m/m fiction

Emily Veinglory’s Dealing Straight

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Dealing Straight by Emily Veinglory

Blurb:

Richard is worn out, used up, and just plain cynical. Son of a wealthy Bostonian banker, he came west to gamble and carouse when his life fell apart. Though a sensitive and moral man, he finds a reckless life easier to bear—since he has no one to care about and no real hopes for his future.

Brave, beautiful U.S. Marshall Wayne Sneddon wants to change all that. He enlists Richard to help him find and take down a bigwig out to get water rights for himself, regardless of the settlers in the way. In part, Wayne needs help, but more, he wants Richard’s company.

In between the shooting, fighting and intrigue, Richard comes to share Wayne’s feelings…but after he finds the courage to share Wayne’s bed, will he find the courage to share his feelings? 


[I like this cover. No naked men and very appropriate. The title is a bit odd as is the name but overall.. decent.]

Review:

If you’re anything like me, you may be more familiar with Emily Veinglory as the author of the EREC blog, which keeps up to date in erotic romance industry news. So I was surprised when I realized she is an author as well. This offhand comment had me running to Veinglory’s backlist and selecting a stand-alone story. There are two historicals, I bought both, and this is the first I had an opportunity to read. This particular story is engaging, interesting, and features an anti-hero as the main point of view. Although a rather short novella, the quick pace and light romance fit the historical time period while featuring a traditionally difficult man to like in an engaging light.

Richard is the only son of a wealthy east coast banker and was set to have the perfect life. Married to a debutante and set up with a rich family business, Richard left that life behind when he realized his attraction to other men. At the same time, he became afflicted with an unknown disease but most likely consumption and thus turned his life to gambling and getting by for whatever time he has left. When Marshall Wayne asks Richard for his help on a problem, Richard can’t help his attraction to Wayne or his desire to fight fairly. Both of these desires cause Richard problems while an unexpected offer tempts Richard to give up Wayne and his gambling ways.

The story is told in third person point of view from Richard’s perspective. Richard is not always a great guy. He is struggling with his illness and relatively happy in his life as a gambler. He’s never had a loving relationship, never kissed a guy, and wouldn’t know how to act in the face of caring if he even recognized it. The one thing Richard does know completely is that belief in fairness. He tries to “deal straight” with everyone he comes across, outlaws and Marshalls alike. This solid virtue in a sea of confusion, fear, and sickness gives Richard a strong core. It also causes him a great deal of problems when a shoot first and ask questions later attitude is adopted by most everyone else.

The romance is pretty light considering this is equally a character orientated piece, focusing on Richard, and a plot driven story. The plot deals with Richard and his involvement in a local rich man’s quagmire of politics, money, and water rights. Although Richard is there to help Wayne in an official capacity, he can’t help but understand and sympathize with the tough, straight talking, yet vulnerable family. He is honest with the temptation to enter a loveless marriage but offered the comfort of not dying alone and a good home. Since Richard can’t imagine such a thing with Wayne, nor why the Marshall even puts up with Richard and all his issues, the temptation and struggle is very real and engaging. Although Richard does not emerge from the story a completely changed man, the slight changes should make him more appealing to readers.

The writing itself is non explicit but interesting and keeps the quick paced story moving. The romance is sensual and easy without much angst or problems from others during the time period, more so introspective as Richard muses on his choices. Richard is careful about his sexuality and much more aware of repercussions than Wayne. There is perhaps a little too much acceptance from Wayne’s family but clearly there was a choice not to delve too deeply into that potential conflict. The focus stays on the plot and Richard to its benefit.  As a shorter novella, this delivers a good punch with solid characters and an interesting plot. Check it out.

 Get it HERE!

New Rainbow Reviews

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Another week over at Rainbow Reviews and only a few to report. Unfortunately I didn’t really like any of the offerings over there and I read a newly named duo (who I SWEAR is actually a pair of existing authors/duo).  So that’s not so much fun.  I also took a chance on a mystery sounding book, self published, before I realized the author was from Ravenous Romance. That’s ok but wow… self published is not always good sadly. But check the reviews out if interested :

Chasing Victory by Tory Temple

The Night Caller by Clancy Nacht

Unholy Matrimony by Audra Beagle and Chloe West

 

Coming up this week on the little blog here will be a couple of reviews. I have Patient Eyes, the new DSP and also an old Emily Veinglory historical. There will be one other new release and one other backlist review to round out the week. Additionally on Friday the pricing series will continue with Samhain – taking a short break from TQ part 2 – and on weds the hotly debated pseudonym post. Fun fun fun. 

a lil hot green chili for ya under the cut…

Bastards And Pretty Boys by K.Z. Snow

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Bastards And Pretty Boys by K.Z. Snow

Blurb:

Charles Larkin is finally happy with his life…for the most part. He’s happy with his new summer getaway—a rustic cottage he just bought on a small Wisconsin lake. He’s happy that his ex-wife, whom he divorced because he couldn’t play straight anymore, has become one of his best friends. He’s happy he can breathe again.

It’s only Kenneth, Charlie’s boyfriend of five months, who makes this new life less than completely satisfying. Charlie feels they’ve never been quite right for each other, and Kenneth cements that conviction when he makes a disturbing confession. Charlie knows their time together is quickly coming to an end. Problem is, Kenneth doesn’t know it. And he tends to be rather possessive.

Planning to spend a quiet, relaxing two or three weeks at Cloud Lake—fixing up his place, reading, even attempting to overcome his fear of water—Charlie is less than thrilled to discover his next-door neighbor is one hell of a looker. He doesn’t need that kind of distraction, especially since his issues with Kenneth haven’t yet been resolved. But there’s a ninety percent chance the neighbor is straight, has a wife or girlfriend, and could be leaving the next day. Charlie clings to those probabilities.

Only, Booker isn’t going anywhere, and he isn’t that easily ignored. And neither is his unexpected, none-too-savory baggage. And neither, for that matter, is Charlie’s. But when two people care enough about each other, they figure out how to help carry each other’s baggage…or cast it aside.

 

 

Review:

 

This particular story surprised me because it didn’t feel like the writing I was expecting. Although I haven’t read the entire backlist of Snow’s, usually her writing engages me almost immediately. I read/reviewed her Utopia X series and had a lot of problems with the plot but the writing was strong in many places and engaging enough that I finished the books each time.  This time the writing felt stiff and awkward with odd word choices that didn’t fit the characters. The plot as well, although about relationships, had some outrageous twists that left me wondering why some choices were made.

The lengthy summary touches on the main points of the story without delving into the few semi-spoilers. Charles Lankin has been divorced for two years but recovered rather well. He’s now out of the closet, best friends with his ex-wife, and dating a very respectable masculine man for his first committed gay relationship. Unfortunately when Charles buys a weekend cabin at a rustic lake, his dreams of a peaceful vacation are shattered first by an unexpected confession of Kenneth’s and then by an equally unexpected interaction with Charles’ hot neighbor. The tangled web between all the men grows much smaller when a surprise connection is uncovered. Charles and Booker must leave their issues behind for a chance at happiness.

The story itself revolves around the problems and conflicts that arise even in the most seemingly perfect relationships. Charles is struggling to find happiness in a relationship with Kenneth but sees unhappy parallels to his defunct marriage. Not helping matters is a sudden strong attraction to his neighbor who makes his own attraction to Charles very clear. The various problems each man brings to the new relationship and emotional scars make up the body of the story while there is a side plot involving a person from Booker’s past that is attempting to cause problems between the two men. Not to mention Charles’ boyfriend Kenneth is not ready to be pushed aside, no matter what he confessed.

While trying to stray away from any spoilers, Charles’ response to Kenneth’s confession is baffling and ill fitting with Charles’ later reactions. Not to mention the later exposed connections between all the men slide just onto one side of ridiculous and convenient. There had to have been another way to clean up the problems then to tie all the complications up so neatly and connected. Furthermore, there is an added part of the story that is dropped and never mentioned again. Charles calls his ex-wife and asks her to employ a private investigator to help Booker’s problems. There is another scene when Charles checks up on the progress and then nothing is mentioned again. The actual resolution to this particular problem doesn’t happen within the space of the book but is left ambiguous with a statement from Charles that it would be taken care. When or how is not mentioned, which didn’t satisfy as a resolution and puts those scenes into question. Why add such details when they are dropped later? 

The actual characters are decent but felt somewhat two-dimensional. There was actually very little drama and angst with only a small amount of soul searching for either man, given their issue laden lives. Although the lack of extended angst is nice, a bit more depth to either man would have helped. They clearly have great chemistry together but what made one or other man special is not fully explained or elucidated. This is partly due to the choice of first person narrator, Charles. The first person narration doesn’t bother me as a reader, but the odd choice in verbiage often reminded me I was reading a story rather than experiencing it. This odd choice of words jarred the story in numerous places, making the flow stuttered. Often sentences felt short and abrupt without an inherent ease. 

Keen arousal spangled my groin.

“Maybe we should take this inside,” I said, my voice nearly anaerobic.

Ardor sent our breath sawing through the air.

But our respiration was shallow, a rapid counterpoint of intake and outflow between slack, parted lips.

I walked in farther. Picked up a scaly cone and sniffed it. The sticky residue it left on my fingers was pleasantly fresh and piquant. I was about to sink to the ground and sit there for a while, listening to birdsong and sampling the perfume of pine sap, when I heard a car come down the road. Pivoting, I glimpsed it between the trees.

His compassion touched me. It was all the more genuine for not being mawkish. I liked this man. I liked his lack of pretense.

This is also likely to vary from reader to reader, but I was simply surprised as I found previous work easier and more engaging (plot problems aside) than this particular offering. The too stiff prose translated to the action as well, making it seem jarring and disconnected. An additional small qualm is the repeated questioning of marijuana drug laws, which seemed to indicate a strong preference of the author’s or perhaps making a point. Considering the controversial nature of such laws, this inclusion is uncomfortable. But again, this is likely to be very reader specific. I personally didn’t like the point made repeatedly but others may not have an issue.

For the most part this story attempts to show the various problems in everyday men and their relationships. I didn’t find the writing as easy and engaging as I have in the past but perhaps others will connect more sharply with the characters. The various connections between the men slid too far into an easy solution and when the solution wasn’t resolved on page, I was left feeling cheated by the story. I hope I haven’t given away too much and as always, check it out and see for yourselves. 

Get it HERE!

 

Shadow of the Templar: The Morning Star by M. Chandler

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Shadow of the Templar: The Morning Star by M. Chandler
 
Blurb:
Simon Drake is an up-and-coming young FBI hotshot, an agent with a personal track record so outstanding that it borders on unbelievable. Not yet thirty, he’s already the leader of his own special ops team; a ragtag bunch of talented but nigh-uncontrollable lunatics, it’s true, but under Simon’s inspired leadership they’re a force to be reckoned with, a team with an unparalleled success rate, a team with an almost unblemished record–until now.

Jeremy Archer is the brilliant and unpredictable scion of a long line of international art thieves, simultaneously a phenomenally wealthy English socialite and one of the most infamous criminals in the world. At twenty-seven years old he’s already wanted on nearly every continent for thefts totalling more than ninety-one million dollars, and yet no one has ever come close to catching him–until now.

Now?

May the best man win.

 

 

Review: 

The Morning Star is the first in a series of four books staring the same characters. The above blurb is somewhat vague and deals more with the series as a whole than any individual book’s plot. For this first offering, the introduction to the characters and fast paced action plot makes this book an absolute delight. The witty dialogue and laugh out loud antics have the story flying by way too fast and I’m surprised this is offered as a free read or pay for self published PDF. The characters are fabulous and although none have much depth, their entertainment factor is so high it won’t matter. The story is high on the improbability ranking and there are some technical problems, but really none of these mistakes matter. For those readers who love a quirky, delightful spy-ish novel, you’ll clamor for more once you’ve finish this introduction.

The story opens with Simon’s FBI team handling a high profile, wealthy cocktail party. The team is charged with keeping an eight million dollar diamond – owned by socialites the Mornings – safe from a known thief, Jeremy Archer. When said thief shows up but manages to snag the diamond out from under Simon’s talented crew, Simon is enraged. Yet the thief offers a deal, he’ll return the diamond for money. Unfortunately, not everything is as easy as that and Simon, Archer, and the entire team must work together to stop a terrorist plot.

Well as you may have guessed from the summary, the plot itself is classic spy movie implausible. To get the qualms out of the way first, Simon’s high tech FBI team doesn’t act like an FBI group at all and is better suited to being placed as a highly secret government agency. The FBI portion is completely unrealistic, yet putting that aside, it shouldn’t bother readers so much once you’ve accepted this and moved on. It’s as outrageous as the plot but the journey is well worth indulging. The action is incredibly fast paced, a vague homage to Bond/007 movies, and thoroughly delightful. From the opening scene to the last, the pace never lags and never lets up, which is a considerable feat considering the impressive dialogue, characters, and plot all packed within a mere 135 pages.

The characters are many and tend to blend together unfortunately. Simon’s team is called Team Templar after Simon’s code name, Templar. His team consists of 5 people whose names and codenames mix together and offer little in the way of individualizing their personalities. These five members – Rich (Specs Two), Nate (Specs), Mike (Honda), Johnny (Texas), Sandra (Springheal) – are all wonderful, adding great depth and texture to the story. As the author clearly adores these characters, I did as well but I wish there had been more depth and individuality to the various members so it would be easier to tell them apart. It would be nice to like each character versus just the group dynamic.

The group dynamic however is witty, hilarious, and often the backbone of many of the great scenes. Although Simon is a strong classic character and his chemistry with the polished, urbane thief Archer is fabulous, the strength is really in the overall dynamic of the many characters and their interaction together. This fun loving, intelligent and often immature group will keep readers interested and engaged from the start. Here are a few examples of the dialogue between the team members:

 

“And there you are,” Nate said in Simon’s ear. “We’ve got you on camera ten. Adjust your bowtie if you can hear me.” Simon touched his fingers to his tie. “Good. Great. Springheel, look to your left.” Sandra glanced left and smiled.

“Great. Looks like you’re both still in touch.”

“Bring me back some of those little shrimp things,” Rich added.

“There are shrimp things?” Mike said, plaintively. “I’m down here staring at wallpaper and missing shrimp things?”

“Sure are,” Rich said as Simon and Sandra headed into the room. “Looks like there are cheese things, too. Oh, and curly vegetable things. At least, I think those are vegetables.”

“Oh, and your favorite, Honda: booze things!” Nate said.

“Booze things?!” Mike’s voice went from ‘plaintive’ to ‘incredulous’. “Man, I wanna switch jobs with someone. Hey, Springheel, you come down here and guard the door and I’ll be Templar’s date for the evening." 

“Gack . . . unwanted . . . mental image . . . killing brain cells . . . ” Nate croaked.

Rich snorted. “You’d look ridiculous in that gold dress, Honda.” Nate moaned in Simon’s ear in what sounded like real pain.

“Shut up, Specs Two,” Mike said affably. “You shrimp thing, you.”

[…]

 

“You speak Klingon,” Rich pointed out.

“Not any more!” Nate flushed a little. “I mean, come on, that was in college, it was a long time ago . . . ”

Rich snorted. “Verengan Ha’DIbaH!”

“Mu’qaD!” Nate automatically snapped, then yelped and pointed a shaking finger at Rich. “Oh, you jerk, and you were making fun of me for speaking Klingon!”

“I am seriously becoming geekier just by sitting here,” Mike informed Sandra.

“I think my dick is shrinking.”

“Mine too,” Sandra said.

“Mine’s good,” Johnny said, patting it affectionately.

  

This kind of banter is repeated often throughout the story but never overwhelming or annoying. The father of it all is rough talking, hard hitting Simon who corals everyone and takes no prisoners. His sexuality is a bit questionable as Sandra is his ex-girlfriend and there is little inclination that Simon is gay except an encounter with Archer late in the story. So I can’t wait to find out if Simon is gay, bi-sexual, straight, or gay for thief? Archer’s polished, oh so British personality has a wealth of possibilities and since no background information is offered towards any of the characters or their personalities, I can only assume more will come in future stories. Thus while the characters aren’t fully three dimensional, their entertainment factor is high enough to excuse this point.

As a first book in a series, Morning Star completely delivers. Entertaining, dynamic, engaging, interesting, and composed of fascinating characters all wrapped up in a plot that may be outrageous yet tries hard to stay within reality as much as possible. The Bond feel only enhances the story and the writing is rather slick. For a self published story, the editing is much higher than a lot of recent books I’ve paid, even with the few errors I found, so I’d suggest buying the PDF version and supporting a great new voice. There is no explicit erotica but that doesn’t diminish the latent sensuality between Archer and Simon. Check this out, you won’t be disappointed. 

Get it HERE!

 

Breaking the Devil by Bailey Bradford

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Breaking the Devil by Bailey Bradford

Blurb:

Mack and Justin grew up together and were best friends for years, until one day that friendship turned into something hotter and more powerful than either man had ever experienced before. A passionate coupling that branded each man forever—or so Mack thought, until the dreaded day after. That’s when Justin told Mack the whole thing didn’t mean anything to him, and walked away from Mack’s promises of forever.

Mack has never been able to get past that one traumatic event in his life. A dozen years have passed without a word from Justin. But when that red-haired devil reappears, Mack finds out that he can’t resist giving in to his body’s needs—no matter what his head tells him.

Two stubborn, determined alpha males—one nursing a twelve-year fury and the other with a redhead’s temper—who have been denied what they want most for so many years, come together in an explosion of heat and passion that overrides everything else in their lives. Now, if only Mack and Justin can keep their hands, and other body parts, off each other long enough to talk, they might be able to get to the truth behind what happened twelve years ago…and while they’re doing it, they might just have some luck breaking the devil.

 

Review:

This short novella has lots of sex, sex, and more sex. Oh there is a thin plot somewhere between the lube, spit, sex, blowjobs, and tears but it’s rather weak and almost non-existent. There is however, lots of sweaty, rough, cowboy sex. Now, I’m always up for a good porn without plot staring cowboys (ok I have a weakness for hot cowboy on cowboy action), but unfortunately there are several editing errors and writing quirks that ultimately took away my enjoyment of this ranch porn. So if you can overlook some of the problems I mention and you are looking for a complete sex based piece of fluff – this might fulfill that craving.

The blurb summarizes the so-called plot more than the actual story does. The book opens with Mack moping about his long lost love, Justin. Lo and behold though Justin happens to be right there and the two engage in some sweaty hand jobs right out there on the ranch in broad daylight within minutes of their first hellos in twelve years. Thank god no one is actually working to see their bit of exhibitionism. The two then stumble into the ranch house and proceed to have more sex while a word or two is exchanged about the prolonged absence. Repeat this several times, throw in an unnecessary and predictable villain, and that is the book.

The characters are very weak and not explored at all. There is very little depth or interest to either as they have sex for the majority of their interaction and yet the sex scenes do not advance the characters at all. The two act as though no time has past and Julian especially is overbearing and possessive, as if Mack had no right to ever even look at another man in the years they were apart. Additionally neither Mack nor Julian actually questions their future, their past, or how the two immediately started having sex without addressing the problem of their long separation and the changes in their lives. Fortunately for Julian, Mack has been suspended in time for twelve years, waiting for Julian to return. Once Julian is back, Mack waffles between anger at the long separation and just being happy Julian is back in his bed.

Neither man really exists outside of the sexual component of the book. Julian never seems to work on his ranch but instead just happens to always pop up on Mack’s ranch at the exact moment Mack is having an argument or well, Julian never seems to leave Mack’s ranch to run his own. Furthermore there is the evil, predictable plot to keep the two young men apart that forces Julian to break Mack’s heart against his will. Of course there is a villain close to home and one Julian can vanquish to save Mack’s tender feelings. Unfortunately this plot point felt so weak and tired, over used, unoriginal and just boring that even the numerous sex scenes couldn’t save this at that point.

The prose is basic without a lot of complexity or nuance, which fits well with the repeated and numerous sex scenes. Unfortunately there are several quirks to the writing that threw me off and made the story difficult to enjoy and get into – beyond the obvious problems with the weak plot and wooden characters. Mack says “Jayzus” over twenty times in the short novella. Perhaps this is meant to be an affectation but the repeated use of the single word became incredibly annoying instead of charming. Some of the descriptions were unattractive such as the use of “shit-eating grin” close to a scene when one man is rimming the other. The reminder is just, not good. Additionally the writing tended to have rhetorical questions within the story, which could have been stronger if the writing addressed the questions. There are numerous editing errors with internal thoughts not italicized, misspelled words, and similar smaller mistakes.

Although I didn’t realize the book is meant as pure titillation, I was willing be carried along for the ride of hot sex. Unfortunately it didn’t deliver for many reasons but other readers may actually quite enjoy the sex scenes and not be bothered by the problems and quirks I’ve mentioned. As a classic PWP (porn without plot), I can easily see how the erotica will appeal to some readers and only wish I could have enjoyed the offering as well. Sadly, I wanted a brain scrub. 

Get it HERE!

New Rainbow Reviews

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New Rainbow Reviews!

Unfortunately nothing great but a few decent ones such as the memoir from Lethe Press and the Pepper Espinoza paranormal.

                                     

Bad for Business by B.A. Tortuga

Guys Named Walter Aren’t Sexy by Morgan Ferdinand

Harder Than It Looks by Julia Talbot

On a Bruised Road by Pepper Espinoza

A Report from Winter by Wayne Courtois

GS Wiley’s Sweet Tooth

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GS Wiley’s Sweet Tooth

Blurb:

Middle-aged Marshall Vincent is less than thrilled when his wife tells him she wants to take a bus tour of Europe. Once on the tour, Marshall, a great candy lover, is thrilled to find what is quite possibly the best chocolate shop in the world in a quaint Swiss village.

When Marshall takes a peek into the shop’s back room, he goes from innocent tourist to accidental voyeur. What he sees reminds him of an uncomfortable incident from his past, something he’s spent the last three decades trying to forget.

 

straight guy on vacation turns gay from chocolate!

Flying Fish by Sedonia Guillone

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Flying Fish by Sedonia Guillone
Length: Novella / 25,100 words / $4.99

Blurb:

In seventeenth century Japan, during the golden age of samurai and of the Kabuki theater, young actors known as "flying fish" traveled the countryside, performing for audiences by day and giving their bodies to their samurai patrons at night.

Genji Sakura is one such flying fish, yet he dreams of the day he’ll find the man he can give his heart to and leave the loneliness of his itinerant life behind. Though he loves theater, he doesn’t love every part of his profession, especially some of the patrons. So when a handsome ronin, or masterless samurai, comes upon him stealing some solitude for a bath in a hot spring and their encounter turns passionate and profoundly erotic, Genji’s surprised and delighted. 

Daisuke Minamoto’s past fills his life with a bitterness that grips his soul and makes him dangerous. Yet his passion takes him when he spies on a graceful young man bathing naked in a hot spring. He has always loved women but he can’t deny the call of his heart or his baser interests.

After an afternoon of sexual bliss, his heart and soul are tormented and torn. Keeping this miraculous lover will require giving up the one thing that has kept him alive for years: his hatred for the lord who murdered his wife. If he loves another, how will he go on and who will he become?

 

 

Review: 

A sweet and gentle love story set in a unique historical culture and setting. There are a few minor qualms with the story, but the wonderful characters and real flavor given to the setting elevate this tale into something different and quite enjoyable. Here a young man, Genji, has been raised in the theatre after sold as a slave. The bargain he has made with the manager of the traveling theatre group is that in exchange for performing on stage, Genji will act as a prostitute for lusty samurai after the show. One day Genji stumbles upon a bitter, angry samurai and both their lives change.

The characters are well drawn and developed from the beginning and although there is a lot of sex between the two, the gentle nature and emotion involved always deepens the relationship. Genji is a sweet and loving young man even as he struggles with the emotional toll his life has taken. He is jaded and lost, still very young in many ways as he looks to Daisuke for guidance and support. Genji is not a typical weak character even though he is described in almost feminine terms. His beauty, demeanor, and dress are often described as that of a woman. Whether this is to help explain Daisuke’s feelings or to reinforce the traditional dynamic is unclear, but for all the feminine descriptions Genji is a man with courage and strength of will.

Just as Genji is more of the nurturer in the relationship, Daisuke is the masculine provider in the relationship. His change from embittered, angry man to loving, loyal subject is somewhat fast – the story happens over the course of weeks. Considering Daisuke has been carrying his hatred and need for revenge for over five years, the short time to letting that go does create a small problem. However, the development of an emotional connection between Daisuke and Genji given the constraints of the novella does help. Daisuke’s gentle and tender care of Genji is wonderful to watch unfolding as his desire and feelings for the young man are never tainted by concern over Genji’s gender.

The atmosphere of the culture and time is wonderfully done. The use of terminology and descriptions create a beautiful setting and gives descriptions for the words used through context so the reader isn’t lost in unfamiliar terms. This helps maintain the feeling of the historical time even as the issues raised are timeless. There are a few writing problems in that the point of view switches between Genji and Daisuke almost arbitrarily and not always at the best points. Genji’s negative reactions to Daisuke’s protection towards the end of the story are only shown through Daisuke’s point of view, which isolates Genji and cuts the reader off from understanding his choices and actions. It would have been nice to see from Genji’s perspective his thoughts and feelings over the sudden changes. There are a few other examples where the point of view changes are awkward and clumsy instead of seamless, but these are minor qualms.

Overall, this is a lovely story with a very historical and culture atmosphere, lending beautifully to the theme and characters. Although the author claims to have taken some leeway with the time period and other aspects, since I’m not familiar with that culture, it didn’t detract any enjoyment. This novella is an easy and luxurious read with good pacing and very romantic overtones. Fans of the genre will want to experience this unique offering. 

Get it HERE!