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MANGA: Joushitsu na Otoko to H
Joushitsu na Otoko to H – Sonoo Michiru
Kifumi Tsuzuki is a tax auditor and as such, people despise him. No matter, Tsuzuki loves the sight of defeated businesspeople as they reluctantly hand over their due assets. Nothing gets him more excited. Perhaps, not even sex. However, Tsuzuki might have to face the reality that maybe somebody is interested in him. That somebody being Shinichi Nakahara, the CEO of the company that Tsuzuki has just audited. What kind of man tries to court the very person who ripped away money from his arms? Oh, how the tables turn. And this time, it looks like Mr. Nakahara is after Tsuzuki and HIS assets, too
Taxes, or worse, tax penalties, are not on the list of things we expect to spark a romance. So when the words “tax auditor” jumped at me from the blurb, along with that same auditor pursued by the CEO whose company he just cleaned out, I had to investigate immediately.
This is from Sonoo Michiru, who created Dental Darling and S.O.S.? Salt or Sugar?. I loved that her works feature characters in not-commonly written about jobs.
Her story telling here, where the chapters show the events from current to how they meet, was an interesting way of showing how the relationship evolved and the various nuances of their dynamics. The characters, like in her other works, tend to speak bluntly which leads to many humorous dialogues, and are open about their sexuality.
Sex with a High-Grade Man is as it says on the tin. And so much more! The “more” is a ridiculously swoony and spicy romance that, by all accounts, should have been an intense psychological/legal battle between enemies turned lovers.
Instead, dog personality CEO, Shinichi Nakahara, happily regales their friends with how he met his boyfriend, the rabid hyena of a tax auditor, Kifumi Tsuzuki. who hit him with atrocious tax penalties. He likened the experience to paying tribute to a king, to which Kifumi smiled with regal smugness.
People tend to call Nakahara a stupid third-generation CEO. He lets them think what they like. He’s deceptively good at what he does. His laid-back, smiley personality belies a keen mind. Most of his brain power is used to plan dates he thinks Kifumi would like. Nakahara adores his Kiki and dotes on his boyfriend every chance he gets.
Kifumi is that person whose life revolves around his job. He loves taxes so much he spent his summer break checking financial papers, helping weed out crooked employees in Nakahara’s company, or New Year’s Day counting the taxes he can squeeze out of anything taxable. Nakahara saw him there and quickly roped him in.
His cat personality has an aversion to touch and has as many moles on his face as I do. He’s lonely but would rather eat 100-yen pennies than admit it. Nakahara latched on to Kifumi and pursued him with the jolly kindness of a Labrador.
Together, this unlikely power couple has the healthiest, most supportive, and most affectionate relationship I’ve seen, especially among workaholic characters with high-pressure jobs. The implicit trust and the open communication are giving me life, especially knowing they were, in a way, on “opposing sides”. The gentle face touches hit me in the kokoro every time!
Overall, this manga is definitely a top pick for this year. Nakahara is the best BL boyfriend!!! Our Kiki is one lucky cat!
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REVIEW: My Not-So-Super Blind Date by Allison Temple
Subparheroes: My Not-So-Super Blind Date – Allison Temple
I’m Morgan Murray. You probably haven’t heard of me. With a raft of allergies and powers that won’t do more than charge a phone, I never lived up to my super family’s super expectations. It’s okay. I’m used to being overlooked.
But there’s only so much disappointment one man can take, and finding out the cute guy on my blind date is a henchman for the city’s most notorious crime boss? That’s one letdown too many. This date is over before it even starts.
Or is it?
In the meet cute that won’t end, Jasper and I are stuck in a time loop and the only way out is deadly. Good and evil may be relative terms, but if we can’t escape, we may find out that love is forever…and ever.
My Not-So-Super Blind Date is part of the Subpar Heroes multi-author MM romance series.
My Not-So-Super Blind Date by Allison Temple is Book 5 of Subparheroes, a multi-author series about heroes who are not-so-super. TW, There are a lot of on-page deaths here.
The plot is Groundhog Day meets 50 First Dates, where our subparhero, Morgan Murray, is on a blind date with Jasper Jackson. They got off on the wrong foot, and Morgan walked out of the cafe, only to be hit by a bus. Then, he woke to find himself in the cafe, yet again, waiting for his blind date, Jasper. For the nth time.
The thing with time loops is that it tends to get repetitive. The opening chapters did feel like that, understandable as Morgan is still slowly remembering his past dates and deaths. The book hit its stride when Morgan started working with Jasper to find a way out of the loop. I was completely riveted!
The whole mystery of the time loop, why Morgan, who’s Jasper, and who put them there, was so damned fascinating! I normally find time-traveling loops taxing to my lazy reader brain, but here, this phenomenon was well-executed, challenging, yet relatively easy to digest.
While I had my suspects, the shadowy villain, Indigo, for one, I still couldn’t figure out most of it. Plenty of information was revealed once Morgan and Jasper felt more comfortable with each other.
There was Morgan’s family, particularly his superhero mother, Flame, killed in a battle with Indigo. Ezekiel, his grieving stepfather, is a genius scientist currently working on an energy conversion project that, no exaggeration, could save the world. Morgan worked alongside him on this project.
V is the cafe waitress and a friend of Flame. Her grief led her to open a superhero-themed cafe. Her character is overlooked by Morgan for most of the story, avoiding her because of his mother. Turned out that V has more in her wheelhouse than just pouring coffee.
Jasper Jackson is a sweetheart! This ray of sunshine deserves better!
Jasper was a friend of a friend who was also in med school. Now, he henching for a notorious mobster named Wolfe. Aside from medicine, Jasper is very handy with computers and network security. Also, hella charming, killer smile and can talk his way out of any situation. And for some reason, actually likes Morgan!
Morgan is a man with many allergies, barely-there powers, and a black-and-white view of the world. His Judgy Mcjudgy attitude didn’t endear himself to me.
He pretty much assumed the worst of Jasper when he told him about his henching, despite Jasper telling him Morgan didn’t know the entire story yet. Morgan likes to assume the worst about everyone and everything in that barely tolerable snooty attitude.
Later, he learned about Jasper’s family and Jasper’s actual work as a henchman and apologized. Still, Morgan’s a grump without the charm. Would’ve dropped the book because of him if it wasn’t so intriguing.
The puzzle pieces were all there. The fun was finding out how they fit, revealing the big picture. And we find out only when Morgan did. The author did a fantastic job leading us to that moment!
Overall, My Not-So-Super Blind Date is a gripping mystery, a romance with infinite possibilities, and one man’s eye-opening journey, one death at a time.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Come A Little Closer
Artist: Cage The Elephant
Album: Melophobia
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MY NOT-SO-SUPER BLIND DATE: Kindle I Audiobook
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SOUNDTRACK: Come A Little Closer by Cage The Elephant
Soundtrack to Subparheroes: My Not-So-Super Blind Date by Allison Temple
Come A Little Closer by Cage The Elephant for a book about blind dates, a mission to save the world, and always, the promise of “see you tomorrow”.
Heartbreaks, the heavy world’s upon your shoulders
Will we burn or we just smolder?
Somehow I know I’ll find you there
Oooh, I wanna see if you can change it, change it
Still I know I’ll see you there…
Come on, come on, come on
Do you understand the things that you’ve been dreaming?
Come a little closer, then you’ll see
Come a little closer, then you’ll seeTen thousand people stand alone now
And in the evening the sun sets
Tomorrow it will riseTime flies by, they all sang along
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Time shakes, found you at the water
At first you were my father, now I love you like a brother
Earthquakes shake the dust behind you
This world at times will blind you
Still I know I’ll see you thereCome a little closer, then you’ll see
Come on, come on, come on
Things aren’t always what they seem to be
Come on, come on, come onDo you understand the things that you’ve been seeing?
Come on, come on, come on
Do you understand the things that you’ve been dreaming?
Come a little closer, then you’ll seeHeartbreaks, the heavy world’s upon your shoulders
Will we burn or we just smolder?
Somehow I know I’ll find you there
Oooh, I wanna see if you can change it, change it
Still I know I’ll see you thereCome a little closer, then you’ll see
Come on, come on, come on
Things aren’t always what they seem to be
Do you understand the things that you’ve been seeing?Come on, come on, come on
Do you understand the things that you’ve been dreaming?
Come a little closer, then you’ll see
Come a little closer, then you’ll seeTen thousand people stand alone now
And in the evening the sun sets
Tomorrow it will riseTime flies by, they all sang along
Time flies by, they all sang along
Time flies by, they all sang along
Time flies by byCome a little closer, then you’ll see
Come on, come on, come on
Come a little closer, then you’ll see
Come a little closer, then you’ll see
Come a little closer, then you’ll see -
MOVIE FEATURE: Year of the Oat Milk Latte
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BOOK TOUR: A Curse For Samhain by Dahlia Donovan (Excerpt & Giveaway)
