gay fiction

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Lenni Reviews: “Worst Soulmate Ever” by Haruta

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

At 29, Shishikura has been trying to find his soulmate but watching all his friends get married without any luck for his own love life. As he waits for a matchmaking service to assist, his heat comes on when only his surly coworker, Kotani, is around to help him. But will a single night of passion turn into more or will they continue to feud with each other.

Yeah, Kotani is the worst for awhile but of course, these two knuckleheads are meant to be. This is clearly not spoilers for anyone with any passing experience with yaoi or especially omegaverse stories. As an omegaverse, there is plenty of smut involving heats and such and it is very detailed. This is absolutely adults only. Omegaverse isn’t usually my jam but this was ight on the trope that omegas are treated like shit. There’s one offhand comment but other than that, I’m glad the story didn’t go there. It’s more about how our main couple are snippy with each other. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Stigmata: Love Bites, Vol. 1” by Hidebu Takahashi

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

Detective Kuroiwa and his subordinate Minami work tough murder cases using Minami’s unusual ability to see and feel the victim’s thoughts and manifest their injuries on his body. When Kuriuwa’s ex wife, Mari, is murdered, they work together to solve the case but Minami is unsure if his feelings for Kuroiwa are his own or the lingering echoes of his dead ex wife.

The implications of Minami’s powers are sad and frightening. His introduction is – trigger warning – reading the memories of a rape/murder victim and him dealing with feeling the violation in parts of his body he doesn’t have. In addition, he could die if he feels this shit too long. I like the art style; it can be ethereal but maudlin. Not what I’d think to use for a police procedural or murder case with how soft it is but it’s pretty. There are some spicy scenes. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Metalhead Next Door” by Mamita

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

Kento is a broke college student who moves out of the dorms to abnormally cheap apartment to save money knowing the place has no heat or hot water. When he almost freezes to death outside, his neighbor, Soushi, saves him. They become friends but the outgoing Kento hasn’t told Soushi he’s gay. After a year of friendship, Kento vanishes; leaving Soushi to deal with some confusing feelings.

This manga takes place over three  years and at 200 or so pages, there are some time skips that are pretty clear. I would classify their relationship as a slow burn but there’s not enough pages to get bogged in that. Since Kento works with kids, there’s some funny interactions he has with them and while it’s probably not the best to get relationship advice from a kid, their interaction was pretty funny. You have to get to the end to see any smut which is not overly detailed but you absolutely get what’s going on. And I’m not even going to pretend the metal head in me wasn’t biased towards the misunderstood shy guy who likes metal music. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Dearest Patrolman” Vol. 2, by Niyama

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

Shin and Seiji are now living together and while Shin is over the moon to finally be with his long time crush, Seiji wonders if he’s able to satisfy his younger partner.

Now that they’re together, this volume is them learning more about each other and getting used to being a couple. It’s sweet and spicy the way a new couple should be and it’s just adorable how besotted Shin is. Seiji’s insecurities are relatable and handled well but quickly since there are a bunch of scenes to get through: an overnight trip, Shin working on New Year’s, Seiji getting a cold; the usual quick little plot points. Also, cats make well timed appearances and add to all the cuteness. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Takara’s Treasure”, by Minta Suzumaru

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

Taishin Nakano moves to Tokyo from Fukuoka to attend the same college as Takara Shiga after Takara left quite the impression on Taishin when he was younger.

I like stories where the characters are forthright. It minimizes silly misunderstandings and focuses on the feelings of the main couple. These two are pretty seamless as they get together; there isn’t a huge conflict or a bunch of complications to get them into a relationship. The smutty parts are staved for the end and are kept pretty short; almost like an epilogue. Since it’s short overall, I wish we had more time with them, especially at school or the hiking club they’re both a part of. But, I did like it. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Dearest Patrolman” Vol. 1, by Niyama

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

Officer Shin Nakamoto is assigned to a small town where he runs into an old mentor, Seiji Tajima; who runs a small store. They haven’t seen each other in ten years but Shin’s feelings haven’t changed.

These two goofballs are so sweet. It’s a cute story of a long standing crush and their relationship is wholesome and fucking adorable. I like how the art style tries to make Seiji look older but honestly, they still both seem young. Of course they’re adults since there are plenty of smutty scenes. There is an age gap and while late 30’s is hardly old, it’s nice to have characters outside of the late 20’s zone most of these stories fall into. Overall, this is a low angst romance with a good story and a fun couple. 4 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: “Pink Heart Jam” Vol. 2, by Shikke

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

After a camp trip, Haiga realizes his feelings for Kanae but since his finances took a hit, Haiga has to take as many work hours as he can get to try and see Kanae at the brothel. But Kanae doesn’t want Haiga at his brothel anymore and he is also grappling with his developing feelings.

While the official summary implies a lot of drama, this is actually pretty wholesome and honest, even with the smut. I like when stories have some suspense for the couple but don’t lean on repeated misunderstandings or other contrived conflicts. Those can be entertaining but can also grow tiresome so it’s interesting to see characters talk things through. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Megumi & Tsugumi” Vol. 4, by Mitsuru Si

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

After Tsugumi is nearly bitten on the nape by Inami, who lied about being a beta, Megumi is determined to keep his mate safe by getting formally married and claiming Tsugumi’s nape for himself. The biggest hurdle is Megumi’s father who does not want his son messing with omegas. There is also a side story with Tsugumi’s dads as newlyweds.

I love how Megumi just melts when Tsugumi is honest with his feelings. It’s really adorable. There are some spicy scenes but the best parts of this are the main couple and Inami hashing thigs out but Megumi’s father issue is still a thing. 3.5 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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