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MANGA: Suki, Dakara Furetai
Suki, Dakara Furetai – Noda Matsumoto
With the help of a friendly ghost, Masaki, Ono-sensei can examine his young patient’s teeth without much fuss. It seems that only Ono-sensei and children can see Masaki. He brings a calming presence, which is convenient for children at the dentist and for Ono-sensei as well. But is he really a ghost? He doesn’t remember much about his past but for some reason, he’s very attached to Ono-sensei. So much so that Masaki hangs out around the office and even walks Ono-sensei home. Once they reach the entrance to Ono-sensei’s apartment however, Masaki is asked to stay out. Ono-sensei doesn’t want Masaki to know that something else haunts him behind closed doors.
I Want to Feel You Because I Like You is a ghost love story with a twist. I normally avoid ghost stories because they usually end in tears. This one is a tearjerker as well.
Ono is a dentist who can see Masaki. Only he and children can see him. Masaki helps calm the young patients. His presence also helps Ono through some very rough patch.
The manga slowly goes from light-hearted to heavy. As the story progressed, we learn more about Ono. He suffers from recurring nightmares and has what appears to be a terminally ill lover. A touch from a someone he couldn’t see calms him when the dreams were really bad.
The story deals with grief and healing. While we witness Ono’s heartbreak, there still a feeling of light at the end of the tunnel. I had some inkling of where this was going and I’m glad I was right. There was a new beginning. Although, this has another surprise which comes with a warning that if you don’t like shota, best not read this.
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REVIEW: Double Or Nothing by Cari Z & L.A. Witt
Double Trouble: Double Or Nothing – Cari Z & L.A. Witt
Rich Cody joined the U.S. Marshals to hunt down bad guys, not babysit witnesses. Orders are orders, though, and now heโs protecting a hacker with ties to the Albanian and Sicilian mobs. Itโs just another exciting day in WITSEC.
Leotrim Nicolosi was born into a world of crime and bloodshed. When that bloodshed hits too close to home, taking down Leoโs boyfriendโthe son of a notorious mob bossโLeo is determined to destroy the Grimaldi family. Heโs got evidence that will send every last Grimaldi to prison, heโs got the familyโs wealth in an electronic chokehold, and heโs got a vendetta that can only be settled with the blood of the man who killed his lover.
When a routine transfer to a safehouse goes horribly wrong, Rich and Leo narrowly escape with their lives. With the Marshals compromised and Leo being framed for murder, he and Rich are on the run from criminals and law enforcement alike. They have no one to trust except each other, and nowhere to go that their enemies canโt reach.
And the only way out might mean making a deal with the Devil.
This novel is approximately 77,000 words.
How far will you go to keep a witness safe?
Rich Cody found out exactly how far the hard way when he was assigned Leotrim Nicolosi, a hacker holding information that will bring mafia families down. His transfer to a safehouse went to shit and the Marshal and his witness found themselves on the run from not only the Albanian and Sicilian mob but from several law enforcement agencies as well. There was no one they can trust, not the police nor the US Marshals, nor the FBI. The mob has a long reach.
Double Or Nothing hit the ground running with a shootout that set the fast-paced action/suspense vibe throughout the book. There was no rest for the weary, Rich and Leo were constantly on the move, driving from one point of the American heartland to the opposite end. The only downtime they had was in the missile silo/bunker when they asked Rich’s marine buddy for help.
I loved how the authors kept several levels of tension going. The book was very effective in the giving off that constant sense of danger hanging like the Sword of Damocles over Rich and Leo’s heads. Meanwhile, the sexual tension was a simmering slow burn that went nuclear in the missile silo.
Beyond their romantic connection, there was Rich’s unwavering loyalty to his witness and his duty as a Marshal. I loved his dogged determination to see things through to the end. Grieving the loss of his lover, Leo is equally determined to bring down his killers. The two men took on an entire mob. They didn’t hold anything back.
The book would make a great action movie. There’s a lot of explosions and gunfights and car chases that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There were twists and turns, double crosses and close calls. It was one heck of a mission.
There was one scene at the end, where they both just went through hell and Rich thought he lost Leo. That part where he was hugging him while shaking with shock and exhaustion was one of the most poignant moments. You can really feel his heart exploding with emotions. Mine did just that.
So just how far will you go to keep a witness safe? For US Marshall Rich Cody, all the way.
P.S.
Double Trouble is a duology and best read when you already have both books in hand. Double Or Nothing ends with a cliffhanger. Rich and Leo’s mission continues in Doubling Down.
Rating:
4 Stars โ minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Run
Artist: Foo Fighters
Album: Concrete and Gold
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DOUBLE OR NOTHING | DOUBLING DOWN
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SOUNDTRACK: Run by Foo Fighters
Soundtrack to Double Trouble: Double Or Nothing by Cari Z & L.A. Witt
I used this song for another book last year but I think it’s a very apt song for Rich and Cody on the run. The lyrics go “Run for your life with me“. I especially liked the part “In another perfect life / In another perfect light“. What if had they had meet under different, saner circumstances? What if?
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Wake up
Run for your life with me
Wake up
Run for your life with meIn another perfect life
In another perfect light
We run
We run
We runThe rats are on parade
Another mad charade
What you gonna do?
The hounds are on the chase
Everything’s erased
What you gonna do?I need some room to breath
You can stay asleep
If you wanted to
They say that nothing’s free
You can run with me
If you wanted to
Yeah, you can run with me
If you wanted toBefore the time runs out
There’s somewhere to run
Wake up
Run for your life with me
Wake up
Run for your life with meIn another perfect life
In another perfect light
We run
We run
We run
RunWe are the nation’s stakes
If everything’s erased
What you gonna do?
I need some room to breathe
You can run with me
If you wanted to
Yeah you can run with me
If you wanted toBefore the time runs out
There’s somewhere to run
Wake up
Run for your life with me
Wake up
Run for your life with meIn another perfect life
In another perfect light
We run
We run
We run
RunWake up
Run for your life with me
Wake up
Run for your life with meIn another perfect life
In another perfect light
We run
We run
We run
Run -
MOVIE FEATURE: El Baile De Los 41 (Dance Of The 41)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Dead Sea by Mia Kerick (Excerpt & Giveaway)