Secrets & Sake is part one of the Paranormal Yakuza duet. People are disappearing from the streets of Tokyo, and journalist Jinta is committed to investigating, even if it means going undercover as a photographer for the Yakuza. Werewolf Raiden is a reluctant enforcer for the Yakuza, and he certainly doesn't believe in fated mates, until Jinta enters his life.
From the blurb:
He’s a yakuza with secrets. I’m the reporter determined to bring them to light.
When people start going missing, I sense a story that could make my whole career. I even have the perfect suspect: Raiden Noboru, enforcer for the most powerful yakuza organization in Japan.
The plan is simple: go undercover as "Hiro" the photographer, cozy up to Raiden, and discover all he knows about the disappearances.
Problem is? Raiden isn't the monster I thought he was. The beast beneath his skin is fiercely protective of what's his, but he worships my body and soul, showing me a tender side of himself he hides from the rest of the world.
But I've got a story to tell. All I have to do... is betray the man I'm falling for.
Raiden
I stopped believing in fated mates long ago. Love only ends in heartbreak.
Ever since I was a boy, my only purpose has been to serve the Namikawa-kai.
Until him. The minute I see Hiro smile like a sunbeam and catch his cherry blossom scent, I've got to have him. What I thought would be a casual fling becomes so much more. Hiro is mine. Mine to care for, mine to protect. No one else can have him.
Before I realize it, I'm beginning to dream of a life outside the yakuza, a life with Hiro. Too bad that’s all it’ll ever be. A dream. I’ll never make someone as innocent as Hiro happy. I’m a criminal, and I’m no good for him…
…But I can’t stay away from him.
Secrets & Sake is book 1 in A Paranormal Yakuza Duet. It features insta-love, fated mates and wolf shifters, a sunshine undercover reporter and the grumpy yakuza soft only for him, loads of possessive touch-him-and-die vibes, plenty of searingly hot spice, and a Happy-For-Now conclusion.
SNik's review:
First in duet (A Paranormal Yakuza Duet). Paranormal. Fated mates. Dual POV. Heed content warnings.
Jinta is a journalist desperate to prove himself, and secretly investigating a series of missing people leads him to the handsome Yakuza enforcer Raiden. Immediately entranced by the photographer ke knows as Hiro, Raiden can’t imagine a life outside the Yakuza, but Hiro makes him yearn for more. Both Jinta and Raiden have secrets, but their immediate connection leads them to consider prioritizing each other instead of their jobs.
I appreciated the easy acceptance Jinta has of the paranormal aspects of the world, and of course the possessive yet cinnamon roll Raiden was swoony. These two have many spicy interactions, but also share their backgrounds with each other and build something that quickly causes them to feel committed regardless of the barriers they have to overcome. Both the story and the characters worked for me and I found the twists entertaining and the start of the relationship enticing, this is an HFN so I look forward to finding out where this duet series goes.
Molly Otto's review:
Two worlds collide in this Yakuza romance. Hiro is a sweet, innocent ray of light who wants to find out where the missing woman of Tokyo is going. What he doesn't expect is Raiden. Raiden is his fated mate who will do anything and everything to protect what is his. The closer their bond becomes, the deeper Hiro must dive into this world, even if that means losing a part of himself. With these two together, will they be able to make the changes needed to thrive in this new world. This is action-packed and high heat from start to finish. My only complaint is that I lost part of the story at times and took me a bit to get back into the world. It's still worth moving forward reading the second half of the story.
You can appreciate the effort the author took in understanding the Japanese Yakuza culture to write a story to not offend the culture.
You can appreciate the effort the author took in understanding the Japanese Yakuza culture to write a story to not offend the culture.
This book ends on a soft cliffhanger for more danger upon their world, making you wonder will both make it out alive?
I have only read a few books that has had Japanese characters, so for this book to have Japanese characters and it taking place in Japan was a new experience for me. I found this story to be quite interesting and very unique. The aspect of the Kitsune, and the uniqueness of the werewolves were very intriguing to me.
I liked that CJ did her best to be as accurate as possible portraying the Japanese Culture, and the stories that originated in Japan. The history behind the Kitsune for example, was something I enjoyed learning about. The way CJ wrote about the history of the Kitsune, and how the clans originated was done very well and was quite believable.
Something that I look for in books is if the world building is intriguing, detailed, and as realistic as it can be, even if it's made up. And CJ checked each of those boxes, each location that was mentioned was heavily detailed, and those details continued throughout the story.
Now for the romance part of this story... Raiden and Jinta's relationship starts off with a bit of a slow-burn, but with high heat. The feelings were slow to develop and they took their time getting to know one another personally, but they started their steamy times not too long after meeting. I thought their relationship developed nicely, I thought the flow was good. I wish that there wasn't so much of a focus on the steamy scenes and more focus on these two interacting as a couple, but that's just a minor detail.
The dialogue that occured during this story was superb! There was so many different characters that were apart of this story and all of the conversations that happened just made sense. I found the action scenes to be a great addition to the story! My favorite part was the mystery element surrounding who, or what, was responsible for all of the people going missing. I found that to be written excellently and that was really enjoyable to read about!
****Minor Spoiler below;****
I'm looking forward to finding out what's going to happen next with Jinta and Raiden... Especially considering Jinta isn't exactly human anymore....
Secrets & Sake is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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