Not/Love by Kano Miyamoto

 

Daisuke is a twenty-nine-year-old private detective with a shady past. Bun is an eighteen-year-old prostitute with a bleak future. How long can a relationship last when they're both insisting that it's not love?

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/43ofDH0)

Koimonogatari: Love Stories by Tohru Tagura

 

When Yuiji accidentally overhears his classmate Yamato confessing to another friend that he's gay, his perspective shifts. Seeing Yamato in a new light, Yuiji does his best not to let prejudice color his view, but he still finds himself overthinking his classmates' interactions now. He especially notices the way Yamato looks at one particular boy: Yuiji's own best friend.

Even though he tells himself he shouldn't get involved, Yuiji finds he just can't help it; watching Yamato's one-sided love draws him in a way he never expected. At first, it's empathy, knowing that the boy Yamato has his sights on is definitely straight and has no idea. But as his own friendship with Yamato develops and the two of them grow closer through a mutual study group, Yuiji comes to truly care about Yamato as a person, regardless of his sexuality. He only wants Yamato to be happy, and to be able to express his true self.

My Rate: 9 (amzn.to/3PpMXY7)

Although I Love You, and You? (2024)

Overall I liked Although I Love You, and You? (Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka), I say "overall" and not 100% cause, again, I would have not minded a little more intimacy between the main lead characters... but this is me, and in general, this series was a full fledged romance, and there are a lot of things I liked a lot, above all, the main lead Matsumoto Sakae, he is an out and proud gay man, he is not hiding his feelings, and is able to openly discuss them with his circle of friends (kudos to the character of the best friend of Sakae, an heterosexual man who is able to listen and advice his gay friend). I also liked that the story didn't end to the kiss sealing the love story between Sakae and Soga Hisashi, but it went further, showing you that falling in love is not the end, but it's actually the starting point of building a solid relationship. So yes, overall I liked this one, recommended. HEA. You can see it on GagaOOLala. Heat Level: 4/6.

Heat Level:

1/6: glances, caress, hugs, no kisses

2/6: kisses, closed mouth or camera angles

3/6: full kisses, clothes on

4/6: full kisses, some clothes off, hands above the waist, pants stay on

5/6: most clothes off, they have sex, but it’s masked, no sexy sounds

6/6: full nudity mostly hidden by camera angles, they have sex, sexy sounds

You Make My Head Spin by Kazuhiko Mishima

 

Shindo has just transferred into an extremely individualistic school. The ideal honor student, Shindo appears to sparkle with his perfect poise and presence. Yosuke, on the other hand, is the school delinquent preferring to spend his time hanging out on the school roof. But, Yosuke has a dark secret. The stereotypical tsundere, he may appear hostile on the outside, but his gruff hides a very sensitive interior ― an interior that Shindo is determined to uncover!

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/3THrEEg)

Tweeting Love Birds by Kotetsuko Yamamoto

 

Ohtaka is pissed! University baseball is not what he expected, and it’s all because of Tweetie, the odd little person who blithely chirps and constantly circles in his tall shadow. Everything Tweetie does only deepens Ohtaka’s scowl. His irritation skyrockets when Tweetie demands Ohtaka stay in the baseball club for his sake and steals Ohtaka’s first kiss!

When two people from Tweetie’s past are thrown in Ohtaka’s face, his agitation suddenly turns territorial--and he’s not sure why...

Will Ohtaka figure out this unfamiliar game that plays for keeps? Get ready for a fast pitch of romantic comedy and surprising love in Tweeting Love Birds!

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/3Vmpqey)

Double Mints by Asumiko Nakamura

 

Mitsuo Ichikawa was once at the beck and call of his frightening classmate who was also named Mitsuo Ichikawa. Drawn together by the bond of their name, one became like a servant to the other—and this odd relationship managed to survive the many years they were apart. One day at work, Mitsuo receives a chilling call, and the familiar voice of his namesake greets him with a confession of murder.

When one Mitsuo kills a woman in a fit of drunken blindness, he calls on the other to help him get rid of the evidence. The pair are reunited as accomplices and once again become unavoidably entangled with each other—but now the stakes are much, much higher. With the past coming back to haunt Mitsuo, the two must navigate a dangerous world of drugs, gangs, and the consequences of what they have done.

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/49SEfK9)