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COVER REVEAL: Devotion Of A Wolf by C.J. Ravenna
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MANGA: Unmei to wa ie Kono Teido
Unmei to wa ie Kono Teido – Mineshima Nawako
Shirato has always had terrible luck, even with the simplest things. When it seems that he might have a bit of luck going to his usual ramen place, it’s stumped by the bawling, but very handsome person sitting beside him. Pitying the poor guy, Shirato offers him his handkerchief to comfort him. Turns out, the handsome person was Tatsuki Kurose, a famous actor and with his presence, it seems that Shirato’s fortune has gotten better. But when one night reveals that Tatsuki’s feelings for Shirato goes beyond friendship, Shirato’s not sure if his terrible luck has gotten worse. Did it?
That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles is two interconnected stories on the themes of luck and destiny.
Shirato is an perpetually unlucky middle-aged salaryman whose luck turned when he met the famous actor Kurose at a ramen shop. The actor was bawling his eyes out, and Shirato offered his handkerchief. Touched by the kindness, Kurose fell in love with him and proceeded to sekuhara his way into Shirato’s heart.
This could have been super cute and fluffy. It’s cute, but I thought Kurose could have just wooed Shirato in the old-fashioned gentlemanly way instead of harassing a drunk salaryman. Kurose is a heartthrob and has no problems charming people, so a charm offensive would have been a better approach.
The mangaka laid the age gap thickly with a grey-haired Shirato often referring to himself as “old man.” Dude is only mid-30s while Kurose is late 20s, so I think age shouldn’t have been a big deal.
Still, Shirato has that endearing cinnamon roll vibe, and Kurose has that adoring seme going for him, so I kinda enjoyed their story.
The second couple is Shinoda, a blue-collar worker, and Tozaki, a grad student. They had a high school connection that drew them together now that they were adults. They were reunited when Tozaki came into the convenience store Shinoda was manning, and soon, they became fuck buddies.
I did not like this story. Tozaki has no business groping a sleeping Shinoda, then sekuhara him a couple more times. Again, Tozaki has natural charisma so why not just use that? These two needed proper communication, and it took them a while before they talked.
The saving grace is the last chapter that brings the two couples together. This is my favorite part because they were enjoying themselves on their double date.
Overall, they went about it the wrong way, but was still lucky enough to get a happy ending..
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REVIEW: Stay In Your Lane! by Cari Z. & L.A. Witt
Stay In Your Lane! – Cari Z. & L.A. Witt
The tasks are simple. Everett Mulligan is there to collect the body. Kyle Bowman is there to clean up the scene. Easy peasy. Get in, get out, get gone.
But Everett, for all he can be on another planet with fourteen tabs open in his brain, isn’t stupid like the cops think he is. Something about this death scene isn’t sitting right, and he’s going to figure it out. Bonus? He gets to team up with the adorkable crime-scene cleanup guy to solve the mystery.
Kyle, ever the thorough and detail-oriented cleaner, can’t ignore the scene’s irregularities either. He also can’t ignore the seriously attractive himbo from the mortuary who insists they should work together to solve what the cops insist isn’t a crime. Especially when that himbo is also enamored with Kyle’s cats and fiercely determined to make friends with his cranky piranha, Steve.
There’s a reason this death isn’t being treated as a homicide, though, and there are people who are very motivated to keep it that way.
And they’ll do whatever it takes to keep the pair of amateur sleuths from uncovering the truth.
Stay in Your Lane! by the acclaimed writer duo Cari Z. and L.A. Witt shines the spotlight on the unsung heroes of crime scene investigations: the cleaners and the morticians. All too often overlooked, the focus is often on the detectives and the forensics; these underdogs handle all the nitty-gritty bits, a.k.a. the dirty work, literally.
What happens when they see something that the police and forensics have missed? Everett Mulligan, the mortician, and Kyle Bowman, crime scene cleaner, found out the hard way that sometimes investigators see what they want to see or, in this case, unsee.
And the powers that be want them to stay in their lane or else…
Oooh, this is fun!
The romance developed so cutely alongside their investigation. Everett, whose brain and mouth go a mile a minute, wouldn’t let the issue of an unsolved murder rest. He found a kindred soul in Kyle, the sassy cleaner whose pet piranhas and cats Everett is crazy about. Joined at the hip, they quickly bond over crime and pets, a geeky power couple of crime scene cleaning.
These do-gooding dorks embarked on their quest to collect evidence that the suicide of the ex-con was actually a murder, so they could persuade the police to investigate. The chilling way the powers that be tried to hush things up hinted that this conspiracy goes all the way to the top. The bad guys were pretty obvious, like faceless cannon fodder for a John Wick movie, just there to do bad things when Kyle and Everett were rattling a few cages.
The fluffy romance led to suspenseful escapes, car chases, and a climax that was equal parts bombastic and hilarious! My favorite part is how they frequently meet at a diner, Waffles?, home to misfits such as conspiracy theory wackos and anti-establishment goth kids. It was only fitting that the big showdown happened there. The scenes at the diner were a riot!
Stay In Your Lane! is an entertaining blend of rom-com, murder mystery thriller, and sharp social commentary. Humorous and suspenseful, it also paints a vivid picture of the consequences of challenging the status quo. Overall, a funny and insightful story that lingers after one dares to step out of line.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Color Outside The Lines
Artist: Chris Colby
Album: II
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STAY IN YOUR LANE!: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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SOUNDTRACK: Color Outside The Lines by Chris Colby
Soundtrack to Stay In Your Lane! by Cari Z. & L.A. Witt
Color Outside the Lines by Chris Colby for a book about righting wrongs, speaking truths, and stepping out of line when the powers that be draw them in the sand.
What seems to be your big problem with me am I so bad?
The more you say you change, the more you stay the same
You’re always mad because I color outside the lines
It’s not wasted time to color outside the lines
It’s not wasted time
What seems to be this big problem with me I’ve been so sad
I even took the time to explain it all a thousand times
But the more I tried to explain, the more it caused me pain
So I gathered up my friends and we colored outside the lines -
What seems to be your big problem with me am I so bad?
The more you say you change, the more you stay the same
You’re always mad because I color outside the lines
It’s not wasted time to color outside the lines
It’s not wasted time
What seems to be this big problem with me I’ve been so sad
I even took the time to explain it all a thousand times
But the more I tried to explain, the more it caused me pain
So I gathered up my friends and we colored outside the lines
It’s not wasted time to color outside the lines
So when we walk away
We’ll hang our pictures on the wall you put in front of me
But if we learn some logic and practice on our patience
I am absolutely certain that everything will change in time
It’s not wasted time to color outside the lines
It’s not wasted time
Dreams aren’t wasted time.
It’s not wasted time to color outside the lines
It’s not wasted time to color outside the lines
It’s not wasted time to color outside the lines -
MOVIE FEATURE: Griffin In Summer
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BLOG TOUR: All You Need Is Love by Meg Macy (Excerpt)
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COVER REVEAL: The Regressor King by A.J. Sherwood
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FLICKer: Now It’s Different
Featuring LGBT short films I found around the interwebz a.k.a Youtube. Okay sucky intro, but yeah, that’s it.
Now It’s Different is a poignant short film about rediscovery and hope. When a writer feels lost in the chaos of city life, he pours his heart into a love letter meant for someone special, someone he’s never truly met. As he writes, he confronts his own regrets and dreams, hoping to rekindle the spark of romance. With every word, he invites the man to step out of the shadows and into the light.
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RELEASE BLITZ: Ruthless by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
