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Lenni Reviews: “Pink Candy Kiss” Vol. 5 by Ami Uozumi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Ema is trying to reconcile her feelings for Takora because her husband, Hario, loves her so much. Takora considers the consequences of confessing her feelings.

This volume isn’t bittersweet; it’s just sad. There’s no way for them to be together without ruining Ema’s marriage, and I really wonder what the last two volumes are going to bring. I will spoil that Ema finally did stand up to her shitty mom, which was so damn satisfying. I don’t want yet another tragic lesbian story, but it’s clear this is not their time. Maybe this will end up like Bingo Love and end up together without hurting Hario. I guess we’ll see. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “May I Have a Taste?” Vol. 2, by Amidamuku

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Minoru is gravely injured trying to save Yamadera after he risks his life trying to become a vampire. An older vampire, Mire, comes to assist Minoru.

I like that the world is expanding. I don’t like Yamadera, so spending time with any other character is a net positive. We do get some backstory for Mine, another new vampire, Itachi, and introduce Mei, who reminds me of Kiku from Call of the Night. I’m glad what seemed to be a predatory version of Ko annoying Minoru, who just wants to live his life, is shaping into something more. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Bride of the Shark Clan” Vol. 1 Satomichi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Rival clans Tangata and Miyaru have a tentative peace held together by a yearly offering of a bride from the Tangata to the Miyaru. This sacrifice is usually the weakest. Avel, the son of the Tangata Chief, is assumed to be next in line to head the clan, but an encounter with Tukuri from the Tangata clan results in him being the offered bride instead.

As part of the lore of this world, the Tangata are all born male and only become female the first time they bottom for someone, which sure is a way to have mpreg happen instead of just using the fated mates trope as is. That’s still a thing, though. And by the gods, they sure did try to have some plot in this smut, didn’t they? I’m kinda kidding. This isn’t bad. Our main couple is the aforementioned fated mates with “we met as children” thrown in there. The smut is filthy and it’s just a fairly uncomplicated, low angst story. Arel and Tukiru are cute together, but since the art style is fairly standard, their personalities make them unique. If you’re in the market for some romantic filth, this ain’t bad. 3.7 out of 5.

 

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Today’s Workout: Game on

Does posting the notes count as spoilers? I sure hope not…

I love how shamelessly nerdy this app is. I was never a tabletop gaming person but this was still really fun. And the intervals are getting longer. I was able to get through them like a champ. I felt AMAZING after this run, even though I was really tired after work. I’m glad I did it anyway.

I am back to my signature lunches. Since they’re around 500 calories, I wasn’t very hungry after my run. I just made some popcorn. It’s also cheap. I think it was a good day! I feel pretty energized considering PMS is kicking in. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes.

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Lenni Reviews: “Scattering His Virgin Bloom” Vol. 2, by Aya Sakyo

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Despite helping with Hana’s heat, Kaoru still hesitates to take him on as his mate. Kaoru’s sister, Marika as well as Hana’s brother Aoba, come into the picture to interfere in their budding relationship.

This was okay, but I feel like a bunch of stuff was set up and not followed through. The stuff with the siblings was not really an issue. Hana’s mother tries to set him up with a guy who’s a creep, yet is also involved with the coffee brand Hana works for. There were some really interesting ways for the plot to go, but we just get some smut and a shrug at the conflict before we get our happy ending. I don’t dislike it, but I gotta give it a 3 out of 5 for what could have been.

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Workout Dump: Welcome Back!

I am so happy to see Zombies Run back to how it used to be. I swear, I can hear it in the voice acting; the joy at getting back to what made the app awesome in the first place. It is a happy accident that things are more routine after my son’s surgery, and I can start running again. It feels great to be moving, even if I’m sore.

The medical bills and rising cost of… Everything has me getting more creative with my meals. I try to have more fruit, get jarred sauce on sale while I wait for my plants to grow, and use cheaper vegetables when I don’t buy the frozen ones. I make sure to take stock of what’s in my home and make do with what I have before I spend any more money on groceries than I absolutely have to. I think it’s going okay so far, but I am so stoked to see what my little indoor garden will give me in a few weeks. It’s going to be a very stressful summer, but I’ll deal with things as they come.

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WIP Wednesday: Healing Time

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My son’s surgery was on Monday. We were there about 10am and didn’t get home till 7:30. He did amazing. I am handling taking care of the drains and making sure the pain is at a manageable level. I can’t believe how brave this kid is. I dunno if I could have done all this…

Needless to say, I have not been writing much. I am working through some ARCs, but I don’t think I’ve stopped being scared for him since Monday morning. If he doesn’t text me back, my brain spins with the worst-case scenarios, and I have to lay eyes on him and hear his voice to make sure he’s ok. I don’t even want to go on the treadmill or leave the house for more than 10 minutes.

It’s only been a couple of days, and he’s already moving around better and eating more than broth and crackers. I still might take another week off work to make sure he’s able to get around and do things on his own if I’m gone all day.

As he gets more mobile, I’ll be able to get lost in the worlds I’ve created again.

 

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It’s happening!

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No WIP Wednesday today. My son has his top surgery next week and we are running around getting things ready!

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Workout Dump: Busy, busy!!

This isn’t all my workouts since I’m in the process of getting things ready for my son’s surgery. It was very sudden; someone apparently cancelled, and they offered him the spot! I am very nervous and excited for him. I know he’s been waiting for this for years, and it means a lot of preparation for the post-surgery recovery and running around to pre-surgery appointments. I’m still doing the desk peddler whenever I can, and I’m counting moving furniture as a workout.

Those pickled red onions are still a fun addition, but now, they’re joined by some garlic scape chimichuri. I had some pork chops to throw in the air fryer, which was a great dinner. I usually end up with a dry, inedible mess when I try to make pork chops. I dunno how my Gramma did it… Either way, it was a success. I didn’t want to use heavy sauce and didn’t want to waste garlic scapes, that’s where the chimichuri came in. It has a kick to it (it’s garlic scapes, yellow onion, and garlic in olive oil and red wine vinegar). Whatever I’m doing is working because I am down to 206! I honestly don’t think it’s the food. I think it’s getting back into being active.

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Workout Roundup: It’s good to be back (mostly)

As I’m easing back into things, I did push myself a bit and ran at a really easy pace when I hit the treadmill. I’m pairing that with the desk peddler. I do just enough to get my heart rate up, and by the end of it, I can tell it’s working because I am so sore. It’s gonna be a while before this is easy again.

When I say I wanted more veggies, I mean I was desperate for them. I’m back to eating solid foods. I still have to be careful and only chew on one side of my mouth. I’m also watching my portions because I lost weight when I couldn’t eat anything more solid than mashed potatoes and oatmeal and I don’t want to gain it back. And as you can see, I’m big into those pickled res onions now. I make them really fast in the fridge and even put them on sandwiches (pics at another time). I feel so much better getting back to a normal routine. 

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