Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Hugh Harris is half Japanese, half American. He relocates to Kobe, Japan and feels like he doesn’t fit in at all. Even though Hugh knows his heritage and his mother raised him with Japanese culture, all the citizens of Kobe see is a tall, muscular man who doesn’t fit. When Hugh heads to a bar to drink away his frustration, Ren snags him out of line and drags him to the Dusk Parlor.
The place is high class and Ren suggests Hugh gets a job there, but the owner, Kaito, doesn’t like him. Or so he thinks. Kaito gives him a chance, and Hugh does his best to learn quickly and properly. Kaito is all about what is proper, and the Dusk Parlor is a high end club. When Hugh steps in to protect Ren and the club, the staff knows how special he is. and it bring Hugh, Kaito, and Ren closer together.
But there are secrets in Kaito and Ren’s past, and Hugh inadvertently gets in the middle of it. And once he’s in, he can’t walk away. Instead, Hugh helps the two men in ways only he can. And things change between them.
For International Week of our Reading Challenge Month, I was excited to pick up this book, as it takes place in Japan. So let me start with that. I have some mixed feelings on how well the book succeeded in showing the culture and life of Japan. At times, there were clear indications about the differences, especially with Kaito’s exacting standards about proper Japanese culture. But at the same time, the club is hosting an American themed month and the story is told entirely from Hugh’s first person POV, so things are colored by his perception. For me, it didn’t always work at “feeling” like Japan, but I thought the author did a good job overall of portraying some cultural aspects.
I enjoyed Hugh as a character, his big heart, his frustrations, and his loyalty. He was a great narrartor. However, there were times where I just didn’t understand the why of things. For example, when he first goes to the Dusk Parlor, he thinks about how he doesn’t fit in. But several paragraphs later, he says he feels comfortable there. He’s attracted to Ren, but I didn’t fully feel that was an adequate reason for going back and getting a job there. In fact, I’m not entirely sure why he decided to move to Japan in the first place. So his motivations for some things in the beginning didn’t work for me and felt more like points for ease of plot.
However, as the story progressed and more of his character came out, Hugh’s actions for the rest of the story made complete sense for the kind of guy he was. His attraction to both Ren and Kaito, two very different men, was believable and I could see why he was drawn to them. And when they got into a spot of trouble, it made perfect sense that he would be there for them and help them out. To me, though, his connection to Kaito seemed a little bit more real than his one to Ren, and I wished we could have seen more of that explored.
I will say this, though. I wished the author had chosen some other bad force or conflict point that the yakuza. While I know that it’s a harsh reality of Japanese life, it seems like they play a strong roll in every story I’ve read about Japan. I knew they were going to play a part, it’s in the blurb, but I still wished for something different.
Overall, this was a quick read with great writing. Some of the plot points didn’t work as well for me, but I enjoyed the glimpse into Japanese culture. And while it works incredibly well as a novella, it’s to the author’s credit that I wanted to see more of these guys and their life together. It definitely fits the bill for a international read.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for International Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win a prize pack of some of our favorite International Books. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a Kindle Fire filled with Dreamspun Desires/Beyond books, plus a 3-month subscription!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on International Week here, including a list of all the books in this week’s prize.
Even with issues here and there, it’s good that it left you wanting more instead of less!
Definitely! I would have been happy to see these guys some more.
Thanks for the review. Even with the several issues you had, the story sounds intriguing. I haven’t read a book set in Japan yet, so that is a definite plus. I love reading about other cultures.
Yes Tanja. The things that worked, worked well:)
Thank you for the review, Kris. It sounds good to me
Hope you get a chance to read it then! 😀
I still haven’t read any of the Worlds of Love collection books, but it’s perfect for this challenge week. As far as this one goes, I haven’t read it, but I’d be interested. I totally agree with you on the Yakuza point.
Seems like it comes up more often than not in books about Japan/Japanese culture. I’d just like to see more.
Thanks Carolyn!
While I like books set in other places, I don’t think that this one is for me. I don’t like MMM or organized crime in my books.
Then this one isn’t for you for sure. Hope you find something else that strikes your fancy.
The Yakuza part of the plot is problematic for me. Thank you so much for your review.
One of the good things about reviews is so that other readers can make an informed decision about whether or not they want to read.
Hope you find something else!
One of the books I read this week was also set in Japan; no Yakuza issues, fortunately. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Kris; it’s always interesting to hear what works and what doesn’t in a story.
Thanks Kareni. That’s why I do this 🙂
Thank you for your review, i’m not a menage fan so although i like the Japanese setting i probably won’t be reading this one. But thank you for giving us an inside in this novella.
You’re welcome Angela. Hope there’s something else out there that piques your interest
I love books that include different cultures. Thanks for the review but I will pass on this one.
You’re welcome. Glad I could help and hope you find another title to read 🙂
I got a book years ago, Yakuza Pride, maybe. It’s been forever ago, but even though it had a ton of good reviews I didn’t even like it enough to finish it. Since then I’ve pretty much avoided anything having to do with Yakuza…dumb, I know. The storyline for this one sounds pretty good, so I put it in the maybe list.
Thanks for the review, Kris. I have never been a fan of anything related to organized crimes (mobs, yakuza, etc.) in my romance, insomuch I usually avoid it altogether unless they’re written by authors I know and like (even so, they’re usually NOT my priority to read). So I’m afraid I have to give this one a pass.
I actually haven’t read any books by this author and plan to give Vice City a read. Thank you for the review and for sharing what did work and what didn’t work for you. It sounds like a mostly enjoyable read and I think I’ll give it a try myself.
I haven’t read books by this author but one book of hers is already on my kindle so I will start with it first.
I don’t think I’ve read anything by this author. This sounds like an easy read to try out that would give me a flavor of the writing style and a flavor of Japan on a day I don’t want to relax.