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Ren'Ai Rensai
"Rouman."
On the eve of their wedding, Aiko discovers her girlfriend Reina has some second thoughts about marriage, life, and aging. Even after twenty years together, Reina still doesn't know what she wants from her relationship - can Aiko remind her about the "Rouman", or romance, that they've cultivated and shared over the years? It's probably going to take all night.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2012
21 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Hildred Billings
152 books319 followersHildred Billings is a Japanese and Religious Studies graduate who has spent her entire life knowing she would write for a living someday. She has lived in Japan multiple times in multiple locations, from the heights of the Japanese alps to the hectic Tokyo suburbs, with a life in Shikoku somewhere in there too.
Currently, Hildred lives in Oregon with her partner and two cats. When she's not commandeering the corner of the neighborhood coffee shop on hours on end (it's okay, she's on a first-name basis with the baristas) she's probably parked on the couch watching Bob's Burgers or screaming at a Zelda game. (Seriously, Link, why don't you move right?)
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Twitter: @hildred
Currently, Hildred lives in Oregon with her partner and two cats. When she's not commandeering the corner of the neighborhood coffee shop on hours on end (it's okay, she's on a first-name basis with the baristas) she's probably parked on the couch watching Bob's Burgers or screaming at a Zelda game. (Seriously, Link, why don't you move right?)
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/3rgEzLz
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3c7Lcf4
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3vPLpvd
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/3lDutn5
Twitter: @hildred
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 1, 2017
it was very expensive to such a fast read.
But it was nice and cute.
But it was nice and cute.
March 3, 2016
I feel like all of Hildred Billings' stuff has some awkward moments that feel like translation errors or just poor word choices, but they're so few and far between they don't affect your enjoyment of the sexy love story. However, in Rouman, they were so numerous (and right in the middle of intense sex scenes) that I found myself actually cringing and looking away. Things like - "she clobbered their hips together" or "she abandoned the scene of her Sapphic crime." Maybe I'm just very picky about language, but it's hard to enjoy erotica if you're being jarred out of the story by the mental image of how one would "clobber" hips together (cavemen with clubs comes to mind...?) haha.
I feel like a good editor would have changed these things. But I mean, overall it's not too bad, I just can't really take it seriously if it has phrases like that in it.
I feel like a good editor would have changed these things. But I mean, overall it's not too bad, I just can't really take it seriously if it has phrases like that in it.
June 2, 2013
A very short piece on two women who have been in a relationship for awhile, but one woman needs to reassure her insecure girlfriend that all is good bewteen them. There is not a lot of depth to this part, as the story conentrates on the intimacy they share as the anxiety is melted away during their lovemaking. A good short story that is arousing and could easily be made into a longer novella or a series should the author choose to do so. It is also good as a stand alone if one wishes to read a quick steamy love story.
November 12, 2013
Hildred Billings, Rouman (Barachou Press, 2012)
As a rule of thumb, I find this current trend of releasing ebook-only novellas as companion pieces to longer works—usually marketed as optional fill-in pieces of a series, but you know full well you're going to miss something important if you pass one over—annoying. Which isn't to say that I don't like some of the works themselves; both Maya Banks and Mara Purnhagen have distinguished themselves in the ebook-novella format recently within earshot of yours truly. I have yet to read any of the novel-length pieces Hildred Billings has written about the couple who stand at the center of Rouman, a thirty-two-page short that gives us a glimpse into the life of a long-together lesbian couple, Aiko and Reina. Did that affect my judgment? I'm not sure. More certain, yes, that the hum in the back of my mind reminding me the entire reason for this story's existence is a “buy my book!” subtext, well, that did affect my judgment, so take the following for whatever it's worth. I did like this little bite quite a bit. This may be the only time you will ever hear me, of all people, say this about a piece of lesbian fiction, but for me, the story's weak point was the sex. Not that it was written badly, not at all (I'm not going to go that far), but it felt unnecessary; I got that Billings wanted the scene previous to the sex scene to lead naturally into it, but it didn't quite feel like it did to me. There was an artificiality in the segue that unfortunately I can't quite put my finger on. Again, this is not to say this isn't worth reading, or that Hildred Billings is not a writer I'm going to get better-acquainted with; I like her style, once she gets into the swing of things, and while we don't get much of Aiko and Reina here, from Billings' style and the details on which she chooses to focus her attention in this story, I can tell that over time there's a very good chance I'm going to come to like them. So, while it's far too late to say such a thing, here's the short answer: don't do what I did. You want to read this, but I suspect it will go down a lot smoother once you've digested a few of the other bits of the Ren'ai Rensai series (as I write this, Amazon shows me five full-length novels and about a dozen shorter pieces, so at this point I'm going to assume I simply started in the wrong place). I will definitely be reading more of this series. ** ½
As a rule of thumb, I find this current trend of releasing ebook-only novellas as companion pieces to longer works—usually marketed as optional fill-in pieces of a series, but you know full well you're going to miss something important if you pass one over—annoying. Which isn't to say that I don't like some of the works themselves; both Maya Banks and Mara Purnhagen have distinguished themselves in the ebook-novella format recently within earshot of yours truly. I have yet to read any of the novel-length pieces Hildred Billings has written about the couple who stand at the center of Rouman, a thirty-two-page short that gives us a glimpse into the life of a long-together lesbian couple, Aiko and Reina. Did that affect my judgment? I'm not sure. More certain, yes, that the hum in the back of my mind reminding me the entire reason for this story's existence is a “buy my book!” subtext, well, that did affect my judgment, so take the following for whatever it's worth. I did like this little bite quite a bit. This may be the only time you will ever hear me, of all people, say this about a piece of lesbian fiction, but for me, the story's weak point was the sex. Not that it was written badly, not at all (I'm not going to go that far), but it felt unnecessary; I got that Billings wanted the scene previous to the sex scene to lead naturally into it, but it didn't quite feel like it did to me. There was an artificiality in the segue that unfortunately I can't quite put my finger on. Again, this is not to say this isn't worth reading, or that Hildred Billings is not a writer I'm going to get better-acquainted with; I like her style, once she gets into the swing of things, and while we don't get much of Aiko and Reina here, from Billings' style and the details on which she chooses to focus her attention in this story, I can tell that over time there's a very good chance I'm going to come to like them. So, while it's far too late to say such a thing, here's the short answer: don't do what I did. You want to read this, but I suspect it will go down a lot smoother once you've digested a few of the other bits of the Ren'ai Rensai series (as I write this, Amazon shows me five full-length novels and about a dozen shorter pieces, so at this point I'm going to assume I simply started in the wrong place). I will definitely be reading more of this series. ** ½
April 22, 2014
2.5 stars - would not reread.
Read this because one of my groups decided to read a different novel by this author as a book of the month, so I thought I'd check out a short story to see what her writing would be like. Honestly, her writing style is not really the type that I enjoy. It kind of felt like a sub par translation that might have had nice flow in it's original language, but not so much in English. I also wasn't able to connect with the characters, but that's a personal sort of thing so I'm sure if semi-monogamy and closet-oriented society are your thing you'd probably enjoy this short story. There was decent character development for a short story, but for readers who like the characters I'd say you'll probably want to read the other books in this series for more depth.
Read this because one of my groups decided to read a different novel by this author as a book of the month, so I thought I'd check out a short story to see what her writing would be like. Honestly, her writing style is not really the type that I enjoy. It kind of felt like a sub par translation that might have had nice flow in it's original language, but not so much in English. I also wasn't able to connect with the characters, but that's a personal sort of thing so I'm sure if semi-monogamy and closet-oriented society are your thing you'd probably enjoy this short story. There was decent character development for a short story, but for readers who like the characters I'd say you'll probably want to read the other books in this series for more depth.
April 6, 2014
If you'd like to read a well written, classy, loving sex scene then this is a, "book" for you. Be aware that this is far from being a, "book" but more like a chapter or sample of a full length book that we do not get to read. It's a shame too because what was written here is good quality yet because there wasn't enough material to call this a, "book", I have to give it a lower rating. By the way, I didn't even know this book was supposed to be about the night before their wedding until I came back here to write the review??
November 3, 2013
This is my second F/F book and I think I need to stay away from this genre. It wasn't erotic at all to me. The word "love" was used so often but I didn't feel much between this couple except doubt on Reina's part.
October 7, 2014
Very sweet short story of 2 lesbians in love and about to be married.
April 7, 2016
Rather a sweet look at a lesbian relationship. The one girl finds it difficult to express her feelings in words. I wish there had been a few of the Japanese words translated.
November 12, 2017
A good, really short, story
This is beautiful. And unlike most other stories I've read. I definitely want to read more in this series about this long-term couple.
This is beautiful. And unlike most other stories I've read. I definitely want to read more in this series about this long-term couple.
October 30, 2020
Promising!
This sort story shows great promise for the "Ren'Ai Rensai" series as a whole. It's rather unusual to find much written that focuses on long term lesbian relationships that still set fires in the bedroom. I loved it and can't wait to read more in this series!
This sort story shows great promise for the "Ren'Ai Rensai" series as a whole. It's rather unusual to find much written that focuses on long term lesbian relationships that still set fires in the bedroom. I loved it and can't wait to read more in this series!
December 14, 2024
Firstly, this just feels like someone with Asian envy writing out their lesbian fantasies. If that wasn't enough, this book automatically gets 4 stars taken away for throwing all the Japanese phrases in there and assuming your readers know what the hell you're talking about. A simple translation guide in the back or a footnote is an easy courtesy. The characters aren't likeable. The sex scenes were cringe. Not... sexy.
August 12, 2015
Did I adore this? Not really. But I liked this little short story enough to go and buy the prequel on Amazon, so it definitely was enticing enough. The setting is so exciting and so different, and the characters are so realistic, I think I could really get in to a novel about them. We shall see. As a short story, though, this wasn't enough.
owned-to-read
January 1, 2014*Free Book on All Romance
April 22, 2013
Short story, but very real and a clear sense of characters in very few words.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews