Lover’s Pledge (Yaoi) (Yaoi Manga) Paperback – November 4, 2008

It was a very nice read. The art is beautiful, and the characters very likable. Unfortunately, I can't write what I really want to say without spoiling the book. If the book description scared you off, please don't let it. When I read from the book description that one character "sold himself for $10,000", I left it right there sitting on the bookstore shelf (master/pet stories are not my thing). But upon receiving it as a gift, I found that it was quit the opposite. The "purchase" seemed more or less for companionship that grew into something more. Now, I'm not claiming that the plot is rich and luscious, it's pretty predictable and almost cliché. But even so, it's a sweet story that shows two men and their growing love for one another. Well, to be honest, there are several short stories along with the main one from the cover, but they're all pretty much the same.

This is my first review so I won't be any where near as detailed as others or as I probably should be. I'm a big fan of yaoi... especially the romantic plot kind. This was surprisingly better than I thought. It was a cute relationship and the love between them had time to grow. And the connection they made to each other made me want to know what happened to this couple... It was just a little short... IMO. It is worth the buy.

Pretty predictable story but I love the artist drawing style.

Contrast and conflict are winning parts of any drama and especially so with the boy’s love genre of yaoi. As with a lot of yaoi manga, the emphasis in Lover’s Pledge is on youth: shy, naïve, foolish boys being tutored by older, wiser men. However, in a couple of the stories, the age difference is not so great. The semes [tops or dominants] only seem much older than the ukes [bottoms or submissives] by way of their cool, aloof or strict natures.Ukes aren’t necessarily passive or limp characters; there would be little drama or interest if they were. They shout, pick fights, attack their partners’s apparent defenses and score the occasional verbal hit. As with any good sub/dom relationship, it is ultimately the submissive who is in control. The ukes in these stories prove that notion as they put on the brakes whenever they feel the situation is spinning out of control.While sex play features in only one story in this book, the potential for it coupled with fervent kisses and occasional tears make for gentle reading that will appeal to a broad spectrum of yaoi lovers.A small word of warning: there are "kissing cousins" in one of the other stories. If you find that offensive, you might want to skip that part.

Really, I had to go the extra star just because of the art. If you are into BL mainly for the drawings, you're not likely to be disappointed (although everyone has their own idea of what's good).I had avoided this title based on the plot description of a man "bought" for a month, but the main story turned out to be very different than I thought it would be. If coercion is a problem for you (and it absolutely is for me), I think you'll be safe reading this manga.Adult scenes are typical of the majority of the BL being printed in the US, but I was too busy looking wide-eyed at how good everyone looked to be too concerned. Also, the three stories in this volume are pretty solid in terms of story-telling. They're short, but not forgettable.I'm glad I picked this one up, and would have been happy paying full price for it. I'll be on the lookout for more from this mangaka.

I am impressed with this one. This mangaka's artwork is beautiful and her semes are such handsome hunks. OK so the ukes are the usual wide-eyed pretty ones but this is Yaoi and the pairings just look lovely. 2 long stories and one short one here.The main story, Lover's Pledge, is the Cinderella romance as Takasugi, a young successful businessman, enters into a one month contract with an intoxicated Kazuto for a price. Is Kazuto really forced into this ? Afterall Kazuto's family is recently impoverished with the bankrupcy of his sick father's business. Or are Takasugi's intentions pure as Takasugi never once forces himself upon Kazuto during their so called dates? To complicate the situation, Takasugi's future is carved out for him from an early age and he is due to be engaged to a business partner's daughter soon. An enjoyable angsy story with 2 very likable characters.The second story, Prescription of a Kiss, is an equally enjoyable love triangle story among 3 students. Some readers may be uncomfortable with kids kissing but just look at the innocent side of it. These 2 kids are Mutsuki and Gaku who have been very close since they became neighbours. Mutsuki has always been the one Gaku seeks comfort from but since they grew up everthing has changed. Gaku is now a renown playboy in school having casual sex with his endless changing stream of girlfriends. Mutsuki quietly accepts that but his friend, Shigeyoshi, knows better. And of course Shigeyoshi, the perfect student, wants Mutsuki for himself.The last story, "Too Close For Love" is short but cute and I love kendo setting. The seme sure looks good in his kendo outfit. This one is more BL.A lovely soft Yaoi to add to my collection. No hardcore sex here but her artwork is just beautiful and her guys simply gorgeous.

I actually bought this book on a whim from another site, because the cover looked good. Good artwork is usually the firt thing about a yaoi book to attract me. If the cover has great art, then I will pick it up and look at it. But it's actually the art on the inside that was amazing. The semes for all three stories looked so hot! Especially the semes from the second and third stories! Hot looking semes always make for an erotic and sexy read! Even if the scenes were not that explicit, the semes alone, were eye candy for me. ;) And the Uke from the first story was rather pretty. Reminded me of Princess Ashe from Final Fantasy XII. As you can tell, I'm a sucker for hot guys and pretty boys and this book had plenty of them!

Per chi ama le storie delicate e ben disegnate questo manga è perfetto. Sono diversi racconti d'amore incentrati su altrettante coppie in puro stile Kae Maruya, l'autrice di As cool as him. È un volume unico corposo ma scorrevole, dolce e spensierato

The stories on this manga are lovely, fun, and the drawing simply perfect, it's just incredible, really! I recommend this manga to everyone.