Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Step brothers(14)

Beautiful artwork, such a trademark style. Wish there was more!

Light, pleasant; an easy read but nothing really to get excited about.

I was a little hesitant reading this story as there were a few negative comments about the uke being bratty and spoilt or clueless and irritating, but I have to totally disagree. Far from being spoilt, Keisuke was pretty much a victim of his brothers physical and verbal abuse (the older sibling struggled with taking on a father role after their dad died). If he wasn’t being hit or yelled at, he was hiding from his mum and brother fighting. It was so distressing for him he ran away from home. Fortunately this consisted of staying with his brother’s childhood friend, Hisashi, who was kind and gentle and who had fallen for this boy when he was merely 13. When Hisashi finally shared that he had “dangerous” feelings for Keisuke, Keisuke was very surprised and was a little confused as he started to recognise his own reciprocating feelings. I found all of this beautiful and his reactions totally relatable (especially given that he was only 16 or 17). I loved the intensity of how they eventually came together, the artwork was fantastic and the mangaka was a talented gem in portraying Hisashi’s passion and Keisuke’s nervous determination. Simply gorgeous! I also enjoyed the brothers story and hope that he will be ble to stop lashing out and simply relish being the important one to his new stepbrother.

A beautiful, sprawling story following the lives of this blended family after the loss of their newly married parents. The romantic relationships crossed boundaries like age and family ties, but it didn’t feel sordid, instead was sweet and heartwarming.

It’s a difficult pathway to love for stepbrothers Saku and his onii-chan Toujou. Toujou has a terrible past from the years he lived with his birth mother. That has left him with severe PTSD when in the presence of women, especially if they get close to him. When his father took custody and he met his new little step brother Saku, the two instantly bonded. And as they grew older, Saku’s feelings changed and he loved his onii-chan in a sexual way. He dealt with those feelings by being sexually active with women. When Saku went to college he moved in with Toujou and the two started to be confronted with their feelings for each other. I felt sorry for them both. Saku loved his Toujou so much, but Toujou had so much baggage and a need to put Saku first that he pushed him away constantly. Until one day, something made him wake up to how long Saku had loved him. I felt annoyed at both guys so many times for not communicating properly, and for how often they hurt each other. It was such a relief to have them be open finally, but given Toujou’s history (idk that Saku even knows about it) it made sense.

Three good stories. The piano pair were my favourite, they were quite unexpected and there were some funny moments in their story

Step brothers Jun and Kazuma find conflict with each other when the younger (yet taller and stronger) Kazuma says he loves his aniki in a whole new way. Jun resists the forceful overtures of his brother, but does he really want to? Or has he too developed a hidden romantic love? There were some nice intense moments in this manga and I liked how Jun was strong enough to stop Kazuma from forcing without consent. I also loved how possessive the younger brother was. The art is old style and the story would have benefited from being longer, but for a short oneshot it packed a lot in.

Such a hot yakuza story where the uke, Tatsume, is a strong guy not about to be easily pushed around by anybody. I loved Yoshimune and his relentless pursuit of Tatsume. The yakuza boss was ruthless but cute, determined and dangerous and you knew it would be inevitable for Tatsume to resist him for long. Definitely one of the better yakuza stories I have read (though it didn’t delve too deeply into a crime lord lifestyle) and that probably comes down to how strong and likeable Tatsume was and his respect for women (inspired by his mum) was a nice change too.

What a story! It broke my heart more than a little to see how shattered trust resulted in so much devastation between the MCs. There was something so sad in witnessing the insecurity and desperation felt by Jihan (beta) as he tried to hold on to Jaeun (omega) after he snuck out to treat Siwan’s (alpha) dog and came back in heat and with a bite. We are all shaped to some degree by our past, and the fathers of both MCs left some deep scars on their psyche. Their closeness in large part arose from being each other’s best ally and defender in their mixed family. Jihan had the added emotional trauma of being abandoned by his father who chose his fated mate over his family. As his mother mentioned, he had a darkness within, and everything happened in such a way that his need to protect became tarnished with the need to control. How devastating to realise that you have only hurt the one you love. That he left immediately was the hope for redemption. If he had stayed, knowing fully what he was doing and how it affected Jaeun, would have been too selfish. Both MCs needed the time apart to be sure of what they wanted, and that they could be a positive person in the others life in the manner they had always been before Siwan. This story was angsty yet sweet. There were a lot of things that made me angry for the characters and some that made me frustrated at the MCs. I even cried for them. Thanks to the author for the satisfying and heartwarming ending though. It was a roller coaster of emotions with a great finish. Signs of a really good story for me.

I loved Asuka (22yo) and Yui (17yo) and their complicated relationship. The last 5 years have been quiet between these step brothers following a night of embarrassing sexual moments. But now the brothers are in a situation that has them confronting their feelings for each other and falling irrevocably in love with each other. The more serious and silent Yui is the brother with the more intense and long lived feelings of love. But both brothers end up being truly devoted and self sacrificing in this sexy and romantic story.