Yuu Higashino

I'm not sure what tempted me to buy this book; perhaps it was the twist on the Jane Austen title. I am very glad I bought it, though. Despite the title, the story is actually a twist on Dangerous Liaisons. Two men are in competition, and engage in bets over who can deflower the virgin, or seduce a noble's son, etc. The first half of the book entails these encounters. This is hard yaoi, and the sex is appropriately explicit and frequent. Where this book diverges from Dangerous Liaisons is that one of the men doesn't fall in love with a target, but instead with his competitor! And, their individual conquests are not hurt by the game. This took the "cruel" out of cruel intentions, and gave it a more romantic flavor with a happy ending for everyone.

The cover is a good indication of the inside artwork, though in black and white like typical yaoi manga. It's clean and appealing, with enough background detail to realize the setting. Both men are described as rogues, but without the underlying malice of the original material. The story has humor, sex and romance. Overall, a very enjoyable yaoi - a shame it is out of print.… (altro)