Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Yakuza
SERIES: Guns and Roses #1
AUTHOR: Lilia Blanc
PUBLISHER: Deep Desires Press
LENGTH: 220 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 4, 2018
BLURB:
The people of Tawano are used to the yakuza. They know to avoid them, to get off the streets when fights are brewing. At least, most of them do.
When college student Hiroshi makes a fatal mistake, and finds himself held at knife point, there’s only one person who can help him: Kazuo, the yakuza who controls Tawano, and the one who started the fight in the first place.
They’re completely different, and as their paths keep crossing, neither of them can understand the other—but it’s clear they’ll have to, or the dangers that follow Kazuo could claim more than just the lives of a few city-folk.
REVIEW:
I don’t know if you guys know anything about mobs and mafia and stuff, but out of all those types of gangs, there are only two that terrify more than others. The Russian mafia and the Yakuza. These two mins are psychotic most of the time and have no remorse whatsoever when it comes to killing and protecting what’s theirs. They make our mobs look like pussy cats. Since this book is about the Yakuza, beware. It deals in a lot of blood, guys and Gore. Kidnapping, rape and torture. If any of this bothers you, be careful. It’s one hell of a book though.
Hiroshi was just minding his own business, happy about his new manga, when he was caught in the middle of a Yakuza affair. Someone had betrayed the Yakuza boss and was now holding Hiroshi at knife point. Terrified, he prays he gets through it and he does. But he realizes how this guy will be taken care of and it freaks him out. And Kazuo is freaked out himself at seeing Hiroshi, because he reminds him so much of his dead lover. But someone is determined to uproot Kazuo from his spot and when he finds out who it is, he’s in shock. He killed the man. But obviously, he didn’t. And this guy is beyond evil. When he kidnaps Hiroshi, Kazuo is beyond freaked out. He knows what this guy is capable of but he’s stuck having been shot. They rescue Hiroshi but not til after 5 long days of torture. Hiroshi was to the point of suicide when they came to rescue him but everyone is hurt and at the hospital. When they go back to Kazuo’s home, Hiroshi ends up with a phone call that his best friend has been kidnapped by the same dude. In a last sacrifice, he does the ultimate to save everyone. But his sacrifice may have cost him his life.
Hiroshi couldn’t catch a break even if he tried. From the moment he ran into the mess with Kazuo, he was in trouble. In several different ways. First, obviously from the danger that became worse when the enemy tried to use his as bait. Second, because both of their love for a certain manga that had them trying some things out with the chemistry they had. It was awful. The push and pull of evil and being caught up in the nastiness of a monster. He went through an awful time, but got to see the difference between Kazuo and everyone else. Even though, Kazuo was Yakuza, he was just trying to be an ordinary business man. He just wanted people safe. He wanted crime to stay down and for people to relax and have fun.
But being Yakuza and around them comes with nasty little surprises. Territory wars and such. It’s a way of life. My only problem is how Hiroshi felt he had to save everyone.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] When college student Hiroshi makes a fatal mistake, and finds himself held at knife point, there’s only one person who can help him: Kazuo, the yakuza who controls Tawano, and the one who started the fight in the first place. […]