Manga Series: Self-Love and Lingerie How to Love Your Coworker 1 + 2

There are readings that are more complicated than others. I wanted to try something different this time and picked a manga that seemed would do the trick, but I'm not that convinced. This time, I want to tell you about a series: Self-Love and Lingerie How to Love Your Coworker, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, by Rie Honjyou.

• Total Length (so far): 275 pages.
• Publisher: Shusuisha inc.
• Publication Dates: August 30, 2022 (Vol. 1) and October 25, 2022 (Vol. 2)
• Genres: Crossdressing, Drama, Gay, Homoerotic, Manga, Romance, Yaoi.
• Rating: 3 / 5 stars.

Haruta is introverted and always wears a bra to protect his sensitive nipples. What happens when his extroverted coworker figures out his secret and urges him to wear sexy lingerie...?!

I have complicated feelings with this story. It has a good amount of comedy, some drama, the crossdressing topic which I'd like to see more often, and the art is also really good. The script seemed very solid most of the time as well, so I was genuinely enjoying it at some point. I liked that Rie Honjyou took the risk of doing something different to what's usually seen, and that's something I aplaude.

However, the beginning of the first volume was problematic to me. There's the issue of consent, and also some harassing, manipulation, blackmail... I'm fine with those topics if they're treated as they should, but there were several scenes when I expected Haruta to grow more as a character, and he failed to do so.

He was pushed around, standing his ground now and then, just to go back to a complicated relationship that was mostly based on sexual attraction. The sexual scenes were good, sure, but I didn't feel the romance was getting enough importance. Things improved a bit in the second volume, there was more chemistry, the cript was more solid, and things were heading a better direction, until the ending with such a sudden, important question that felt too rushed.

Why am I giving it three stars, then? Because I did enjoy some of it. I did like bits and pieces of it, and I do hope that, if there's a third volume coming up, things improve significantly. Self-Love and Lingerie How to Love Your Coworker was okay, not wonderful, but I think there could be readers out there that will enjoy it. Just be critical about it.

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!

Manga: Would You Like To Be A Family?

What reading has surprised you recently? For me, it was a book about families, age gaps, and complicated relationships. Would You Like To Be A Family? by koyama, was full of surprises and a good dose of humor, but also some realism that got my heart since the beginning. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

• Print Length: 176 pages.
• Publisher: TokyoPop.
• Publication Date: September 21, 2021.
• Genres: Drama, Gay, Manga, Romance, Yaoi.
• Rating: 4 / 5 stars.

Families come in many shapes and sizes, and these three are no different!

Takemura is a loner with little interest in socializing with others. Bullied in high school for being gay, he prefers to spend time by himself so he won't get hurt again. When he runs into his bright, friendly coworker Natsui in the supermarket, he's surprised to find out that he's a single father... and even more surprised to be invited to dinner, with no room to decline!

Kuma is a good guy, but due to his constant scowl and rough appearance is often dismissed as a deadbeat. When he oversees his friend's older brother break up with his boyfriend, Yagi, Kuma becomes intrigued with this attractive stranger and slowly, his curiosity begins to blossom into a crush.

Kodama is a reserved psychology major who is approached by the loud, outgoing Harada when he falls ill on his way home. It turns out the two of them study at the same university, and Harada insists the two become friends. But as they spend more time with one another, Kodama begins to question how he truly feels.

Follow three very different relationships in this intimate collection of short Boys Love stories.

Something that I really liked is that, even though all stories are different in their own way, they have some similarities. Each is a standalone, don't get me wrong, but they all have that same flavor of sweet with a dose of drama that makes them so good. Obviously, the first one is the best, the one that I enjoyed the most, but the other two are also cute.

Take and Natsui were a very natural couple, I could feel their chemistry from the beginning, felt their fears and hopes, and while it was short, it was also successful in delivering what I was waiting for: wholesome, beautiful, natural romance. Kodama and Harada, from the third story, were this close of becoming my favorite, though! Their chemistry was also great, and I could see some autism in Kodama, which made their story more interesting that I expected. I want a longer story with these two!

However, Kuma and Yagi, couple number two, were not my cup of tea. I didn't connect with them because I couldn't understand how someone could like Kuma. He does have a charm in a couple of scenes, but it wasn't enough for me. Maybe with some more development it would have been better, but Kuma seemed more of a plain character for me.

In general, I really enjoyed Would You Like To Be A Family?. Time flew by, I daydreamed a lot with these guys, each with their own amount of spice, so they all kept me interested one way or the other. If you're looking for simpler stories that do not neglect quality, this is gonna be a good pick for you then.

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!

Manga: The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow

There's something about forbidden romances that makes me want to read them over and over again. I never get tired of them, but I also have high expectations when getting one. It doesn't mean I don't enjoy them, but that I'm picky. And I'm glad that I picked The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow, by Nna Natsuo. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

• Print Length: 224 pages.
• Publisher: TokyoPop.
• Expected Publication Date: February 21, 2023.
• Genres: Fantasy, Gay, Manga, Romance, ShapeShifters, Yaoi.
• Rating: 4 / 5 stars.

A controversial courtship between a sparrow and the lonely snake who saved his life...

Komazu is a sparrow, and as a sparrow, there’s one thing he knows about snakes: they eat small birds. When he encounters Shiratō, the white snake, of course he expects the worst — but instead of trying to eat him, Shiratō saves him from a boar stampede and flees, teary-eyed, when Komazu lashes out in fear. When the sparrow realizes he's perhaps misjudged snakes and decides to learn more about Shiratō, the two grow closer, first as friends and then as something more.

They are predator and natural prey, coming from different species and social castes; can love overcome the laws of nature, despite the differences in their way? 

NOTE: This book contains nudity, explicit sexual content and nonhuman physiology. It is intended for mature audiences only.

One of the things that I liked about this book is the aesthetic. I've seen the vampire x werewolf done to death, I think we all have, and while it certainly has some appeal, it gets boring after a while. This time, however, a snake and a sparrow shifters give the story several originality points. Two real life enemy species gives it also a realistic touch you don't find that often.

The art is beautiful as well. It took me by surprise how different it is from other titles I've read, how delicate and thin all the lines are. I admit it was somewhat confusing at first, but you get used to it in no time. It reflects how tender, cute, and wholesome the romance is between Shiratō and Komazu, and I liked the fact that it was explicit enough even though it was censored (should be illegal in stories like this one!)

I do think, however, the story could have been longer. It is a wonderful thing that it felt so short, time flew me by, and I didn't feel it at all, but the romance wasn't as developed as I wanted it to. It was beautiful, made me smile, and even feared a bit in certain scenes, but it would have been perfect had it been a bit longer, maybe made into a duology.

All in all, I loved The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow. It's a story that takes several risks and incorporates elements that I love (monster porn lovers of mine, you want this one!) However, it is soft, tender, cute, and keeps that innocence that contrasts so much, giving it an even more interesting look when you look at it as a whole. We need more books like this in the market!

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!

Back to Basics: Meditating Again

These days have been hectic enough to keep me away from the blog. However, I just got a few minutes when I was able to consciously meditate. I take deep breaths and visualize on a daily basis, every time I can do it, but I wasn't able to fully meditate until now.

"Seems like helping others is easier/more important that helping ourselves." Photo by Shiva Smyth.

It's not a secret I'm not the most organized person here. I struggle. every. single. day. to keep up with everything I want and have to do. I'm still figuring out how to do it, but as much as I love writing, working my blogs, and everything else I do, I've neglected my mental, emotional, and spiritual health to a point where I can't do it anymore.

That's not me being over-dramatic, but me being honest about the need to be cautious. I don't need to wait until I deteriorate more so I can make changes. I know the way I've been doing things is not for the best, and that's the reason why I took the chance now that I could to go back to basics.

I think this is something that happens a lot to some of us. "Real life" gets so hard to keep up with, so many responsibilities, too much stress, and before we know it we forget that the foundation of our practice are several simple things. Visualization, breathing, meditation, offerings, praying, maybe more, maybe less. But we forget all the same.

Not long ago, I was finally able to start going to therapy. My mental health is so much better now that there's not a being in this world or another one that can make me stop going. One of the things that surprised me was that this therapist helped me reconnect with meditation and visualization. I've done it in every session, he guiding me how to do it, and I've wanted to do it on my own.

I said before that being a healer is part of my identity as a Witch, which is ironic considering this whole entry. Seems like it's so easy to help others heal themselves, but when it's about us, about me, it's harder. We keep putting it aside thinking we'll be fine, find a better time and space. Seems like helping others is easier/more important that helping ourselves.

It maybe hasn't happened to you, but it sure has to me. I find it so easy to find the right words, the right gestures, the right energy, the right kind of help, when it's about family, friends, sometimes even strangers. However, when it's about me, things get harder. Because I know how tricky and spoiled I can be, because I know how superficial, selfish, egotistical, and immature I can get.

And because I know all of this, and I've thought about it, and I've seen a small change with a small meditation, I decide to find at least five minutes for me every day as I used to do before, years before, when things were hectic as well but meditation kept me afloat.

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!

On Writing, Again

I'm back, from the dead alive.

I've been horribly sick all these days, hardly able to do a few things besides resting. However, I managed to find enough strength to finish two writing projects. These were special for me because they represent something different, something I've wanted to try, and I'm happy to say that I love the results.

"I'm accepting applications for writing besties!" Pixabay.

Neither of them is part of the work I want to do as Kyler, although they are kind of related. However, they gave me the confidence to start working on those first stories, try something different, and see what I can come up with as K.

Not long ago I was speaking with a friend and he gave me some suggestions on how to develop those worlds, those stories, and feel more confident about them. While I couldn't do it before, I have a few ideas I want to explore, and feel this is the right time to start doing it. I might not be the fastest of writers, even less considering that I have many responsibilities, but the point of writing, at least for me, is to enjoy it. Turning it into a profit is the dream, but if I don't enjoy it then I'd rather stop doing it altogether.

A few days ago I got the chance to attend a writing club and get a writing mentoring. It gave me a good idea of what I'm doing right and what I need to do better. Being independent has been a difficult journey because you can only go so far on your own. I don't have beta readers, never got creative writing classes, or had someone who had the same interests as I do, so I'm accepting applications for writing besties!

All in all, I feel much better, almost 100% recovered, and kicking. I'll be sharing some updates in my Twitter, so if you don't, follow me there if you're curious about how the writing's going. Lots of love, kuties!

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!

Manga: FANGS Volume 2

These days I've been so sick I couldn't read as much as I hoped. There was a manga I managed to devour, however, and helped me get through yesterday, a volume I've been anxiously waiting for since I read the previous one, because who TF doesn't love gay vampires? With you, FANGS Volume 2, by Billy Balibally. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

• Print Length: 242 pages.
• Publisher: TokyoPop.
• Publication Date: October 4, 2022.
• Genres: Fantasy, Gay, Manga, Romance, Vampires, Yaoi.
• Rating: 4 / 5 stars.
• Volume 1.

"What kind of guy is unlucky enough to get bitten... and survive?"

As the sole survivor of a vampire attack, En wakes up to find that his hair has gone white as snow... and, worse, that he's developed a craving of his own for blood. Since then, he's been living with Ichii, his handsome guardian and mentor, who works with the vampire health and welfare organization FANGS. Life is good... except En can't quite figure out what to make of his relationship with Ichii. There's certainly mutual attraction, devotion, playful teasing, and yet — he can't shake the sense that Ichii is hiding something from him.

The more the naïve and outgoing En learns about the lonely reality of his new existence, the more isolated he feels among his fellow jaded vampires. Without knowing the secrets of Ichii's dark past, can En trust in him enough for the two of them to become paired partners?

This book contains sexual content and is intended for an audience aged 18 years and up.

This was a more of a development volume. The plot is quite simple, but it offers a more complete insight into what it means to be part of the vampires' world, the pros and cons of it, En and Ichii getting to know each other better, meeting with other vampires, along with a good amount of sexual scenes that play with your attention.

The art is pristine, as expected. It reflects the feelings of each character, along with the perception some have of others. Special mention to En being pictured as the baby in more than one occasion! It added a good amount of humor to an already lighthearted volume that, while not as dramatic/dark as the previous one, keeps the same tone.

I would say the beginning could have been a bit better. Those changes on the narration, while interesting, and I aplaude the mangaka taking the risk, made it difficult to know what was happening, or at least the order of the events. Also, the element of a mafia being involved wasn't clear enough for me. I felt it was a later addition that didn't make much sense, although I could see some connections.

All in all, FANGS Volume 2 was a great volume. With a good dose of sex and development, it's perfect to pass the time and keep your mind out of the real world. Billy Balibally explores his word much more in this book, giving hints about what we can expect for the next one, but without being too explicit. As a fanboy, I already need it!

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!