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MUSIC MONDAY: Dark Days Are Coming by Kid Kapichi
Pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
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BOOK TOUR: Time-Tripping Over You by Brennon Lane
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MANGA: Fake Fact Lips Break
Fact Fact Lips Break – Suehiro Machi
Ryo and Zen, who were in the same year in the sales department and had been rivals since their high school days, competed in all sorts of things.
In the midst of some drunken spree, they decided to become a couple after a silly competition: “Whoever gets the girl first wins.”
The two still can’t be completely honest with each other, but as Ryo and Zen continue their “competition” – a form of communication – they start to act a little more like a couple, but they’re both so busy with work that they don’t have time to spend together and they keep missing each other…
As they get jealous and anxious over trivial things and are tossed about by emotions they can’t control, Ryo and Zen’s colleague Futami, who has just returned from being transferred to the Osaka branch, asks to be included in their match—!?!?
The two become lovers, and restart their careers and love lives with an upgrade!!
Love slowly turns into love. Just the two of them, spending everyday like this.Fake Fact Lips Break is the sizzling sequel to Fake Fact Lips, the brilliant rivals-to-lovers salarymen romance.
Ryou and Zen are now lovers, but with work so hectic, they barely have time for each other. Enter Futami—a newly transferred co-worker and former schoolmate—who eagerly inserts himself into their rivalry, unaware the two are now boyfriends.
Futami challenges Zen, claiming Ryou was special to him. Jealous and determined, Zen refuses to back down, desperate to prove he’s Ryou’s only true rival. Meanwhile, Ryou worries Zen spends too much time with Futami. Ryou and Zen struggle to communicate what they really feel, and this could make or break them.
Ryou and Zen navigate work and relationship and the sheer amount of mutual pining and their unspoken feelings, leap off the page! Ryou’s desire for Zen is so all-consuming that he thinks “I’m greedy” for his boyfriend’s presence.
Zen finds it difficult to express his affection openly, and his time with Futami taught him it’s best to be straightforward with Ryou. When he finally finds the words, it’s a devastating hit to the kokoro, the scenes so swoony I died of squees!
If I thought Fake Fact Lips couldn’t be more perfect, this two-volume sequel is the cherry with chocolate drizzle. From the silly fights that spiced their relationship, to that desperate, desperate longing that makes the heart ache, to the most squee-tastic confessions, and that ridiculously romantic proposal, this manga upped the ante, doubled the steam, and completely slayed with the swoon!
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REVIEW: End It All by Brea Alepou & Skyler Snow
Vitale Brothers: End It All by Brea Alepou & Skyler Snow
What do you do when your only way out is to join a family you never knew existed?
I’m not well behaved, that’s a given. But meeting the Vitale’s puts my life into perspective. They’re everything I’ve longed for; rich, adventurous, fearless, and close. Really close.
This is supposed to be my family too.
So why do I feel like an outsider?
I have no choice except to fit in because I can’t go back home. Not when I’m on the run…
Amidst the chaos of a cooling war, a family struggle, and the law nipping at my heels, I meet Quincy. Bold, crazy, and hot as a five alarm fire.This man is the grand red flag of all red flags, but then again so am I.
And I’ve always loved to play with fire.
The fifth book in the Vitale Brothers series. Each book can be read as a standalone but is best read in order. HEA guaranteed. Make sure to check out the TWs.
End It All is the fifth book in the gritty, addictive Vitale Brothers mafia romance series by Brea Alepou & Skyler Snow. The Vitale clan may be a chaotic mix of half-brothers, but under Benito’s leadership, they remain fiercely loyal and endlessly entertaining.
The 5th Vitale brother is Blake Moreno, who only recently discovered he’s a Vitale after a botched bank heist turned him into a fugitive. Sent to New York to his father Cesare for protection, Blake meets his brothers for the first time, who were just as surprised to learn about his identity.
Not yet trusting Blake but still willing to protect his youngest brother, Benito (Say I Do) assigns Quincy Adachi, Harlow’s best friend and former bodyguard, to keep Blake in line. Blake and Quincy immediately got off on the wrong foot.
Blake kept trying to run away, and Quincy unerringly tracks his ass wherever he goes. Forced proximity did its magic because they might hate each other, but it didn’t stop them from jumping each other’s bones.
Blake is a semi-wild spitfire, not yet full-on Vitale like Gin, Enzo, or even Paolo. He’s street-smart but really naive. He has a stupid tendency to run away from the person protecting him when he’s supposed to be in New York for his protection.
Quincy is a dominant, alpha-as-hell power bottom who matches Blake’s arson-loving ferocity with his own daredevil antics. Quincy is Harlow’s best friend after all, and only someone as bloodthirsty as him could keep up with a psycho like Harlow.
Together, Blake and Quincy’s chemistry is equal parts volatile and magnetic. Blake’s rebellious streak and Quincy’s relentless dominance make for a fiery clash. Their dynamic was entertaining, with lots of sharp banter, flirty provocations, and cute nicknames. Quincy calling Blake “baby girl” tickled me pink every time because Blake is so precious and bratty, even if he tops.
The best part of the book is the Vitale family themselves, their outrageous antics, dark humor, and twisted brand of love. From Gin’s absurd schemes and his possessive devotion to Ash to Benito and Harlow’s stab-happy foreplay, the brothers never fail to entertain. Paolo and York got parenthood down to a science, and Enzo and Tex are joined at the hips. Loved seeing the Vitale “wives” joining forces and welcoming Quincy to the fold.
I thought the series would end with Paolo and York’s book, Never Say Never. Half of me thinks Blake and Quincy’s story was unnecessary, the plot not really bringing anything new to the table, and the romance is less intense as the previous books. While still dark and humorous enough for a Vitale, this is the weakest installment of the series.
It did give us a lead-up to Cesare’s book, which I also have mixed feelings about. Cesare welcomes Blake with open arms, but the brothers frequently warn Blake that the old man cannot be trusted. Blake agrees, runs away, then foolishly returns to Cesare.
Daddy Vitale’s motives are suspect throughout the entire series, so redeeming him in the 6th book might be a stretch. I’m not sure if I could root for Cesare, given how villainous he was. Also, it’s going to be an age gap romance. We have enough of that already. Give us old men yaoi instead!
End It All is a story of family ties and baby criminals. While not hitting the same highs as the rest of the series, overall, it sets the stage for biggest battle ahead. In the Vitale world, loyalty is blood-deep, betrayal is inevitable—and sometimes, ending it all is the only way to begin again.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Alive In New Light
Artist: IAMX
Album: Alive In New LightP.S.
Vitale Brothers can be read as standalone but each brother is a force of nature.
Take Me Apart is the raw intensity of Enzo.
Paid In Full is the wild insatiability of Gin
Say I Do is the nuclear explosion of Benito.
Never Say Never is the chaotic mayhem of Paolo.
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END IT ALL: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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SOUNDTRACK: Alive In New Light by IAMX
Soundtrack to Vitale Brothers: End It All by Brea Alepou & Skyler Snow
Alive In New Light by IAMX for a book about starting over, pulling through, and coming home.
There’s a power much bigger than hate
Still lost in the urge to annihilate
But I know I will overcome this
You dragged me through the darkest days
By the skin of my teeth you restored my fate
And I raised myself out of the ashesNow I’m alive in new light
I’m alive in new light
Now I’m alive in new light
I am alive in new light -
There’s a power much bigger than hate
Still lost in the urge to annihilate
But I know I will overcome this
You dragged me through the darkest days
By the skin of my teeth you restored my fate
And I raised myself out of the ashesNow I’m alive in new light
I’m alive in new light
Now I’m alive in new light
I am alive in new lightI was carrying the weight of the universe
The typical brittle perfectionist
Confused by my every decision
One day I was being the hero
The next I was playing the coward
Burnt out by my overreactionNow I’m alive in new light
I’m alive in new light
Now I’m alive in new light
I am alive in new lightThere were times when I thought that my heart would stop
Running for a bleak horizon
Locked in my obsessions
And now I am the raindrop
I am the tulip
I have learned compassionNow I’m alive in new light
I’m alive in new light
Now I’m alive in new light
I am alive -
MOVIE FEATURE: Departures
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PROMO BLITZ: Breaking Strings by Becca Seymour
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BOOK BLITZ: The Memories We Made by Cara Dee (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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FLICKer: Lip Crush 2
Featuring LGBT short films I found around the interwebz a.k.a Youtube. Okay sucky intro, but yeah, that’s it.
It’s been two weeks since Tyler and Oliver uploaded their video to YouTube, and the world hasn’t stopped spinning since. Those fleeting kisses have become a constant, but now, as they prepare to attend Tyler’s mom’s wedding, they must confront what their friendship is becoming. As they navigate these blurred lines, they realize that time, like their feelings, can stretch or rush by, depending on how they choose to see it.
