Secrets & Sake

A Paranormal Yakuza Duet, Book 1

By: CJ Ravenna

Narrated by: Nick Cracknell

Jinta

He’s a yakuza with secrets. I’m the reporter determined to bring them to light.

When people start going missing, I sense a story that could make my whole career. I even have the perfect suspect: Raiden Noboru, enforcer for the most powerful yakuza organization in Japan.

The plan is simple: go undercover as "Hiro" the photographer, cozy up to Raiden, and discover all he knows about the disappearances.

Problem is? Raiden isn't the monster I thought he was. The beast beneath his skin is fiercely protective of what's his, but he worships my body and soul, showing me a tender side of himself he hides from the rest of the world.

But I've got a story to tell. All I have to do... is betray the man I'm falling for.

Raiden

I stopped believing in fated mates long ago. Love only ends in heartbreak.

Ever since I was a boy, my only purpose has been to serve the Namikawa-kai.

Until him. The minute I see Hiro smile like a sunbeam and catch his cherry blossom scent, I've got to have him. What I thought would be a casual fling becomes so much more. Hiro is mine. Mine to care for, mine to protect. No one else can have him.

Before I realize it, I'm beginning to dream of a life outside the yakuza, a life with Hiro. Too bad that’s all it’ll ever be. A dream. I’ll never make someone as innocent as Hiro happy. I’m a criminal, and I’m no good for him…

…But I can’t stay away from him.

Secrets & Sake is book 1 in A Paranormal Yakuza Duet. It features insta-love, fated mates and wolf shifters, a sunshine undercover reporter and the grumpy yakuza soft only for him, loads of possessive touch-him-and-die vibes, plenty of searingly hot spice, and a Happy-For-Now conclusion.

©2024 CJ Ravenna (P)2026 CJ Ravenna

Loved these two!!

I saw this book on TikTok and had to get the audiobook once it came out!! I mean a yakuza that’s a werewolf? That sold me right away! I have to say that I loved Raiden and Jinta!! Both are more complete than they seem. They fit together so well that it makes sense they are mates. There was spicy, suction and plot! I need to see how their story ends and am looking forward to book two! The narrator did an amazing job with the voices!

Great Read and Listen

I loved reading this, so I just had to listen to it and I'm glad I did. The narrator the good job bringing the characters to life, I can't wait to listen to the next one.

Terrific Story & Narration🎧 Intriguing & Intense!

This is my first book written by CJ Ravenna and I enjoyed her writing style and creative mind. The story she created, an action packed paranormal MM romance, is original with interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. The characters are intriguing and relatable story with Jinta Onodera, an investigative reporter, is looking for his big break story, one that will make him known and he wants to prove to his family that he is not the failure that they think he is. There have been a lot of missing person cases in the city and he wants to get close to the one person whose name popped up as the last person who had seen a couple of them, Raiden Noboru, an enforcer for yakuza, an organized crime syndicate in Japan. And when they met, he was not expecting to feel such a connection with Raiden. Raiden has secrets, his biggest being what he is, a wolf shifter, another being who is he bound to and serves. Jinta has his foot in the door and the two not only hit it off, but there is a deep and smoking hot chemistry between them, one they can not deny. He delves into a world he was not aware of, a supernatural world, and he handles it all bravely and brilliantly. His feelings for Raiden are real, but he never stopped working on his investigation, which may come back to haunt him in the end. This is a busy story with lots of layers and depth, a story that has plenty of drama, angst, action, mystery, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. The plot, world building and character development are fantastic. CJ Ravenna, thank you for this terrific story and the wild ride.

🎧📚🎧  Nick Cracknell did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life, giving each their own distinct voice, accents and all, making it easy to follow along and tell who was who. He had a complete understanding of the characters he was portraying and was believable in each role, showcasing the two lead character’s personality perfectly. Cracknell’s pacing and tone were great, handing the dialogue naturally, and he captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for the terrific listen. 

Great first book!

This was an outside the comfort zone dead for me but I really enjoyed it! I love a shifter romance and I love mafia romances so the combination of the two tropes was so interesting! I liked the relationship development between the two MC’s and am excited to see how their relationship will withstand the final events of this first book. The narrator was a new voice to me and I loved how they brought the story to life.

"Hey Sunshine"

This is my first book, I've read or listened to, by CJ Ravenna and what an introduction. This is book one in a series called A Paranormal Yakuza Duet recently released on Audible.

Wow! This book had a little bit of everything. Dark Mafia (Yakuza) romance, werewolves, you name it this book had it. If you don't like dark books this is not for you. It's a good thing that's not me, I enjoyed this one. The only complaint I had was it dragged a bit in some parts of the story. I was like hurry up and get to the good pieces and parts. Lol

The narrator, Nick Cracknell, did an amazing job. I don't know if he's narrated any other MM books but I'm going to check that out.

An editorial journalist looking for his big break, a Yakuza 2nd dissatisfied with his life, fated mates, lots of baggage for both characters, HFN cliff hanger ending