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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: “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: “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: “Love Nest 2nd” Vol. 2, by Yuu Minaduki

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

While still keeping their relationship a secret, Masato and Asahi take a trip during the holidays to see Masato’s mother; who introduces Asahi as his friend. While he believes that one day his mother will take the news well, Asahi’s past comes back to haunt him.

It’s understandable for Masato not to come out right away but yeah, his mom doesn’t seem the type to want anything more than for her son to be happy. There are a few bumps in the relationship; like Asahi’s concerns about having too many feels but it’s not heavy on the angst. It’s all things that are worked out with earnest conversations and a healthy sprinkling of smut to make a sweet story about two people slowly opening up more to each other. 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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