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Houkago Edge – Muno
Tobari’s always loved cute and feminine things. Which sparks his eventual venture into drag. One day, while he was out in public dressed as a high school girl, he bumps into fellow classmate, Inui. It’s annoying to Tobari how amusing Inui finds it, but at least he’s promised not to tell anyone. But with no plans of letting him off for this hobby, Inui proposes something outrageous. He is twisted and unstable, but for some reason, his words are reassuring. A story of a secret love woven with something unnerving.
I thought it was going to be a bullying then falling in love kind of story. I’m so glad I was wrong.
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifZY0ztwkPA?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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Would it be Okay to Love You? – Amy Tasukada
A robot fanboy. An erotic voice actor. When love comes calling, will they shed their armor?
Sato’s only long-term relationship is the one he shares with his Gundam collectibles. He dreams about the kind of unconditional love his parents enjoy. If only he could break out of his shell, he might find his special someone…
Outgoing playboy Aoi has sworn off relationships. He knows they only distract him from his budding voice acting career. He’s earned a few loyal fans, and if he keeps at it, he may even earn enough to never worry about being evicted again…
When Sato meets Aoi at the local anime store, there’s definitely a spark. But even as they tread carefully, their commitment issues and Aoi’s troubled past soon muck things up before they can start. In order for Sato and Aoi to have their happily-ever-after, they’ll both have to take a leap of faith… and hope to be caught.
Would It Be Okay to Love You? is the first book in a gay romance series set in Japan. If you like original characters, nerd culture, and simmering chemistry, then you’ll love Amy Tasukada’s charming multicultural love story.
If Blood Stained Tea was a homage to everything BL, Would it be Okay to Love You is a bombastic overload of everything Japanese pop culture from Gundam kits and VK to seiyuu in-store meets and megane moe. I love everything Japanese but I couldn’t help but find the whole thing cringy as it was so tropey and weaboo-ish. Maybe it was meant as a tribute to everything the author love about Japan (the kind of Japan you see on the internet) but a little subtlety and sophistication can go a long way.
Heavy-handedness aside, the romance was sweet and fluffy and the couple was adorable. Aoi is a smol power topper whose every other line was an innuendo but he didn’t come across as a sleaze. Sato is a virginal, number crunching geek who won trophies for pen spinning. It’s the opposite attracts kind of thing that came together in a delicious slow-burn process. The secondary characters were all likable and I have a special shoutout to Michiko, a girl after my own heart.
The writing is still amateurish, the plot was pretty much standard but maybe the author was going for less high brow, more fanfiction-y, fan servicey anime-ish kind of story. I have come to the conclusion that it’s Amy Tasukada schtick so I just need to get over it and think of it as a BL manga in prose form. With that in mind, I’m just going ahead and see if I could get my hands on book 2.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Sekaijuu de Ichiban Taisetsu na Mono
Artist: Charlotte
Album:(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36182496-would-it-be-okay-to-love-you)
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We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.
Robert Fulghum -
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Soundtrack to Would it be Okay to Love? You by Amy Tasukada
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Umibe no Etranger – Kii Kanna
Three years ago, Hashimoto Shun, a gay novelist in the making, met Chibana Mio, a very quiet high school student, in Okinawa. Mio had lost both of his two parents and was often seen sitting on a bench until very late, watching the sea, near Shun’s house. They slowly grew closer to one another, but Mio suddenly had to leave the island, to pursue his studies… Three years later, Mio returns to Okinawa: “I’ve been thinking a lot these last three years… Even if he’s a man too, I love Shun.” Will these two finally be able to take a step forward together?
My second Kii Kanna manga. I’m still trying to get use to her writing syle. I like the artwork but the story is unnecessarily complicated.
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LM1qmRIYGU?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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A Charm of Magpies: Jackdaw – K.J. Charles
If you stop running, you fall.
Jonah Pastern is a magician, a liar, a windwalker, a professional thief…and for six months, he was the love of police constable Ben Spenser’s life. His betrayal left Ben jailed, ruined, alone, and looking for revenge.
Ben is determined to make Jonah pay. But he can’t seem to forget what they once shared, and Jonah refuses to let him. Soon Ben is entangled in Jonah’s chaotic existence all over again, and they’re running together—from the police, the justiciary, and some dangerous people with a lethal grudge against them.
Threatened on all sides by betrayals, secrets, and the laws of the land, the policeman and the thief must find a way to live and love before the past catches up with them…
A Charm of Magpies linked story, set after Flight of Magpies. Previously published by Samhain.
This is such a delightful, joyful read!
It was a treat to meet Lucien Crane, Stephen Day, Merrick and Saint once again. To see them from the eyes of Ben was double the treat. Crane was still his charming arrogant self and Merrick and Saint got married. I have always loved seeing Day at his job. He’s always been good at it. I never got over his decision.
Jackdaw follows Ben Spenser and Jonah Pastern as they escape the justiciars and the Met. Through out all these, they try to deal with their past relationship, misunderstandings and hurts until they finally found peace in Pellore, Cornwall.
Jonah’s carefree, vibrant attitude just pops out of the page. Charles did a brilliant job creating vivid pictures of windwalking. I could practically feel the wind and see the sky and feel that tingling feeling you get when you are at a high place. Ben was the steadfast, serious type, a good grounding point and conscience for his flighty lover. I felt sorry for the two of them. I think they were trying really hard.
The writing was excellent as always. The words just flow in a way that you couldn’t stop reading. I love the wit, the humor and all the feels. There was just the right amount of angst, pain and hurt to get the point across without plunging into the depths of unbearable misery that is painful to read. For me, this book is bright afternoon sunshine, the kind that makes you hop on your bicycle, pedal up a hill and swoop down with your arms out, wind in your face.
P.S.
To fully appreciate Jackdaw, please read the A Charm of Magpie Series firstRating:
4.5 – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Blood Under My Belt
Artist: The Drums
Album: Abysmal Thoughts(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34861586-jackdaw)
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It’s one thing to run away when someone’s chasing you. It’s entirely another to be running all alone.
Jennnifer E. Smith -
[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A5Nhsz5O0DIS5Mh5E3tlBbp&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to A Charm of Magpies: Jackdaw by K.J. Charles
