Author, A. J. Llewellyn

In 1946 Hawaii, Tomeo Yamaguchi harbors a secret that would be considered shameful by his traditional Japanese family-he aches for the caress of other men. Which makes it particularly devastating when Tomeo’s father hires a tanomoshi-a matchmaker-to find a bride for his son. Tomeo spends time with the tanomoshi, Shin Yamada, and as the men come to know one another, deep feelings emerge, the transition from friends to lovers inevitable. They fall into a clandestine affair, their hushed and hidden lovemaking as beautiful and breathless in their eyes as it is torrid in the eyes of others. More time spent worshipping Tomeo’s body means less time finding him a suitable bride. Shin’s forsaking his duty…but mating Tomeo is worth every stolen second.

Reviews:

Silverus Snape, Jasmine Jade Reviews

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10104-mating-tomeo.aspx

AJ once again takes us on a journey to Post World War Two; in this novel we meet Tomeo Yamaguchi. A beautiful sensitive man who truly harbors a secret that he doesn’t want or need his traditional Japanese family to ever find out. A secret that Shin Yamada the resident Japanese Tanomoshi himself understands and harbors himself. Can these two men Find happiness and love with each other or will Tomeo’s father keep driving them apart and into the arms of a bride back in their home land of Japan?
AJ once again weaves a wonderful tale of yearning and understanding in post WWII. Hawaii suffered greatly post WWII more then most people care to know or understand. They still in this day and age feel the effects and though its gotten better the islands still weep for their lost. Tomeo and Shin are 2 men who don’t conform to the norm of then or today but they found a way to make it work. Their love for each other, their families and the islands makes me yearn for them. They both want so much to please their families but not at the expense of each other or what they have. The question that begs asking is can their love be enough to keep them together or will they bow to tradition?

On My Erect Peni scale I Give Mating Tomeo 10+ This book is just hot enough to make me need a cold shower

On my Scale of Wait to pay day or Sell the Kids Mating Tomeo is a Sell the Kids on EBay and GET THIS BOOK!

The twists and turns in Mating Tomeo leave you panting and wanting more. I knew from page one that this was going to be another book I wouldn’t be able to put down and I couldn’t. It was a page-turner to the very end and left me wanting another Tomeo and Shin novel.

AJ is the type of writer that makes sure that everything about her stories is historically accurate. Mating Tomeo is no different AJ made sure everything about this story happened or at the very least feasible or possible. There are going to be those who doubt that in post WWII that there could have been (Spoiler Alert) “secret” Clubs catering to the Gay and Lesbian crowd. Before you go off the deep end saying its in possible look at American Gay and Lesbian history. It is not only possible it happened across the United States and is still happening today. It urks me to no end that people cant wrap their feeble little minds around the possibility of things because of the era something was. Sometimes that is the reason these things are possible.

Review: Meg Amor, Author

This was a wonderful love story. The characters captured me right from the start. Set just after WWII in the Hawaiian Islands on O’ahu, it beautifully showcases the exoticness of Hawai’i. The details are wonderful from that era. The cultural details are exquisite and fascinating and very well told. And the story flows with an easy narration. This was a lovely feel good story that I’d read again. Even the cover is gorgeous. I couldn’t put this book down. It was just delightful. Shin and Tomeo are sensuous and sweet. I was sad to see this story end. It touched my heart. Thank you and aloha.

Review by Secretly Reading, The Book Vixen

In a Nutshell: Lovely multi-cultural romance with a unique setting of post-WWII Hawaii.

Why I Read this Book: I love historical MM romance, not that WWII is ancient history, but the time and the Hawaiian setting captured my attention.

What I Liked: This is a simple, uncomplicated romance I enjoyed. Tomeo and Shin are honest about their attraction and never hurt each other. Their romance has the exuberance of young lovers as they explore each other in cars, sneak kisses at Tomeo’s family dinners and drink cocktails at jazz clubs. The eroticism is well balanced with their emotional development. This isn’t an angst-filled romance but more of a gentle love affair between nice men.

What I Also Liked: I really liked the setting of post-WWII Hawaii. I’ve never been to Hawaii but this book has lovely descriptions of the island, including flora, fauna and the pineapple plantation where Tomeo works. Additionally, the post-WWII setting is well integrated into the romance and story as Tomeo’s family have their first phone installed and are finally getting food after being on war rations. I adored the multi-cultural aspect of this book as it’s set in the Japanese-American community after the Pearl Harbor bombing so the prejudice Tomeo and his family face is part of book, as well as their culture around food and family.

I really enjoyed the community of Tomeo’s family and Shin’s lovely father. Tomeo’s father is a traditionalist, hence arranging a marriage for Tomeo. Shin’s father is a loving one that I really liked, up until nearly the end of the novel when I think he did something out of character. The plot of Shin finding Tomeo a bride provides good tension for the novel but doesn’t overshadow the romance which was important for me.

What I Didn’t Like: As I mentioned, I really liked Shin’s father with his gentle acceptance of the world they live in which is why I was a tad shocked when he reacts the way he does to Shin and Tomeo. It’s handled well at the novel’s conclusion but it seemed a bit out of character. And I think I’m used to having total resolution with family members in MM romance and that’s not the case here so I may be judging this all a tad harshly.

IMO: This was an enjoyable read with a gentle, sexy romance with a stellar setting.