• manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Bokura no Tsuzuki

    Bokura no Tsuzuki – Amamiya

    Highschoolers Yousuke and Shuu have become somewhat estranged due to an accident early in their childhood. However, their relationship is restored when Shuu moves to the shopping district Yousuke resides in, to stay at his grandmother’s place. Yousuke, although akward at first, starts feeling stirred by the expressions and mannerisms that the usually aloof Shuu only shows to him!

    “Our Continuation” is a story of reunited childhood friends.

    Cheerful Yousuke meets tsundere Shuu again at his grandma’s side dish shop when Yousuke was delivering veggies from their green grocer. Shuu snubs him, and then again at school. Yousuke continues trying to talk him until one day, they were having a somewhat normal conversation.

    Majority of the story is from Yousuke’s POV and we see how the grumpy Shuu was slowly opening up to him. The pace was nice and slow. The manga gives off warm, soft vibes, that only makes the FEELS that much stronger.

    The artwork is gorgeous! It perfectly captures the personality of both characters. I especially liked how Amamiya drew the eyes. Best part for me, apart from the eyes and the blushes, are the scenes where they subtly touch each other’s hands.

    The whole thing was just so wholesome and adorable, I turned to mush.

  • book,  Uncategorized

    SERIES REVIEW: Four Kings Security Books 1 & 2 by Charlie Cochet

    You meet one King, you’ll love them all. Which is why I ended up binge reading this fantastic series by Charlie Cochet.

    Four Kings Security is owned by the the Kings, Ace, Red, Lucky and King, along with their friends, Jack and Joker. All of them are ex-Special Forces, the remaining half of a unit deployed in Syria years ago. All of the men felt the loss of their brothers heavily, each of them carrying of traumatic memories of a mission gone wrong. These memories are gradually revealed as the stories progressed. They are the reason why these men started their security agency.

    But this is not an angsty, tear-jerker of a series. These are, in fact, some of the funniest books I’ve read. Like its spinoff, Stacking the Deck, which was the one I read first, I keep remembering some hilarious scenes. It keeps me nicely entertained while going about my day. Talk about memorable!

    This series also stands out for the wonderful friendship and camaraderie. These are men who would die for each other. There’s so much palpable warmth and love here, this quickly became one of my favorite found families ever.

    This is a review of Love in Spades and Be Still My Heart, books 1 and 2. The books are not standalones. They pick up from events of the previous books. There are many recurring characters and scenes alluded to throughout the series, it’s definitely best to start at the beginning to get the most out of it.

    I’ll be reviewing books 3 and 4 on Friday. First, let’s meet the King of Spades and the King of Hearts.


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    Four Kings Security: Love in Spades – Charlie Cochet

    When the cards are stacked against you, the Kings will even the odds.

    Ex-Special Forces soldier Anston β€œAce” Sharpe is fighting a different battle these daysβ€”one involving the world of private security across the state of Florida. As part owner of Four Kings Security, Ace and his fellow Kings tackle everything from armed transport and investigations to cyber intelligence and executive protection. Cocky, fearless, and brash, Ace isn’t afraid to take risks.

    After years of working alongside his father, Colton Connolly is ready to take the helm at Connolly Maritime, but his father’s retirement is put on hold when Colton begins receiving death threats. If that isn’t bad enough, his father signs a contract with Four Kings Security to provide Colton with round-the-clock protection, despite his adamant refusal. Colton’s life has been turned upside down, the last thing he needs is a shadow, especially in the form of infuriating, sexy-as-sin Ace Sharpe, who seems to be on a mission to drive Colton mad.

    Sparks fly the moment Colton and Ace meet on a sultry night club dance floor. But getting involved with a client, even one as fiery and beautiful as Colton Connolly, is a line Ace is unwilling to cross. Colton might be attracted to Ace, but he’d been burned before. He might be willing to put his life in Ace’s hands, but not his heart.

    As the Florida nights heat up, so does their passion, and Ace and Colton are faced with a difficult choiceβ€”take the plunge and risk it all, or play it safe and walk away?

    If Ace can keep a deadly threat from robbing Colton of a future….


    Ace is the chief purveyor of mischief and instigator of some of the funniest scenes in the series. He’s almost never serious, always riling up one or all of his brothers. All the jokes hide a smart individual who can be quite perceptive. And you got to hand it to the guy, he can be really professional when on the job.

    Which is what he tried to do while working for the Connollys. Well, he tried. But when faced with the temptation that is billionaire Colton Connolly, he was sorely tested.

    The thing that brought them together was a stalker threatening Colton. This part was almost forgotten through most of the story. The focus were on the interactions between the major characters and the development of the romance with the action/suspense crammed at the last quarter.

    Can’t blame Ace for falling hard. Colton is a wonderful person. He’s a beautiful, hardworking, generous man who can stand toe to toe with Ace’s brand of crazy. He succeeded in driving Ace out of his wits with his 4-hour shoe shopping sprees and firm opinions on powder white vs snow white loafers.

    The attraction was insta, the romance slow-burn, the USTs sizzling. Since this is bodyguard romance, it’s only a matter of time before they surrender to the inevitable. So I tend to judge this kind of situation on how fast they give in before they throw professionalism out the window. Ace wins my approval for holding out as long as he could, which was more than half the book. He put up a good fight but Colton was a very determined man. As they say resistance is futile.

    <(οΏ£οΈΆοΏ£)>  πŸ‘ž αƒš(ΰ² _ΰ² αƒš)ᑦᡒᔿᡉ α΅’α’α΅Žα΅Ž <— Ace met his match.

    Rating:
    4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step away

    Soundtrack: Protection
    Artist: Future of Forestry
    Album: The Complete Travel Series


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    Four Kings Security: Be Still My Heart – Charlie Cochet

    When the cards are stacked against you, the Kings will even the odds.

    Former Special Forces medical sergeant Russell β€œRed” McKinley knows a thing or two about wounds, like the fact some can take a lifetime to heal, if they heal at all. The scars Red carries run deep, and living with PTSD often means battling the memories of his past. Injuries he received while working an executive protection case with fellow Kings and co-owners of Four Kings Security, have once again forced past heartaches to the surface, but Red is determined not to let it derail his blossoming romance with sweet and sexy fashion photographer Lazarus Galanos.

    Laz can’t deny there’s something special developing between him and Red, but Laz has wounds of his own. He’s hesitant to jump into a new relationship after his recent explosive breakup. Experience has taught Laz to doubt his judgement when it comes to men. Guys who seem too good to be true, usually are, and no one appears more perfect than Red.

    When an attempt is made on Laz’s life, Red is determined to keep him safe. Laz may not be a client, and Red is still off duty, but Laz is one of their own, and nothing means more to the Kings than family. While an investigation is underway, Red and Laz are growing closer, but can they find a way to help each other heal and take a chance on love, or will their fears and insecurities cost them more than their future together?


    Red is the quietest King and the sweetheart of the group. He’s a gentle teddy bear everybody feels safe around with. He’s also a pansexual, disco-dancing, lavender-scented aromatherapy enthusiast who knows his way around the kitchen.

    He and Laz met in book one at a party in Colton’s house. Laz is Colton’s bestfriend’s Gio younger brother. He had a huge messy fight with his then boyfriend. The asshole pushed Laz who hit his head and fell to the pool. Red jumped to his rescue.

    The mission here was to protect Laz from death threats from an unknown person. Red being on leave since he was recovering from injuries that happened in the previous book, volunteered to stay with him.

    I wasn’t terribly impressed with Laz. As a person, he’s sweet, driven, and talented. I loved how he stood by Red when he had a bad episode with his PTSD. But when Laz’s insecurities were triggered, it led him to some very stupid conclusions that hurt Red badly.

    Red’s PTSD was something that had cost him his past relationships. Laz was badly burned by his ex so both man were hesitant to jump into a relationship. These issues were used effectively in the story while still keeping it light and fluffy.

    This is an insta-attraction, slow burn romance with hurt-comfort thrown in. There’s a perfectly balanced mix of humor and drama. As with the previous book, it’s all about the relationship and the group dynamics. We don’t see much action till the later parts. Even if that is the case, there’s never a dull moment with this gang!

    With support from their awesome family, Red and Laz promised to work around their issues and emerge a stronger couple. Red wins the day for his enormous capacity to forgive. He really lived up to his title as the King of Hearts.

    ヽ(βŒβ– _β– )γƒŽβ™ͺ♬♑(β€˜βˆ€β€™β—) <— Red showing off his groovy moves

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

    Soundtrack: Heart to Heart
    Artist: James Blunt
    Album: Moon Landing

    P.S.

    And OMG!!! you guys have to check out the faceclaims a.k.a. inspiration for the Four Kings in Charlie Cochet’s pinterest!!! So much eye candy!

    Review of spin off, The Kings: Wild Cards book 1, Stacking The Deck here


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to get your copy of Four Kings Security. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: Protection by Future of Forestry & Heart to Heart by James Blunt

    Soundtrack to Four Kings Security: Love in Spades by Charlie Cochet

    Soundtrack to Four Kings Security: Be Still My Heart by Charlie Cochet

  • quote,  Uncategorized

    You been tired, been told, been scolded
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you
    You been strong, been bold, been molded
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you

    You been burned, been fooled, been lied to
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you
    You been healed, been wise, been sung to
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you
    I want to reach you

    Trust me, I can feel what happened
    I can hear your dangerous question
    Trust me, I can see you want protection
    You want protection
    You want protection

    You been sold, been used and it changed you
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you
    You been bought, been seen and been given to
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you

    You’ve seen earth, seen fire, seen the broken
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you
    You seen heaven, seen rain, seen something
    I want to reach you, I want to reach you
    I want to reach you

    Trust me, I can feel what happened
    I can hear your dangerous question
    Trust me, I can see you want protection
    You want protection

    Oh, you want protection
    You want protection

    I’ll be with you ’til the end
    And I can take your pain away

    Trust me, I can feel what happened
    I can hear your dangerous question
    Trust me, I can see you want protection
    You want protection
    Oh, you want protection