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MANGA: Konna Koi ni Narunante
Konna Koi ni Narunante – Haruyama Moto
Office worker Kida loves his private time and prefers silence to socializing. But one day, the previously empty seat next to him is filled by salesman Takamura, turning his peaceful days upside-down!
Takamura drags him out to eat lunch every day and chats with him constantly. Plus, it turns out they live in the same company apartment block, and ever since then, Takamura won’t stop barging into Kida’s place…! Kida would never have taken this lying down before, but Takamura has him strangely charmed… But why…?
A puppy-like playboy meets a serious, socially awkward introvert in this tortured, bittersweet office romance! The Love You’d Least Expect: Continued: Chapter 3 After a bumpy beginning, the positive, puppy-like Takamura and the shy, negative Kida are finally lovers. Takamura, who can’t stop brimming with passion for Kida, is inflamed by his every move. He’s tiring poor Kida out with a life of non-stop romping. Feeling bad for the feeble, indoorsy Kida, Takamura decides things can’t go on like this, and starts doing his best to avoid interacting with Kida, who keeps obliviously turning him on…!
This is the sequel to the action-packed manga “The Love You’d Least Expect”!
Someday, we’ll get a manga where the extrovert learns to shut up, enjoy the silence, shun the world and just chill with his introverted boyfriend. This is not the day.
The Love You’d Least Expect is yet another grumpy anti-social introvert forced outside his comfort zone by a persistent sunshiny extrovert. It’s a tale told a million times already, but this manga delivered the charm and kawaii-ness that made this old trope a fan favorite.
Kida, the introvert who enjoys the peace and quiet of being left alone, is my spirit animal. Takamura, who practically bulldozed his way into Kido’s life, could have easily been annoying. Happily, he’s kind of adorable in his puppy-like adoration of Kido.
The plot followed the expected course, but the endearing characters, floofy scenes, and the overall engaging execution make this manga worth a read
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REVIEW: Real Risk by Elle Keaton
West Coast Forensics: Real Risk – Elle Keaton
It’s possible they’re a match but first the two men will have to survive trial by fire.
Chief Flynn is fighting smoke and flames, tirelessly protecting the lives and property of his fellow islanders from yet another spate of fires.
Arson or accident?
When injury puts him on the sidelines, West Coast Forensics Arson Investigator Kimball Frye offers his assistance. Frye is The Most Irritating Man in the World, a condescending know-it-all who rubs Devon the wrong way.
Or does he?
Decades ago an arsonist stole his family from him since then Frye has devoted his life to putting them behind bars. At forty-nine, he doesn’t believe in permanent relationships, instead preferring the company of interchangeable younger men.
Is the arsonist trying to shift the blame onto Devon, or trying to kill him? If it’s the latter it just might work.
Feeling the pull of attraction to Devon as the firebug grows bolder is inconvenient. Will Kimball listen to his heart or his head? The younger men he’s always preferred are nothing like the solid, stalwart Fire Chief.
Real Risk is the third in the West Coast Forensics series and can be read as a standalone but may be enjoyed more if you read the Real Trouble and Real Danger first. It is dual POV following Devon Flynn and Kimball Frye as they bicker and fumble their way to their happily ever after.
After a rather disappointing visit in Book 2, I’ve yet to give up on Piedras Island. We’re back for another stay with Real Risk, the 3rd installment of West Coast Forensics, a series following the private detectives of the firm as they solve crime and find their persons in the little island town.
My interest was greatly piqued by the case because most mystery novels are about murders, and this one’s about arson. It stars overworked fire chief Devon Flynn and Kimball Frye, the co-owner of WCF. I’ve met these two characters in several of the author’s works, and I’m pleasantly surprise, she paired them.
Devon is an island native who practically raised his younger sister, Birdy, now the sheriff’s deputy. The siblings are half Lummi. Kimball is a former ATF agent who established WCF with his friend, Leo. His specialty is arson investigations. He tends to date men half his age, something his friends and Devon loves to point out. The two sorta frenemies were forced to work together to solve a series of fires popping all over Piedras.
There is an enemies-to-lovers, sunshine/grumpy dynamics here. One nice little twist is that the younger man, 40-year-old Devon, is the grumpy one, while 49-year-old Kimball is the sunshiny high-handed one. I wasn’t too keen on how Devon seems to go out of his way to point out Kimball likes to date twinks. I felt he sounded too bitter, sour grape-y, and nosy. Who Kimball dates is none of his business.
That aside, the romance was wonderfully slow-burn. Devon and Kimball’s chemistry worked fabulously! I loved that they are two mature men set in ways who found their equal. Two guys declaring they’re not into relationships finding the other worthy enough to try. I want to see more of them in future books. And more mature couples, please. I’m tired of men over 40 always pigeon-holed in age-gap romances.
But I was really more interested in the case. I always found the WCF investigations fun because they take us around Piedras Island. The island is part of the real-life San Juan archipelago in the Pacific Northwest.
The mystery itself had no big surprises because the bad guys are a given. I would have also preferred a more nitty gritty approach to the investigation. The case was suddenly solved just like that. Also, Devon’s plan was too hare brain a scheme to actually work.
Although, I liked how this case connects to the events in the previous books. They even go way back to those in the Veiled Intentions series and Elle Keaton‘s other books. So it’s best to read WCF books in order for maximum enjoyment.
Even with the less than solid mystery, Real Risk is an enjoyable addition to WCF. I love tagging along with the detectives, feeling the pulse of small-town life that’s so different yet similar to my small town, catching up with old characters, and meeting new ones. Characters who feel like old friends you always want to stay in touch with. These are why I always go back to Piedras Island.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Fire In The Horizon
Artist: Stick Figure
Album: Set In Stone
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REAL RISK
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SOUNDTRACK: Fire On The Horizon by Stick Figure
Soundtrack to West Coast Forensics: Real Risk by Elle Keaton
Fire on The Horizon by Stick Figure for a book about an island town and its grumpy fire chief who met his match in a high-handed arson investigations specialist.
There’s a little old town and it’s tucked away on an island on the sea
So far away from everything, where time it don’t mean a thing
And time moves slow and certainly we got no place to be
Where’s there’s love there is life, there is a hope and a dream
This is the place for you and me -
There’s a little old town and it’s tucked away on an island on the sea
So far away from everything, where time it don’t mean a thing
And time moves slow and certainly we got no place to be
Where’s there’s love there is life, there is a hope and a dream
This is the place for you and meWe can go, we can stay
We can hide, we can run away
We can feel and swim in the ocean
We’ve fallen, love keeps callingI found love in the strangest places, where all is meant to be
Jamming to the sounds of your favorite song, I said good love is all we need
And when you get down, turn it up loud, and soon we’ll feel at peace
When the world does you wrong, you listen to that song, like the birds, they listen to the treesThere’s a fire on the horizon
There’s a fire, so let it burn
We can get higher over the mountain
We’ve fallen, love keeps callingIn this jungle, we are all just animals
We’re criminals, but we’re innocent always
In this jungle, we are all just animals
We’re criminals, but we’re innocent alwaysSo many miles I’ve walked
So many rivers I’ve crossed
So many battles I’ve lost,
Make me who I am today
And when tomorrow it comes,
There’ll be a brand new sun
This song is not over,
It’s just begunThere’s a fire on the horizon
There’s a fire, so let it burn
We can get higher over the mountain
We’ve fallen, love keeps calling -
MOVIE FEATURE: Peter Von Kant
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Spade’s Choice by L.A. Day (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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RELEASE TOUR: Rules, Schmules! by Becca Seymour (Excerpt)
