Book Reviews

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Lenni Reviews: “Witching Hour” Vol. 1, by Paru Itagaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers.

Trapped in a marriage where they are only intimate to get pregnant, Megumi longs for a more fulfilling sex life. When a spirit manifests to satisfy her, her husband, Yuji, grows suspicious.

This is weird. At first I thought this would be kinda goofy, but it’s actually dark. Megumi is essentially cheating on her husband with a ghost; the consent is iffy, and while I understand this is just the first volume, it’s paced like it’s a one-shot. It’s rushed, and overall, this is a bit off-putting, and I don’t think it is in the way the author is intending. There’s gotta be a way for this premise to be done and work without giving me the ick. 2 out of 5.

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WIP Wednesday: August 2026 Roundup

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I have to admit that while I haven’t put many more words on my longer stories, I was able to catch up with a bunch of ARCs, post a ton of reviews, and publish three stories this month on my smut pen name. I am also in the process of assembling bundles for that pen name, learning the hard way about merging and converting documents, let me tell ya…

Despite not adding on to the longer projects as much as I’d wanted to, I am ready to post to Patreon next month. I’ve also added more items to my online store; all comics I’m looking to get rid of. I’m also thinking of adding a new project to my Patreon that will be available for free on all posts. I wanna call it “There, I fixed it,” where I take ideas that I feel had potential but not the best execution. It’s mostly movies where, like The Happening, the concept could absolutely be handled in a way that’s effective and not so goofy. I think it would be a fun way to stretch my writing skills. I have no set schedule for this; it’ll be done sporadically whenever I have the chance to do it. I just don’t have the audience to commit to taking requests or a hard timeframe. I’m all about pumping out content at this point.

I am also making plans to catch up with the ARCs I have that are not comics or manga. I got a nice one from Flame Con that I wanna read and a pile of library books to get through, including Haunting Adeline, because I want to see if it’s as bad as everyone says, and In the Miso Soup for the same reason. I also have some more movie and TV show reviews on deck.

Like I said, pumping out content. Maybe volume will help me pull out of this pit.

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Lenni Reviews: “May I Have a Taste?” Vol. 3, by Amidamuku

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

Now that Mei, a Progenitor Vampire, appears on the scene, Yamadera wishes to use her. When he blurts out his desire to become a vampire, he foolishly makes a contract with her.

After the deal is struck, this volume gets a little silly as Sayo tries to find a way to save Yamadera, blundering into getting a job as a host. And there are a few flashbacks to Yamdera as a child with some implications as to how he became such a manipulative bastard with a suicidal desire for power. Just aa taste, so I’m sure it’ll be explored more down the road. I like where this is going so far! 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Forest of the Rabbits” Vol. 2, by ENJO

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

Childhood friends Shunta and Tamaki are testing the waters by being in a relationship for a year. But due to trauma, Tamaki cannot abide being intimate and is struggling with his feelings.

I didn’t like how pushy Shunta was being but thankfully, he meets Takumi, who at least gets Shunta to have an actual conversation with Tamaki. But here’s where I think the need for more smut undercuts the characters. Tamaki does level with Shunta about his feeling about sex but instead of letting that information sit between them and with the audience, Shunta uses it as a way to test being intimate with Tamaki, undoing the tiny bit of growth he had about being pushy; disrespecting Tamaki’s boundaries. It made him a lot less likeable in my eyes. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 12, by Luka Kobachi

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

Nanoha decides that vocational school in Osaka is the path for her, but that means Chidori’s school in Tokyo is three hours away. While making plans, they enjoy the last school festival for the literature club.

While this volume moves quickly from point to point – we’re up to November again by the end of it – it’s really an adorable set of slice-of-life stories. We get a bit more backstory about when Nanoha first saw Chidori and was trying to befriend her. Our main couple is surprisingly mature and in love. It’s very sweet. However, it was strange to see Chidori with long hair. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Bride of the Shark Clan: Married Life” Vol. 2, by Satomichi

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

After a year of marriage, Avel and Tukiri are happy. But Tukiri feels something is changing within him and an outsider biologist, Dylan, wants to study the two clans.

I like how Dylan’s arrival allows us to dive into the origins of the two tribes and all the shark shifter abilities present in the series. I love when there’s lore to my smut. And there’s a LOT of smut. In some places it felt like “Oh, we haven’t seen man on man action for a bit. Lets do that real quick.” But that’s ok because I like our main couple. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sunshine in Hades” Vol. 1, by Puling

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

Cerberus is a slave, champion gladiator, and a prime chance for his owners to breed him out to produce more like him. But he’s a virgin. Cerberus enlists the help of Phaethon, a priest of the sun god to teach him how to please a woman, only to grow closer to the priest as time goes on.

Cerberus, of course, has total golden retriever energy in a rottweiler’s skin, while Phaethon is the “I don’t fall in love until I totally do” type. The intrigue around them makes for some interesting plot points that give what is a predictable yaoi something a bit more unique. It is VERY suggestive and the art favors the tiddies:

This dude is a cup size up from me, I swear… It’s not bad, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on the next one. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Scattering His Virgin Bloom: Love Frenzy” Vol. 3, by Aya Sakyo

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

After the incident with Joel, Renjaku wants Hana to quit his job and work at Renjaku’s firm.

I am not a fan of how Renjaku is behaving. He’s not being protective; he’s being controlling, taking Hana’s phone, hauling him off on a work trip… He’s heading into red flag territory. Hana seemed genuinely concerned about losing his autonomy. It’s why he wanted to keep his job and worked so hard to get a full-time position since the start of this series. At the same time, he just lets Renjaku undermine that? Why even set that up then? I dunno, it seems like a plot device to keep the coffee shop setting for some scenes. I sure hope Hana sticks to his guns on this. 2.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Scattering His Virgin Bloom: Love Frenzy” 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+

While Renjaku is away for work, Hana’s mother moves to set up her son with another alpha, Joel. Renjaku did give Hana a collar instead of biting, but this publicly outs him as an omega.

What a toxic fucking family. This makes me even more annoyed that Hana didn’t make Renjaku more aware to better protect him from his mother’s machinations. It was also very predictable that whoever his mom would pick as a potential mate would be a jerk because everyone but Renjaku has to be an asshole. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Perfect Buddy” Vol. 1, by daki & Lash

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*This book is rated 18+

Seo Hyunsoo has only physical relationships with men and is devoted to his routines but when he catches Baik Youngchan  masturbating in a public bathroom, the man throws a wrench in Hyunsoo’s ordered life.

While they have a typically comedic and antagonistic relationship, Baik’s protective golden retriever energy is so much fun. He’s clearly more on the ball than Seo gives him credit for. Seo’s background with his former job gives some nice context to his deadpan attitude and why he gives in to all this extra work. I’m looking forward to learning more about why he was transferred and how these “enemies” come into play in the plot. 4 out of 5.

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