Mizumi Takaoka

Tomoyuki works for the planning department of a Japanese trading company. When he's told that his company requires someone proficient in English and Arabic to travel to England for an emergency business trip, he thinks nothing of it. However, it turns out the trip is a sham arranged by Tomoyuki's ex-lover, Aswil al-Murshid. Six years ago, Tomoyuki had fallen in love with Aswil, only to have his heart broken at the revelation that Aswil was next in line for the throne of the country of Madina.

There's no way Tomoyuki could ever have a future with a man like that, so he's confused and upset when Aswil suddenly shows up and has him kidnapped. The two of them can't marry, and Aswil will soon be marrying someone else, so does Aswil mean to keep him like some sort of mistress? As much as Tomoyuki still loves the man, he doesn't think he can live that kind of life. But will it be possible for him to escape?

I don't know why I have so many Juné novels - most of them are terrible and rapey, and this one is no exception. In the first half of the book, Aswil has Tomoyuki drugged, forcibly kisses him, and has sex with him despite his protests. He refuses to tell Tomoyuki his plans, if he even has any, and at least one instance of rape appears to be inspired by jealousy - apparently he found out that a guy had occasionally been staying at Tomoyuki's place and assumed they were lovers (they weren't, but that didn't matter either way).

Tomoyuki still loves and is attracted to Aswil, but that doesn't mean he's happy with the idea of being kept cooped up for Aswil to have sex with and then toss aside as he wishes, so he spends much of the book trying to get away. I actually thought his interactions with Zafar, Aswil's cousin, were overall more pleasant than his interactions with Aswil, unfortunately.

The sex scenes finally became less repugnant a little over halfway through, and a solution to Tomoyuki and Aswil's romantic plight popped up almost out of nowhere - I expected some of what happened, but one character relationship revelation seemed to come out of the blue, especially considering how one of the characters had previously behaved.

This could easily have been written without any rape - some early scenes in which Aswil tried to convince Tomoyuki that he really did intend to find a way for them to stay together this time would have been nice, and would have made the book overall so much better. Unfortunately, that's not how things went.

The writing/translation was a bit clumsy and repetitive, but it was overall a quick read. Although it was pretty bad, it somehow still managed to be better than The Aristocrat and the Desert Prince, the one other Juné "sheikh romance" I've read - less internalized homophobia, and Tomoyuki was an okay main character, just stuck in a difficult situation.

Extras:

Several black-and-white illustrations throughout, one-full color illustration, and a short afterword by the author.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (més)

So we start off with kidnapping and raping Tomoyuki and spend the rest of the book with him telling Aswil he wants to go home and this is somehow "romantic". Finally at the crux of the book Tomoyuki totally forgets how he's been abused and the outcome has them mining up Africa for oil.

I give it another star only because Tomoyuki actually DOES like Aswil, only he just wants Aswil to listen to him and treat him like a human being. Also in the outcome they have nice consenual sex for once. That still doesn't forgive the fact the book is 90% "Stop doing that and let me go home."

Also "Arabian" and "Exotic" get used a lot in this book.… (més)

Not that I read many, but usually the yaoi novel are all quite... hard-core. I often think to them like little porn; maybe for the format, the print book is so small, rather cure, but inside they are scorching. Not Eternal Love: this romance is almost innocent, the only sex scenes are old style the type in which all happens behind closed doors.

Tomoyuki is a young Japanese business man; while studying in England six years before he fell in love for a college mate, Aswil, an arabian guy with a mystery halo around him. Aswil had almost a royal behavior, so proud and aloof. After months of blissful love, Aswil was forced to return home, but he promised that he would return for Tomoyuki. Months after Tomoyuki found that Aswil was the king's son of a little Arabian country and that he needed to marry for political reason. Tomoyuki gave up to their love and returned to Japan.

Now six years later, Aswil lures Tomoyuki into a trap and drags him in his country. He holds Tomoyuki in captivity, even dresses him up as a woman in the women quarters of his palace. When Tomoyuki asks for his behavior, the only excuse of Aswil is that he makes all for love, that he wants to respect the promise he made to Tomoyuki. And Tomoyuki even if he is still in love with Aswil, can't accept to loose his freedom and to be treat like an object by Aswil.

As I said the story could be very more erotic than it is. It's not that Tomoyuki and Aswil didn't have sex, it's only that you don't read about it. Only the first time you have a bit of information on the almost non consensual sex Tomoyuki has to suffer, but then you only read about the regret of Tomoyuki, on how he feels guilty and how much he wants to run away from Aswil, but the reader can't quite understand it since he doesn't know what happens between them. This romance resembles a bit the 'sheikhs' Harlequin, the sweet romances which take inspiration from the 'historic' bodice rippers of E.M. Hull, The Sheikhs, and which inspired the famous movies with Rodolfo Valentino. In those romances, the sheikh is always a mourning man, who sweeps the heroine from her quiet life to drag her in the desert, better if on the back of an horses... you know that the sheikh, in the shadow of the tent, makes passionate love to the heroine, but you don't read it. Same here: you know that Aswil does something to Tomoyuki, but you haven't the privilege to be present... well I feel like the author robbed me of something!

On the other hand, this is maybe the first yaoi novel I read where there are also other characters other than the two heroes, and maybe it's since the two heroes need to do something else since they aren't always in the bedroom...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1569707111/?tag=elimyrevandra-20… (més)