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MANGA: Strelitzia
Strelitzia – Yuitsu
In order to get into the club where Jin, someone he admires, worked at, Tao underwent an interview. Despite being teased by the interviewer, he successfully passed and made it to his first day of work. His mentor was a man named Chika, that very same interviewer. It was then that Chika told him, “You have no sex appeal,” and then began to train him.
Eager to get closer to Jin, Tao dedicated himself to the lessons on how to exude sexual charm.
However, in a twist of fate, it turns out that Chika and Jin were the same person..?Strelitzia is an idyllic romance between a rookie host and his enigmatic mentor.
Tao is a passionate fan of a veteran host Jin that he gushes about him in his job interview. On his first day at the club, he meets Chika, the interviewer who saw his potential but insists he must learn to exude sex appeal. Their training grows increasingly intimate leaving Tao aroused, though they don’t cross lines.
One day, Chika strikes a familiar pose, and Tao realizes with shock that his mentor is his idol Jin all along. Even more surprising, Chika proposes they start dating.
Tao with his pink hair and big smiles is just bursting with wholesome good cheer, he lights up the room. Even though he is inexperienced, his innocent charm becomes his selling point, winning customers and fellow hosts alike. His whole-hearted admiration for Jin is contagious. Slowly embracing his bi-awakening, he couldn’t believe Jin, a.k.a. Chika, likes him that way.
Chika rarely smiles. He smolders! He is not exactly poker-faced, not that expressive either. The way Chika’s character is drawn, simply gorgeous! With his ikemen aura and quiet intensity, he embodies the legendary host. He woos Tao with a passion that’s direct yet respectful of bounderies. When Tao is with a client, he keeps it professional but you can feel the simmering emotions beneath the surface.
I loved how refreshingly conflict-free this manga is. The only “conflict” is Chika feeling jealous of his old self, the way Tao fanboys over Jin. I’m tickled pink thinking Chika fell for Tao during that gushy interview and just have to have his fun training the new host while he waits for Tao to connect the dots.
The mangaka draws more masculine characters and while I adore the full-face flushes of boyish characters, the barely-there manly blushes have their appeal. These coupled with Tao’s ray of sunshine and endearing vulnerability make for a devastating arrow straight to Chika’s kokoro. Although you couldn’t tell much from his expressions, his feels are unmistakable. It’s absolutely squee-tastic!
Overall, a charming, drama-free tale of admiration, passion, and manly blushes.
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REVIEW: Always The Villain by Brea Alepou & Skyler Snow
Vitale Brothers: Always The Villain – Brea Alepou & Skyler Snow
Cesare Vitale
Man. Myth. Legend.
Or at least that’s how the world views me.
They’re not wrong; I would give anything to take back my throne. To have power again. Even if it means breaking all of my already weak familial ties.
Until I meet the one man that makes me pause.
Raphael is everything I have never wanted to admit I crave. Someone who sees the monster and still wants me just the same. But there’s more to Raphael than meets the eye. Can he be trusted?
In the midst of Vitale chaos I’m forced to ask myself something I’ve never doubted before. What’s more important?
Power? Or love?
Book 6 in the Vitale Brothers series. This will be the final book.
Does Daddy Vitale really need a redemption story?
Vitale Brothers is a dark mafia romance series by writer duo Brea Alepou and Skylar Snow. The series follows the brothers as they navigate love and crime. The family is led by the eldest Benito (Say I Do) who has the unenviable job keeping his chaotic half-brothers, Gin (Paid In Full) and his twin Paolo (Never Say Never), Enzo (Take Me Apart), and Blake (End It All) in line.
Always The Villain is the final book starring the infamous Cesare Vitale, whom we all know is a deadbeat bastard out to oust Benito from power. All the brothers except Blake hate the old man, the youngest Vitale having fonder childhood memories of his father and so still wants a reconciliation.
Much younger at 26 to Cesare’s 54, Raphael is so dangerously obsessed with Cesare, he became a sex worker just to ensnare the man. When he has him in his clutches, he sinks his claws deep and doesn’t let go, the goal being to make Cesare dependent on him. As the story progresses, we learn why.
Apart from his obsession, there’s not much to Raphael. It is shown he likes revealing clothes and dresses similarly to Harlow. But where Harlow is fiery and feral, Raphael is hollow, his threats no bite at all. It’s not lost that father and son have similar love interests, a nod to apples not falling far from trees but if Benito and Harlow had nuclear-level heat, Cesare and Raphael are a wet rag.
Sure, the plot is mostly rough sex, humiliation kink, and dirty talk, but that’s all there is. I don’t feel a genuine spark. Their connection reads more like Raphael servicing a client, especially with Cesare calling him “whore” all the time.
Cesare has no appeal either. I’m not expecting him to suddenly turn into a new leaf just because he caught feels. Heck, his sons didn’t miraculously turn into saints either. It’s just that I don’t feel his feels. I’m not remotely convince he’s going monogamous just because he likes dick now. He is also given a sob story and a kitten but no, those are not enough to redeem the old man.
So this is a totally unecessary book. That Cesare’s sins are handwaved that easily is anti-climactic and lazy. However, him returning to the bossom of the family leads to full-on Vitale mayhem which I enjoy. The best parts of the book are the brothers and it’s worth the slog just to read their scenes.
Always The Villain is a story of power, lust, and obsession. A futile attempt to redeem a bastard and a meh romance that fails to ignite, overall, never mind this Vitale.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a likeSoundtrack: Always The Villain
Album: Michael Grant & The Assassins
Artist: Always The VillainVitale Brothers is an all-time favorite series and I agree with some readers that it should have ended with the glorious Paolo reveal in Never Say Never. It’s best to read the books in order, starting with the intense Enzo possessiveness in Take Me Apart, the hilarious Gin shenanigans in Paid In Full, the fiery Benito bloodlust in Say I Do and the take-it-or-leave-it Blake brattiness in End It All.
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ALWAYS THE VILLAIN: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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SOUNDTRACK: Always The Villain by Michael Grant & The Assassins
Soundtrack to Vitale Brothers: Always the Villain by Brea Alepou & Skylar Snow
Always The Villain by Michael Grant & The Assassins for a book about an unredeemable bastard and an obssessive lover.
Cos I’m always the villain
You knew the score
Right from the get
My soul you wanted to possess
You whisper soft
Then scream my name
I watch it all go down in flames
The hate I’ve grown
The love I swore
It only left you wanting more
But I can’t change
The man I am -
The mask I wore
To make you see
Another face that wasn’t me
The effort spent
To get revenge
But now I’m done playing pretend
The path I choose
I sink so low
My broken heart gets overthrown
Your kill-shot blues
A failed attempt
All good things must come to an end
The end
Fuck what you’re feeling
Might as well kill it
Cos I’m always, I’m always
Out come the demons
Zero fucks given
Cos I’m always the villain
You knew the score
Right from the get
My soul you wanted to possess
You whisper soft
Then scream my name
I watch it all go down in flames
The hate I’ve grown
The love I swore
It only left you wanting more
But I can’t change
The man I am
All good things must come to an end
The end
Fuck what you’re feeling
Might as well kill it
Cos I’m always, I’m always
Out come the demons
Zero fucks given
Cos I’m always the villain
Your guns and your ammo
I’m bulletproof to every blow
It’s cold in the shadows
Hate to say that I told you so
I’m filthy and shallow
Somebody save my guilty soul from the gallows
We’ll hang our love up high
Then bleed it dry
Fuck what you’re feeling
Might as well kill it
Cos I’m always, I’m always
Out come the demons
Zero fucks given
Cos I’m always the villain
Fuck what you’re feeling
Broken heart bleeding
Cos I’m always, I’m always
Fuck what you’re feeling
Might as well kill it
Cos I’m always the villain -
MOVIE FEATURE: Before We Forget
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RELEASE BLITZ: Enchanted by Lark Taylor
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NEW RELEASE BLTIZ: Cupids’ Flight by Mell Eight (Excerpt)
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BOOK TOUR: Teardown by William Campbell Powell (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)
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FLICKer: Mongrel Punt
Featuring LGBT short films I found around the interwebz a.k.a Youtube. Okay sucky intro, but yeah, that’s it.
When a young, closeted footy player is determined to hide his relationship in order to fit in with his team, he learns just how painful hiding can be.
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RELEASE BLITZ: Rookie Moves by Jodi Oliver
