Having a pampered Japanese pop star play the role of Japanese star of her best selling novel isn’t what Charlene Alfred envisioned when she started the tedious task of bringing Blu to life on screen. Blu’s Dairy has a special place in her heart and having her dream dictated by a bunch of Japanese investors is something it looks as if she will have to take or risk all her hard work going done the drain.

The hottest act to hit Japan in years, Kane is a star that has been molded since he was a young teenager into a singing sensation that leaves women all over Asia screaming for his next song. He’s been a huge follower of Charlene’s for years and is adamant about playing the role of Blu from his favorite novel. 

When the two finally meet nothing could have prepared Charlene for the instant attraction. An attraction built over intimate conversations about their lives has turned into a situation that could ruin her project and destroy Kane’s career. For in the land where culture and background is everything what can a 41-year-old African American woman and a 24-year-old Japanese pop-star really have in common?

Two people, worlds apart in culture and years apart in age will find they have more in common than their love for music. The night lights of Japan has more to chance at something great, with it comes lies, deceit and a shared past Charlene couldn’t have couldn’t have written if she tried.

Impressive is too light of a word to describe the masterpiece J-Pop Love Song turned out to be. I wouldn’t in my wildest dreams have come up with a May-December couple that not only pushed the age taboo but demolished the cultural one as well. As a successful African American in a world where black women are not always seen as profitable, Charlene has not only been a success but is well known in the entertainment industry for her gift of song and the written word. Matching her with an Asian lead, Kane, who is the star of the dreams of teenagers all over Asia is a risk that could have sunk this novel quicker than the Titanic. So imagine how enthralled I was as page after page not only did this union seemed plausible bit it turned out to be a perfect fit. Shiree McCarver was able to take the two people from groups who forever seem to be on the bottom of the dating pools of life and turn them into a loveable couple. A couple that was arousing and a pleasure to experience. What really made this story one of the best I’ve read lately is the drama and intrigue and excitement which was just as gratifying as the romance. You’re given the first husband who was a hot Japanese artist that winds up committing suicide, the sordid history of Kane’s upbringing which has to date been suppressed by his manager and the whispers of something sinister at play as the soul of a dead rocker seems intent on making its presence known. What more can you ask for and this and the believable love that Charlene and Kane shared is why J-Pop Love Song has smashed it’s way onto my September Recommended Read list. I Joyfully Recommend it for lovers of Interracial Romance but also for readers who want to step outside the norm and see there are other couples out there who don’t fit the Hollywood mode that are just as enticing and propelling.