I Lived an Honest Life Only to Have My Fiancé Betray Me, So in My New Life I'll Live as the Villainess, Vol. 2 by Sakura Shiba; Yuta Tomonari

 

I Lived an Honest Life Only to Have My Fiancé Betray Me, So in My New Life I'll Live as the Villainess, Vol. 2 by Sakura Shiba; Yuta Tomonari

My Rating: ★★★★★

Doomed to restart her life every time she gets to where everything went downhill in her first life, Mianna Caroline is determined to prove love isn’t real. Funnily enough, the only way to get out of this loop is to discover true love for herself! Knowing this, Mianna still doesn’t believe love is real, and finds herself lonely and sad as she runs away from the major changes she’s gone through. What will she do, and will she continue to refuse to see what’s blooming in her heart?

I really enjoyed the first volume, so of course I had to pick this up! We pick up right where we left off and watch Mianna’s injured and frozen heart start to defrost. I enjoyed seeing the character growth for her and the other characters, especially Prince Elliot. The ending of this volume might irritate some people, but I understand why she’s resigned as she gets closer to the ending of her current life.

That said, it was nice to see Mianna begin her healing journey. I think that part of the reason that I’m enjoying this series so much is because I see some of myself in Mianna. I understand a lot of what she’s gone through, so I’m rooting for her. It’ll be nice to see her make progress in her healing journey, find love and happiness, and hopefully justice as well by the end of the series. 

I’m looking forward to reading the next volume when it comes out. I’ll be a little sad if Mianna does start all over again, but I have a feeling that this will be the life that breaks the cycle. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes and if Mianna’s step sister is ever finally busted for being a vile excuse for a human being.

I Lived an Honest Life Only to Have My Fiancé Betray Me, So in My New Life I'll Live as the Villainess, Vol. 1 by Sakura Shiba; Yuta Tomonari

I Lived an Honest Life Only to Have My Fiancé Betray Me, So in My New Life I'll Live as the Villainess, Vol. 1 by Sakura Shiba; Yuta Tomonari

My Rating: ★★★★★

Mianna Caroline spent her first life doing everything right. Originally born a light mage, she worked hard to please her father once her mom passed away, but even he never cared about her. Being dumped by her fiancé in favor of her vindictive step sister was the final straw, which unleashed magic never before seen in humans. Next thing she knew, she was reborn and given a second chance at life… only for her to be determined to prove that love is fake!

I enjoyed this book so much. We follow Mianna, who keeps being reborn so that she could discover love. However, she’s determined to prove that love is fake even though she’s been informed that she’s going to keep repeating this life until she finds love and heals. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got was amazing.

Mianna and the other characters are so much fun to follow. Well, except her step sister that basically no one seems to notice is an awful person because she’s cute and dumb. I know that sounds silly, but I’ve seen people go for this in real life, so it’s not that far-fetched. It’s also fun to see Mianna surprised by the very people she always believed hated her.

All in all, I can’t wait to start the next book. It’s a good read with an excellent story, interesting characters, and stunning artwork. It starts off a little sad and rocky, but it’s nothing crazy, and it quickly evens out and gets rolling. It’s ultimately a story of healing, which I like a lot.

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé, Vol. 1 by Fumito

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé, Vol. 1 by Fumito

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Kodansha Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the surface, Takanashi has everything: good looks, great health, and a blossoming career. Privately, he’s struggling with ED, so he’s been politely turning down every woman who throws herself at him. Everything changes when he bonds with Hiwatari and decides to confide in him only for things to look up… a little too up! Now things are flip flopping all over the place at work and Hiwatari just wants to be close to Takanashi even if things remain platonic.

This story was absolutely hilarious. We follow Takanashi and one of his subordinates, Hiwatari, as they come together to deal with two very different issues. Hiwatari wants to confess his feelings while Takanashi wants to tell someone about his struggles with ED, especially because he hasn’t told anyone! There’s a series of hilarious events that has them bonding in the most unexpected ways, and Takanashi starts developing feelings of his own somewhere along the way.

The artwork is fun and the story is pretty lighthearted and is hilarious in ways I couldn’t have predicted. This ended up turning into a pick-me-up story I didn’t know I wanted. However, if it wasn’t for the way the volume ended, I think it could’ve worked as a stand-alone. Since it is the first in a series, I’m looking forward to seeing how these characters develop. I predict that the romance will be a slow burn, which is fine by me. All in all, it was a fun read, so I’m excited to pick up the next volume.

In Love's Key, Reprised by Guri Nojiro

In Love's Key, Reprised by Guri Nojiro

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Vertical Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Kiri’s health forces him to take time off from work, he begrudgingly returns to his hometown. Nothing seems to be going right for him, and social media is booming with tales of his terrible attitude as a conductor. Insert Osamu, who is vibrating from excitement about Kiri’s return. It’s been years since Kiri unknowingly saved him, and he’s determined to help Kiri in any way he can. Will Osamu melt Kiri’s frozen heart?

This is such a sweet story about loneliness, burnout, friendship, and love. I really enjoyed following Kiri and Osamu through their tentative friendship that turns into love. They have totally different personalities that work well together, and it was great seeing them learn to trust each other as the story progressed. I also loved how open and caring Osamu’s family was to the point that I would love to hang out with them.

I enjoyed this so much that I can’t wait to check out the author’s other work. It’s a slow burn romance, and I really enjoyed seeing how Kiri and Osama learned to work together and communicate along the way. Plus, the artwork is stunning! If you’re up for a contemporary romance, I think you’ll enjoy this.

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter, Vol. 2 by Reia; Hazuki Futaba

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter, Vol. 2 by Reia; Hazuki Futaba

My Rating: ★★★★★

It’s been two years since Iris was publicly humiliated by her former fiancé and remembered her past life as an accountant. Since then, she’s turned being banished into a fulfilling life. Her business is booming and she’s transformed Armelia for the better. Now her life is about to change once again because the royal family has invited her to a celebration, which will force Iris back into the politics of high society. With her family and friends at her back, she’s about to learn how to play the game and discover who else is on her side.

I’ve been enjoying the manga adaptation of this series, so I’m excited that I’ll be continuing the light novels because I loved this volume. The first volume was good, but the manga adaptation was so close to that volume that I wasn’t sure if I would be continuing after this one. We’re starting to see how the light novels are able to expand more on the characters and this world. I think this will be a pattern we’ll see as the story continues, which will make the manga adaptation a great companion to the series. I’m excited to check out the next volume soon.

Clementine: Book Three by Tillie Walden

Clementine: Book Three by Tillie Walden

My Rating: ★★★

Clementine, Olivia, and Ricca finally find a peaceful settlement they can all agree on hoping to call it home. Unfortunately, they just can’t seem to catch a break when they suffer a loss they couldn’t have predicted. Now Clementine finds herself on the edge of self-destruction while working under a mentor who understands her, but what will she do when it turns out this mentor is addicted to power?

While I wasn’t ready for this series to wrap up, I still picked up the final volume so I could see how the character’s journeys end. The official summary gave away a major character death, but I still wasn’t expecting how it would happen. The entire scene was so random that it honestly would’ve made more sense if it turned out the town was poisoning whoever they decided could go.

The final volume had a different vibe from the previous installments, which I think set the tone for the story, but it lacked heart in some areas. That said, I enjoyed seeing the characters and their world one last time. It’s not what I was expecting, but overall, I’m happy with how this series ended.

Branded by Saffron A. Kent

 

Branded by Saffron A. Kent

My Rating: ★★

I received a copy from Forever through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Reverie started writing to an inmate under her best friend’s name, she never expected to fall in love. It’s why she’s taking a chance by meeting Bo at a café after he was released. Being perfectly safe and apparently boring never made her feel the way Bo does. The only problem is that Bo doesn’t seem to like what he sees because he blatantly rejected her. Reverie can’t let it go, but that only led to trouble because now she’s been abducted and is being forced to marry Bo… except it turns out that her pen pal was never really Bo all along.

I’ve officially been influenced by the dark romance readers of TikTok and picked up a dark romance novel. We follow Reverie and “Bo” through their rotating perspectives, but our main protagonist is Reverie. Several chapters include some of their letters before the actual chapter gets started, and I thought that was pretty cool. I love when there are letters or journal entries included in or between chapters.

However, I’m on the fence about the romance itself because I didn’t think they had much chemistry. I had a hard time believing they were into each other enough that they kept chasing after each other no matter how many times one pushed the other away. Honestly, the amount of times Reverie gets pushed away had me wondering why she kept running back. Sure, she’s naive, but “Bo” is also extremely immature, and neither of them seem to notice or acknowledge that part of him.

That said, I don’t think it’s a bad book. I just didn’t care for the leads and their lack of chemistry in addition to how many times Reverie got pushed away only to come running back. I also found myself more and more interested in some of the supporting characters and non-romance plots as the story went on. If you’re looking for a fast paced book with a range of predictable to crazy twists and turns, this may be something you’re interested in. I think it’s all about what you’re in the mood to read with this one.