he Samurai’s Secret

The Samurai’s Secret is a tragic tale of two male lovers whose bond transcends the rigid gender norms and social classes of 17th century feudal Japan. Fusao, a peasant boy with the unusual skill to read and write, attracts the notice of Lord Okimoto, the son a powerful samurai of the Nobunaga clan. Their relationship flourishes and their love burns bright, but they are unable to keep their relationship secret, which leads to tragic consequences for all involved…

The story is told from two perspectives: 1) from Fusao’s perspective in the seventeenth century; and 2) from the perspective of a young historian named Mayumi who is given the compilation of Fusao’s writings by a descendant of the Nobunaga clan. It’s interesting to bear witness to Fusao’s relationship with Okimoto and to see him write of their love and the pain of losing that love when they are discovered. I also enjoyed the modern-day perspective, since it provided a contrast to the rigid social norms of the 17th century with regard to homosexual relationships. It’s a good way to tell the story and provided good social commentary on relationships and love.

It’s well-written, providing a compelling narrative of two men who fall in love, despite the fact that each has their own obligations to marry women so they may each start families. I did find myself wanting a little more exploration of their emotional connection - too often Fusao and Okimoto fall into passionate lovemaking (although not in lurid detail) - but you can see the strength of their love clearly and feel the pain caused by their different statuses and expectations placed on them.

The characters are all pretty relatable; indeed, who hasn’t fallen in love at one time or other, or been pushed into something they don’t want to do in order to satisfy others? Fusao is the most developed character since he is the chronicler and the one the audience can identify with. I would have liked a little more exploration of Okimoto, especially in the aftermath of their relationship ending. And honestly Mayumi could have used more attention: she occupies a large portion of the book but I didn’t personally feel like her arc built to a conclusion on its own. Even so, I enjoyed the characters.

Overall, “The Samurai’s Secret” is an enjoyable, though tragic, read and I definitely recommend it.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I really loved this book so much!! Connecting both the old and new Japan and the tales from the prince and the forbidden romance in this story was well observed between a prince and a normal lowly cast person or peasant but yet both of them tried the ultimate best to come together though the ending I didn't expect at all, fusao nearly murdering the prince at an ungodly hour!! It was such a plot twist though very understandable for why he did that!!

This book has a very interesting pov to share the characters stories. While it wasn’t my cup of tea, I’m sure others would enjoy it. It seemed like a fresh way of telling a story.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

*** Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

DNF @ 21%

I truly wanted to love this book. The synopsis was intriguing. Even the two different timelines made sense, however, the pacing is slow. This isn’t a long book and I should’ve had no problem reading it in a couple of days, but every time I thought about reading more of the story I didn’t want to. It was the pacing for me.