Night Kiss by E.T. Malinowski

What could be frightening enough to freeze the blood of a centuries-old Vampire turned K-pop idol?

Being bound to someone.

University student Cheong Jin-woo dreams of working in the arts, especially for BL Entertainment and his favorite band, Bam Kiseu. After seeing the band perform, Jin-woo separates from his friends to explore. What he discovers backstage will change his life.

Does he embrace it or run?

Jung Ki-tae has kept his secret for centuries—until a young fan interrupts his feeding. Even more disturbing is the instant bond Ki-tae feels with Jin-woo—a complication he refuses to allow. Yet resisting becomes increasingly difficult as Jin-woo and a group of students win the chance to make a video for the band, working closely with them for weeks. The obsession Ki-tae felt toward Jin-woo—even before tasting his blood—deepens into genuine feelings, feelings that terrify Ki-tae. But when he finds a way to break the bond, he’s torn between severing the connection and protecting Jin-woo…

Especially with a mysterious killer getting closer.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
I will preface this review by stating I was obviously not the intended audience. AT. ALL. I hadn't realized this from the blurb. While this review may feel as a critique or critical, that is not the case. My review is twofold: for those who read as I do, they will know to pass, which is also a positive for the author, as these readers also aren't the intended audience. On the flip side, those who enjoy what I mention, they surely know to snap this book right up.

My rating is based solely on my entertainment value.

I realized the error of my ways when I saw several pages in the front of the novel were a glossary of terms. Knowing there was no way I could memorize that before moving on, as my language skills aren't broad. It all depends on the context surrounding the words. Usually I'm good, picking up clues within the sentence to just roll with it, not causing much confusion.

Moving on, knowing I wouldn't remember a single word of the glossary, I rolled with it. I'm not a fan of insta-love or insta-lust. I'm on the fence with fated mates, but there's usually some build up that satisfies my need for angst and tension, where I get the payoff I was looking for. This was the first time I encountered insta on the first page. But I just rolled with it.

Names. Glossary, remember? As I've done with books in the past with names I have rudimentary knowledge to pronounce, I just take the first bit of the name and make the connection to the character. But my issue of confusion with the reading technique I utilize is that many of the names started with a J, both main characters. Being as this is MM in nature, both pronouns were also HE. J and HE. As I stated above, this isn't a mark against the author, but to how I read a novel. Hopefully this bit of insight is helpful for those who do/don't read as I do.

Not going to lie, it was a struggle to fall into the story for me. I never did, reading all the way to the end.

College student Jin-woo is a huge fan of Bam Kiseu, thrilled to see Jung Ki-tae in person at the concert. In the opener, Jin-woo interrupts Jung Ki-tae feeding and ends up being the meal. The pleasure so intense, Jin-woo screams and passes out, and that is Jin-woo in a nutshell. The romance was overly saccharine, a bit eye-roll worthy for the more serious reader, because the actions/reactions during smexy scenes are over-the-top sugary sweet romancy. As a jaded cynic, where can I get me some of that magic?

Jin-woo is super sweet, caring, bashful, shy, selfless, essentially the friend everyone wishes they had. Pretty much perfect. Flawless. Jung Ki-tae is charismatic, but he has that wounded past that draws many like a kitten to cream.

A chance encounter at the concert, both believe they will never see the other again. However, no time passes before their lives are interconnected. Jin-woo and his fellow classmates begin working on a project for BL Entertainment, which also happens to produce Jung Ki-tae's band. Not only that, it's Jung Ki-tae's sire who attends the meeting, who can scent what happened at the concert on Jin-woo.

I was confused by this actually. As wouldn't it be Jung Ki-tae who smelled like Jin-woo, as he took Jin-woo's blood? That blood was flowing in his veins. What exactly would Jung Ki-tae have left behind to be scented on Jin-woo? He didn't share blood. Sorry, overthinking, but that popped into my head on the spot.

I feel defeated to admit I struggled the entire time, trying to fall into the story. I wanted to immerse myself into a culture I'm unfamiliar with, learning while being entertained. But I had a difficult time with the fact that their names both started with J (as I said, I just rolled with the glossary terms), combined with the HEs. This was third-person, so sometimes it came off as stilted or clinical in sentence structure. Added with the over-description, pacing, six points-of-view, and length, I felt as if I read a 1000-page novel.

As I said, I was obviously not the intended audience and the writing style wasn't a good fit for my reading style. While I was unable to fall into the story to be thoroughly entertained, I enjoyed exploring a different culture to widen my scope. I needed an easier, more simplistic read to dip my toes in the water, so to speak.

E.T. MALINOWSKI is the youngest of seven girls. It was her love of reading that eventually led her to attempt writing. From there, a passion was born. She began writing romance in her early teens and, at that time, never dreamed of sharing her work with anyone. With the help of several dear friends, not to mention her ex-husband, she found the courage to take that last step toward publication.

As the single mother of three rambunctious boys, finding time to write is a bit difficult. Yet E.T. manages to do it, even if it’s on break or lunch at a regular day job. She has found her place in homoerotic romance. To her, love doesn’t recognize gender boundaries and is always special.

An avid reader, E.T. finds inspiration in all her favorite genres, from mainstream romance by her favorite authors to Japanese manga and anime. To her, even the classic fairy tales hold that spark of motivation, and if there is one thing she has learned from her many years of writing solely for herself, it’s this: never deny the Muse, she gets cranky and pulls out the bullwhip.

Connect with E.T.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Night Kiss (BL Entertainment #1) by E.T. Malinowski to read and review.