Itinerant Librarian on Books

This is basically a romance with an office setting, or if you need to get specific, a secretary and boss affair, only with guys. Not saying that lightly. For all the controversy a title like this can have (and I am speaking for a moment as a librarian), this is basically a romance novel, fairly heavy on the sex that involves two guys instead of a heterosexual couple. What I am trying to say is that is that is is not a big deal as some people would make it out to be. Now, leaving that aside, let's look at the book itself. If you like yaoi romances, you may or not like this one. Yes, you have the two handsome boys. First, we have Tsukasa, the male secretary just dumped by his boss who is marrying the company president's daughter in order to further his career. Then we have the new "hired gun" for Dai Tech. Takemisha, who is brought in by the venerable (but apparently starting to slip) father of the company's president to save a very important account. The reason I say many readers of this genre may not like this book is that Tsukasa, the secretary, is an extremely insecure guy. His constant worrying and other insecurities do get irritating for the reader after a while. Mind you, Tsukasa is not some hack without skills; he is very good at his job, very skilled, so on, a great worker. However, he is also seen by others as a "cold beauty," where others see him as an object of admiration, but not necessarily affection. The story starts when Tsukasa meets a mysterious stranger at a bar. They have a one night stand, which over time becomes a regular affair. Only problem is the stranger never reveals his name. However, Tsukasa comes to look forward to his encounters with the stranger. Like any other romance, there are some twists, revelations, so on. The kind of thing fans of the genre will likely enjoy. It is a very light read, but as I mentioned, Tsukasa's insecurity can get a little irritating, even for fans. And no, I do not say that because this is a yaoi novel; if this was a "garden variety" romance, and the heroine was a constant worry wart, I'd probably be irritated too. I think it is a flaw in this novel, not of the genre. And if you like your romances steamy, this is certainly up your alley. The book does feature illustrations, which is why I tagged it for the manga, etc. tag (that, and it is published by a DMP imprint). And who says romances do not offer insights. Look for the small remark Takemisha makes about large family owned companies; he may have a point. In the end, I gave it two stars mostly because it was ok. I can see where it falls within the formulas of the genre, and readers who really like this may enjoy it. However, the character of Tsukasa, especially his high level of insecurity, did make the reading a little irritating. That may be more a reflection of me as a reader (romance is not one of my favorite genres, though I will read a good yaoi or yuri novel or manga now and then). Anyhow, amusing, but just ok.