Review for Sophie Jordan's "SPELLCAST"

 

SPELLCAST
Romance - Fantasy

 

 

 

AUTHOR:
Sophie Jordan

RELEASE DATE:
July 28, 2026

PUBLISHER:
Avon and Harper Voyager

ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9780063462199

RATING:
4.5

AUTHOR LINK:
https://www.sophiejordan.net/

 

 

Arden is the daughter of a blacksmith. She spends ten miserable years invisible due to a curse, unable to interact with her family and fellow town’s folk. Tragedy strikes her village, leaving Arden the lone survivor. She ends up kidnapped by a pride of dragons, ones who can transform into humans. Arden knows she does not belong with them, but she cannot ignore her desire for their alpha. Can Arden find a way to break her curse? Or will a secret forever alienate her from Tage?

Tage is the leader of a small group of shape-changing dragons. They investigate a skelm attack – dragons who prey on humans – only to find one survivor. Tage decides to bring the human woman back with them when they fail at altering her memories. Arden proves to be an anomaly among her kind; one he cannot ignore. Tage does not dare trust her with the secret of their existence. Will Arden’s presence destroy everything that Tage built within his pride?

SPELLCAST is the third book in Sophie Jordan’s fantasy romance series, A FIRE IN THE SKY.I did not know the author wrote books/series in this genre – fantasy and fantasy romances are my top favs. So, I have not read the first two books in the series. This did not hinder my ability to follow the plot or enjoy the story and characters. SPELLCAST takes place in the same world yet an all-new cast of characters.

The author breaks the story into three parts. The first focuses solely on Arden. How the curse starts and the ramifications it has on her. It allowed me to really empathize with Arden. My heart went out to the girl for everything she experienced while invisible. I am amazed that Arden managed to maintain her sanity.

The second part introduces Tage and his pride. I like the creative spin the author took with her dragon shapeshifters. How their kind evolved with the ability to morph into human shape. I also like how the dragons are still learning the full scope of their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

Review for Takiba's "YOU'RE ALL MINE TONIGHT"

 

YOU’RE All MINE TONIGHT
BL/Yaoi, Slice of Life

 

 

 

AUTHOR:
Takiba

RELEASE DATE:
December 23, 2025

PUBLISHER:
Kodansha Comics

ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9798888775202

RATING:
4.5

 

Kanzaki, a middle-aged salaryman, returns from working abroad for five years. He never forgot the man he had a fling with before his transfer. Kanzaki is shocked to discover one of his new subordinates resembles his former lover. Sadly, Futagami wants nothing to do with him or their past. Can Kanzaki convince Futagami to give him another chance?

Futagami wants to forget all about his former life as a male sex worker. He grows dismayed when he learns that his new boss turns out to be a past client. Futagami tries desperately to avoid Kanzaki at the office only to fail. Things between them turn awkward. Will Futagami come to terms with his tumultuous feelings, enough to let Kanzaki in?

YOU’RE ALL MINE TONIGHT is a one-shot BL manga. This is the first time I read anything from this mangaka. The story quickly immersed me. I wish that we got a little more of Futagami’s POV.  Perhaps the past that caused him to become a sex worker… Okay, so I saw the potential this manga had of becoming serial.

 

I will definitely be adding this one to my collection when it is released.

Review for J. Soori's SEMANTIC ERROR, novel, VOL 1

 

SEMANTIC ERROR (novel)
BL

 

 

 

AUTHOR:
J. Soori

RELEASE DATE:
January 20, 2026

PUBLISHER:
Yen Press / Ize Press

ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9798400903168

RATING:
4.5

 

 

Sangwoo Choo is a computer science major at Hanguk University. When his groupmates fail to help with a group presentation, he purposely deletes their name off the project. Sangwoo is unperturbed about the consequences of his actions. He needs to find a replacement graphic designer to replace the one who bailed on him. Unfortunately, Sangwoo finds out the designer he wants is one of the groupmates he wronged. The senior is intent on harassing him as payback and destroying his orderly, routine-oriented world.

Jaeyoung Jang is a charismatic and talented design major – who intends to study abroad in America once he graduates. His plans get dashed when a certain underclassman deletes Jaeyoung’s name off a necessary project. When he tries to confront the student, the young man refuses to answer his texts and messages. An opportunity arrives for Jaeyoung when Sangwoo tries to hire him to work on his video game. He decides to mess with Sangwoo. However, things start to change between the two men.

Sangwoo reminds me so much of Sheldon Cooper from the television show, BIG BANG THEORY. They have the same demeanors, need for routines (and behavior when that gets disrupted), and their interactions with others. I can understand why many of his fellow classmates and professors did not get along with him. His personality is one many would have trouble with.

Jaeyoung is fun! And he is Sangwoo’s complete (aka polar) opposite. People gravitate towards his carefree, friendly personality. However, he tends to be on the lazy side and procrastinate. That, in no way, affects his artistic talent. I love his interactions with Sangwoo. Yes, at the beginning, he disrupts the younger man’s orderly life. Yet, Jaeyoung starts to pick up things that people either overlook or have no interest in bothering to notice.

I have heard of the manhwa for some time. It is a highly recommended read in the BL fandom. I just never got around to reading it (because I could not find it in paperback format. My preference). I watched (and enjoyed) the live action. So, when I saw the novel form offered in Netgalley, I decided to give it a try. And man, how it ended made me want the next volume immediately.

I only had one problem. It has nothing to do with the story, plot or characters. Mainly it is the file sent to me from Netgalley. It would have been nice if the format was either epub or pdf, so I could have read it on my Kindle Fire. Instead, I received an LCPL file, which required me to download a specific program to access it. I had to read it on my computer – which was uncomfortable at times. I would have finished the novel way sooner if I could have read it on my Kindle.

Review for Mame Ohtako's "FLIP FLIP SLOWLY"

 

FLIP FLIP SLOWLY
BL/Yaoi, Slice of Life

 

 

 

AUTHOR:
Mame Ohtako

RELEASE DATE:
December 16, 2025

PUBLISHER:
Kodansha Comics

ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9798888775721

RATING:
4

 

 

Hagiwara is a librarian in a rural country town. He notices a newcomer who quickly becomes a regular. Hagiwara soon becomes curious about the man… and invites him on a drive. He cannot help falling in love with Yabumi. And he intends to prove that he is perfect for him.

Yabumi is a professor at a college. He returns home after his father passes to help his mother. During a lull in his commute, Yabumi finds a library, where he meets Hagiwara. At first, Yabumi is hesitant about opening himself up to the younger man. But Hagiwara’s persistence soon wins him over.

Yabumi is haunted by his past choices. It took a younger man, one almost like him, to give him all the things his past-self needed. This allowed Yabumi to come to terms with a lot of his inner issues and demons. I like what Yabumi told Hagiwara when he confessed his troubles of coming out to his dad.

I love how Hagiwara did not give up on Yabumi, even after the man warned him away. Instead, that doubled down his determination to win Yabumi’s love. He was not pushy about it either.

This was a cute yet touching one shot manga. The mangaka handled the age-gap romance wonderfully.