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Lenni Reviews: “Eternal Covenant” Vol. 1, by Haejin

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

Ian Glauchester was abandoned by his parents and cursed with magic powers. Raised by Cardinal Brixton, Ian is now a decorated knight of the Knights Templar, keeping his powers a secret. That is, until he meets Jack, who has similar abilities.

This is an interesting start, setting up a lot of lore, a taste of a magic system, and some deep conspiracy. The art and pacing are very Webtoon, and let’s be real, these are paced and generally presented in a different way from something meant to be read all at once in a book or published in a magazine. Not as a detriment, it’s just designed to keep you scrolling, which doesn’t always translate fully to turning pages. Everything Is Fine is a good example, using the act of scrolling in the art (a great series). It still caught my interest, I’ll be there for volume 2. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Trickster’s Tale: Hu Yan Zhuan” Vol. 1, by Hontoku

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

Feijin is half demon, half human, and lives in a heavenly realm with his master, Sage Gaochun, who had taken Feijin in after his family died. Fejin is obsessed with his master, but if they were to do anything, it is Sage Gaochun who would suffer grave consequences.

Spoiler: I don’t care if this all turns out okay; Feijin drugs Sage Gaochun in order to finally sleep with him. That’s irrideemable in my book.

The man tiddies in this book are fucking insane:

If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was just a tall buff woman with a boob window.

There is plenty of plot with this smut, and while rushed, it can be intriguing. It’s hard for me to get past how the plot was touched off (see spoiler above). That makes me want to put Feijin in jail, not root for him to get with his crush. I’ve read other series where the main relationship starts with these shady circumstances (like Don’t Be Cruel), and that’s always in the back of my mind. No amount of man boob or tender glances is gonna fix that. All I remember is that complete violation of boundaries, and this book also has some shades of incest and power imbalances. 2 out of 5 because the art is pretty.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ask and You Will Receive” Vol. 3, by Niyama

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

Shinobu and Hikaru have moved from one night stand to a more exclusive relationship. When Hikaru’s mentor – Osuke Ikurumi –  shows up, Shinobu is scared that Hikaru’s new interest in men will lead him to fall for the mentor Hikaru still idolises.

Okay, I’m spoiling it! This volume keeps up with the light tone, and Osuke is genuinely looking out for Hikaru and cares about him as a mentor. He wants Hikaru to be happy like a father figure coming in to make sure Shinobu is a guy good enough for his son. This gives Shinobu the push to make things more official. I hope there’s more of this series so we get more of them as an official couple. There is a tiny bit of angst, some cute and funny bits, and of course, plenty of smut. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Monster and Ghost” Vol. 1, by Himemiko

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

Koton Tsubaki is ostracized at school due to his violent past but there’s one being that doesn’t care: Yuuki Kabuto, a ghost that decides to follow him around.

I guess that’s as good a reason as any to refuse to move on. 

The pace of this feels off somehow, but for a boys’ love comic, it’s SO sad. It gets dark and violent. Tsubaki is just chronically misunderstood and since Kabuto is dead, he can see beyond the tough exterior and eases Tsubaki’s loneliness. The art is fantastic and there’s no smut. The story does suck you in so I do want to read volume 2. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Love in the Palm of His Hand” Vol. 1, by Rinteku

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

While on the train one day, Fujinaga has another man fall asleep on his shoulder. He doesn’t give it much thought until he sees the guy again at his school. His name is Keito, a fellow student who has congenital hearing loss. Through his journey to learn sign language to communicate with his new friend, Fujinaga also learns how to better express himself.

While this is cute and I’m rooting for the couple, I have hesitations about relating Keito’s struggle to communicate because of his hearing and Fujinaga’s struggle to communicate through acting. Having trouble acting in a way that pleases talent agents is not the same as actual hearing loss. There is an attempt to smooth this over by Keito outright appreciating how animated and expressive Fujinaga’s acting style is, but even so, it still doesn’t sit right with me, no matter how adorable they are. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sleeping on Paper Boats” Vol. 1, by Teki Yatsuda

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

Set in Post-War Japan (1949) Keikitahara is a popular screenwriter who decides to quit when he realizes the people who inspired his characters ended up dead. He isolates himself, believing he is cursed. One night, he’s picked up after a fight by a photographer, Yoichi. Yoichi wants to get to know him, but Keikitahara tries to keep him away, thinking he will kill anyone he allows to get close to him.

Yoichi has his own thing going on, but holy shit, this is SAD. Kei clearly didn’t have any help dealing with the horrific trauma, and he is plagued with guilt. Yoichi kinda enables his worst ways to cope – spoiler/trigger warning for consensual choking during sex. But when they are happy together, it is so beautiful. The art is amazing at conveying all the wild emotions and the smut is light and suggestive. I recommend something light to read to cheer yourself up after reading this, though. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Megumi & Tsugumi” Vol. 6, by Mitsuru Si

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

Tsugumi has transferred to Megumi’s school but as an omega, he’s in danger from all the alpha’s around him and Megumi’s father hatches a plan to use a teacher to drive the couple apart.

The teacher, Mr. Nagaro, is a creep. The story tries to play it off as a joke, but nah, I wouldn’t want him around my kid. While this is about omegas in an alpha school and the school trip, the sex scene in this seems a bit forced in. I wouldn’t have minded if it had been left out to have more time with our main couple navigating this new situation, while Megumi’s father tries to interfere. The sweet moments in this are where the volume really shines because Megumi is so earnest, while Tsugumi is a food-driven, deadpan goofball. I also wish the sex scene was skipped because Mr. Nagaro spied on them. Gross. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Desert Butterfly Yearns to Be Caught” by Kaede Yunami

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

Seth is the wealthy leader of a desert country, far beyond what his bodyguard, Kyle, believes he deserves, but he cannot help but desire his boss and want to claim him for his own.

When this starts, it doesn’t seem like Seth is down for whatever Kyle is doing, and it feels like it’s slipping into non/dub con territory. Spoilers (maybe?), when they get together for real, it does not feel earned. There’s mention of Seth feeling caged and wanting to do things without Kyle hovering over him but that’s never really explored in a way that’s satisfying. It’s okay but clearly the thinnest of stories to get to the smut; of which there is plenty in its uncensored glory. This was meh and didn’t have any depth. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Fated NOT to Meet” Volume 1, by Ei Eijou

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

Izumi is the top salesman at his company who is doing a favor for his friend by acting as a plant for a gay dating app on the side. He ends up matching with Sendo, a rival salesman at his company who just so happens to have a lot in common with.

With this set up, I thought it’d have a lot of back and forth but it gets right to the point. Their initial rivalry isn’t too toxic that you don’t believe they could ever learn to get along, much less have a romantic relationship. It’s all about sales and the app gave them a chance to connect beyond that. While they are both stern on the job, Izumi is a bit of a goof and provides most of the humor. The smut is graphic and detailed, so this is adults only! 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “We’re Not Cut Out to Be Lovers” Volume 1, by Kou Hirokawa

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

Kumazawa moves into a new apartment, and his neighbor, Koichi, is frequently too loud as he works from home as a streamer. When their conflict grows into a physical relationship, Kumazawa resists getting involved with a straight guy, but Koichi won’t back down.

This wastes no time getting our main characters together. I’m a sucker for grump/sunshine pairings and while this moves very fast, they’re easy to get attached to since their personalities pop. There’s just enough emotional meat to chew on, but I wouldn’t complain if there was a little more. I’ve written quick smut like this and it absolutely has value, but I like more story in my erotica, especially since a setup like this would totally lend itself to a longer plot. The smut is there and pretty detailed but there is some censoring – specifically the glow-dick. 3 out of 5.

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