Author: Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Publication Date: 13 February 2024
Pages: 436
Format: Paperback
Genre: BL Fantasy
Source: Bought Copy
From the outside, He Yu seems to have everything going for him: he’s handsome, rich, and smart. But beneath his perfect facade, he’s hiding a dark secret – one that makes him a slumbering threat to the people around him. After spending years abroad, he enrolls in film school to pursue the girl of his dreams, Xie Xue... but that forces him to deal with her overprotective older brother, the man He Yu hoped he’d never see again.
Xie Qingcheng, an icy man of subdued emotion, was once He Yu’s doctor and is the only person who knows He Yu’s terrible secret. He Yu swears not to let his past with this man get in the way of his feelings for Xie Xue, but he soon finds himself drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and violence that involves both of the Xie siblings. As a sprawling conspiracy sucks He Yu in, he must confront his own grudges and face new truths – including his own feelings for Xie Qingcheng, which warp into a fixation much darker than what he feels for the man’s sister.
I almost didn't buy this book. I am following so many of the Seven Seas danmei series now that it's becoming almost prohibitively expensive, as here in Australia the absolute cheapest I can get each book is around AUD30-33 and the majority cost AUD35-40, even if I pre-order well in advance to get the best price. My preference so far has been the xianxia tales, so at first I disregarded Case File Compendium for its modern setting and its considerable length. However, I changed my mind at the eleventh hour and put in a last-minute pre-order, and I am glad I did. I found He Yu and Xie Qingcheng interesting characters right from the off-set, and the power dynamic between them also allows for a lot of tension. The storyline was engaging, with some interesting twists coming in as this first volume ended, and it's left me keen to see what will happen next, so I will read on to volume two in a few months' time. I am giving this book 4.5 stars.
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