Snag Your Copy Knave Of Broken Hearts (Love In Laguna, #2) Scripted By Tara Lain Supplied As Audio Book
sweet and satisfying story,
I liked Jim, despite sometimes getting a little frustrated with his not being gay while getting off on gay manga thing.
But he is still a good guy that tries so hard to do the right thing, even if he does it the wrong way.
Ken was sweet, but I really wanted him to stand up to his mother or have her see what she was doing to him.
As for the big nasty I really wish Ken had joined up with the others to support them.
I get the feeling they were not as lucky as Ken, I wanted to see that trio jailed BIG TIME,
Overall a sweet but at times intense read, Just my cup of tea, And a surprise outcome with Constance, I was not a fan of her at first but I got to admit I liked the way she handled things at the end.
So. I'm sufficiently pumped full of pain killers to finally write this review without giving a fuck anymore, If you feel like I'm yelling the whole time despite having already calmed down a bit You're right,
The short version is: I hated this book, I hated it with a vengeance and the only reason I finished it at all is that I wanted to get the complete fucked up picture before starting my rant.
The long version will contain spoilers on top of spoilers, although in this case, I'd like to think of them as trigger warnings.
Because that's what this book would have needed right from the getgo, Among other things.
Now, where to start,
How about the racism and fetishizing then
Ken, the cliché gay player/successful doctor, is not able to stand up for himself when it comes to his Japanese family, especially his mother.
She's controlling, she doesn't accept him and pushes him on other people like a price cow/bull/whatever, I'm a European White Girl with many things I have no clue about, but when I call "clichéd bullshit" in a context like this It must be bad, okay It must be really bad.
Also, in what world is the fact that a white clueless, closeted guy fetishizes an Asian MC to the point where he doesn't even think of his "crush" by his name but "yaoi man".
Really Really! Ken could have been anyone, ANYONE, as long as he was an Asian PoC, Jim and the author could happily fap over him.
Because that's all he was good for, apparently, A fetish. Not a person, a PoC, a human being, But an "exotic" fetish to wank over,
Third. I'm in no way an expert on comics, manga, yaoi or bara, But. At least I know there is a difference As in: If you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about, do some damn research before you appropriate something that is not yours Just a thought.
And even if I was willing to completely put aside the shitshow that is romanticizedampfeitshized racism in this book which I am very much not what else was there A couple of gang rape attempts yes, plural.
And just to complete the fuckery, it's the same gang trying to rape Ken twice because after the first time, of course he would agree to a second date with one of the assholes.
Right Right. Of course. The sexual situations between the two MCs made it so much better though, Because they weren't flat out rape, . . all the time. There was also a healthy dose of dubcon, noncon, coercion and "only" sexual assault, It's a rapeculturetriggershitshow from beginning to end,
In conclusion, if I could give this book dumpster fires instead of, there would be at least five.
If I could rate itstars, I'd take that too, Because evenstar is too much for this atrocity, And I'm not even sorry for being vulgar and loud, BIG red flag in the blurb: "his yaoi dream comes to life in the form of cardiologist Ken Tanaka"
Excuse you, but Asians are not your "exotic" sex dreams.
Get your fetishizing whitey Orientalist shit out of my face,
laments when is Orientalism going to go out of style looks around pointedly at recent Met exhibit apparently not yet.
. .
See, there's a reason I don't tend to like reading things, especially M/M, with Asian characters, and I'm looking at a prime example.
Also, wow, "Ken is a major player" "oversexed Asian" stereotype much I mean, is it possible that it's handled well and subverted Possibly, but looks pointedly at blurb my hopes are NOT high.
See also: sitelinkJulio's review, wherein he cites many other reviews warning others of the multiple sexual assaults that happen.
gay men as rape barbies: the definitive case,
fuck spoiler tagsdis some mindpoison right hurr, i'm out for blood.
so, this book is a gigantic no for me,
why, you ask
because sitelinkthis reviewer said:
I hated that Ken was roofied and almost gangbanged hated only because I really liked Ken and the scene had me practically climbing the walls praying Jim would get there in time, but I hated it more that Jim and Ken didn't report the fuckers.
I really hated that. Like, what Then I hated it even more that as a direct result of not turning those fuckers in earlier that Ken was
almost raped again by the gangbang squad later in the story!
Grrr!
and then that same reviewer said:
.
. . I cannot believe I forgot to rant about the multiple sexual assaults that occur!
The first time Ken and Jim have sex Ken is roofied and Jim takes him home to sleep it off.
Jim, after being uncomfortable in a chair, finally lays on the bed and goes to sleep, He dreams he's getting his dick sucked and wakes up enough to come hard, When he fully awakes Ken is back asleep and he passes it off as something that maybe didn't happen.
But later Ken recalls it slightly so it did actually happen,
. The second time they have sex it's right after a guy Ken screwed once but kind of won't leave him alone takes advantage of Ken getting him wasted drunk and is then blowing him to Ken's repeated protestations and pleas to stop.
Jim breaks it up and then proceeds, when Ken begs him still drunk here, to fuck him,
. Another time they have sex Ken is passed out asleep in his office chair and Jim comes into his office, takes down his pants and swallows his cock.
Ken wakes up in time to come,
and then sitelinkanother reviewer said:
Ken is almost raped by a group of guys at a club.
He's brought there by a date and then the date's friends drug him with the intent of a gang bang.
AND THEN KEN AGREES TO ANOTHER DATE WITH THE GUY, WHAT! I mean, the attempted rape was totally unnecessary but not DNF worthy, But then Ken decides to keep dating the guy not Jim even though he doesn't like him to begin with That's bananas.
And then the first sexual experience between the two MCs is yet ANOTHER example of dubious consent, Jim is asleep and Ken is drugged, Not sexy. I started skimming after that, And then Ken gets drunk and forced into sexual activity AGAIN by another guy, Jim saving the day in both instances but it had me screaming at my phone "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME TANAKA" And then of course immediately after being forced into oral sex that he doesn't want, Ken asks Jim who is in theory straight and has no sexual experience with men to fuck him.
AND JIM SAYS YES. Even though he knows Ken is too fucked up to really consent,
but basically all you need to know is what sitelinkthis reviewer said:
Consent it's a thing, y'all.
honestly, parsing what all that might mean becomes even more completely nuts when you consider that this lolling, simpering, walking fuckhole of a man is supposedly a doctor.
pass the phenobarbitol my love life is dire and i hope to be nearlyraped twice so that i can find a man.
go home, MM,
yer drunk.
"That's sexual assault, MULTIPLE TIMES!" starI'm fucking shocked, I liked the first book in this series and was really looking forward to reading the sequel, I enjoyed how the author portrayed Chase in Bookas feminine but strong, This book just went completely sideways aroundand then was downright awful after that, I rarely givestar reviews, And I mean rarely. So here's why I'm just speechless. I will have to really think in the future if I want to read this author again, I'm still left with this uneasy wonderment of "Did the author just do that to me" Oh wow, This was a wild ride, But something about this book left me with a sour after taste, Stellar writing as always though from Tara, DNF
I loved Tara Lains Genetic Attraction Series and I was expecting this book to be as good as thosebut Oh My Goodness!!! Im sorry Ms Lainbut I just did not like Knave of Broken Hearts Love in Laguna,I really tried to like itbut I gave up around!!
I could not get into any of the characters.
Kena doctor Really Didnt feel real to me,
Jimwhat, hes GFY Never!! Hes been j off when he looks at Yaoi pictures!!! What the hell are those I asked myselfso off I went googling.
and learnt something newas described on google
Yaoi properly ja, o. i, informally /jaʊi/, also known as Boys' Love BL, is a Japanese genre of fictional media focusing on romantic or sexual relationships between male characters, typically aimed at a female audience and usually created by female authors.Oh I see!!! So thats why butch and manly Jim luvs Kernbecause he reminds him of a Yaoi!!! So, Jim.
you did not GFY at allyou have been in the closet for a very very very long time!!!!!
So, why the hell does it take him so long to admit and get it together with sexy and cute Ken.
because by the time I gave upnothing had happened between these two!!!!
You know, as I kept turning the pages I wondered if this was the same author of the books I have read by Tara Lain.
I really hate giving up on any book, and hate it even more giving a bad reviewbut I had to be honest about my feelings, and thats what this review is aboutwhat I thought about the novel, I am sure that there are readers out there that will enjoy this onebut meNO,
Wow, this was certainly different than the first one in this series ! I loved seeing some of the previous characters, but the new main guys were a different story.
Ken, Cardiologist and player, is from a strict Japanese family, He doesn't want to marry who his mother picks out for him, Jim is given the task of running the construction job while Billy and Shaz are on their honeymoon, He's tired of trying to like women, and realizes he likes Ken, Jim, has always had a fetish of Japanese porn, and Ken fits that groove,
These two just weren't likable to me, They lacked backbone, morals, and steadiness, We have deception, Jim's brother dropping in, Constance wanting Jim, conniving measures by her Dad and Jim's Dad, lots of creeps in the mix, too.
Ken is drugged and nearly raped, twice in this book ! Jim saves him the first time, Finally after Jim's emergency heart surgery, Ken and Jim get their heads together,
I liked the end, but the two main guys were strange to me,
Ken was weird for a doctor, too loose, stalking Jim, a repeated victim, and flighty, Jim was a closet gay nearly his whole life, and now decides he wants Ken, but still dates Constance under threats from his dad.
These two just weren't likable to me, They lacked backbone, morals, and steadiness, I liked Ian, Constance and Ian's cat, Anderson, Of course I liked the guys from the first story, too, But this one just felt off because Jim and Ken never really spent time together, got to know each other, or developed a bond of any kind.
Give it a try and see what you think,
.