I'm giving this a high score, partly to balance out the low rating and partly because I really enjoyed some of the stories. Yeah, I it, I'm not a big fan of this author's work(so freaking boring at times) but at least one in this collection made me react and go all 'aww'.
First Story is, as summarized, about 35yr old guy(though he freaking looks like a twenty-something year old), who hasn't had sex in 10 years since his divorce. A co-worker takes a liking to him, stuff happens, both find out the other reciprocates the feeling of 'lurve', then some sexy times in the office.
Second Story-- I really liked this one. It isn't original or anything but it was the first in this collection to get me actually interested in what was going on. It was cute and both the uke and seme were just adorable, not to mention they had a friendship going on and it wasn't just an I'm-in-love-with-you!-let's-get-it-on! type of story. I found the seme really sweet and the uke wasn't a frustrating idiot! Le gasp! The sex was pretty hot too.
I thought it was going to be the type of story when one party sees the other party, who usually looks like a nerd, get a make-over and turn out to be really hot, suddenly realizes he has 'feelings' for the other party. Yeah, the uke was surprised that Mr. Seme was one hawt SOB, but he wasn't like "OMG, I'm actually in love with him! I don't want my ex anymore!". He breaks it off completely before realizing his feelings for the seme who's always been there for him, which I really liked, and that scene...it just makes me smile. Oh, and the note of possessiveness from the seme after they get it on, I just loved it. I might be overselling it or something but, well, I really liked it.
Third Story-- I was surprised to also like this. I love me some seme who can blush and show an expression of pleasure from doing the uke.
The uke is found to be a promiscuous person in the beginning(and I expected to really not like him) who seduces his butlers, hence he's never had a steady one because most of them can't take his personality. He hires a new butler who is just too adorable with the intention of having a new toy. Turns out butler-san, the seme, has liked the uke all along but rejects the uke's advances, thinking he ain't worthy and stuff like that. Stuff happens, confessions, yadda yadda, sexy times ensue.
In the extra, the extent of the dominance of the uke is shown. I'm a fan of femdom and, if someone hasn't coined the term yet, uke-dom(?)
Fourth Story-- Riku, our uke, is used to giving service in exchange for...monetary ? Anyways, he's lamenting the hardships of life when out of nowhere a foreigner comes up to him and asks him to be his wife for a week while he stays in Japan. Sounds like a yaoi version of "Pretty Woman", only, Riku isn't exactly working the streets and there's a lot of sex. Well, fluffy sex anyway.
Riku learns how to open up, how to trust again inspite of himself, he ends up falling for Gilbert(omigawd, I hate that name) who teaches him how to really smile again, even though Riku's held back by the knowledge that his 'thing' with Gilbert is only temporary.
Riku really looks like a woman, the only thing different is that he's got some extra bits, no boobs, and thicker eyebrows to differentiate him from the female species. There were some s where I kept seeing Riku as a heroine in a gender-bender shoujo manga. Whatever, I'm just nitpicking. When you read yaoi, you get used to it, I guess.
I found myself really liking this, the ending wasn't surprising but still pleasantly sweet, the story wrapped up nicely.
Fifth Story-- Like the others, this isn't exactly grounbreaking material. Still, it was okay to the time with.
Our uke's been in love with his friend, our seme, for a long time. The seme gets dumped a lot by his girlfriends mostly because they can't stomach his love for horror films and the like. Dear uke isn't any better but goes to watch a horror film anyway with the seme to comfort him. Seme finds out uke's been lying about liking horror, gets mad and storms off.
Then random public sex ensues. What? It's in a dark theater. Anyway, they get it on and go home a happy couple. Pretty boring as heck.
Last chapter is an extra to the first story. At which point, I got too bored to finish. Still, I'm going to give this a good rating, mostly because I was pleasantly surprised at some of the stories.
