Book Review: Your Honest Deceit, Vol 1 by Sakufu Ajimine

 

Your Honest Deceit, Vol 1        

Author: Sakufu Ajimine

Publisher: DramaQueen LLC

American release date: April 1, 2000

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Yaoi/200 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

While a law student, Kuze crushed on guest lecturer Kitahara. But the man was married, so he saw no future and no reason to attempt anything. Fast forward seven years. Kuze ends up working in Kitahara’s law office. He can’t help but notice the wedding ring is gone. Dare he hope? Kuze grows jealous when a friend from college, Asso, barges in on Kitahara-sensei whenever he wants, even though Asso was the one who introduced Kuze to the office. Another former classmate, Kurosawa, also works at the office, and drops the bombshell that Kitahara is getting back together with his wife. Kuze is beyond crushed! When Kuze blurts out his feelings to Kitahara, the older man has a lot to think about. He invites Kuze to dinner. Is it possible he could feel the same way, even though he’s never been interested in men before?

They begin a relationship, but it has its ups and downs, its misunderstandings, which are exacerbated when someone from Kuze’s past shows up.  Can they be professional at work and steamy at home, or will people suspect they are together?

Yuu had a crush on Konno, who was a teacher when he was in high school. But only for a year. Now they live together, and Yuu still calls him sensei, which Konno finds strange. Konno makes sure Yuu adheres to a strict schedule, which he tolerates. But what he doesn’t like is Konno’s obsession with cute things, particularly the stuffed rabbit he cuddles when he sleeps!  Yuu wishes it were him, but he can’t seem to do anything to change that, no matter how hard he tries. He’s afraid Konno sees him only as another cute thing, and not for himself.  It’s Yuu’s twentieth birthday and he wants to celebrate with Konno, so he hurries to where he works, only to find him with another man.  Even though Konno leaves with him and not the other man, Yuu is unhappy and accidentally slips up and calls him by his first name -Toru.  Konno is delighted and finds Yuu utterly cute, as always. When a large stuffed rabbit arrives at the apartment, Yuu is dismayed to find it’s for Toru from an old classmate. Yuu follows Toru when he goes to have dinner with the man. Why a gay bar? What’s the story here, and does Yuu have anything to be worried about?

I  really love Kuze and Kitahara and I especially love that she didn’t draw Kuze to resemble a child, as too many yaoi artists do. I like May-December romances also, perhaps because my crushes have generally been on older men.  But after a while the jealousy storyline gets old, to be honest. I liked the second story  too, and I’m glad their romance didn ‘t begin while Yuu was still in high school.  Good first volume, look forward to the second.