Passion: Forbidden Lovers

by Shinobu Gotoh, Shouko Takaku (Illustrator), Christina Chesterfield (Translator)

The novel that spawned the 4-part manga series previously released by June is now available in English Shima, a teacher, and Hikaru, a high school student, have pledged to spend the time between now and Hikaru's graduation to lose themselves in each other's arms. No matter how many times their bodies join, Hikaru can't figure out Shima's feelings. With the two consumed by passion, graduation day approaches...

Genres: Yaoi, Manga, Romance, Light Novel

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2018

About the author

Associated Names : Gotou Shinobu

Name (in native language): ごとうしのぶ

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not that good. The handful of illustrations are fine, but the pacing is too fast. Scenes are choppy.

I don't want to write an essay on sexual assault and its implications for love and relationships, but yeah. This is a super problematic book.

I don't know how much of the amateurish writing is due to the translation and how much is from the original text.

Skip this one.

[Mosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my very 1st manga novel. I'd say it was okay, not amazing. It did start off on a trigger warning but to me those themes are not uncommon in yaoi manga. What I thought was odd was Hikaru's 180 in personality, he started off aggressive attacking his teacher then was shy, meek and stuttering the rest of the novel. The bonus story felt like it had more to it than the main story.

[Kat Tory · Rating 1 out of 5]

The prose was bad, the characters were flat, I found the main character to not be to my tastes at all, and the plot was ehh. There wasn't even spice to redeem it because it's all fade to black. I thought the ending was okay.

[Tiletha Melendez · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very fast-paced but I enjoy reading this guilty pleasure.

[Cecy- Enredados entre Libros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una novela ligera entretenida aunque llena de cliché aunque no es algo que me sorprenda.

[Zhana · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Български***
Изглежда всички книги в жанра yaoi, които съм прочела до сега, са чудесни. Когато свърших тази бях тъжна, че съм я приключила (всъщност това се случва със всяко yaoi, което прочета).
Историята е за забранената любов между ученик (Хикари Умино) и учител (Куниаки Шима). Много бях доволна, че тази книга не постави идеята, че изнасилването може да бъде начало на връзка (въпреки че в началото точно така изглежда). Въпреки че главните герои изпитват чувства един към друг беше много ясно подчертано, че любовта им не е възникнала от пръв поглед (много се дразня на книги, в които хората се влюбват "от пръв поглед", защото е очевидно, че това не е любов, а сексуално привличане...но нека спра до тук).
Това беше една страхотна и лесна за четене книга с интересни герои и сюжет. Ако харесвате yaoi с детайлно описани сексуални сцени или груб език или нещо подобно тогава тази книга определено не е за вас. Всички останали любители на yaoi жанра няма да останат разочаровани.

***English***
It seems that all the yaoi novels I read so far are amazing. When I finished this one I was sad that it's over (this happens all the time when a yaoi novel is over actually). The story is about the forbidden love between a student (Hikaru Umino) and a teacher (Kuniaki Shima). I'm really pleased that this novel does not hold the idea of raping as a start of love relationship (although at first you may think so). And although they both have feelings for each other it was clearly stated that the love was not "at first sight" (I really hate it when a book is about people who fell in love at first sight cause this is not love actually but just a simple attraction...but let's say no more about this).
Awesome and easy to read book with interesting plot and characters.
If you prefer yaoi novels with detailed description of sex scenes or rough language or anything like that this is definitely not for you.

[Paola · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like it, the way is was written make it boring and exasperating. It was like a bad fanfiction, maybe the only thing that I liked was Amamiya ;) I wanted him and Shiima to get back, too bad it did not happened.

[ederinko (rin) · Rating 2 out of 5]

back door tease

[Banafsheh Esmailzadeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story has very fast pacing but justified in that it's a super condensation of a four-part manga. Understated and not smutty but nevertheless not a bad read.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was only a few pages into this when I understood why I found it in a free book box. Although it wasn't horrible, it does espouse most of yaoi's more troubling tropes, even if the author tries to make it all right in the end with some retroactive whitewashing. Not the finest example in its genre.

[°☆.。.:*・Nanna°☆.。.:*・ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought that I would try a yaoi novel, but I just couldn't get into it. It was interesting having the pictures in the book, but other than that there was no wow factor. There was no thrill. It was pretty slow and boring. It was just a typical student-teacher romance.