Upsurgence: Tokyo Yakuza Book 2

by Stella Eve

Kimmi Yun

Kenji Yuto is the bane of my existence. He’s an overgrown psychotic toddler that snorts a brick of cocaine a day.

And I’m stuck with him in this dinky farmhouse in rural South Korea for the foreseeable future ‘cause the moron convinced me to go on a “kill-off” with him to get rid of child traffickers, only to discover the literal Prime Minister of Japan is the runner of said operation, and I shot him in the shoulder.

The Prime Minister wants us dead, and I might actually kill Kenji and hand him over for immunity. That is, if the bastard doesn’t stop trying to win me over. Which wouldn’t be a problem, except for one thing: it’s working.

And I hate him even more for that.

Kenji Yuto

I am going to get Kimmi Yun to at least like me, if it’s the last thing I do.

Maybe she’ll love me if I try really hard.

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2026

About the author

31-year-old teacher turned indie author. Lover of spicy romance, swoon romance, anything romantasy and magical. Spends a lot of my free time playing Genshin Impact.

Reviews

[Julie]

ARC Review: Second book in the Yakuza series

When the craziest members of the Yakuza get into trouble with none other than the Prime Minister, it’s time to hide them. What happens when tensions run so high? Will they be able to open their hearts?

Given the main characters, I thought this would be an action-packed book—but I wasn't prepared for the emotional moments.

I loved the character development, and I’m super excited for Itto’s book next year.

[Lex]

I really loved this book! This picks up right where Insurgence left off, and I went in with high hopes that absolutely paid off. The worldbuilding gets even darker this time around. Tokyo and the yakuza feel heavier and even more dangerous, and I loved sinking back into that atmosphere.
Kimmi and Kenji are the perfect crazy duo. Both assassins, both unhinged in the best way. They have next-level personalities that bounce off each other so well. They're funny, chaotic and so gone for each other that every scene between them feels electric.
The pacing is fast, drama, action and suspense all stacked together that I couldn't put it down.
Overall, this was such a fun continuation with dark worldbuilding, sharper stakes and Kimmi and Kenji being their wild, unstoppable selves. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Raine]

*2⭐️3🌶️ (look on my profile to see what my ratings mean to me)

**ARC REVIEW**
First of all I would like to thank Stella Eve for allowing me to read this ARC.

While this was my second Yakuza themed book and I did enjoy it I just found it confusing with all the names.

Main Tropes:
Dual POV
Mafia
Dark Romance
Found Family

Points I enjoyed in this book:
The Story Arc
Nuggets
The Banter
Friendships
Easter Eggs

[Alyssa]

I am the author (this is my reading account) and dare I say... I cooked even more with Upsurgence than I did with Insurgence.