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Lenni Reviews: “Engage” Vol. 1, by Yuu Minaduki

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

Mei works had his family’s business, a taiyaki shop that gets really busy around an event called the Star Festival and has a long standing crush on a repeat customer named Naru. While Mai would love to confess his feelings, Naru may be more connected to Mei than he ever thought.

There’s a lot of intrigue going on here so if you’re looking for some quick smut, this isn’t it. Naru has a bunch of secrets and can’t seem to leave Mei alone; doing that strange thing of ‘I know I’m bad for this person and should leave them alone but I’m going to bring them close to me’ and not actually doing what could possibly be best for Mei. I was just left with this confusion thinking ‘where exactly is this going and do I care enough to keep reading and find out?’ But, we shall see. The first volume isn’t always the strongest start but there’s always the feeling of wanting the resolution. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Birds of Shangri-La” Vol. 3, by Ranmaru Zaria

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

After being with Phi for so long, it’s time for Apollo to be with other birds to prepare them for clients. But Phi is far from comfortable sharing Apollo with anyone else, breaking the rules about getting attached. Meanwhile, there are still unknown people following the birds around and digging into their pasts.

As much as I wanna be rooting for our main couple, I am concerned about the implications of what’s going on around them. All the men at Shangri-La are a risk of who knows what and could lose their jobs and home. The relationship drama is interesting but we also don’t know Phi’s full back story and – maybe it’s just me – Apollo has some work to do on himself before Phi throws away everything to be with him. The divorce and unpacking being attracted to men for the first time is something that Apollo needs to reckon with before that can move forward. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Daisy Jealousy” by Ogeretsu Tanaka

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

Misaki’s dream is to become a game designer and is working his hardest to learn and perfect his craft. However, Kaname seems to outclass him in every way effortlessly. When Kaname’s project gets erased and Misaki offers his help in restoring it, it gives them a chance to get closer but Misaki’s jealousy causes him to overwork himself and push Kaname away. Four years later, they meet again working together on what promises to be a very successful game.

This has some spice in it but it was sweet to see Misaki overcome his jealousy and essentially get out of his own to be happy not only romantically but professionally. The time skips were a bit much. They felt choppy and could have been smoother but it gets us to the happy ending we’re all hoping for. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Love Mix-Up!” Vol. 9, by Wataru Hinekure & Aruko

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

Aoki and Ida are studying hard so they can get into the same college but Aoki is really struggling and graduation is just around the corner.

Yeeeaaahh, the super-deformed is back to it’s creepiness. I mean, look at this:

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I could easily see this exact panel in a Junji Ito manga. It is NOT something I would want to look at for very long.

Aside for that, I have to complain about a little spoilery type deal. There is an amnesia plot here that seems to only exist to cram in some final drama before tossing it aside as a dream before getting to the real ending. I would have MUCH rather had more time exploring how the characters feel, seeing them interact, getting more hints at their future… It was so sweet and clean aside for that aside. That was disappointing but at least the actual end is good. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Pink Heart Jam” by Shikke

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

Haiga moves from the country to the big city for college and joins the rock club to meet new people. After a night out with them, he learns about the red light district and figures it’s a great chance to explore his sexuality. What he didn’t expect was to see a senior in his club, Kanae, working there.

Of course Haiga makes visiting Kanae a regular thing and things are developing between them. While this is a classic stoic/cinnamon roll pairing, Kanae isn’t cold, he’s just professional at the brothel and a bit more open with Haiga when they’re at the rock club in school or just jamming out to music. Haiga is exploring his sexuality while Kanae is exploring his feelings. This also handles sex work without being exploitative and sensationalized. The smutty scenes are only with our main couple, not any of the clients Kanae takes. I like it so far, its just a journey with these characters coming together. 4 out of 5.

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