LGBT

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Lenni Reviews: “Books, Iced Coffee & a Side of Dragons” by Amanda Lovelace & Raquel Travé

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

Lucinda owns Little Lighthouse Books, a struggling book store. She deals daily with the antics of her dragon and her crush on Aster, the owner of the coffee shop next door.

This does have Tea Dragon Society vibes in that this book has the coziest vibes and beautiful colors. The drama is very low stakes and grounded. This has great representation and while it’s not subtle, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a cute little sapphic romance and a slice of magical joy that’s sorely needed. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “After We Gazed at the Starry Sky” Vol. 1 by Bisco Kida

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*This book is rated 18+

Subaru Miyazawa was born paralyzed from the knees down and works as a designer. He idolizes a photographer named Tougo Amasem, so when he gets the chance to design some materials for his show, he even takes the chance to attend it and meet his idol.

I think this would qualify as an insta-love plot, or pretty damn close ot it. In fact, it all comes off as extremely idealistic. I know it may seem romantic to be literally swept off one’s feet, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to just pick up a wheelchair user? Without asking or anything? I don’t know any, and I am not one, but it still seems like a bad idea. They’re adorable and all, but not the best example. The smut is minimal, and I do love the art, so it’s not all bad. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Bride of the Shark Clan” Vol. 1 Satomichi

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

Rival clans Tangata and Miyaru have a tentative peace held together by a yearly offering of a bride from the Tangata to the Miyaru. This sacrifice is usually the weakest. Avel, the son of the Tangata Chief, is assumed to be next in line to head the clan, but an encounter with Tukuri from the Tangata clan results in him being the offered bride instead.

As part of the lore of this world, the Tangata are all born male and only become female the first time they bottom for someone, which sure is a way to have mpreg happen instead of just using the fated mates trope as is. That’s still a thing, though. And by the gods, they sure did try to have some plot in this smut, didn’t they? I’m kinda kidding. This isn’t bad. Our main couple is the aforementioned fated mates with “we met as children” thrown in there. The smut is filthy and it’s just a fairly uncomplicated, low angst story. Arel and Tukiru are cute together, but since the art style is fairly standard, their personalities make them unique. If you’re in the market for some romantic filth, this ain’t bad. 3.7 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Forest of the Rabbits” Vol. 1, by ENJO

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

Shunta and Tamaki were childhood friends who reconnect in high school. While Shunta realized his attraction to his friend early on, Tamaki’s tumultuous upbringing has him clinging to traditional expectations. But Shunta doesn’t want to waste any more time before fulfilling his dream of dating Tamaki.

This is rough since it starts with them as young kids, and Tamaki is clearly not only neglected by his mother, but he’s also exposed to things a child shouldn’t because his mother is a sex worker. We are pro-sex work in this house, but not with your child in the next room or watching your clients as they go in and out of the home. That’s a dark cloud lurking behind this budding romance, making it hard to enjoy Shunta being a goofy simp for his crush. I almost don’t want them to get together until Tamaki has had a few months of intense therapy to deal with his clear trauma. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Champion of the Rose” Vol. 1, by Cat Aquino & Dominique Duran

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

Princess Rosa’s brother tragically dies, making her hair to the throne of the Empire of Sagrada. As the largest kingdom in the Known World, Rosa looks forward to serving her people and the Dying God they all worship but instead, her father holds a tournament where the prize is her hand in marriage. Desperate to become queen and make real change, she enlists Rey as her champion. Rey is a swordsman from one of the kingdom’s colonies and only wants to earn enough money to return to his native lands.

It’s interesting that Rosa is a mixed-race princess of a kingdom fueled by colonizing others. She has to come to terms with what her kingdom has done to people who look just like her. She may have been relatively sheltered as a princess, but that doesn’t stop the whispers and judgment. Rey is a transman and a fucking badass, who literally and figuratively is infected by the evils done by those who’ve conquered his people. The combat is fantastically done. It’s ruthless and dark. It reminds me of Centuria, making this a damn good dark fantasy. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 10, by Luka Kobachi

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

While Nanoha has decided to attend confectionary school in Tokyo, Chidori is still unsure. She is only certain she wants to follow Nanoha to Tokyo.

If Chidori isn’t able to get into a school close to Nanoha, it brings the possibility of having to be in a long distance relationship. I have to say, they’re being very mature for a YA manga. I suppose since this has been a fairly cozy slice of life so far, it’s not going to make a pivot to big dramatics. Which is great! It’s a healthy relationship and they’re adorable together. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Strange Cases” by RiotBones

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

Law student Jude Aquilar returns to Lazaro after his mother’s death. While he does expect to take over his mother’s law practice, he does not anticipate how deep the corruption goes or how deeply they are connected to him.

I love the twists and turns in this book. Even if the cases weren’t all supernatural in nature, it would still have the familiar concepts of entrenched corruption, classism, and classic small-town gothic mysteries. The colors are moody and beautiful, hitting that perfect level to enhance the tone of the story. Unfortunately, this is another book that suffers from not having enough time. This could easily be 2-5 volumes of cases Jude unravels as he uncovers the town’s secrets, but as it is, it feels as if it ends before it’s even begun. This makes the ending less impactful than I think it hoped to be. 3.9 out of 5.

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WIP Wednesday: Healing Time

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My son’s surgery was on Monday. We were there about 10am and didn’t get home till 7:30. He did amazing. I am handling taking care of the drains and making sure the pain is at a manageable level. I can’t believe how brave this kid is. I dunno if I could have done all this…

Needless to say, I have not been writing much. I am working through some ARCs, but I don’t think I’ve stopped being scared for him since Monday morning. If he doesn’t text me back, my brain spins with the worst-case scenarios, and I have to lay eyes on him and hear his voice to make sure he’s ok. I don’t even want to go on the treadmill or leave the house for more than 10 minutes.

It’s only been a couple of days, and he’s already moving around better and eating more than broth and crackers. I still might take another week off work to make sure he’s able to get around and do things on his own if I’m gone all day.

As he gets more mobile, I’ll be able to get lost in the worlds I’ve created again.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 11, by Luka Kobachi

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

Chidori helps Nanoha study but when Nanoha makes a new friend, Minami, Chidori get jealous of her taking up Nanoha’s time.

Minami is the vehicle used to fine out how Chidori and Nanoha met. They also have a date for Chidori’s birthday and head into Summer break. As with other volumes, this is just a sweet slice of life with very little drama. I like that the addition of Minami was just adding another nice person to the group. It’s just sweet to see this couple together in a fairly healthy relationship. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” Vol. 5, by Konkichi

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

Our main character is still dodging various BL tropes but Hataro keeps popping up and threatening to break his avoidance streak.

I like the idea of this new unknown element but it took quite awhile to get there. Not that I want this to fall into the “gay for you” or “bi awakening” trope, since our MC is straight with no desire to change that. I think it’s more interesting if he stays straight while navigating this strange isekai because those two are BL tropes as well. But still, where is this going? Is he going to try to escape this world? So strange… 3 out of 5.

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