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Novel Review | Yes, No, or Maybe? – Center of the World by Michi Ichiho

Title: Yes, No, or Maybe? – Center of the World

Author(s): Michi Ichiho

This is the sequel to Yes, No, or Maybe?.

Kei and Ushio’s relationship has been going well for a while now, and so has Kei’s job. Unfortunately, Kei finds his confidence rocked by the announcement of a new pseudo-news show in the same time block. Initially, he’s not all that worried, as the rival show is much more relaxed and focuses less on news and more on the hosts’ commentary. But then he finds out the main host, Kizaki Ryou, once interviewed for Kei’s role. The realization that Kizaki might be motivated by revenge shakes Kei to his core. But nothing shocks him more than when he’s removed from hosting his show to being a field reporter.

It’s chaotic and stressful work with people who aren’t as reliable as the ones in the studio. The stress of work soon spills over into Kei’s relationship. Kei knows he should just apologize to Ushio so they can move on, but his unrelenting pride, along with his random work schedule, makes it difficult. As if things couldn’t get any worse, his show also loses its market share to Kizaki’s new show. Kei’s perfectly crafted life is falling apart, and he has no idea how to fix it.

Title: Ang Ang : Hard-Boiled Love

Author(s): Gwendolyn

Kim Gyuwon has seen all manner of horrors, having worked as a mercenary for most of his adult life. He’s big and buff and has a cool and calm demeanor. Add on the scars on his face, and he’s feared by most people who come into contact with him. What people don’t know, though, is that contrary to his external appearance, Gyuwon is soft and submissive inside. He also longs to be in a gay, dominant/submissive relationship with someone. Specifically, he wants to be a sub. But Gyuwon knows that the odds of finding a man who wants to dominate someone who looks like him are slim. So, as a last-ditch effort to find happiness in his personal life, he quits his job and takes a job as a bodyguard for the infamous Yoon family in hopes that he will be able to save up money, get plastic surgery, and finally seek out a dom for himself.

Gyuwon’s charge is the youngest son of the Yoon family, Yoon Hwayoung. Hwayoung, as his name suggests, is gorgeous, and he is beyond beloved by his family. Though Gyuwon knows he’d be underserving of having such a partner, romantic or otherwise, he can’t help finding himself attracted to him. The two get along just fine for a time until Hwayoung makes Gyuwon swear to him that Hwayoung’s personal life is private and shouldn’t be reported to his family. Gyuwon was only hired to protect him, so he agrees. What Gyuwon doesn’t realize is that they are about to take a trip to a place called Dungeon, and it is none other than an underground gay BDSM club.

Gyuwon is simultaneously stunned and excited. Never has he seen something like this, much less from someone like Hwayoung. He once again hopes to find a dom like Hwayoung, but little does Gyuwon know that Hwayoung is acutely aware of Gyuwon’s preferences. Furthermore, just as Hwayoung is Gyuwon’s type, Gyuwon is exactly the kind of person Hwayoung wants to dominate. Hwayoung fully intends to make Gyuwon’s dreams a painful and pleasurable reality.

Title: The Flower of Alosha

Author(s): Jang Ryang / Jangryang

Kay is living his best simple life as the vice captain in Lablen. He’s a bit of a womanizer, enjoying the company of women, though never more than one at a time. This does come at a price, earning him the ire of his captain, who often longs for the very women that Kay ends up with. It is an annoying but small problem in his life, so Kay is relatively happy at the end of the day. But Kay’s simple world is rocked when none other than the Grand Duke, Zigryl Rhyner, arrives in this small, cold region of the empire unannounced.

Zigryl is well-known for his chaotic and cruel nature, and though he isn’t the emperor, his brother, the emperor, who has been ill for some time, has no successors. So, he has all the power of the emperor without the shackles of the crown. What is a man with such power and freedom doing in this snow-covered rural region of the empire? As it turns out, Zigryl, alongside his attendant Schumann, isn’t here for Lablen but for the subregion of Edor, which is well-known for being dangerous and near-impossible to reach thanks to the surrounding Forest of the Dead. They are after something called the Alosha’s Flower, and they need a guide to get there.

Unfortunately for Kay, as soon as Zigryl lays eyes upon him, the Grand Duke wants Kay and only Kay for the journey ahead. Kay, unable to deny the wants of someone with such power, has no choice but to acquiesce. Kay anticipates this mission will only take a few days, and then he’ll be able to return and live his everyday life back in Lablen. But what Kay doesn’t realize until it’s far too late is that Zigryl wants Kay as a guide and a bedmate, and once he gets a taste of him, he has no intention of letting Kay go.

Title: Limerence

Author(s): Jiang Zi Bei

Pei Ran and Luo Qingshan have been together since high school, three years and counting. Luo Qingshan is extroverted and overly affectionate, while Pei Ran is the opposite, more shy and reserved, and has mysophobia, making him averse to most of Luo Qingshan’s affections. This often leads to them disagreeing or Luo Qingshan pleading and begging Pei Ran to relent, but they are otherwise comfortable. However, Pei Ran will give in as much as possible when Luo Qingshan’s birthday comes around.

As much as he hates it, he goes out to a karaoke place with Luo Qingshan, along with a group of his friends. Everyone is drinking and smoking, two things Pei Ran has trouble being around. Another person who happens to be there is Su Nian, Luo Qingshan’s close friend, who is more forward and affectionate with Luo Qingshan than Pei Ran would like. After a lot of drinking, Luo Qingshan heads to the bathroom. After a while, Pei Ran checks on him, only to find him and Su Nian kissing outside the bathroom.

Stunned, Pei Ran isn’t sure what to do until Luo Qingshan’s roommate Yan Zhun comes by and gets Pei Ran out of there. Comforted by Yan Zhun, Pei Ran spares no time to gather all of Luo Qingshan’s things and break up with him the next time they meet. Luo Qingshan isn’t ready to give up just yet, going out of his way to get close to Pei Ran and beg for his forgiveness. Pei Ran holds firm, thanks in part to the friendship he’s found in Yan Zhun, but it isn’t long before Yan Zhun makes it clear: he likes Pei Ran more than a friend.

Fresh out of a painful breakup, with an ex still hot on his heels and a love rival in Su Nian who bad-mouthes him any chance he gets, can Pei Ran find it in himself to fall for someone else? Or has the well of love been poisoned for good?

Title: Until I Meet My Husband

Author(s): Ryousuke Nanasaki

This is the story of Ryousuke Nanasaki. From the time he was small, he always knew he was different. Whether it was the way he spoke, the way he walked, or the things he enjoyed, he never could mesh with what the world expected him to be as a little boy. This only became all the more apparent when he began going to school and was incessantly bullied for being a “girly-boy.” Whether it was by adults or his peers, he was always treated as an “other” until he met Tsukasa. Of course, Tsukasa was Ryousuke’s best friend, but more than that, he was his unrequited first love.

This starts a journey of self-acceptance, self-love, and the journey for true love for Ryousuke Nanasaki. Ryousuke has never been what the world perceived as normal, but that would never stop him. He wants true happiness with the one he loves and wants that for everyone, no matter who you choose to love.

Title: Soul Vibration

Author(s): Dr. Solo

Chi Nan has always dreamed of working in the music industry as a singer-songwriter. He got his first taste of that world when he went on a singing gameshow where he was praised by Salinger, his idol and the bassist for one of the top bands in the world, Lotus. Not long after his run on the show, Chi Nan gets the opportunity to put out an album. However, in the middle of his budding career, he is diagnosed with an incurable ear problem, slowly but surely deteriorating his hearing ability. Unable to reliably continue his career, his agent drops him, and Chi Nan is at a loss.

Desperate to at least stay in the industry, Chi Nan ends up finding a gig as an assistant for a musician. It just so happens that the musician is the one and only Salinger. Chi Nan jumps at the opportunity to assist his idol and quickly learns what it’s like for a prodigy in the music industry as Salinger is bashed, harassed, and even harmed by the media and public. Chi Nan doesn’t care what anyone else says about Salinger. Chi Nan loves him exactly as he is. The question is, how does Salinger feel about Chi Nan?

Title: University of the Underworld

Author(s): Ziloi

Our main character is a new ghost. He doesn’t remember how or when he died, nor does he remember who he even is, so he spends the first moments of his new ghostly life simply waiting when he wakes up. For what? For the ghostly guards, of course, that will help guide him to the underworld. No matter how long he waits, though, there is no sign of any guards of any kind to come and help. So, on a whim, the ghostling decides that if he isn’t destined to go to the underworld, he’ll become a malevolent spirit. Unfortunately, his first target is none other than Bai Shaonan, a ghost, and a powerful one at that.

The little ghostling’s antics do not amuse Bai Shaonan, and he’s compelled to destroy the new ghost and move along with his undead life. However, there is something about the little ghost that Shaonan just won’t seem to let him do it, especially when he finds out the little guy wants to become a malevolent spirit and has no clue who he is. So, looking around, Shaonan picks a random name: Cui Yue. Then, he takes little Cui Yue under his wing and back to the underworld, specifically the university where Shaonan is actually a dean.

Cui Yue starts his life as an underworld college student, but it’s not all fun and games. Cui Yue isn’t a very good student, but he’s trying his best, and his grades are the least of his worries when he realizes that Shaonan’s interest may not end at mere scholarly interest. But beyond school and romantic troubles, there is an underworld to the underworld that is working to destroy both Cui Yue and Bai Shaonan for eternity.

Title: Little Mushroom: Judgment Day | Little Mushroom: Revelations

Author(s): Shisi

The world has become an unrecognizable habitat for monsters. Since the disappearance of the magnetic poles over a hundred years ago in the year 2020, the Earth has been in a state of chaotic flux. Finally, after generations and generations of trial and error, the remaining humans of the world have restored the magnetic field. Still, the areas surrounding the few remaining human bases are inhabited by creatures known as xenogenics, made up of various body parts, including human parts, animal parts, insect parts, etc. These creatures also have the ability to spread their deformation to humans through open wounds, but the change isn’t immediate. So, to prevent these infected humans from entering the bases and spreading the infection, there are people designated as Judges who are given the right to judge if a person is a xenogenic or not. If found guilty, the person can be killed on the spot.

In one of the most dangerous areas out in the wild, a tiny mushroom tries to raise his spore. Unfortunately, one day, a human being exploring the wild for materials comes upon the mushroom and steals his spore. Desperate to get his spore back, the mushroom encounters a dying human named An Ze. They become friends, and An Ze allows the mushroom to use his body to take on a human form of his own. Once the mushroom can take human form, he accumulates all of An Ze’s memories and essentially his identity. Before An Ze passes, he gives the mushroom a name: An Zhe. With the ability to now integrate with humanity, An Zhe travels to a human base with the sole goal of getting his spore back.

Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to survive the Judge’s test, and An Zhe’s first encounter is with none other than the most accurate Judge of all: Lu Feng.

Title: Look at Me

Author(s): Tansan

Heerak is a well-known alpha. He’s a successful restauranteur and social media influencer, which leaves him spoiled for choice when it comes to partners. However, one evening, he wakes from a drunken stupor to find himself in the throes of passion with a cute omega. Well, cute from what parts of him he can see. Before he can identify the anonymous bed-partner, he blacks out again. The following day, the omega of his dreams is nowhere to be found.

This sends Heerak on a search, which results in finding the omega, except he wasn’t an omega at all. It turns out the person in question was Dooseon, a beta and one of Heerak’s employees at his company. Wanting to avoid a scandal, Heerak goes into protection mode, offering to pay any price for Dooseon to keep quiet. However, to his surprise, Dooseon doesn’t want anything. If anything, he got what he wanted out of the deal: a night with Heerak, for whom he always had some level of attraction.

Stunned by this revelation and by Dooseon’s refusal of compensation, Heerak finds himself drawn to the beta. It is no longer a game of protecting his image or burying a scandal; instead, it’s all about getting Dooseon to fall for Heerak. As Heerak does his best to shower Dooseon with time and affection, Dooseon struggles with this new suitor. Why does Heerak spend so much time on him? What could a dominant alpha get from a beta like him?

Title: Lip and Sword

Author(s): Jin Shisi Chai

Xing Ming is the host of Pearl Line, a news analysis show for the station Pearl TV Station News Center. He’s attractive, talented, and truly cares about the news he puts out. As a result, during the end-of-the-year banquet for the station, Xing Ming is awarded the Top Ten News Centers of the Year award. However, not everyone feels he is deserving of it. Director Chen Linan, who actually recruited Xing Ming initially and put him in the position of hosting Pearl Line, now no longer feels he is worthy of his accolades or role on the show. This is all because Zhuang Lei, rumored to be Chen Linan’s niece or lover, was the host of Pearl Line before she went on maternity leave, which allowed Xing Ming to be her replacement. Even though she has recovered and is ready to return, Xing Ming refuses to give up his spot.

Due to his frustration and drunkness, Chen Linan confronts Xing Ming at the party. At first, Xing Ming isn’t worried over the drunken Chen Linan’s pestering… until Chen Linan brings up Xing Ming’s dead father, a convicted rapist. In a blind rage, Xing Ming beats Chen Linan over the head with a wine bottle in front of everyone at the party. In a panic, knowing his job is on the line, Xing Ming reaches out to the station chairman, Yu Zhongye, and offers himself up in exchange for leniency regarding his punishment. While Yu Zhongye does take him up on his offer, and they spend a night together, the director and chairman are set to fire him the following day. Once more, in a fit of rage, Xing Ming fights off the security guards and poses an offer to the chairman: let me create my own show with my own team from scratch. If he doesn’t get decent ratings during a six-month period, he will leave on his own.

Yu Zhongye agrees, but as Xing Ming faces setback after setback, he constantly has to return to Yu Zhongye for favors. As he gives himself over to the chairman repeatedly, Xing Ming begins to question if this is all worth it and what his sexuality is. However, more than anything, Xing Ming wonders if what he feels for Yu Zhongye is truly admiration or if it is something deeper? And is Yu Zhongye capable of loving anyone for more than their body?

BL Novels

Novel Review | Yes, No, or Maybe? – Center of the World by Michi Ichiho

Novel Review | Ang Ang : Hard-Boiled Love by Gwendolyn

Novel Review | Limerence by Jiang Zi Bei

Novel Review | Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki

Novel Review | Little Mushroom: Judgement Day and Little Mushroom: Revelations by Shisi

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