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RELEASE TOUR: Rage Unleashed by J.K. Jones
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Kelpie’s Claiming by Alexa Piper (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Made Of Folded Paper by Kai Wolden (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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MANGA: One Week Family
One Week Family – Yatsuhashi
“I’ll never forget those seven days for the rest of my life.”
Young actor, Fujimaru Ren’s one flaw is that he is “not good with children.” So in order to overcome this particular weakness, his manager proposes that he spend a week living with his co-star and child actor, Yuu. On their first day of living together, Yuu’s manager, Kei, shows up at his door and it’s none other than the former child actor that inspired Ren to start acting?!
A lot of things can change for a person in one short week of living together.One Week Family takes us to the fleeting and often tragic world of child actors. This manga is a lighter yet still nuanced look at that world.
Ren is a young actor who claims he is hopeless at dealing with children, so his manager set him up to live with his future co-actor, the child prodigy, Yuu, for seven days. To Ren’s surprise, Yuu’s manager was none other than his idol, the former child acting prodigy, Kei. He was completely starstruck, then later in the story, he realized he was in love with the former actor. But why did Kei suddenly left acting all those years ago?
First of all, I was so glad this is not a love triangle between the child and the two adults as some manga tend to go down that route. I really don’t like that, so I’m happy Yuu’s admiration towards Kei was more of a child looking up to his role model.
Also, I loved the artwork. It’s so nice to look at. It conveys a wholesome, calming atmosphere that resonates strongly with the story’s vide. Also, the characters are so attractive, and Yuu look so cute. Sometimes in BL manga, female characters are not drawn as carefully. Some don’t even have faces. So bonus points for not drawing the female characters like an afterthought.
The romance is tender and sweet, evolving at a languid pace. It’s quite adorable and touching. The childhood connection trope plays a role here. This is one of my favorites and I love how it is used here. It always gives me a pang when I think of the what-ifs, what-could-have-beens, and fate bringing two people together once again, like Ren and Kei.
The story is full of heartwarming scenes. Aside from the MCs, another major thread here is Yuu and his relationship with his super busy C.E.O. mom. I felt sorry for the kid. He’s only five years old, but he’s working harder than many adults. His talk with his mom was super moving.
Overall, this manga is a feel-good, almost angst-free story about family, the showbiz industry, and building connections. I loved the cover! It perfectly captures everything in the story.
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REVIEW: Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger
Fallen Messengers: Fractured Souls – Ava Marie Salinger
Humans are dying in San Francisco. The most shunned angel on Earth may very well hold the key as to why…
When Cassius Black moves to San Francisco for a fresh start, the angel’s hopes of staying below the radar of the supernatural organizations that oversee the otherworldly and magic users in the city are dashed when he stumbles across a dead body in the sewers. His grim discovery soon puts him in the sight of the Argonaut Agency and Francis Strickland, the bureau director who knows his darkest secrets.
Morgan King and his team of Argonaut agents have been hunting for the culprits behind a series of gruesome killings that have rocked the city all summer. Killings that bear sinister hallmarks of sacrificial rituals where the victims’ souls have been ripped from their bodies. When Fate brings Cassius in Morgan’s path, he realizes the angel everyone likes to call The Devil may very well be the only person who can help them track down the murderers.
Morgan and Cassius soon find themselves chasing down a sect of black magic sorcerers and cross paths with a mysterious warlock whose actions evoke disturbing echoes of an incident from Cassius’s past. As rumors of a potential plot to tear the Nether reach their ears, Cassius and Morgan must work together to defeat their common enemy and save the city from destruction, all while fighting their growing attraction for one another.
Fractured Souls is the first novel in the MM urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like action-packed paranormal adventures with romance and snark, then get this pulse-pounding book today and enter a world you won’t want to leave!
If I make a list of books I’d love to see as a movie, Fractured Souls would definitely be on it. This book delivers the action-packed paranormal adventure it promised.
Fractured Souls is the first book of Fallen Messengers, an urban fantasy/paranormal series set in a world after The Fall. There was a huge rift, and all manner of magical and mythical creatures now walked the earth. Four major organizations are in charge of keeping supernatural creatures in line.
The world-building is exceptionally detailed without overwhelming or bogging down the pace. I loved this world of the Fallen the author created. It’s incredibly fascinating to read about beings from the deepest pits of hell and from the highest hierarchies of heaven.
I liked the writing as well. It flowed smoothly and briskly, but major credit is also due to narrator Alex Kydd’s masterful delivery. He did an awesome job bringing the characters to life and made going through the info-dumps a breeze.
The story is told in the POVs of the angel, Cassius Black, a much-feared pariah in the supernatural world, and cocky Argonaut agent, Morgan King, also an angel. They were forced to work together to solve the mystery of the ‘fractured souls’ and prevent another rift from happening. The bigger mystery here is who or what exactly are Cassius Black and Morgan King?
I liked Cass from the get-go. As the story progressed, it became apparent that Cass was so much more powerful than he already was. It was also revealed that while he is the most reviled and hated creature on earth, the unassuming man is actually a self-sacrificing cinnamon roll worthy of the highest sainthood. This is the guy who secretly saved the world and continues to do so as we speak. That he is a bit of a tsundere only added to his appeal.
I didn’t like Morgan at first. Probably still don’t like him 100%. He was a pushy asshole. He kinda redeemed himself when it became clear he wasn’t taking any of the shit people throw at Cass, and he’s going to break the neck of the next person who is mean to the poor angel. I’ll go easy on him since he has Cassius’ back, and they’re great as a team.
Not sure I’m totally onboard with Cassius and Morgan’s romance. Their chemistry didn’t come across as strongly as I would have liked. Although, the story did a good job building up the mystery relating to their true identities and their connection. I’ve read other reviews extolling the virtues of Victor, Cass’s demon ex. I prefer an angel-demon merger, so I couldn’t help wishing this was their story instead.
The rest of the cast drew me in almost immediately. They are from Morgan’s team. I enjoyed the banters and their various personal connections to each other. My favorite part was how they took Cassius to their fold after knowing his innate goodness and became his biggest allies.
The coolest part of the book is the fight scenes. Oh hell yeah! You get mind-blowing displays of powers from various supernatural creatures. From angels and demons to witches and mages, no one held anything back. I think it would look super mega fantastic on screen!
It did feel a bit too Son Goku, the way Cass’s and Morgan’s powers kept leveling up and up and up. And up. But it didn’t dampen the experience because the scenes was all friggin’ AMAZING!!! And I adore Cass and enjoy seeing him so badass. Also, I love superhero movies and superpowers, so I was living for everything!
Fractured Souls is an action-packed series opener, where the fallen walk the earth and demons rise from the pits of hell. It got all the snark and romance, magic and mayhem you could ever ask for. All in all, fascinating, entertaining, and hella spectacular!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: A Thousand Shards Of Heaven
Artist: Lunatic Soul
Album: Fractured
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FRACTURED SOULS
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SOUNDTRACK: A Thousand Shards Of Heaven by Lunatic Soul
Soundtrack to Fallen Messengers: Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger
A Thousand Shards of Heaven by Lunatic Souls for a book where the heavens rip to shreds and a fallen angel tried to piece together memories of his past life.
A thousand shards of heaven
Staring at the starsA thousand shards of heaven
Drinking coldness from the nightI collect my story
Under the fragmented sky
Traveling through my wasteland
Praying for the rain to come -
You can say that I belong to
All the moments
That I couldn’t let
Sink into my oblivion
You can say that I’m yearning
For something that’s already gone
But I’m not a prisonerI want to feel what it’s like
When sorrow turns into strength
I want to feel what it’s like
When there’s no screeches in my headYou can say that I’m chasing
Something that is unattainable
So you know my way to survive
You can say that I’m surrounded
By the ruins of my previous life
But I am not a prisonerI want to feel what it’s like
When sorrow turns into strength
I want to feel what it’s like
When there’s no screeches in my head
I want to feel what it’s like
When dreams of mine don’t leave a mark
On my battered heartYou can say that I belong to
All the moments
That I couldn’t let
Sink into my oblivion
You can say that I am yearning
For something that’s already gone
But I am not a prisonerI want to feel what it’s like
When sorrow turns into strength
I want to feel what it’s like
When there’s no screeches in my head
I want to feel what it’s like
When dreams of mine don’t leave a mark
I want to feel what it’s like
When what I lost comes back to life
To heal my battered heartA thousand shards of heaven
Staring at the starsA thousand shards of heaven
Drinking coldness from the nightI collect my story
Under the fragmented sky
Traveling through my wasteland
Praying for the rain to comeI need your every tear to save my life
I need your every tear to save my life -
MOVIE FEATURE: Benediction
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BLOG TOUR: Forever Con Amor by A.M. Johnson (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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FLICKer: Read Between The Lines
Featuring LGBT short films I found around the interwebz a.k.a Youtube. Okay sucky intro, but yeah, that’s it.
After developing a crush, Carlos must face both his social anxiety and borderline-crippling fear of rejection, in search of the courage needed to ask the guy out on a date.
