Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Finding Our Love
SERIES: Aphrodite’s Castle Host Club #1
AUTHOR: Amy Tasukada
PUBLISHER: Macarons & Tea Publishing
LENGTH: 115 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2020
BLURB:
A struggling artist. A devoted son. Will they sacrifice everything for forbidden desire?
Kyoto, Japan. Iroha is sick of his boyfriends only dating him to get closer to his famous artistic sister. Shelving his own creative ambitions to run a mafia-funded gallery, he seeks comfort in a fake relationship at an exclusive host club. But when he sets eyes on the outlandishly dressed Kenta, something real stirs in his heart.
Kenta works hard to keep his place as a top-five host at the exclusive Aphrodite’s Castle club. Though it’s put a damper on his love life, the lucrative gig earns him more than enough to support his elderly parents. But when he breaks the rules and falls for the enigmatic Iroha, his income plummets and jeopardizes his family’s welfare.
Heedless of the consequences, Iroha and Kenta plunge into a passionate affair. But the shadow of Iroha’s creative failure threatens to break them apart. And when trouble pulls Kenta back home, the rift between them becomes a chasm.
Can Iroha and Kenta find a common canvas to paint their perfect picture of devotion?
Finding Our Love is the delightful first novel in the Aphrodite’s Castle Host Club MM contemporary romance series. If you like caring men, Japanese culture, and the quest for happiness, you’ll adore Amy Tasukada’s heartwarming tale.
REVIEW:
This was a cute little story. It has some angst, but it’s still good. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Not that that’s a bad thing. I guess part of me is so used to Amy’s Yakuza series, I was kind of expecting a bit like that. But this is a softer story. One with two men looking for something more in their lives, and finding it with each other. The only problem is, it’s against the rules.
It’s hard too, because Iroha just wants to be happy with his art. But he hurts because the only reason anyone wants anything to do with him, is because of his family name or his sister. And it digs deep. He wants people to notice him for him. And it’s bad enough when he even loses boyfriends to his sister. So for Iroha, trust doesn’t come easy. Neither does opening up. When he gets an exclusive pass to enter Aphrodite’s, he thinks it’s a joke. But it’s no joke to him when he meets Kenta. He can’t get the man out of his mind after that, and he’s determined to make enough money to see him again. But because Iroha can’t spend much money, it means Kenta doesn’t make as much and his parents may not survive in their home and business. But it’s harder because Kenta is into Iroha just as much as Iroha is into him. But pasts come creeping up and misunderstandings ensue. And it’s a test of whether they will last and come back from it. And a test for Iroha to learn to finally let go.
These two are such sweet souls. It’s hard when every part of you screams for someone and you can’t have any part of them. No matter how drawn you are to them. But when it becomes overwhelming, it’s hard to stop the pull between them. But I feel for them both. Both of these men have a burden that is riding their shoulders hard and it’s a heavy burden to bear. And with Iroha being burned as bad as he has been, it’s even harder for him to trust that Kenta isn’t going to do the same thing to him as everyone else has. But Kenta doesn’t know. And it almost breaks them up. And that makes it even sadder. Because they really are good for each other. They bring out things in each other that no one else does. But they have to survive the tests being thrown their way or they aren’t going to get far.
It seems like it could be a good little series. Low angst. Romantic.
RATING: 
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