Diana Jean

Kathleen Schmitt has moved to Tokyo to become the project head for Personal Love Companions, a love robot made to match the customer's preference. She recieves her beta model for testing and it's a replica of her neighbour, Yuriko, who has been helping her settle in to Tokyo. The concept of this book was so bizarre that I was instantly hooked. There's a kind of crazy set up, where Kathleen, who has been working on the project, ends up having to do the beta test on her own. She doesn't want a robot partner, and finds the whole thing kind of weird, since she knows exactly how the thing has been programmed, but she's forced into the situation by her boss. The specifics for her robot are lifted directly from her mind using a high tech scan, but what she recieves completely surprises her.

I really liked both Kathleen and Yuriko. At first they don't get along. They work for the same company, and there's a little bit of a rivalry since Kathleen works in software and Yuriko works in hardware. Kathleen is also a bit of a bumbling foreigner, and relies on Yuriko to help her understand the transport system and read labels at the supermarket. The book is pretty slow burn, with lots of ignoring the obvious from both sides. At times I wanted to shake the two of them! But it's a really sweet story, with a bisexual awakening. We also get lots of little bits of Japanese culture, plenty of cute scenes like hanging out at an onsen, and visiting temples, and watching the fireworks. This story would make a really cute anime, I think. The characters are cute, and definitely awkward, and honestly I was rooting for them the whole way through.

I was a little confused as to when this book is set. I'm assuming a near future, because all of the technology is more advanced than what we currently have, including AI that is almost indistinguishable from an actual human. I found the concept intriguing, which is why I picked up the book, but I have to admit this isn't a future I want! I found the idea of sex doll robot girlfriends with artificial intelligence pretty creepy.. Although by the end I cared about Ai, the robot, as much as I did the human characters. And, although I'm assuming this is set in the future, there is still a very traditional Japanese approach to LGBTQ relationships, which I felt seemed a little old fashioned when contrasted with the new technology. I can't judge how authentically Japanese it is, because I'm not Japanese, but I would have liked to see Yuriko involved with Japanese queer culture. She seems very isolated, and I know that there is a queer community in Japan, even if it's not as visible as in America or the UK.

It's a weird concept, and I'm still not fully sold on the sex robots, but this is a really sweet story and I enjoyed reading it.
it's weird but it's still a really sweet story
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Just the way you love watching those shopping networks with their “Christmas in July” programming, you should nestle down with a good Christmas themed romance story and experience that loving and romantic feeling a story like that has to offer in July. The good, and with this collection you don’t get just one, you get eight well written sensual, Christmas themed romance stories, and with a price like this how can you go wrong?

As you read each one of these stories and step into the shoes of the female protagonists you might find yourself in the variety of real-life situations they’re offering.

You’ll find love existing where there had been no plans for it happening, but only if you’re willing to toss caution to the side and take a chance in obtaining it.

Can a casual fling without any commitment on either party paired with their dreams cost them a HEA they’re both yearning to have, or can the Christmas spirit of understanding and love create one for them? Or how about a situation where a rivalry between two individuals is transformed into loving one when a small ember of discovering another side of each other is made and allowed to grow.

Moving on, you’ve got to ask yourself, “What good is any anthology of Christmas themed stories if there isn’t one regarding the transformation of a Scrooge-like character into one who is caring or lovable?” And in this collection, you’re given two.

The other three stories round out some other possible scenarios: opposites being attract to each other through some unexcepted circumstances, contrasting individuals coming together to combat a mutual enemy and falling in love at the same time; and two friends being able to elevate their friendship to the next level, that of love and romance without having any fears in allowing it to happen.

The above is what the essence of each of the stories is offering its readers, and is what had made this an enjoyable reading experience for me, that I’ve decided to give collection and its authors 5 STARS.… (more)