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Something Happening – Satoko Ida
Chihiro was just dumped by his girlfriend, so his senpai organizes a drinking party to cheer him up.
They should have another drinking party and take it from there.
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Blame It on the Mistletoe – Eli Easton
When physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discover all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends.
It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn’t understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration.
Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.
I’m happy to say my first Eli Easton book was a surprise hit. I didn’t read the blurb beforehand so I was totally blank when I started listening but the narrator, Jason Frazier, was so good at it and boy did it turn out to be utterly adorkable!
Mick Colman was looking for a housemate and eventually landed on Physics geek extraordinaire Fielding Monroe. The two hit if off really well, became BFFs until Fielding ask Mick to teach him how to kiss. This would have been all sorts of awkward between two friends but Fielding, not keen on social cues, was relentless. This lead Mick, who has always considered himself straight, to ask questions about himself.
This novella packs a lot of goodies: jock-and-nerd + gay-for- you + roommates-to-lovers + best-friends-to-lovers. There’s snappy dialogue and dry humor. The writing is that type you can breeze through in one sitting. Despite the lightness of the writing, the whole thing was so sweet and emotional, you should avoid reading it in public lest you end up with a silly grin all over your face. I know I was smiling like crazy when I was listening to it.
Fielding is a joy to listen to. He revels in simple everyday things he missed growing up, like snow-ball fights and DVDs. His child-like glee, good nature and exuberance were contagious. Frazier’s voice for him perfectly captured his geeky but lovable personality. Mick couldn’t help but like him the first time they met. It would have been easy to hate Mick being a man-whore and a jock but he endeared himself for being kind-hearted, loyal and always looking out for Fielding. His confusion and anxiety, though understandable, were really funny. Frazier’s voice for him was on point as well, capturing everything from seductive player, all around nice guy, to “but I’m straight?!” self-debate and the momentous
“It was so… fuck. And it was… damn.
“
Definitely a highly recommended Christmas treat!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Kiss Kiss Kiss
Artist: John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Album: Double Fantasy(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18776908-blame-it-on-the-mistletoe)
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Soundtrack to Blame It on the Mistletoe by Eli Easton
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I want to see you.
Know your voice.
Recognize you when you
first come ‘round the corner.Sense your scent when I come
into a room you’ve just left.Know the lift of your heel,
the glide of your foot.Become familiar with the way
you purse your lips
then let them part,
just the slightest bit,
when I lean in to your space
and kiss you.I want to know the joy
of how you whisper
“moreJalaluddin Mevlana Rumi – مولوی -
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsqlriNlXr4?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=375]
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23:45 – Ohana
Two months after coming to Tokyo, Iku is enjoying otaku life, but something mysterious is happening to him: He’s started to see ghosts! One particular ghost – who’s always standing on top of the pedestrian bridge at night – catches his interest, but he studiously ignores it… Until one day the guy turns up at his apartment holding a doujin Iku had dropped. He says his name is Seo Mimori, and seeing as he’s a lost soul with nowhere to go, Iku doesn’t really resist when he “moves in.” But then a shocking secret about Mimori’s death is revealed…
I’m sorry. The cover and blurb promised good things but I found it long drawn-out and boring.
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Fence #3 – C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
As Nicholas works to become a better fencer, Seiji takes an unexpected interest in his journey.
Getting really good and getting really queer. Hints of Nicolas’ parentage, OTPs and cannons, crash course on fencing and of course, cliffhangers.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Competition
Artist: Matt Pond PA
Album: Measure(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37554812-fence-3)
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[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A4zYx459ALas4MgDiuyvg2J&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Fence #3 by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad
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I promise you
I will try harder
to be better.
I
have battled with things
inside me
for longer than you know;
I do not know
what they are
or why they are there,
I only know
that they feel
manageable,
defeatable,
when I
am around
You.Tyler Knott Gregson
