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Kaji Sukoshi & The Shining One
When the manager of Kazuki, Japan's hottest pop star, approaches Benjamin Blume, manager of the fledgling rock 'n' roll band Hayate, he can't believe their good fortune. Their plan to court publicity by having Hayate's lead singer, Kaji, pose as The Shining One's lover sends both groups' popularity skyrocketing. But when the publicity stunt turns into a real affair with disastrous consequences, Kaji is left heartbroken.
Unfortunately, Ben has problems of his own. Soothing his lead singer's pain and keeping Hayate on the road to success becomes even more challenging when his ex-lover, rock god Hagen Rune, shows up promoting rival band Voodoo. Torn between the attentions of Kazuki's attorney, Shin Yoshiro, and the feelings for Rune that have never quite died, Ben's decisions could send Hayate to the top of the charts—or lead to disaster for them all.
Unfortunately, Ben has problems of his own. Soothing his lead singer's pain and keeping Hayate on the road to success becomes even more challenging when his ex-lover, rock god Hagen Rune, shows up promoting rival band Voodoo. Torn between the attentions of Kazuki's attorney, Shin Yoshiro, and the feelings for Rune that have never quite died, Ben's decisions could send Hayate to the top of the charts—or lead to disaster for them all.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2009
1 person is currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Connie Bailey
51 books38 followersConnie Bailey is a Luddite who can’t live without her computer. She’s an acrophobic who loves to fly, a fault-finding pessimist who, nonetheless, is always surprised when something bad happens, and an antisocialite who loves her friends like family. She’s held a number of jobs in many disparate arenas to put food on the table, but writing is the occupation that feeds her soul.
Connie lives with her ultralight designer husband at a small grass-strip airfield halfway between Disney World and Busch Gardens. Logic and reality have had little to do with her life, and she likes it that way.
Connie lives with her ultralight designer husband at a small grass-strip airfield halfway between Disney World and Busch Gardens. Logic and reality have had little to do with her life, and she likes it that way.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 10, 2010
I’m not sure about other people but I wanted to read this book for the cover art. Sadly the cover art is no indication of the quality of the story but I do love great covers. It just makes me want to read the book and this was no exception. Unfortunately I found the story to be odd and detached, lacking that elemental connection of reader to characters. The writing style has several errors and the characterization is practically non-existent which left the story feeling bland and flat even with the enormous potential presented. Unfortunately the author made a mistake in the choice of narrator and the story never recovered.
The story primarily follows the career of manager Benjamin Blume as he takes care of the young men that comprise the Japanese rock band Hayate. Ben is approached by another manager suggesting a publicity stunt between Hayate’s openly gay lead singer, Kaji, and another popular singer Kazuki, also called The Shinning One. However both managers are surprised and dismayed when the fake relationship between the singers elicits real emotion. The tangled web of lies, deceit, and hidden activities that surrounds Kazuki now encompasses Ben and Hayate. While struggling to keep everything moving, Ben’s old lover returns and throws yet another wrench into the process.
Benjamin Blume is the narrator of the story, which is written in first person point of view. Unfortunately due to this choice, the other characters are never fully developed. The story only shows actions and reactions from Benjamin’s understanding and perspective which not only skews the book, but leaves virtually every other character woefully underutilized. The main source of drama and tension for the entire book is the on-again, off-again angst filled romance of Kaji and Kazuki. Since Ben is Kaji’s manager and very close friend, he is privy to some of the emotional turmoil going on between the two men but often leaves them alone to work out their problems. Ben also doesn’t understand either man very well so subsequently the reader doesn’t understand either man. The reader is shut out of the main dynamic of the book, the tumultuous relationship between the singers. The story also skips over most of the drama, summarizing lengthy events in a short paragraph before moving on to mundane day-to-day antics.
As narrator, Ben interacts with each of the band members as well as various other supporting cast members such as Kazuki’s manager, Sato, and his lawyer, Shin. However, these interactions are often brief and leave Ben confused and misdirected. Shin and Ben flirt and contemplate a brief affair but their interactions are formal, stiff, and lack any chemistry. Ben’s steadfast support of Shin later is questionable and unexplained. Just as mysterious is Kaji and Kazuki’s relationship. Frequently Ben questions the relationship and Kaji’s feelings only to be afforded the explanation that Ben doesn’t know Kazuki like Kaji does nor does he know their relationship. Unfortunately, this leaves the most interesting and intriguing aspect of the book, that very dynamic between Kaji and Kazuki, unexplained and confusing. The story offers nothing the narrator, Ben, doesn’t know or understand. While Ben is contemplating how to ensure the band is a success, the drama and tension of the book goes on around him without much depth even as it affects everyone.
Furthermore the inclusion of Ben’s old lover and renew love interest is completely unnecessary. Rune offers absolutely nothing to the story other than to give Ben the one explicit sex scene while dragging out the final resolution. Rune’s contributions to the story and ending could easily have been cut out. The romance between Rune and Ben is easy and convenient as Ben gets over his previous grudge rather quickly and picks up where the two left off, immediately in love. Thus the united duo of managers – Rune is yet another manager, this time of the band Vudu – take on the problem of Kaji/Kazuki’s rocky relationship. The complicated relationships between the managers and band members are not confusing; they just add little to the ultimate story.
Unfortunately Ben often thinks of himself as old and that translates through his voice as narrator. He often uses unattractive word choices such as consistently referring to his dick as his “willy” even during sex. This choice of language is distracting as it is hard to imagine a 33 year old man with a history in sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll always saying such things as willy and bum cheeks when thinking about sex. Ben is British so perhaps that is the reason for using such terminology but it doesn’t fit with his character and ultimately the sex scene was unattractive and not sexy. Although early thirties and early forties are still attractive men, when faced with the non-stop and repetitive descriptions of how hot, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous, and delicious the various members of the bands are – Ben and Rune suffer by comparison. This ultimately left me wanting to read about Kaji and Kazuki’s relationship and less about Ben’s inept observations and lukewarm relationship with Rune.
Overall this story had a lot of potential in the dynamic between the band members but lost that spark of interest when the focus was shifted to the outsider looking in, Ben. Due to the choice of narrator, the reader is also relegated as an outsider instead of the intimate appeal that normally typifies the first person voice. The various characters have appeal, especially with their fun loving interaction with each other, but were flat and under developed leaving the men vague and indistinct. The final resolution is boring as there was no build up of tension leading to the dramatic ending event. The narrator consistently fails to understand the hints offered. Ultimately since the story chose to focus the action and intensity on the relationship between Kaji and Kazuki, the lack of understanding and insight to the characters leaves this as a failed execution.
The story primarily follows the career of manager Benjamin Blume as he takes care of the young men that comprise the Japanese rock band Hayate. Ben is approached by another manager suggesting a publicity stunt between Hayate’s openly gay lead singer, Kaji, and another popular singer Kazuki, also called The Shinning One. However both managers are surprised and dismayed when the fake relationship between the singers elicits real emotion. The tangled web of lies, deceit, and hidden activities that surrounds Kazuki now encompasses Ben and Hayate. While struggling to keep everything moving, Ben’s old lover returns and throws yet another wrench into the process.
Benjamin Blume is the narrator of the story, which is written in first person point of view. Unfortunately due to this choice, the other characters are never fully developed. The story only shows actions and reactions from Benjamin’s understanding and perspective which not only skews the book, but leaves virtually every other character woefully underutilized. The main source of drama and tension for the entire book is the on-again, off-again angst filled romance of Kaji and Kazuki. Since Ben is Kaji’s manager and very close friend, he is privy to some of the emotional turmoil going on between the two men but often leaves them alone to work out their problems. Ben also doesn’t understand either man very well so subsequently the reader doesn’t understand either man. The reader is shut out of the main dynamic of the book, the tumultuous relationship between the singers. The story also skips over most of the drama, summarizing lengthy events in a short paragraph before moving on to mundane day-to-day antics.
As narrator, Ben interacts with each of the band members as well as various other supporting cast members such as Kazuki’s manager, Sato, and his lawyer, Shin. However, these interactions are often brief and leave Ben confused and misdirected. Shin and Ben flirt and contemplate a brief affair but their interactions are formal, stiff, and lack any chemistry. Ben’s steadfast support of Shin later is questionable and unexplained. Just as mysterious is Kaji and Kazuki’s relationship. Frequently Ben questions the relationship and Kaji’s feelings only to be afforded the explanation that Ben doesn’t know Kazuki like Kaji does nor does he know their relationship. Unfortunately, this leaves the most interesting and intriguing aspect of the book, that very dynamic between Kaji and Kazuki, unexplained and confusing. The story offers nothing the narrator, Ben, doesn’t know or understand. While Ben is contemplating how to ensure the band is a success, the drama and tension of the book goes on around him without much depth even as it affects everyone.
Furthermore the inclusion of Ben’s old lover and renew love interest is completely unnecessary. Rune offers absolutely nothing to the story other than to give Ben the one explicit sex scene while dragging out the final resolution. Rune’s contributions to the story and ending could easily have been cut out. The romance between Rune and Ben is easy and convenient as Ben gets over his previous grudge rather quickly and picks up where the two left off, immediately in love. Thus the united duo of managers – Rune is yet another manager, this time of the band Vudu – take on the problem of Kaji/Kazuki’s rocky relationship. The complicated relationships between the managers and band members are not confusing; they just add little to the ultimate story.
Unfortunately Ben often thinks of himself as old and that translates through his voice as narrator. He often uses unattractive word choices such as consistently referring to his dick as his “willy” even during sex. This choice of language is distracting as it is hard to imagine a 33 year old man with a history in sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll always saying such things as willy and bum cheeks when thinking about sex. Ben is British so perhaps that is the reason for using such terminology but it doesn’t fit with his character and ultimately the sex scene was unattractive and not sexy. Although early thirties and early forties are still attractive men, when faced with the non-stop and repetitive descriptions of how hot, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous, and delicious the various members of the bands are – Ben and Rune suffer by comparison. This ultimately left me wanting to read about Kaji and Kazuki’s relationship and less about Ben’s inept observations and lukewarm relationship with Rune.
Overall this story had a lot of potential in the dynamic between the band members but lost that spark of interest when the focus was shifted to the outsider looking in, Ben. Due to the choice of narrator, the reader is also relegated as an outsider instead of the intimate appeal that normally typifies the first person voice. The various characters have appeal, especially with their fun loving interaction with each other, but were flat and under developed leaving the men vague and indistinct. The final resolution is boring as there was no build up of tension leading to the dramatic ending event. The narrator consistently fails to understand the hints offered. Ultimately since the story chose to focus the action and intensity on the relationship between Kaji and Kazuki, the lack of understanding and insight to the characters leaves this as a failed execution.
Read
July 2, 2009Sitting down to write this review what is whirling in my mind is that the novel was not at all what I was expecting and that it surprised me in more point than one... and that, in a way, it was also a teasing book.
The story is told in first point of view by Benjamin Blume, a former rock and roll groupie London boy of the late '80, who now, 20 years later, is become a rock band manager in Tokyo. He is the manager of Hayate, a young boys band which is struggling to emerge, but they have potential and Ben believes in them. He is also very protective, like a mother hen, especially for Kaji, Little Fire, the lead singer. Barely legal, Kaji as a past of troubled teenager and for what I understood, Ben took him from the street. Ben and the four boys are now living in a former garage turned in both studio than living apartment. Having seen all in his years, Ben is trying to smooth the path for "his" boys.
Then Ben receives a proposal: an idol of Japanese pop music, Kazuki, The Shining One, is searching for a pretty boy to pose as his lover. Saro, Kazuki's manager and brother, wants to profit of Kazuki's androgynous imagine, and of the gossip around his sexuality, to raise interest on him. The two boys haven't to do anything special, just appear on some official occasion and being a little more intimate that two friends would be. There will be no official statement, the media will buzz around and do their suggestions, and they will not confirm them. Ben, after consulting with his protege, accepts, knowing that this will help his band to obtain a contract with Kazuki's production company. But he doesn't know that Kaji has a teenager crush on Kazuki, and that for his "little" boy it will not be only a posing.
Kaji ends with a broken heart, and Ben would like for him to forget everything about Kazuki, but Kaji can't; Ben is not able to understand the relationship between Kaji and Kazuki, above all since he finds Kazuki to be cold and aloof, but Kaji is always ready to justify and support his lover. It's very interesting to see the clashing of culture between Ben's point of view and Kaji, above all since Ben had a similar experience in the past: when he was less than 20 he was in love with Rune, a wanna-be singer; he thought to the man as a God, and he behaved like his welcome carpet... Obviously the relationship was doomed and Ben went away with a broken heart and bitter regrets. Now, at the same time when the story is repeating between Kaji and Kazuki, Rune reappears in Ben's life, claiming his forever love for Ben and wanting to start again. And to add trouble to trouble, Ben is also starting to feel something for Yoshi, Kazuki's lawyer, a man who is the symbol of all it's Japanese: gentle, caring, understanding. Yoshi also pushes Ben to analyze his lasting feelings for Rune, and to not rush the things between them if Ben is not sure that he is not still in love with Rune.
When I said that the novel was not what I was expecting, I mean that it's way more deep and serious than the sex, drugs and rock and roll type of story I was ready to read. Plus, I was also very ready to have the usual "lightness" of a yaoi novels, with uke, seme, blushing cheeks, big blurry eyes, and so on... Not at all. The story has more the feeling of Ben's reaction to this world, like a detached glance: Kaji and Kazuki's relationship is seen from the outside, the only sexual contacts we read are witnessed through Ben's eyes, as he himself is witnessing them. And so there is almost no sex for more than 200 of the 260 pages of the book. It was strange, I started the book expecting to find it sexy and explicit, not only for the yaoi factor, but also since Connie Bailey, in her last two long novels I read by her, has used me to be so; at first the lack of sex was frustrating, I was turning every page expecting that that would have been THE page. More I turned pages, less sex I found, and more I was involved in the story. The sex was no more important, I was more enthralled by the story, I was inside Ben and I was eager like him to see that "his" Kaji was not armed. I became the mother hen. And when finally the sex arrived (and not between Kaji and Kazuki, remember, I was Ben in that moment), it was a nice surprise, an added bonus, but not more the main focus of the story. In the course of the book, the author manages to change my mind, and making me close the book fully satisfied.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615810137/?...
The story is told in first point of view by Benjamin Blume, a former rock and roll groupie London boy of the late '80, who now, 20 years later, is become a rock band manager in Tokyo. He is the manager of Hayate, a young boys band which is struggling to emerge, but they have potential and Ben believes in them. He is also very protective, like a mother hen, especially for Kaji, Little Fire, the lead singer. Barely legal, Kaji as a past of troubled teenager and for what I understood, Ben took him from the street. Ben and the four boys are now living in a former garage turned in both studio than living apartment. Having seen all in his years, Ben is trying to smooth the path for "his" boys.
Then Ben receives a proposal: an idol of Japanese pop music, Kazuki, The Shining One, is searching for a pretty boy to pose as his lover. Saro, Kazuki's manager and brother, wants to profit of Kazuki's androgynous imagine, and of the gossip around his sexuality, to raise interest on him. The two boys haven't to do anything special, just appear on some official occasion and being a little more intimate that two friends would be. There will be no official statement, the media will buzz around and do their suggestions, and they will not confirm them. Ben, after consulting with his protege, accepts, knowing that this will help his band to obtain a contract with Kazuki's production company. But he doesn't know that Kaji has a teenager crush on Kazuki, and that for his "little" boy it will not be only a posing.
Kaji ends with a broken heart, and Ben would like for him to forget everything about Kazuki, but Kaji can't; Ben is not able to understand the relationship between Kaji and Kazuki, above all since he finds Kazuki to be cold and aloof, but Kaji is always ready to justify and support his lover. It's very interesting to see the clashing of culture between Ben's point of view and Kaji, above all since Ben had a similar experience in the past: when he was less than 20 he was in love with Rune, a wanna-be singer; he thought to the man as a God, and he behaved like his welcome carpet... Obviously the relationship was doomed and Ben went away with a broken heart and bitter regrets. Now, at the same time when the story is repeating between Kaji and Kazuki, Rune reappears in Ben's life, claiming his forever love for Ben and wanting to start again. And to add trouble to trouble, Ben is also starting to feel something for Yoshi, Kazuki's lawyer, a man who is the symbol of all it's Japanese: gentle, caring, understanding. Yoshi also pushes Ben to analyze his lasting feelings for Rune, and to not rush the things between them if Ben is not sure that he is not still in love with Rune.
When I said that the novel was not what I was expecting, I mean that it's way more deep and serious than the sex, drugs and rock and roll type of story I was ready to read. Plus, I was also very ready to have the usual "lightness" of a yaoi novels, with uke, seme, blushing cheeks, big blurry eyes, and so on... Not at all. The story has more the feeling of Ben's reaction to this world, like a detached glance: Kaji and Kazuki's relationship is seen from the outside, the only sexual contacts we read are witnessed through Ben's eyes, as he himself is witnessing them. And so there is almost no sex for more than 200 of the 260 pages of the book. It was strange, I started the book expecting to find it sexy and explicit, not only for the yaoi factor, but also since Connie Bailey, in her last two long novels I read by her, has used me to be so; at first the lack of sex was frustrating, I was turning every page expecting that that would have been THE page. More I turned pages, less sex I found, and more I was involved in the story. The sex was no more important, I was more enthralled by the story, I was inside Ben and I was eager like him to see that "his" Kaji was not armed. I became the mother hen. And when finally the sex arrived (and not between Kaji and Kazuki, remember, I was Ben in that moment), it was a nice surprise, an added bonus, but not more the main focus of the story. In the course of the book, the author manages to change my mind, and making me close the book fully satisfied.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615810137/?...
August 23, 2025
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book had me diving into the list of author Connie Bailey’s other works as soon as I had finished ‘Kaji Sukoshi- The Shining One’. I just loved this, it had so much variety going on in the background of what initially was a story about Benjamin Blume 33 year old, a former Rock Band manager in the UK many years ago. He left it all behind when his now ex lover Hagen Rune, a singing Viking God, broke his heart. The other element entwined in the story is the young man of the title, 20 year old Kaji Sukoshi, lead singer/songwriter writer in Hayate, the Rock Group that Benji now manages in Tokyo. Kaji has become the focus of the biggest star performer in Asia, Kazuki, whose much older brother Ichiro Sato, his Agent and the Music Studio manager, has tricked both men into pretending they are an item not only to get more publicity in the world stage, but for hidden reasons known only to him.
These four men are the romantic interest here, Benji and Rune, Kaji and Kazuki. Kaji and Kazuki can’t keep their hands off each other when they are in the same room. Ichiro Sato is not a happy man when he discovers that Kazuki and Kaji have formed a genuine emotional attachment, though it appears just more of a physical connection at times on Kazuki side. Big Brother sets in motion some very unsavoury events that drives them apart. However, Kazuki keeps popping back into Kaji life, prolonging his heartbreak, much to ‘mother hen’ Benji’s annoyance.
Everything starts to go so horribly wrong, when Kazuki was left battered and bruised by unknown attackers. There is very strange person, Mr. Shin, a lawyer, supposed to be looking out for Kazuki’s interests, even though he is apparently employed by Big brother Ichiro Sato who appears to hate Kazuki.
The suspense builds as Kazuki and Kaji become real lovers and Sato and Mr Shin are supposed to be trying to solve the mystery of attack. Mr. Shin, has also shown a romantic interest in Benji, who is not opposed to his vague innuendos and dewy eyed stares. A spanner is thrown into the plot when Benji spots Rune at a venue in Tokyo his world turns upside down and he refuses to speak with him.
All of this is going on while Benji is trying to organise the biggest concert Hayate have ever performed at. There is so much more shenanigans going on, one, a huge trick being played on MC’s that had me mad as a bull in a china shop.
Benji is the one trying to hold them all together and keep performing. He tries to take special care of his ‘ichiban’ Kaji, who he looks after like a big brother as well as the 3 other guys in the band who play major part in the story as side characters. It all becomes very dangerous when people are kidnapped, injured and Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) enter and Benji is confused as to who are friends or enemies. The struggle for HEA’s was a rough road.
Such a good read for me as I adore my Asian based stories, especially Japanese ones, because they are more gritty and realistic on the MM romantic front than KDramas.
This book had me diving into the list of author Connie Bailey’s other works as soon as I had finished ‘Kaji Sukoshi- The Shining One’. I just loved this, it had so much variety going on in the background of what initially was a story about Benjamin Blume 33 year old, a former Rock Band manager in the UK many years ago. He left it all behind when his now ex lover Hagen Rune, a singing Viking God, broke his heart. The other element entwined in the story is the young man of the title, 20 year old Kaji Sukoshi, lead singer/songwriter writer in Hayate, the Rock Group that Benji now manages in Tokyo. Kaji has become the focus of the biggest star performer in Asia, Kazuki, whose much older brother Ichiro Sato, his Agent and the Music Studio manager, has tricked both men into pretending they are an item not only to get more publicity in the world stage, but for hidden reasons known only to him.
These four men are the romantic interest here, Benji and Rune, Kaji and Kazuki. Kaji and Kazuki can’t keep their hands off each other when they are in the same room. Ichiro Sato is not a happy man when he discovers that Kazuki and Kaji have formed a genuine emotional attachment, though it appears just more of a physical connection at times on Kazuki side. Big Brother sets in motion some very unsavoury events that drives them apart. However, Kazuki keeps popping back into Kaji life, prolonging his heartbreak, much to ‘mother hen’ Benji’s annoyance.
Everything starts to go so horribly wrong, when Kazuki was left battered and bruised by unknown attackers. There is very strange person, Mr. Shin, a lawyer, supposed to be looking out for Kazuki’s interests, even though he is apparently employed by Big brother Ichiro Sato who appears to hate Kazuki.
The suspense builds as Kazuki and Kaji become real lovers and Sato and Mr Shin are supposed to be trying to solve the mystery of attack. Mr. Shin, has also shown a romantic interest in Benji, who is not opposed to his vague innuendos and dewy eyed stares. A spanner is thrown into the plot when Benji spots Rune at a venue in Tokyo his world turns upside down and he refuses to speak with him.
All of this is going on while Benji is trying to organise the biggest concert Hayate have ever performed at. There is so much more shenanigans going on, one, a huge trick being played on MC’s that had me mad as a bull in a china shop.
Benji is the one trying to hold them all together and keep performing. He tries to take special care of his ‘ichiban’ Kaji, who he looks after like a big brother as well as the 3 other guys in the band who play major part in the story as side characters. It all becomes very dangerous when people are kidnapped, injured and Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) enter and Benji is confused as to who are friends or enemies. The struggle for HEA’s was a rough road.
Such a good read for me as I adore my Asian based stories, especially Japanese ones, because they are more gritty and realistic on the MM romantic front than KDramas.
April 16, 2017
The romance of this M/M romance takes a back seat to the adventure within the story.
August 24, 2010
I was expecting one thing and something a little different. Let me say, it was not a bad story. I just had a bit of a problem with the POV of the story.
The relationship of Kaji and Kazuki was told from the POV of another character in the story. The way it's set up is Kaji is the lead singer in the band Hayate, an up-and-coming Japanese rock 'n roll group. Kazuki is the hottest Japanese solo artist. Kazuki's manager/half brother calls Hayate's manager, Benjamin Blume and convinces him to get his lead singer to agree to a publicity stunt where Kazuki and Kaji are together as boyfriends. Their story is told by Benjamin, who also has a story going on when he runs into his ex-boyfriend, Rune, who is also a manager of a band. Benjamin is also attracted to the Kazuki's lawyer, Yoshiro. At times, it felt as though Kaji and Kazuki's story was background to his story. The smex between Kaji and Kazuki was mentioned in passing. The smex we do get (one scene near the end) is Benjamin's. Throughout the whole story Kazuki acts like Jekyll and Hyde, with his mood swings. When I finally figured out a bit of the story it kinda turns at the end to involve Yakuza (Japanese Mafia). Not that it wasn't too far fetch (I think, but I'm guessing). I wanted more of Kazuki and Kaji and not a third party telling the story.
The relationship of Kaji and Kazuki was told from the POV of another character in the story. The way it's set up is Kaji is the lead singer in the band Hayate, an up-and-coming Japanese rock 'n roll group. Kazuki is the hottest Japanese solo artist. Kazuki's manager/half brother calls Hayate's manager, Benjamin Blume and convinces him to get his lead singer to agree to a publicity stunt where Kazuki and Kaji are together as boyfriends. Their story is told by Benjamin, who also has a story going on when he runs into his ex-boyfriend, Rune, who is also a manager of a band. Benjamin is also attracted to the Kazuki's lawyer, Yoshiro. At times, it felt as though Kaji and Kazuki's story was background to his story. The smex between Kaji and Kazuki was mentioned in passing. The smex we do get (one scene near the end) is Benjamin's. Throughout the whole story Kazuki acts like Jekyll and Hyde, with his mood swings. When I finally figured out a bit of the story it kinda turns at the end to involve Yakuza (Japanese Mafia). Not that it wasn't too far fetch (I think, but I'm guessing). I wanted more of Kazuki and Kaji and not a third party telling the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2010
I didn't give 3 star to this book for two simply reasons:
* I think that the way the love story between Kaji and Kazuki was told (by a 3rd point of view - Kaji's manager)rendered it too impersonal;
* I couldn't stand the Kazuki character from the start and nothing in the next pages made him any more bearable
* I think that the way the love story between Kaji and Kazuki was told (by a 3rd point of view - Kaji's manager)rendered it too impersonal;
* I couldn't stand the Kazuki character from the start and nothing in the next pages made him any more bearable
January 24, 2010
4.5 stars.
August 3, 2010
Very well written and entertaining. I was guessing what The Shining One was really thinking till the very end of the book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews