romance comics

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Pink Candy Kiss” Vol. 5 by Ami Uozumi

(Image Source)

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

Ema is trying to reconcile her feelings for Takora because her husband, Hario, loves her so much. Takora considers the consequences of confessing her feelings.

This volume isn’t bittersweet; it’s just sad. There’s no way for them to be together without ruining Ema’s marriage, and I really wonder what the last two volumes are going to bring. I will spoil that Ema finally did stand up to her shitty mom, which was so damn satisfying. I don’t want yet another tragic lesbian story, but it’s clear this is not their time. Maybe this will end up like Bingo Love and end up together without hurting Hario. I guess we’ll see. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “May I Have a Taste?” Vol. 2, by Amidamuku

(Image Source)

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

Minoru is gravely injured trying to save Yamadera after he risks his life trying to become a vampire. An older vampire, Mire, comes to assist Minoru.

I like that the world is expanding. I don’t like Yamadera, so spending time with any other character is a net positive. We do get some backstory for Mine, another new vampire, Itachi, and introduce Mei, who reminds me of Kiku from Call of the Night. I’m glad what seemed to be a predatory version of Ko annoying Minoru, who just wants to live his life, is shaping into something more. 3.9 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

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

(Image Source)

*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.

 

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

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

(Image Source)

*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.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Firefly Wedding” Vol. 7, by Oreco Tachibana

(Image Source)

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

Shinpei teams up with the other swordsmen on the island to get rid of Yanagida but despite this, the true mastermind behind Satoko’s abduction arrives to tear them apart.

While the fight scenes are fun, Shinpei and Satoko are just sweet to watch. Through them, we learn more about Shinpei’s childhood but it’s told with the same straightforward way as everything he talks about. Nothing matters to him but Satoko. As for her, she just needs to throw the whole family out. I know it’s not that simple and Shinpei has a litany of red flags but geez… She may be better off on Sex Worker Island with less awful people. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on Bloglovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite” Vol. 8, by Julietta Suzuki

(Image Source)

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

Amanatsu rushes to find Rinya’s show, where Rinya is trying to convince Hina to finally bite Amanatsu, but to practice on him first.

Now that all the feelings are out there, Hina does need to decide if she will have Victor break his contract with Amanatsu and replace it with her own to protect him and cement their relationship. This is such a big deal that her father decides to get involved. This would have been super interesting if some other person hadn’t shown up instead. Kinda took the wind out of that reveal for me. Its like when a joke is funny but not in the right place and sucks the energy out of a scene. Not terrible, but very meh. 3 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

 

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 10, by Daruma Matsuura

(Image Source)

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

Aki and Tsuki travel to the bowels of the village where those who have harmed others when their powers manifested are sealed away. They want to enlist their help to finally defeat Toki.

Oh, this volume has so many twists and turns. It feels like it’s over way too soon. While it may not be battle heavy, there’s plenty of plot to chew on. We get some interesting intrigue around what Aki has seen in her visions, as well as Toki’s backstory. She’s a classic twisted child villain and unapologetically evil. This series continues to explore all these angles I’d never considered and I’m really enjoying it. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 6, by Kazune Kawahara

(Image Source)

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

Sae and Koki are officially dating and the whole school has opinions about it.

We also dip into Koki’s backstory about his feelings for Sae. We’re at the stage of a YA romance where they’re figuring out what dating actually means for them. Sae is overthinking things and most of this is Koki remembering how long he’s wanted to be with Sae. Since they’re fumbling a bit, there isn’t much progress. Not a bad volume, especially if you’re looking forward to finally seeing these two together. 3.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 9 by Aki Kusaka

(Image Source)

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

Keiichiro is given an ultimatum and is disowned for one year. While Yuri is happy they can live together, it is a major adjustment.

I’m sure at this point, being disowned temporarily doesn’t really matter because clearly, these two are so in love, these punishments are not really punishments. The family is trying to enforce their rules while also being pulled into the orbit of this lovey-dovey couple. As this is the last volume, it wraps up on a happy note, and I’m glad it ended here. There are only so many times the dance of “we have to abide by the rules, we didn’t, fallout, resolution” can only go on so long before it gets old. This is a cute series. If you like YA romance, it’s not a bad one to pick up, especially if you like it silly. 3 out of 5.

 

Follow me on Blog Lovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 5, by Kazune Kawahara

(Image Source)

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

The closing of the school festival is a fireworks show, an ideal setting for Sae to confess her feelings.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say if you’re familiar with this genre at all and you’ve read through this series so far, (spoilers) that you know they’ve both had feelings for each other the whole time, right? So, with everything out in the open, where do we go from here? Will there be more drama, will we have more flashbacks to their past, or will we just bask in their awkward cuteness? I dunno about the flashbacks but it’s all sweet enough either way to enjoy this volume and look forward to the next. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.