• manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Star Collector Vol. 2

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    Star Collector Vol. 2 – Sophie Schonhammer & Anna Backhausen

    Fynn’s favorite activities are skipping class, smoking, and lying around. So when he’s told it’s time to shape up and try doing something else for a change, he has no idea where to even start.

    Then, on a nighttime walk around his neighborhood, he sees a stranger with a telescope up on a hill: his name is Niko, and he loves to watch the stars. Intrigued, Flynn decides to find out more about this nerdy boy and what could be so interesting about the night sky that he loves so much.

    This is the second and final volume of the Star Collector series.

    This is the angstier, more painful sequel to Star Collector Vol. 1 in which there were a lot of fights and unnecessary drama. Nico shutting Fynn out made me want to shake him. Also, Nico’s homophobic dad, do we really need him there?

    I liked the fluffier Vol 1 better but Vol. 2 also had many poignant moments, like Nico and Fynn’s visit to Nico’s grandfather or Fynn’s mom who knows.

    I love Nico and Fynn. I think they’re cute together and that they finally saw their shooting star but THAT’S IT?!

    More please!

    P.S.

    review of Star Collector Vol. 1 here

    I received a copy of Star Collector Vol. 2 from Tokyo Pop via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

    Rating:
    3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Blood & Bitcoin by L.A. Witt

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    Criminal Delights: Organized Crime: Blood & Bitcoin – L.A. Witt

    Chris Emmett has a talent for screwing up and landing on his feet. As a SEAL, he managed to evade bullets and court-martials alike. As an FBI agent, he dodged danger and disciplinary action—right up until he didn’t.

    With his career and freedom hanging in the balance, he’ll do whatever it takes to clean the slate… including an off-the-books deep cover solo mission. 

    The objective: infiltrate the Hive, a complex crime syndicate operating on the dark web, and find out who’s trying to kill Piker, the organization’s enigmatic and strangely alluring Mob boss. 

    The moment he’s pulled into the Hive, Chris enters a world where no one is what they seem, including the man he’s there to protect. Lines blur between moral and wrong, legal and criminal, ally and foe, and—as Piker’s seductive magnetism draws Chris in—straight and queer. 

    Chris is running out of time to stop a killer. He has dangerous feelings for a dangerous man, and the deeper he moves into the realms of modern day organized crime, the less he knows and the fewer people he can trust.

    And that’s before he learns the truth about Piker’s assassin.
    ————
    This 104,000 word book is part of CRIMINAL DELIGHTS. Each novel can be read as a standalone and contains a dark M/M romance. For other books in the collection, please see: 
    Criminal Delights Listopia

    Warning: These books are for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, these are not for the fainthearted.

    L.A. Witt and Michael Ferraiuolo is my favorite author/narrator combination. With them at the helm, you’re almost always guaranteed a thrilling experience.

    Blood & Bitcoin was one hell of a ride but one that didn’t go full throttle the way I wanted it to. This is by far, the lightest among the dark offerings of the Criminal Delights series. The characters make many morally grey decisions and ‘the end justify the means’ actions but as emphasized by Chris, it is for the right reasons. Which is all good because, yeah these are people we can root for but sadly not what was advertised in the blurb aka it needed more blood.

    Also, there were moments where I just about had enough of Chris getting caught one too many times. And Piker forgiving him yet again and again and again. Oh, just shoot him already!

    I absolutely love Piker! The man is lethal and mesmerizing as fuck. His effect on both men and women is palpable. I could definitely understand why Chris was so drawn to him. Michael Ferraiuolo’s Piker voice is really spot on and the slight exotic accent added to the crime lord’s enigmatic appeal. His past remained a mystery throughout the entire book. He’s so mysterious we don’t even get his real name.

    Chris I liked less. He was too reckless. He was bumbling his way through the missions. I don’t know if he is just extremely lucky but his unorthodox methods worked somewhat. It helps that he got more chances than most people would dare ask from a Mafia boss. He and Piker play a dangerously exciting game of Golden Retriever & snake. Who bites who first? And for that matter, are we even sure who is the dog and who is the snake?

    Although the chemistry and USTs between Piker and Chris were always a tantalizing hair trigger away from snapping, the romance needed a little more boost. Majority of the book, it was just mostly sex for them which is meh. But the last quarter of the book made up for the missing feels and convinced me their HFN would eventually be HEA.

    The part about the bitcoin was info dumpy but did not majorly hinder the story. The Hive also got me intrigued about the dark web which I only learned from some hoaky Youtube videos. I’m hoping for a sequel where we get to learn more about Piker, his hacker friends who form The Hive and see if Chris learned to be circumspect.

    Notwithstanding my complaint earlier about the book not being dark, in itself, Blood & Bitcoin is a very enjoyable suspense/thriller. It does not let up on the action and the twists and turns will keep your adrenaline running on high. There were many ever changing threads to unravel and identities to uncover. I had some inkling about Piker’s father but The Big Twist completely caught me off guard. That was, DAMN!

    I recommend Blood & Bitcoin for those into stories about people with the right intentions doing it the wrong way.

    P.S.

    Other Criminal Delights books:
    Only The Devil Knows (review here)
    Devil Next Door (review here)
    Wrong Way Home (review here)

    Rating:
    3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

    Soundtrack: In For The Kill
    Artist: La Roux
    Album: La Roux

  • Uncategorized

    We can fight our desires, ooh
    But when we start making fires
    We get ever so hot, ooh
    Whether we like it or not
    They say we can love who we trust, ooh
    But what is love without lust?
    Two hearts with accurate devotions, ooh
    What are feelings without emotions?

    I’m going in for the kill
    I’m doing it for a thrill
    Oh, I’m hoping you’ll understand
    And not let go of my hand
    I’m going in for the kill
    I’m doing it for a thrill
    Oh, I’m hoping you’ll understand
    And not let go of my hand

    I hang my hopes out on the line, ooh
    Well, they’d be ready for you in time
    If you leave them out too long, ooh
    They’ll be withered by the sun
    Full stops and exclamation marks, ooh
    My words stumble before I start
    How far can you send emotions? Ooh
    Can this bridge cross the ocean?

    I’m going in for the kill
    I’m doing it for a thrill
    Oh, I’m hoping you’ll understand
    And not let go of my hand
    I’m going in for the kill
    I’m doing it for a thrill
    Oh, I’m hoping you’ll understand
    And not let go of my hand

    Let’s go to war to make peace
    Let’s be cold to create heat
    I hope in darkness we can see
    And you’re not blinded by the light from me

    Ooh I’m going in for the kill
    I’m doing it for a thrill
    Oh, I’m hoping you’ll understand
    And not let go of my hand

  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Spicy & Sugary

    Spicy & Sugary – Akira Norikazu

    Nagai, a detective at the Metropolitan Police Department, is currently living with his high-school classmate, Kitahara. The extremely stubborn Nagai and the fickle, elusive Kitahara weren’t close friends back in the day, but when they met by chance, Kitahara shamelessly invited himself to go live with Nagai saying that he got chased out by his roommate. Although he was messy, Kitahara was actually good at cooking and acting all spoiled, so he was kind of both like a bride and a pet. Nagai felt unexpectedly comfortably living with him, but Kitahara suddenly announced that he was getting back together with his ex and put an end to their cohabitation.

    However, it seems that Kitahara has many more secrets...

    Spicy & Sugary: I don’t trust Kitahara. He lies so effortlessly.

    Nagai might be conservative and stubborn but he’s a good guy through and through. I think he deserves better.

    A gay-for-you, opposite attracts romance that I’m not sure will last.

    Spicy & Sugary …: smutty nonsense I

    Defeat: could have been cute but devolved into smutty nonsense II

  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Pretty Pretty Boys by Gregory Ashe

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    Hazard and Somerset: Pretty Pretty Boys – Gregory Ashe

    After Emery Hazard loses his job as a detective in Saint Louis, he heads back to his hometown–and to the local police force there. Home, though, brings no happy memories, and the ghosts of old pain are very much alive in Wahredua. Hazard’s new partner, John-Henry Somerset, had been one of the worst tormentors, and Hazard still wonders what Somerset’s role was in the death of Jeff Langham, Hazard’s first boyfriend. 

    When a severely burned body is discovered, Hazard finds himself drawn deeper into the case than he expects. Determining the identity of the dead man proves impossible, and solving the murder grows more and more unlikely. But as the city’s only gay police officer, Hazard is placed at the center of a growing battle between powerful political forces. To his surprise, Hazard finds an unlikely ally in his partner, the former bully. And as they spend more time together, something starts to happen between them, something that Hazard can’t–and doesn’t want–to explain. 

    The discovery of a second mutilated corpse, though, reveals clues that the two murders are linked, and as Hazard gets closer to answers, he uncovers a conspiracy of murder and betrayal that goes deeper–and closer to home–than he could ever expect.

    I think this really couldn’t have worked.

    You got a married man with a kid who cheated on his wife. CHEATED!! which is a total deal breaker for me. I don’t care if he was set up, he could always walk away no matter what honeyed trap was dangled in front of him. Also he’s a drunkard. A coward. And too good looking.

    Then you have a surly, stubborn detective with zero people skills who rubbed everybody the wrong way. Who was bullied by said married man when they were in high school.

    This is not your standard recipe for an MM romance. This sounds more like that dish best served cold but, with Gregory Ashe’s magic, makes for a truly engrossing enemies to lovers(?) story. Question mark because they were barely even friends at the end of the first book. This is as slow burn as it can get, as per other reviews, they didn’t become a couple until a few more books. Which is totally fine by me because I tend to complain about things going too fast anyway.

    But how can you make a set-up that screams lose-lose work?

    John-Henry Somerset pushed Emery Hazard down the stairs when they were in high school. He is now married to his HS sweetheart, albeit estranged because, as MM writers love to say, he was betrayed by his traitorous dick. Emery went back to his hometown to solve an old mystery of why his HS boyfriend committed suicide. Facing old bullies is painful and awkward and I feel for Hazard right there. To be fair to Somers, he knew he fucked up and he really did try to make it up to Hazard. Somers is the type of person who wants to be liked by everybody so of course he practically begged Hazard to like him.

    Hazard and Somers’ interactions go from

    You touch me again,… you shake my hand, you grab my sleeve, you so much as bump me in the mother-fucking hallway, and I will kill you. Do you understand me?

    to Somers’s smiled his normal frat-boy smile. “So,” he said, drawing out the word. “You like me?” “God, you’re a fucking moron.”

    to “Just like fucking high school

    Always with a smattering of USTs bubbling just below the surface. The chemistry is fantastic! I don’t even actively like these two men but yeah, go for that second chance!

    USTs are all good but they can only take you so far. What really made this stood out is how well the author fleshed out the complicated and not necessarily romance-related relationships between these flawed, complex characters in a way that just draws you into them. Many times I want to smack them in the head. Sometimes I feel sorry for them. Once in a while I could say they’re OK. There were no neatly tied conclusions. Things will continue to remain awkward and unresolved for a while.

    Nico deserves a mention. He was the grad school student who pursued Hazard and they were kind of cute together so I imagined a parallel universe called Nico & Hazard.

    This book is really a murder mystery story. The detectives were working on a vandalism case and a homicide where one unidentified body was burned inside a trailer. Hazard, being Hazard, made himself a few enemies while Somers played the good cop, charming everybody with his megawatt smiles. The investigation introduced us to important personalities of Wahredua, among them, extremists at the polar opposites of the spectrum. Both were responsible for so much vitriol and trigger warnings. Their hate speeches could put off some readers but you can always skip these parts if it’s too disturbing. As for the mystery, it was obvious who the bad guy was but it was such a well-written book and well-narrated too (courtesy of Tristan James), I didn’t mind it. Then Hazard had to go be a distrustful fool and things went from pudding to poop real quick for him and Somers.

    Apart from the obvious appeal of the MM romance angle, Pretty Pretty Boys has all the good stuff-of a great police procedural novel where there is a nice interplay between the police work and the personal issues, compelling main characters, tightly written prose and engaging storytelling that kept me glued to the book. It’s a solid start to an addicting series and I’m definitely excited to see how things will play out.

    Rating:
    4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

    Soundtrack: Elephant
    Artist: Tame Impala
    Album: Lonerism