What a book. This gender-bending story is scintillating, intriguing and intimate - it’s rich with emotion and soaked with passion - as you would imagine a story with ‘tango’ in the title would be.

It starts with teenage Leda, widowed (by her cousin, but let’s not touch on the whole ‘marrying your cousin’ thing) and lost in Buenos Aires. Driven by desperation, Leda is seduced by tango music - but, alas, a woman in Argentina can’t be a musician. So she dons her dead cous-band’s clothing, takes his name, and joins a troupe of musicians. An act of survival initially, but the underlying gender dysphoria in the narrative hints to something more. Not just enchanted by tango music, Leda discovers hidden desires and long-suppressed hungers as she explores her new world as Dante - and there’s a raw hopefulness that tugs at your heart strings and captivates you from page one.

The author’s writing style is decadent and passionate, emotive, and the narrative feels musical to read. That said, she is really more of a “tell” than a “show”, and at times I felt the book dragged on slowly, snagged by the details of tango music. I wanted less unimportant descriptions and more time spent telling Leda’s story as a cross-dressing, lady-lovin’, woman in 20th century Argentina.

Now, I simply can’t review this book without talking about the sex. It’s truly incredible watching Leda/Dante blossom with a twin passion for music and women. Learning to love at the hands of a prostitute, the confidence that Leda has in the bedroom is amazing - and the intimacy in this story is intense, passionate, and vivid. It’s a wonder in itself that none of Leda’s lovers ever cotton on to the fact that she was born a woman - in fact, one even becomes convinced that she is the father of her child. Leda becomes a legendary lovemaker and it’s one of the best parts of this story.

Enjoy this story with a large glass of Merlot, light a scented candle, play some tango music softly in the background - and fall deep into Leda’s love for both music and women. It’s a sensual experience that will move you and leave you reeling with pure happiness.

Grab your copy here!