s health. He refuses to abandon Alex, but what about their relationship? Damon is straight, and with the implant both costly and dangerous to remove, Alex is stuck as a man.

Stripped of half his identity and facing serious physical and social ramifications, Alex needs Damon more than ever, but he doesn’t see how they can get through this.

Especially if he’s static forever.

Product Link: http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/static

Reviewer:   Tams

Review:  The terms ‘Shifter’ and ‘Static’ are used within the context of this novel as a metaphor. A shifter is someone who can change gender at will. Imagine if you will, within our society today, if you are a bi-sexual or transgender person how fantastic it would be to change your body type as easily as you change your clothes. Now imagine having that ability stolen from you with a forced implant that blocks the shift, locking you into a body you want to crawl out of half the time.

Damon and Alex have been dating for two years, never taking that next step. Every time Damon approaches Alex about marriage, she shuts him down. Love is not the issue here, I’m afraid. You see Alex is a shifter, able to change gender at will. And Damon is a static, unable to change his sex and unaware that his girlfriend is a shifter. When Alex’s family, the type of family that picks the parts of the bible they want to wield like a sword and ignores every other part, drugs him and forces an implant that will block his shifting abilities; Alex is certain he is going to lose Damon. This is the very reason Alex never told Damon the truth about herself, for fear of losing the person, she loved the most.

The majority of the story is spent with Alex coming to terms with the possibility that he may never be able to shift again. At times, he wants to crawl out of his own skin. His brain and his soul still shift to his female form, but now his body cannot adapt, and it’s driving him mad. Alex has to learn to live every aspect of his life as a man. He’s still madly in love with Damon. He’s just not sure if Damon can still love him as a he. Alex has only ever been with men, whether he was a male, or female, but Damon is certifiably straight. Or is he?

All the while Alex is coming unglued inside and out, Damon is wrestling personal demons of his own. He will not abandon Alex, but he is having a little trouble reconciling his growing feelings for his girlfriend, that can only now be his boyfriend. There is a lot at stake for both men. Will Alex find a way to have the implant removed? And what if he can’t, will Damon still want to be with him if he can never be she again?

I loved everything about this book. It made me stop and think, is this what Transgender people live with everyday? Being stuck in a man’s body when everything inside you feels feminine? Witt really conveyed Alex’s emotional distress perfectly. And to watch Damon falling in love with Alex as a man all over again was priceless and beautiful. At times, the story was very dark, but it fit within the context perfectly.

Dark and dramatic, but kind of beautiful in a different sort of way. I highly recommend this book. Even if you don’t normally read this genre, I think you would still enjoy the storyline in this book.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for MM Good Book Reviews*

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