This was an interesting concept. I liked the set up and the overall premise was intriguing. It's a short story that I wanted more of, and I'd love to read more from it especially after that ending, or at least something within the same universe.

I thought it was easy to notice this was written by two authors, as if it was split on half and each one took care of one part. I have to be honest, I enjoyed the second half much more. During the first, MC's inner battle came off as childish because the writting was done in juvenile way. The initial setting (the auction) was interesting though.

The second half was truly where things got awesome. I love the second sex scene, the kinks/acts explored were hot. The dynamic between MCs felt more intriguing and I liked the push and pull between them even when it was during sex.

This had the potential to be a full length book, or even to be the start of a series. I'd love to follow more from this collab and I have we get more from this universe.

-I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

Tags: (might miss some of them, heads up for spoilers) -POV: third person -Content warnings: non consensual drugging, dubcon, unique anatomy after body modification (two holes: anus and self lubricating reproductive orifice on the front) -Elements: omegaverse, size difference, womb tattoo, auction, past lives -Kinks: belly bulge, womb fucking, sounding, body modification, restraints (magical vines) -Sexual act(s): barebacking, creampie, fingering, blowjob, felching, eating out, tongue fucking, double penetration -Dynamic: M/M, human x dragon, top and bottom, unbalanced power dynamics

As a note, I got the version in spanish from Panini, and while I don't know japanese nor have I read the official english TL, I believe the translation in spanish was good. Also, this review might be a bit biased because I'm a fan of the drama adaptation, which to me is fantastic and is still my favorite japanese BL drama ever.

It's interesting to experience this story in another format. It's been years since I watched the first season of the drama adaptation so I can't remember the plot 100%. Despite that, I remember that I always felt the introduction of Hira as MC was great. It was done similarly here so I am guessing both adaptations follow the novel pretty closely.

Hira is a very interesting protagonist because he isn't what you would expect from a single glance. So far, in this volume he is meek and happy to be under Kiyoi's hands. Kiyoi is another that isn't only whom I initially thought (arrogant and unbothered).

My first impressions are that I like the artstyle because it fits the themes of the story and the slow pacing that gives time and space for the characters to develop and let the reader get to know them.

There's also the fact that the story covers bullying as one of its main topics. The dynamic between both guys is a very complex one. Even when they start as a variation of bully and bullied, there's more to it than just that and the story gives certain hints about how each character and their relationship will evolve in the future.

I can't wait to see how that happens in the manga format. Watching it in the show was amazing, but I wonder if the same narrative technique will be used here. I'm excited to be able to have the rest of the series on my hands.

Tags: (might miss some of them, heads up for possible spoilers) BL manga, series, bullying, homophobia, stuttering, bully x bullied, highschool.

I feel like this had potential. I've read other books from this author and liked them better, so I expected more and I know that the author is capable of better too. I have lots of mixed feelings, but overall this is a book that didn't work for me unfortunately, although not everything is bad.

When I started the book I was liking it up until 1/3 of the story and thought that so far it'd be a 3 or 3.5 stars book. Despite the mutual insta-attraction (something that isn't a preferred element for me), what I enjoyed how intriguing was the story initially and that the dynamic between MCs shifted to became something more interesting. I was really liking the boss/employee thing and the hidden identity element.

Now is where I begin ranting a bit because this book feels divided in two different storylines that weren't well connected. I understand the reason behind some of the choices made, but I just thought the second part after some of the reveals and getting to know more of both MCs' backstories felt jarring. Like I wasn't sure I was still reading the same book.

I also couldn't take the story seriously in general, one of the reasons being that the characters wouldn't stop getting hard when they were around each other. I get it to a certain degree because the development was expressed partly through to the sex scenes, but it happened so often that at one point I couldn't take it seriously anymore. And I don't like it when dark/darkish books take me out of the atmosphere.

I felt that the characters were written in a way that felt like charicatures because of how ingrained the kinks were to their characterization with little room to actual substance. They felt mostly empty to me despite their backstories appearing in the second half, because as I said before: it didn't feel to me like I was reading the same book.

The themes that the author later tried to incorporate weren't executed to their best due to the small amount of pages left. Everything was resolved way too easily, the hidden identity thing didn't deliver a good payoff, and the constant sex scenes that happened everytime a big event took place had me bored and confused because I wanted an actual connection between the MCs outside of sex and their shared kinks. And I don't mean that it isn't possible to show that through sex, but most of it became repetitive and out of place during the second half. It didn't feel meaningful to their relationship nor story because of how constant it happened on page, except for like the last one.

I just think this book wasn't for me. The first half had me expecting one thing, so when the story shifted into something else that didn't feel recognizable after the first half, paired with the sudden addition of themes that just made it all unnecesarily convoluted when it shouldn't have been for a 250 pages long book, I stopped caring.

I really wish I could've enjoyed this much better. I will keep trying this author's future works, I'm hoping those are more to my liking.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

Tags: (might miss some of them, heads up for spoilers)

-POV: first person -Content warnings: dubcon, consensual non consent, rape fantasy, discussion of past abuse and past child sexual assault and past child neglect, stalking (in person and via cameras, tracking), non consensual drugging, captivity, controlling behaviour, mention of suicide -Elements: size difference, codependency between couple -Kinks: identity porn, blindfold, collar, chastity device, dom/sub, exhibitionism/public sex, primal play, voyeurism, choking, biting, spanking, sadism and masochism -Sexual act(s): barebacking, creampie, blowjobs, riding, toys, vibrator, handjobs, wearing vibrator/plug in public -Dynamic: MM, sort of rich x poor, boss x employee, a bit of captor x captive, strict top and bottom, unbalanced power dynamics

3.75 stars. This is one of those cases where an author tries to do too much in one single book and because of that it ends up as a less polished version of itself. It had some great things and a few others that didn't click with me, but overall it was still a nice experience and it didn't disappoint in the major aspects I picked this up for.

I'll start mentioning what I didn't like so I can end the review mentioning the positive things. First is that this book was at least 50 pages longer than it should be and it's the reason the story got draggy towards the end. I think the book was trying to set up many future storylines and pairings (some worked for me, others didn't) instead of only focusing on tying up loose ends of the ones already established.

Besides that, I also felt that some sex scenes, especially during the last chapters, weren't necessary. I remember there was one that happened right after a heavily emotional event and that took me out. There's also a lot of winking and cock twitching over mild things like one MC talking to the other, something I can't stand. Lastly, I felt that the way a few of the women were written (besides the 'antagonist') was off.

Despite most of that, I have to say that I really liked the story overall. The dynamic between the MCs started with a very interesting play of pull and push and I liked that such element wasn't lost even after they got together. It was an experience to follow them through their journey of opening up to each another, accepting their flaws (mainly for Cal) and building trust.

The themes the story presented also felt well executed in general. From the main one being bullying and later trauma and abuse. Both MCs had good characterizations so it felt great to get to know them and their backstories the more they shared to one another.

Honestly, despite me saying that at some point the book got draggy, I'm still grateful that the story wasn't much shorter, I don't think it could've worked otherwise. Even if there were moments I felt were added to bring up unnecesary drama (looking at Rhys), I still felt every loose end was tied up and the lenght of the book favored some sub-plots such as Cal's redemption. I think the impact of those scenes was great and all it needed.

Ultimately, this story is about opening up, remeding your mistakes and look into a better future. I think it did well in showing that. I'm interested in reading book 1 and Fin's (which I hope it happens soon).

Tags: (might miss some of them, heads up for spoilers)

-POV: first person -Content warnings: mentions of homophobia, past abuse, mentions of outing, mentions of attempted coercion, mentions of attempted sexual assault, bullying -Elements: size difference -Kinks: cnc, slight(?) d/s dynamics, dick slapping, dirty talk, overstimulation/multiple orgasms, restraints, pierced dick, sex in public, slut calling -Sexual act(s): barebacking, creampie, blowjobs, facial, fingering, felching, riding, handjobs, vibrator usage -Dynamic: MM, hate to love, jock x nerd, strict top and bottom

3.5 stars, the .5 addition is thanks to the side couple because they stole the show completely for me, despite only appearing on the extras.

About the actual main story, I thought that it was easy to get into. While it has elements that could potentially turn some moments into a bigger drama, from the middle towards the end it's mostly fluff. I admit it's not my preferred tag so it's no wonder that this novel wasn't a hit for me in particular. There's also the timeline which got a bit confusing at times for me.

The main couple was fine, the push and pull (mostly coming from Tu Yan) was cute sometimes especially due to their status of exes at the start. I liked the Gu Chenbai a lot, he was the highlight of the main story. I liked how he was the gentle type of love interest, but that he also had an overprotective and even cheeky side.

However, my main issue was the MC himself. I wished Tu Yan wasn't so childish at times because despite liking tsunderes, I felt that he lacked more depth to be a compelling character. The reasoning behind his behaviour was told instead of shown so it didn't have the same impact, instead of letting the reader piece things together. He's not awfully constructed, I just think the novel was too short and he needed more pages to be fully fleshed out.

It's for that reason that I was thinking of dropping it but I decided to stay mainly for the mpreg, and after reading the extras I think it was 100% worth it. Speaking about that, as I said at the beginning the side couple was the best thing. I got attached to them very easily and I wished they were the main one or at least had their own novel. Their dynamic of cold alpha CEO that doesn't believe in finding a partner and a cute omega idol that chases his first love was just too good.

Overall, this was a cute and simple novel to pass the time that doesn't have huge conflicts for those that prefer low angst. The context of the acting industry mixed with themes of pregnancy, divorce and finding love at an early stage of life were a nice premise too. It would've been amazing if this was longer but it was still entertaining in general.

Tags: (might miss some of them, heads up for spoilers)

-POV: third person -Content warnings: mention of attempted past sexual assault, ableism -Elements: omegaverse, break up, forced marriage, second chance, mpreg, size difference -Dynamic: MM, second alpha heir from wealthy family/omega actor, exes to lovers, strict top and bottom

4.25 stars. I can't believe it took me this long to finish this (I got distracted again 😭), but I finally did it. As usual with this series, it's interesting to revisit the story because I couldn't remember or understand well this last arc in particular with MTL in the past. It's great to be able to know now how exactly everything came down.

Despite recalling most of the main events and reveals prior to starting this volume, it sort of felt like reading it for the first time, mostly because my memory is awful lol. There even was a certain scene that got me tearing up a bit - which didn't happen on my first reading of this arc (I am referring to that one chapter iykwim).

This volume made me appreciate Ye Wangxi and Xue Meng and his family even more. While I felt strongly for them before, now that I was able to experience everything better it was truly emotional.

About some of the events in this volume... There were some that I liked and a few others that I didn't in terms of their execution. Although melancholic, I love the tragedy that the story shows and how Meatbun was never afraid of doing anything she wanted with her characters. In this one, many definitely suffered and I found the sadness from such events very well described.

Onto this volume's lows, I feel that this is the part of the story where I started feeling like the plot was a bit all over the place, even more so in the last chapters which will be covered by the next one. There are just so many characters that the execution suffered at times because it was trying to follow everyone, and all of them were going through different things.

There were many reveals and shocking moments, one after another, to the point that it felt like some of them were conveniently placed in certain parts of the story instead of appearing a more natural manner. It is the main problem I had with 2ha.

Other than that, I think the arc continued to touch on interesting themes that were partly explored before but this time in full force. This one focused more on grief, war, justice and hypocrisy, and while ideally it could've been better done with more time and space for some of them, I appreciated how accurate the story was at showing the devastating aftermath.

I'm excited for the finale. I wonder if my feelings about it will change this time after having a better comprehension of it. One thing will never change though, and is how much I love this cast and story overall.

Tags: (might miss some of them, beware of spoilers ahead this time especially) -POV: third person -Content warnings: consent issues, non consensual drugging, kidnapping, toxic past lover(?), character deaths, period typical misogyny -Elements: historical fantasy, hurt no comfort/whump -Kinks: breeding, dirty talk, aphrodisiac -Sexual act(s): barebacking, creampie, marathon sex -Dynamic: MM, teacher x disciple, established couple, strict top and bottom, unbalanced power dynamics

3.75 stars. This is the second book in this duet, meaning that it cannot be read as standalone. I was really looking forward to this one after the ending from the first book, and I can thankfully say I wasn't let down. I thought this was a great conclusion to the duet and I'm excited to read more from the author in the future.

Starting with the things I wasn't fully into, in order to end up with the positive ones:

-I thought the pacing of the book got draggy during the middle.

-The climax was a bit lackluckster to me in the sense that it felt rushed. That one chapter in particular suffered of white room syndrome at the beginning. The repetition from another POV was unnecesary.

-I still don't like how some chapters changed pov in the middle of it.

-Most of what happened in the second half of the book had me fighting my thin suspension of disbelief. Some things happened very conveniently and others felt like too good to seem real.

In other cases these things would make me rate it lower but despite all of that, I can't say I cared much about such technicalities. I can give it a pass when the story grips me and it includes a great cast, which is exactly what happened. I absolutely loved following Easton's growth and the evolution of his relationships with others. Special mention to Blakely, she was one of the most endearing side characters I've had the pleasure to encounter and I loved her bond with Easton.

Onto the themes the book covers, I liked how it doesn't follow the expected recovery from trauma that people can be used to. I thought it did a great job at showing the repercutions of everything related to Easton on his close ones. I felt the way they reacted to the aftermath felt realistic, because people don't always go ahead with the most logical action or thinking. I liked the slow and bumpy approach towards healing and working through their own baggage.

Speaking of that, Easton and Chase had a lot to get through in this book. I thought their individual development was great (especially Easton's) and as I did since the first one, I was rooting for them as a couple. I also really liked that story doesn't only focus on them, but other ways of loving and caring such as friendship and brotherhood.

Ultimately, I think this was a great book that delivered on the hurt/comfort element as well as exploring subjects such as recovery from abuse, resiliance and rediscovering yourself. I'm really hoping the next book in the series is about that one character that Easton connected with, I'd love to know his story and more about what happened after everything.

I received a free copy of this book via Indie Author Creative and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Tags: (might miss some of them, heads up doe spoilers) -POV: first person -Content warnings: dicussion of grooming and homophobia, suicidal and anxiety themes, stalking, past abuse, coercion, kidnapping attempt, abusive ex -Elements: hurt/comfort, size difference -Sexual act(s): barebacking, creampie, blowjobs, rimming, handjobs -Dynamic: MM, established relationship, strict top and bottom