2 out of 5 stars
E-book. 170 pages. Published June 15th 2021 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
Twenty-three-year-old Milo McLaren didn’t expect to find a romantic gesture waiting for him the morning after a drunken one-night stand. Still, he convinces himself that his night with businessman Kazuhiko Yukifumi was a fluke. Kaz is powerful, rich, hot, and… intense. He can’t really be serious about wanting Milo, an executive assistant at fashion magazine Rebel.
But their paths keep crossing, and Milo can’t deny his attraction or his desire to submit to what Kaz wants… until Kaz’s best friend issues an ultimatum that puts Milo’s job in danger.
Milo has dreams he’s not ready to sacrifice, even for Kaz. Unfortunately, the fashion world is small, and even after he breaks things off, Kaz seems to go everywhere he does. Being so close to what he can’t have torments him. Can he find a way to pair his wants and needs in a way that really pops?
Likes:
- Hooked me fast.
- Milo was likeable.
- The fashion world was fast paced and engaging.
- That Milo knew the Japanese language and about the culture.
- Hot smut.
- Kazuhiko was determined not to have sex with Milo unless he was sober.
Dislikes:
- Dominant man who doesn’t know how to communicate.
- Book went downhill about halfway through.
- Lots of toxic relationships.
- Lack of confrontation with the person who took Milo into a dangerous situation.
- Milo was sexually assaulted.
- There was no confrontation with the person who sexually assaulted him.
- Anyone who has basic knowledge of Japanese culture can see what’s coming.
- Lots of things teased but never paid off.
I have a special dislike for books that I enjoy at the start and hate by the end. It feels like a betrayal.
This book hooked me easily. Milo is likeable and the fashion world he works in was really interesting. ‘Dog eat dog’ competition usually isn’t my thing, but it kept the story exciting and allowed the plot to happen. Milo always had something to do or somewhere to be, which allowed him and Kazuhiko to meet up a lot.
The relationship between Milo and Kazuhiko didn’t have a lot of buildup. It’s insta-lust that turned into almost an addiction. I read a review that compared their relationship to that in a typical yaoi manga, and I have to agree. When the men are together, they’re so lusty that there’s not much deeper connection. And Kazuhiko’s whole ‘dominant man who doesn’t know how to communicate’ thing caused a lot of unnecessary tension and confusion.
I did like that Kazuhiko was determined not to have sex with Milo unless Milo was totally sober. A promise which he kept. However, ‘sex’ in this context meant penetrative anal, so everything else was still fair game. Which I liked less because yes, Milo is either drunk or drugged (not by Kazuhiko) the other times they fooled around.
Which leads me nicely to where the book went downhill for me. About halfway through the book, Milo is taken to a party by someone he trusts. He isn’t told that it’s a private sex party until they arrive, at which point his ‘friend’ completely disappears. Milo is then fed an aphrodisiac by a stranger, without knowing what it is, and basically goes into heat. (As a side note, I do know that aphrodisiacs don’t work like this.) Milo essentially became super horny, to the point of almost being unable to think straight, and it was clear that the person who fed him the aphrodisiac expected him to lose the ability to say no to sex.
This whole scene bothered me so much that I put the book down for a week. Thankfully, Milo is able to leave the club without anything bad happening. Now, I fully expected him to confront the friend who took him to the party and left him alone, but no. It’s not brought up again. Which turned out to be a theme.
Milo is later sexually assaulted by the same ‘friend’ who took him to the party. Once again, there was no confrontation. Milo didn’t even seem bothered. And maybe that’s because his life is full of toxic people. His boss, who he admires and who is practically family, slaps him on the face and he just shrugs it off. His father is likely a mob boss and is merely allowing Milo to live and work as he pleases.
I’m not positive that Milo’s father is a mob boss. It was heavily teased but never paid off. The same with Kazuhiko’s family. I would be so surprised if they’re not yakuza. The hints are there, for anyone with a basic knowledge of Japanese culture. In fact, considering that Milo knows both the language and the culture, I’m surprised he didn’t realize it too. It’s probably supposed to be a big reveal in the next book, but I’ll never know. By the time I finished reading this book, I knew I wouldn’t be continuing with the series.
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