REVIEW: The Broposal (book) by Sonora Reyes

The Broposal is contemporary m/m romance. I bought my copy new.

Review:

Han (Alejandro) and Kenny have been best friends since they were kids. Kenny has known for some time that he's bi. Meanwhile, Han is straight. This hasn't stopped pretty much everyone around them from joking that they two of them are so close they're practically boyfriends, especially now that they share an apartment. It's never bothered either of them.

It has, however, bothered Kenny's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jackie. Jackie's never been very comfortable with Kenny's interest in drag, either. When things come to a head in their relationship once again, Kenny, now single, has a brilliant idea: why don't he and Han, who is undocumented and stressed out by the constant threat of deportation, get married? They already know and like each other, and their families and friends have practically paired them up already, so it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to make it official. Han can get his citizenship, and they can eventually get a divorce.

Except that, in their efforts to playact being a real couple, they start to catch feelings for each other. Kenny's childhood crush on Han rears its head, and Han finds himself thinking about Kenny in ways that eventually have him wondering whether he is not, in fact, straight.

REVIEW: Mickey7 (book) by Edward Ashton

Mickey7 is science fiction. I bought my copy new.

Review:

Mickey7 is an Expendable, a disposable employee who's part of an expedition to travel to and colonize Niflheim, a planet deemed "probably habitable." Niflheim turns out to be a giant ball of ice with, in its somewhat more livable areas, dangerous native creatures. Without any better options, the human colonists try to make do, sending Mickey to do whichever tasks seem highly likely to result in death. 

One of those tasks results in Mickey7 (a Mickey who has previously died six times and been regrown in a tank and uploaded with his latest memory backup) injured and likely to be eaten by creepers. Although it's generally considered ideal to at least retrieve his body for the precious proteins and whatnot needed to regrow a new Mickey, Mickey7 is instead abandoned to die. Except he doesn't.

When he finally makes his way back to the colony, he learns that Mickey8 is already out of the tank. It's a big problem, 1) because the colony is already on starvation rations and can't afford to support an extra person and 2) because multiples are viewed as dangerous abominations. 

As the Mickeys try to hide that they're now more than one person, readers are gradually filled in on how Mickey ended up as an Expendable in the first place, what happened to his previous iterations, and what happened to other human attempts at space colonization and how that ties in with Mickey's current colony. There's also a question of whether Niflheim has a sentient native population, and what that will mean for the human colonists.

REVIEW: Marriage of Convenience (manhwa, vol. 1) art by Antstudio, adapted by hanheun, original story by Ken, translated by Tapas Entertainment Inc.

Marriage of Convenience is a fantasy romance series originally published on the Tapas Web Comics site. I bought my copy of this volume new.

Review:

In Countess Bianca de Arno's first life, she eventually died in poverty (maybe in her 30s or 40s?), wishing that she could do things over again. Somehow, this wish is granted, and she awakens as herself at age 18.

Bianca's father married her off when she was only 10 or so years old. The only person young Bianca trusted was her nursemaid, who died when Bianca was 13. In her first life, Bianca was cold towards her husband, Zachary, and spent his money like it was nothing. They first had sex when she was 20 and, after that, only ever just before Zachary headed to battle. Bianca never produced an heir, and he eventually died when she was only 25.

This time around, Bianca is determined to bypass the mistakes of her first life, the first of which, she is sure, is the fact that she never produced Zachary an heir. She remembers rumors that Zachary had a mistress - while that situation wouldn't be ideal, she does her best to convince him that she's fine with it as long as she's allowed to do her duty as his wife. Meanwhile, Zachary is surprised in and doubtful of this sudden change in his wife, who's been afraid of him since they were first married, and annoyed at the idea she's gotten into her head that he has a mistress.

REVIEW: The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish: Canji Baojun De Zhangxin Yu Chong, Vol. 3 (book) by Xue Shan Hei Hu, translated by Mimi and Yuka, illustrated by Ryoplica

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish is Chinese m/m (danmei) fantasy romance. I bought my copy new.

This review includes minor spoilers. 

Review:

The emperor has sent Prince Jing to the western border to prove himself by dealing with the bandit problem. Naturally, Li Yu, his boyfriend (and favorite fish), comes with him.

With a little (really little - seriously, Prince Jing does all of the actual work) help from Li Yu, Prince Jing more than proves himself, to the point that, despite his muteness, he gains even more favor with the emperor. Things also progress to the next level in Prince Jing and Li Yu's relationship, which leads to some...complications. 

Meanwhile, the sixth prince is still scheming from the shadows but rapidly running out of options.