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MUSIC MONDAY: Love and a Smoking Gun by Des Rocs
Pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
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BOOK TOUR: Reunited by Drako (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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AUDIOBOOK TOUR: Persistence of Memory by J.M. Snyder
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MANGA: Master wa Koi wo Shiranai
Master wa Koi wo Shiranai – Io Amaki
Natsuki’s a coffee shop owner who took over his father’s business. Akutsu, a regular customer, is a real estate businessman in charge of a redevelopment plan that involves evicting businesses in Natsuki’s shopping district. They become adversaries as negotiations continue with the shopping arcade, which explains Natsuki’s aloofness toward Akutsu in their daily exchanges.
But, one day, they become secretly involved in a way Natsuki never imagined. Akutsu spots Natsuki outside a bar catering to men and notices his hesitation to take the first step. Who would have guessed that he would suggest experimenting with him?
So begins a bittersweet, mature game of love between a confident realtor and a coffee shop proprietor who has no experience with relationships.
Source: Renta!
The Coffee Shop Owner Knows Nothing About Love is an enemies-to-fuck-buddies-to-boyfriends romance between a cafe owner, Natsuki, and real estate developer, Akutsu.
Akutsu can’t seem to stay away from Natsuki’s cafe despite his company’s plans to redevelop the neighborhood where the cafe is. Natsuki is inexperienced, and after an awkward encounter with Akutsu in front of a gay bar, agrees to gain experience with Akutsu’s help.
Unknown to Natsuki, Akutsu has been crushing on him for a long time now.
Akutsu’s approach was borderline dub-con-ish but the man is really just confident and slightly possessive because he wants Natsuki to himself.
There’s also a grumpy/sunshine dynamics. Natsuki easily gets annoyed and flustered. He’s a mix of German and Japanese descent so he has blond hair and blue eyes. And boy is he blush-y!
Everyone in the neighborhood knew that the two men were a thing. So it was pretty funny when Natsuki thought he and Akutsu were doing a good job keeping things hush-hush.
It’s a familiar plot but executed well. It gave me a thrill when my favorite childhood connection angle was revealed. The two MCs are likable, and while their romance had some drama, it was cute and spicy.
Overall, not breaking any new ground, but still entertaining!
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REVIEW: Secondhand Skin by Hailey Turner
Soulbound: Secondhand Skin – Hailey Turner
Nothing says you canβt steal a heart. Keeping it though? Thatβs another problem.
Wade Espinoza knows a thing or two about hoards. As a dragon, heβs got plenty. What he doesnβt have is a relationship, and he swears heβs not looking for one. But when heβs sent to Boston to answer a cry for help from another pack, heβs drawn into a mess of fae bargains centered around a selkie who Wade instantly becomes obsessed with.
Riordan Maguire is struggling to keep his selkie clan out of the clutches of a fae lord who will do anything to take over their territory. Partnering with the Boston god pack means coming face-to-face with the first person heβs ever wanted to willingly give his sealskin. Too bad Wade isnβt local and is something altogether strange that Riordan isnβt sure he can trust.
Amidst a growing danger in the streets and Boston Harbor, Wade and Riordan are desperate to find a way to keep everyone safe. For bargains are dangerous things to break, but so are hearts. Wade isnβt willing to shatter either of theirs in a race against time that could see Riordan torn from him forever.
Secondhand Skin is an exciting new standalone novel set in Hailey Turner’s best-selling Soulbound Universe focusing on Wade Espinoza.
Like most MM romance readers, I have an undying love for Patrick and Jono and the Soulbound series by Hailey Turner. But I confess, I got stuck in the middle of the series because my lazy reader brain could not handle recalling all the details of the previous installments and the many things happening in the present.
One of the most unforgettable characters was Wade Espinoza, the teen dragon Patrick and Jono rescued from slavery. Wade, like all dragons, has a bottomless pit for a stomach.
I still recall with amusement the scenes where Patrick wondered how he could stretch his government salary because, at the rate he was going, Wade could eat them out of house and home. I really loved Patrick for this.
Secondhand Skin is Wade’s book. Now 23 years old, Wade has grown into a confident (sometimes overly so), irreverent, fun-loving, sassy, protective, and loyal dragon so adept at hiding his true identity that even powerful beings can’t tell what he is. Still, a bottomless pit.
His pack gave him a mission to go to Boston to help the dire of the Boston god pack, Ella, find her alphas abducted by an evil fae, Niall. This led him to cross paths again with the selkie, Riordan, whom he met at Gerard and Orla’s wedding.
The Maguire clan is in dire straits. The same evil fae was responsible for attacking Saoirse and stealing her sealskin. Riordan and his older brother Donal were given the ultimatum to hand over their sister or Riordan. And as the clan leader, Riordan handing himself over means handing over the clan.
So Wade, Ella and the Maguires banded together to deal with the Niall problem.
I’m not too familiar with Western folklore so at first I thought selkies were seahorses. The Maguire siblings actually shift into seals! How cute! The relationship between the Maguire siblings is one of my favorite parts.
A selkie’s most precious possession is their sealskin, which can transform into anything, like a leather jacket for Riordan. Owning a selkie’s sealskin means you can control the selkie. The sealskin is usually gifted to their mates.
Wade was taught a few tricks by one of the toughest negotiators, Sage, fae-trained lawyer, tiger shifter, and wife to billionaire seer Merek. Our boy also inherited most of Patrick’s brash, not-taking-any-of-your-shit, kamikaze style of dealing with a problem.
The difference between Patrick and Wade is Patrick will throw himself directly in the line of fire to save someone despite knowing he might not survive. Wade will throw himself directly in the line of fire to save someone with all the confidence that he won’t even be scratched.
Personally, I thought his characterization here was Gary Stu-ish, like an overpowered anime character. Magic has no effect on him so he’s hardly threatened by anything. If someone becomes too inconvenient, he knows he can just eat them.
He bulldozed his way into high-level fae homes and gets away with disrespect because of his pack’s reputation and when he releases his dragon-y aura, it intimidates people. Also, he’s on a first-name basis with god-tier folks many people feared.
He doesn’t worry about spending millions of dollars bribing Carmen the succubus and her master the psycho vampire Lucien because, very conveniently, Wade has a billionaire in his pack.
So apart from a tragic past, our boy really had it easy, relatively. He even found his mate, Riordan. I loved how the selkie’s calmer energy grounded Wade’s more excitable one.
I miss the days when our heroes went through hoops of fire in their adventures. Here, it’s the Maguire clan that is put through the wringer.
But mini gripe aside, this is the same fast-paced, action-packed, completely engrossing magical romp we loved from Hailey Turner. The sass and humor were spot on and the fight scenes! There’s nothing like the Soulbound fight scenes!
These are easily some of the most jaw-dropping, high-stakes battles between our heroes and pissed-off gods/goddesses with fabulous displays of magic and no-punches-pulled derring-do. The cameos from the folks we loved and loved to hate since the beginning of the series were cherries on top of this spectacular chaos and mayhem.
The blurb said this could be read as a standalone but I recommend delving into the Soulbound main series first since many references and characters were mentioned.
Secondhand Skin is Wade coming into his own. His adventure is filled with excitement, magic, supernatural creatures, and a pack that always has his back. Overall, a rip-roaring addition to the Soulbound universe!
Rating:
4.5 Stars β perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: I Am Your Skin
Artist: The Bravery
Album: Stir The Blood
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SECONDHAND SKIN: Kindle I Audiobook
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SOUNDTRACK: I Am Your Skin by The Bravery
Soundtrack To Soulbound: Secondhand Skin by Hailey Turner
I Am You Skin by The Bravery for a book about a dragon and the people he cherished and protect.
I wanna be your skin
I wanna feel everything you feel
I wanna be your coveringSo let them come like an army against us
I know you wonβt be afraid
Because I am the armor upon you now
And we are never betrayed
There is no ending between you and me -
And you know me now like a mother knows a child
And you know me now like I came from your own body
I can feel your pulse like a moth inside a jar
And even this is still too far
Even this is still too farI wanna be your skin
I wanna feel everything you feel
I wanna be your coveringSo let them come like an army against us
I know you won’t be afraid
Because I am the armor upon you now
And we are never betrayed
There is no ending between you and meI wanna be your skin
I wanna be your skin
I wanna feel everything you feel
I wanna be your coveringAnd I will hide you inside of me
With every breath in harmony
I wanna be your skin
I wanna be your coveringI wanna be your skin
I wanna be your skin
I wanna feel everything you feel
I wanna be your coveringAnd I will hide you inside of me
With every breath in harmony
I wanna be your skin
I wanna be your coveringI wanna be your skin
I wanna be your covering -
MOVIE FEATURE: Layla
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NEW RELEASE: The Unquiet House by Ellie Thomas (Excerpt)
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COVER REVEAL: Hearts We Claim by Christina Berry