Ame - Missouri Dalton This review can be found at The Armchair Reader.

This was my first book by Missouri Dalton. While the story is relatively short, I enjoyed it enough to consider reading more by her one day.

With that said, the first thing a reader needs to know is this is a very quick read. The blurb is also not quite accurate and tells pretty much everything you want to know about the story while it also misleads the reader a little bit. For one, Takashi doesn’t actually work for the yakuza he’s more indebted to them so he has to do as they say. He’s promised to be free of his debt with one last assassination job. Things don’t go as planned for him and he ends up almost dead facing off with a creature that in no way could be real, only to be saved by another mysterious creature. From there, Takashi runs into Daisuke an old friend and lover. Their time together is quick before they part ways which leads Takashi back to finish the job he couldn’t finish before.

The first thing that popped into my head when I started this story was whether or not it was part of a series. It kind of just started with an expectation the reader will understand what’s going on. I was confused by it, to say the least. Even with that, though, I was able to get into the story. It’s fast-paced, very fast-paced, and a shallow read. There isn’t much depth to the story so you only know the most surface of details. Any questions that you have while reading are not answered and only lead to more questions.

The story is rather interesting, however, it dips into the paranormal and talks of folklore creatures that are quite fascinating to read about. Given the fact Takashi is saved by one of those creatures made the story fun when Takashi brings it upon himself to repay the spirit that saved him. Another thing I liked about the book was that there’s no sex between the MCs, Takashi and Daisuke, they have a bit of chemistry but anything beyond that isn’t shown. There’s also a bit of suspense that leaves you with the hope some of your questions will be answered.

Unfortunately, the story ends with no explanation of what’s going to happen next. In fact, the story doesn’t have much to do with Daisuke but it ends with him in the last scene right when you think you’ll get answers about him only to end and leave you without getting those answers. It’s like there’s a cliffhanger because not everything is resolved least of which whatever is between Takashi and Daisuke. It left me a little peeved.

So, while I enjoyed the story, it didn’t quite satisfy the expectations I had from the blurb and only left me confused and with more questions than answers. Still, if you’re looking for something quick and sort of intense without much romance, this is definitely what you’re looking for.