“I appreciate his work in storytelling from the perspective of men who love us and their efforts to redefine the word "masculinity" on their own terms, free from connections to trauma or social constructs.
I wish there were more spaces for those men, especially Black men, to exist and evolve.” – Reviewed by Atlantis Narcisse, Transgender Education Network of Texas
A fearless, tender novel about Black masculinity, queer desire, and the spiritual cost of hiding who you are.
You did everything they said it would take. You learned the rules of a world that was never built with you in mind, studying how to move, speak, and succeed in America’s patriarchal society. You built a life that earns respect—disciplined, accomplished, in control—because that’s what survival demands. You stay composed, reveal little, and prove you belong again and again.
And still… something doesn’t feel like you.
🖤 What if the life you built to survive is not the life meant to set you free?
Bryan Hicks in Cake Walk (2nd Edition) knows this feeling well. A straight, cisgender Black executive in Houston’s high-stakes oil and gas industry, he has mastered control. Strength has protected him. Conformity has given him belonging. Emotional restraint has kept him safe. Because for him, heterosexual masculinity has never just been about survival—it has been about belonging to a community.
But what happens when belonging to a community comes at the cost of truth—when, in falling in love with Nadia, a self-assured transgender woman who lives openly, he is forced to confront that his identity is not singular, but layered across his masculinity, his Blackness, his heterosexuality, and his emerging queer identity? Does loving her make him different, or has he always been more than the labels he learned to live inside?
For years, he has hidden his true desire because of shame and fear—until, through meditation and Buddhist wisdom, he begins to face the very parts of himself he’s long avoided.
And as you read Cake Walk (2nd Edition), your experience is mirrored—the pressure of performing, the exhaustion of holding it together, the fear of being seen, and the quiet release that comes when you finally stop performing and start becoming.
Cake Walk (2nd Edition)is queer literary fiction told from a Black male perspective—an emotional journey of love, identity, and transformation. At its heart is a powerful cis-trans romance that explores queer identity, belonging, and the courage to live truthfully—especially for those navigating coming out later in life and searching for a community where they no longer have to hide.
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“I loved Nadia for her "I don't take crap" mindset and for sticking up for herself. I endeavour to be as strong and brave within my life journey. A great story about choices, and the harsh reality of hiding who you are, and the repercussions of these choices. I thoroughly enjoyed this.” – Goodreads Reviewer
“I appreciate his work in storytelling from the perspective of men who love us and their efforts to redefine the word "masculinity" on their own terms, free from connections to trauma or social constructs.
I wish there were more spaces for those men, especially Black men, to exist and evolve.” – Reviewed by Atlantis Narcisse, Transgender Education Network of Texas
A fearless, tender novel about Black masculinity, queer desire, and the spiritual cost of hiding who you are.
You did everything they said it would take. You learned the rules of a world that was never built with you in mind, studying how to move, speak, and succeed in America’s patriarchal society. You built a life that earns respect—disciplined, accomplished, in control—because that’s what survival demands. You stay composed, reveal little, and prove you belong again and again.
And still… something doesn’t feel like you.
🖤 What if the life you built to survive is not the life meant to set you free?
Bryan Hicks in Cake Walk (2nd Edition) knows this feeling well. A straight, cisgender Black executive in Houston’s high-stakes oil and gas industry, he has mastered control. Strength has protected him. Conformity has given him belonging. Emotional restraint has kept him safe. Because for him, heterosexual masculinity has never just been about survival—it has been about belonging to a community.
But what happens when belonging to a community comes at the cost of truth—when, in falling in love with Nadia, a self-assured transgender woman who lives openly, he is forced to confront that his identity is not singular, but layered across his masculinity, his Blackness, his heterosexuality, and his emerging queer identity? Does loving her make him different, or has he always been more than the labels he learned to live inside?
For years, he has hidden his true desire because of shame and fear—until, through meditation and Buddhist wisdom, he begins to face the very parts of himself he’s long avoided.
And as you read Cake Walk (2nd Edition), your experience is mirrored—the pressure of performing, the exhaustion of holding it together, the fear of being seen, and the quiet release that comes when you finally stop performing and start becoming.
Cake Walk (2nd Edition)is queer literary fiction told from a Black male perspective—an emotional journey of love, identity, and transformation. At its heart is a powerful cis-trans romance that explores queer identity, belonging, and the courage to live truthfully—especially for those navigating coming out later in life and searching for a community where they no longer have to hide.
_____________________________________
“I loved Nadia for her "I don't take crap" mindset and for sticking up for herself. I endeavour to be as strong and brave within my life journey. A great story about choices, and the harsh reality of hiding who you are, and the repercussions of these choices. I thoroughly enjoyed this.” – Goodreads Reviewer
Content Warnings:
Cake Walk contains material that might prove to be explicit sexual content and contains potentially triggering subject matter including racism, homophobia, transphobia, and hate speech.
Cake Walk Book Themes
Identity & Self Acceptance
Black Masculinity
Trans-Attracted Men
Internal Conflicts
Breaking Social Norms
Parenting & Acceptance
Wisdom through Meditation
