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23:45 – Ohana
Two months after coming to Tokyo, Iku is enjoying otaku life, but something mysterious is happening to him: He’s started to see ghosts! One particular ghost – who’s always standing on top of the pedestrian bridge at night – catches his interest, but he studiously ignores it… Until one day the guy turns up at his apartment holding a doujin Iku had dropped. He says his name is Seo Mimori, and seeing as he’s a lost soul with nowhere to go, Iku doesn’t really resist when he “moves in.” But then a shocking secret about Mimori’s death is revealed…
I’m sorry. The cover and blurb promised good things but I found it long drawn-out and boring.
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Fence #3 – C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
As Nicholas works to become a better fencer, Seiji takes an unexpected interest in his journey.
Getting really good and getting really queer. Hints of Nicolas’ parentage, OTPs and cannons, crash course on fencing and of course, cliffhangers.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Competition
Artist: Matt Pond PA
Album: Measure(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37554812-fence-3)
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[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A4zYx459ALas4MgDiuyvg2J&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Fence #3 by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
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I promise you
I will try harder
to be better.
I
have battled with things
inside me
for longer than you know;
I do not know
what they are
or why they are there,
I only know
that they feel
manageable,
defeatable,
when I
am around
You.Tyler Knott Gregson -
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFEebkX9iko?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IFbcWG1F9o?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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REVIEW: Cask Strength by Layla Reyne
Agents Irish and Whiskey: Cask Strength – Layla Reyne
Professionally, the FBI team of Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker is as good as it gets, closing cases faster than any team at the Bureau. Personally, it’s a different story. Aidan’s feelings for Jamie scare the hell out of him: he won’t risk losing another love no matter how heart-tripping the intimacy between them. And loss is a grim reality with the terrorist Renaud still on their trail, leaving a pile of bodies in his wake.
Going undercover on a new case gets them out of town and off the killer’s radar. They’re assigned to investigate an identity theft ring involving a college basketball team in Jamie’s home state, where Jamie’s past makes him perfect for the role of coach. But returning to the court brings more than old memories.
As secrets and shocking betrayals abound, none may be more dangerous than the one Jamie’s been keeping: a secret about the death of Aidan’s husband that could blow his partner’s world apart and destroy forever the fragile bonds of trust and love building between them.
This was marginally better than the first. For one, this airport scene is the best:
Mouth dry, heart racing, cheeks burning, Jamie’s fingers twitched with the urge to weave through the long red strands. Reaching down instead, he grabbed his phone, held it between his palms, and wedged his clasped hands between his knees, forestalling his impulse. He tried to force out a “hello,” but his brain refused to cooperate, all the blood in his body having raced south where his jeans became painfully tight.
Fuck.
He was gone. So far gone. Past casual, past a crush, past simple attraction.Poor Jamie!
I am now also mildly interested in the mystery of Aidan’s late husband’s connection with the terrorist and what Mel’s doing. I think this Renaud mystery could have been solved in book one already but book two had to end with a cliffhanger so we have to read the third book just to see things through. What a hassle! The basketball story was nothing spectacular and there were elements of predictability. It was pretty easy to guess the mastermind behind the identity theft ring once the character was introduced.
As I listened to the audio book, I love Aidan laying his Irish accent on thick as part of his disguise as sports agent. Jamie as Whiskey Walker, assistant coach was a good hiding-in-plain-sight twist with the added complication of his ex showing up on campus. I am still not a fan of the partners-to-lovers trope as shown here because there were too many emotional entanglements and unnecessary drama. It made the two agents who were otherwise competent, seem unprofessional and too emotionally compromised to do their jobs properly. Thank god for Cam, the voice of reason and sense, who didn’t even bat an eyelash at the scandalous photos nor made any snide comments at how the two agents are carrying on.
So, I’m still not getting why it has such high ratings in GR. Granted, there has been some improvements but I wouldn’t really go out of my way to recommend this series.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a likeSoundtrack: Why Oh Why
Artist: Spearhear & Michael Franti
Album: Chocolate Supa Highway(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34033755-cask-strength)
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Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.Maya Angelou -
[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A5vRbNy5rqFmRoyeg5s33qN&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Agents Irish and Whiskey: Cask Strength by Layla Reyne
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Nagareboshi, Okkochita – Ogura Muku
A boy makes a wish to find someone who loves him… But a shooting star falls in front of him?! Well, that’s what he thinks.
Let’s hope this is a wish come true.
