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.

All Are Welcome (Cat's Café #3) by Gwen Tarpley

All Are Welcome by Gwen Tarpley

My Rating: ★★★★★

Everyone is welcome at Cat’s Café! In this third book in the series, follow all your favorite characters in a series of touching, heartwarming, funny, and relatable comics! It’s hard to feel left out when reading this because there will always be at least a couple comics that are relatable!

This time around, I was really excited to see some Halloween comics as well as cryptids making their way into the cast of characters! Whether you’re looking for something fun and relatable or just seriously adorable, the cast of characters will be happy to welcome you in. I’m excited to see where Gwen Tarpley takes these characters next, and if we’ll see more cryptids in the future!

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter, Vol. 1 by Reia; Hazuki Futaba

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter, Vol. 1 by Reia; Hazuki Futaba

My Rating: ★★★★

Iris was a workaholic who loved playing otome games during what little free time she had. Everything changed when she was hit by a car and woke up in one of the games she played! Now she’s Iris Almeria, and even though she’s the daughter of the Prime Minister himself, she’s had the unfortunate luck of remembering who she used to be right as she’s about to get the bad ending of the game. If she thinks fast, can she avoid getting sent to a nunnery?

I read the first eight volumes of the manga adaptation of this series, so of course I had to check out the light novels! We follow Iris Almeria right as she’s getting the bad ending of the otome game she played in her past life… or is she? Because she’s using her newly remembered past life to squeak by and find fulfillment with her new path in life! We quickly discover that Iris was never truly a villainess to anyone but her ex-fiancé's soon to be new fiancé.

While I enjoyed reading this, I found that there are very few differences between it and the manga adaptation. I was expecting there to be at least some expansion of the story and characters, but at this point, I might as well have skipped reading the light novel since I already read the manga. I’m going to check out the next volume anyway, but if it turns out to just be the written account of every panel of the manga adaptation, there’s a good chance I’m going to bow out since the only difference is the form it takes to tell the story.

The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub

The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Bennet has always been different from her sisters. Considered the ugly sister by society and the odd one by just about everyone, she’s never fit in. As a scientist, what other people think mostly doesn’t matter as long as she is able to find ways to learn about and practice it. Everything changes when Mary finds a friend in Septimus Pike after striking a business deal with him. When her hard work becomes extremely fruitful, Mary discovers that Pike isn’t what she believed him to be, and he discovers that she can raise the dead.

This is among the most interesting Pride and Prejudice retellings I’ve read because it’s also a Frankenstein retelling! Told through a series of letters, and later diary entries, we follow the ultimate middle child: Mary Bennet. The story truly brings the forgotten sister to the forefront and we get to watch her fight her way to get around what society will allow a woman to do. During her journey, we also see her figure out how to bring the recently deceased back to life and how that quickly goes south.

You have no idea how excited I was to read this book! It was almost everything I’d hope it would be. I was completely absorbed in the story until the very end, which is when it started to fizzle out. My only real complaint is that Mary’s early letters sound more like they came from her memoir, and the rest of her letters were really just diary entries before they actually became her diary entries later on. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the story.

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride, Vol. 3 by Mamenosuke Fujimaru; Midori Yuma

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride, Vol. 3 by Mamenosuke Fujimaru; Midori Yuma

My Rating: ★★★★★

Just when Nanao was finally settling in, her cousin and former fiancé seem to be very determined to ruin her life now that she’s finally found happiness. She and Yako have chosen each other, but outsiders are determined to break them apart… thankfully, Nanao’s abusers are crashing and burning, but will they take Nanao with them?

I have been enjoying this series so much. We pick up right where we left off and hit the ground running. We’ve got Nanao’s jealous cousin, Akemi, trying to destroy her life out of jealousy yet again. I liked seeing a glimpse into the past again. It was just enough to see even more about how Akemi has always been as a person before jumping to the present where her life is falling apart. Then we’ve got Nanao’s former fiancé throwing divorce on the table because he’s determined to make Nanao his wife. The man is a creep with a wandering eye.

Nanao has grown so much since the first volume even though not that much time has passed. She may be quiet and wary, but she’s finding her strength and is learning how to use it to defend herself. Trust me when I say you will want to pick up this series. The plot is excellent, the artwork is stunning, and let’s just say that justice gets served and that it’s even better than expected.

I’m so excited to pick up the next volume and see how things will continue to unfold. Plus, I really like the little extras we get at the end of each volume. I’m hoping to get my hands on volume 4 soon!

The Haunting of Bellington Cottage by Laura Parnum

The Haunting of Bellington Cottage by Laura Parnum

My Rating: ★★★★★

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

Iris has been looking forward to finally seeing Violet again after years because it’s sure to be even better than the last time their families took a trip together. She’s ready to repeat the fun they had giving their previous rental a spoopy makeover, but when Violet arrives, nothing is the same. She now goes by Vee, and not only does she not want to be there, but also doesn’t want to do much with Iris. Things only get worse when it turns out that their current rental is haunted and everyone thinks Iris and Vee are behind the ghost’s activities. It’s up to them to figure out who is haunting the house and help put them to rest!

If you’re looking for a paranormal coming of age story, then you can’t possibly go wrong with this book! We follow Iris as she’s finally reunited with her old friend Vee. Unfortunately for her, Vee isn’t excited to be on this trip, and she’s changed a lot since the last time they saw each other. Between getting the blame for the ghost’s activities and the struggles Iris and Vee are silently going through, it’s hard for the two to get on the same page. Thankfully, teaming up to help the restless ghost does them and the ghost a lot of good.

I love that this is a paranormal mystery that helps these former friends reconnect and discover the power of communication. It’s a great message for middle school readers who may relate to Iris and Violet. It’s also a story about change, and I think a lot of the target audience will relate to this, especially because it also involves navigating friendships that are changing due to various reasons. I like that it’s not afraid to touch on jealousy and loneliness as well as figuring out how to deal with it.

All in all, this was an excellent read. It’s also something I would’ve especially loved when I was in middle school. Plus, there’s a paranormal mystery that is sure to draw readers in. I think it’s an excellent read and that you really can’t go wrong with picking this up.

Witchy Stitching: 25 Patterns to Haunt Your Home by Meg Black

Witchy Stitching: 25 Patterns to Haunt Your Home by Meg Black

My Rating: ★★★★★

If you’re looking for some spoopy cross stitching patterns, then this is the book for you! Inside, you will find 25 wonderful patterns along with a couple extras. Other than the great patterns that are both fun and spoopy, I really like that there’s a comprehensive materials guide on top of all the information you need on how to actually cross stitch. I love this because it means that people who have never cross stitched before can pick this up and learn how to cross stitch and read patterns. It’s also the first time I’ve seen a solid guide on what needles to use!

Plus, there’s a tutorial on how Meg likes to make bookmarks and a section on how to stitch with beads. I thought that this was really cool, especially the section on stitching with beads. I’ve been cross stitching and doing embroidery for years now, but I haven’t started using beads yet either. Seeing this section really inspired me to buy some beads and start adding it to some of my projects. I already use glow in the dark floss from DMC and Kreinik, but now I’m excited to start adding beads!

All in all, this is an excellent book. If you’re on the fence and not familiar with The Witchy Stitcher aka Meg, I urge you to look up their shop or check out their social media to see what kind of patterns they have available to see if you like their style. Personally, I think you really can’t go wrong with this pattern book if you like anything Halloween or otherwise spoopy!