It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by Amy Tasukada. I love second chance stories so I was happy to get a copy of My Heart’s Desire for review.

This is a sweet second chance story but one of the MCs, Yuuki, is part of the mafia so there is some discussion of things that aren’t too romantic. Kasuki was Yuuki’s high-school sweetheart but things happened and they broke up. Now many years later, Yuuki is 35 and his mother is pushing him to get married and give her grandchildren; he hasn’t come out to her.

Kasuki was married but is now divorced. When Yuuki comes into his tailor shop with his mafia boss, Kasuki is shaken and he wants to see Yuuki again. Yuuki doesn’t want to have anything to do with Kasuki – at first.

There is no on-page sexy time in this story, just a bit of sweet kisses and making out. I enjoy reading this kind of romance story from time-to-time and this one was pretty good. I’m a huge fan of epilogues and I would have liked for this book to have one but it did have a pretty satisfying conclusion even without one.

Reviews for Amy Tasukada

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Yuuki pressed his lips together but followed the command. Kazuki’s happy-go-lucky smile couldn’t look dumber. Yuuki held his breath and waited, hoping the tingling at the back of his throat would subside.

Kazuki had always had an innate ability to talk to anyone and make them feel at ease in a matter of minutes. It was what had won him the popularity contest for high school president and what had stolen Yuuki’s teenage heart. But Yuuki wasn’t seventeen anymore. He’d been able to ignore Kazuki as he’d schmoozed up Jun, and he could do it again.

But for the first time he could remember, Kazuki was silent. He did his job taking the measurements and nothing more.

His long face and angular jaw always had the girls fawning over him, but for Yuuki, it had been Kazuki’s eyes that had ripped open the walls surrounding his heart. Kazuki’s eyes were otherworldly nebulas of golden brown.

During their school years, Kazuki had always skirted the boys’ hair length policy. Unrestricted by rules, it seemed Kazuki had allowed his luscious locks to tumble to his waist. Yuuki’s fingers ached to reach out and get lost within Kazuki’s hair again.

“Could you hold your arms out for me so I can measure your chest?” Kazuki’s monotone cruelly gnawed away Yuuki’s warm memories.

Yuuki held out his arms, and Kazuki measured. If only Kazuki would allow his fingers to press a little heavier so Yuuki could really feel the touch. He swallowed down the flicker of desire. Their relationship had ended a lifetime ago, and it wasn’t like Kazuki had proved to even be friend material after what he’d done.

“You’re still clumsy as ever.” Yuuki nodded to Kazuki’s bandaged finger.

“You do remember me!” Kazuki’s charming smile slid into place like it had been punched out of Yuuki’s memory. “All this time, I thought you’d forgotten me.”

“How could I forget how much of a jerk you were?” The caustic tone surprised Yuuki, but no amount of wanton longing could erase what Kazuki had done.

“I told you about Hana because I wanted you to know the truth.”

“I would’ve appreciated knowing you were engaged before we started dating.”

“I told you the marriage had been arranged when I was twelve!” The wrinkles around Kazuki’s eyes deepened. “I was a sexually confused bisexual kid. Of course I said yes when my dad offered me an easy way out instead of figuring out my feelings. My parents never brought it up again. I had completely forgotten when I started dating you. Then, during New Year’s, they brought up helping arrange the wedding, and I called it off right away. It would’ve been wrong to not tell you as soon as I could.”

Kazuki’s words reopened the scar Yuuki had thought faded long ago.

“You told me when you did it so you wouldn’t have the guilt weighing you down during our college entrance exams. Instead, I was stuck thinking about how much I hated my boyfriend while trying to use angle-sum identities. I spent three years in cram school for that day, and you ruined it!”

A Yakuza Path Romance Series

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