per usual, let's meet our fl (yes, yes, she's gorgeous and im in love, y'all know the deal). this is seowoo yoon, the illegitimate daughter of a politician. she has had a very sheltered upbringing, taught to act reserved and demure while being prohibited from interacting with men. however, there's more than the meets the eye with seowoo......girly is a pervert. a massive pervert.

you see, while being stuck in the house as a means to ensure her "purity" and all, she ended up discovering porn and she quickly found out what she likes. her entire upbringing was essentially grooming her into being a submissive wife? perfect! she's into that lmao.

seowoo dreams of a dominant husband who's aggressive in the bedroom and, lucky for her, fate comes in clutch at a wedding one night....

enters eunhyuk kim, our ml and the man who embodies all of seowoo's desires. he is the heir to the wm group who's ideal marriage is an arranged one with a quiet and obedient wife. can y'all think of anyone who fits the bill? i sure can.

seowoo overhears him on the phone and immediately offers herself up to him. she knows she's exactly what he's looking for and she is not about to let this opportunity to pass her by. and so begins one spicy marriage that surpasses both of their expectations.

as i said at the beginning, i see why this title was such a big hit with the korean audience. the art is amazing, the scenes are tantalizing, and the leads are extremely entertaining. i very much enjoyed what i've read so far and i cannot wait for more episodes to be released.

im gonna start with "saving my first time handsome knight" as it was my favorite of the two i read.

this title follows cielo, a young woman is who about to enter the palace as a new concubine for an elderly king. obviously, girl is NOT happy about losing her virginity to an over 80 year old man. i mean, who among us would me? she is being "trained" in bedroom techniques day after day and, honestly, old fella ain't gonna appreciate it. what's a girl to do?

well, for cielo, there is only one thing, or rather person, to do......a very handsome knight named caelum. AS SHE SHOULD!!!!

we follow along as cielo attempts to seduce caelum and score the first time of her dreams. like i said, no spoilers. only thing i will say is that i appreciate the direction this one went and think the author did a great job wrapping everything up in the end. both leads are charismatic and likeable, you really can't help but to root for them. i highly recommend this one, it was a fun (and obviously spicy) read!

the second title i read was "how i ended up seducing my childhood friend." now, i love me a childhood friend to lover success story so i was in as soon as i read to title and i can confidently say that this one hit the spot.

here we have rosaline, a young woman who is about to be sent of the monastery after her parents took a throwaway comment she made as a child a bit too seriously. much like cielo, she is none too pleased with how her life is developing and is not about to take this one laying down.

her master plan? convince her childhood friend elion to help her break the necessary vow of chastity to required to enter the monastery. i mean, what are friends for? but, of course, it could never be THAT easy to get elion to agree to the plan.....

i find this one to a bit more lighthearted overall than the previous title but equally enjoyable. if you're a childhood friend ml lover like me, this one is for you! the trope is done well and the author did an amazing job of balancing spice with budding young love. 10/10, honestly.

alright, folks, y'all GOTTA take advantage of the current promotion and enjoy this campaign to the fullest. there's a little bit of something for everyone, y'all won't regret giving all 8 titles a try!

a sign of affection

"a sign of affection" follows yuki, a typical college student who is deaf. this kind of representation in manga is unfortunately rather rare so it means a lot to see a fl like this. from what i've read so far, her deafness is not seen as a weakness but as a part of her as a whole. you can tell of research and care went into building her character and kudos for such a respectful depiction of a deaf woman.

so, yuki meets itsuomi on the train when a foreigner attempts to ask her for directions, not realizing she can't hear him. per usual manga cliches (and that's not a slight, don't fix what ain't broke), a crush begins to form.

let's talk about itsuomi. i love this man. when he learns yuki is deaf, he never looks down on her or treats her like she's lesser bc of it. he makes an effort to communicate with her in a way she's comfortable with and even begins to learn sign language (yuki makes him a sign language journal bc she is adorable and so kind and sweet). he's trilingual and loves visiting other countries. he actually goes to laos shortly after meeting yuki and sends her pics from his trip as well as bringing back a souvenir for her. it's pretty clear that itsuomi also has a crush on yuki and i am rooting for these two so hard. in just the first volume alone, their interactions are so heartwarming and i love how her deafness is not treated as a barrier to their relationship. itsuomi wants to make an effort for her and does not find it bothersome. a relationship based on kindness and respect is a beautiful thing.

however, where there is a ml, there is usually a second ml. this one is yuki's friend, oushi. when we first see him, we quickly realize that he learned sign language awhile ago, based on his proficiency, and that's pretty protective of her. the first volume doesn't explore much more with him but i think we all know where this is going. i feel for the guy but itsuomi is such a green flag that im not gonna consider jumping ship regardless of oushi's backstory.

overall, this manga is very sweet and wholesome. there's a reason why it's so popular and the first volume makes a gentle but impactful case for its reception. im excited to continue reading and im so happy manta got this title in particular on their platform.

thanks again to my friends at manta for this sneak peek 💖

currently available romance titles as of 4/7/2026:

the fragrant flower blooms with dignity

a condition called love

fall in love, you false angels

something's wrong with us

in the clear moonlit dusk

anyway, im falling in love with you

peach mermaid

how i met my soulmate

a couple of cuckoos

sweat and soap

wotakoi: love is hard for otaku

matcha made in heaven

nina the starry bride

lightning and romance

chihayafuru

this vampire won't give up

haru's curse

1122: for a happy marriage

5 centimeters per second

a brief moment of ichika

a galaxy next door

a girl & her guard dog

a kiss with a cat

a kiss, for real

a serenade for pretend lovers

a springtime with ninjas

abe-kun's got me now

an older guy's vr first love

and yet, you are so sweet

aoba-kun's confessions

araki won't be tamed

arisa

asahi-sempai's favorite

atsumori-kun's bride-to-be

beauty bunny

beware the kamiki brothers

black panther and sweet 16

boarding school juliet

boss bride days

boss wife

can i kiss you every day

changes of heart

chihiro-kun only has eyes for me

cosplay animal

defying kurosaki-kun

doing his best to confess

domestic girlfriend

don't tempt me, vp

don't toy with me, miss nagatoro

drowning love

ex-enthusiasts: motokare mania

falling drowning

forget me not

four kisses, in secret

fuuka

gakuen prince

gazing at the star next door

ge: good ending

getting closer to you

girlfriend, girlfriend

guilty

harem marriage

having an idol-loving boyfriend is the best

heroine for hire

home office romance

honeko akabane's bodyguards

hotaru's way

house of the sun

how do you do, koharu

how to grill our love

i am here

i cross-dressed for the irl meetup

i fell in love after school

i guess i became the mother of the great demon king's 10 children in another world

i have a crush at work

i see your face, turned away

i want to hold aono-kun so badly i could die

i'll be with them again today

i'll win you over, sempai

im in love and it's the end of the world

interview with monster girls

irresistible mistakes

kanafukaka

kigurumi guardians

killing line

kira-kun today

kiss him, not me

kiss me at the stroke of midnight

kitchen princess omnibus

knight of the ice

koigakubo-kun stole my first time

kusunoki's flunking her high school glow-up

last gender

ldk

let's dance a waltz

let's kiss in secret tomorrow

liar x liar

living-room matsunaga-san

love after world domination

love and lies

love at first memory

love hina omnibus

love massage: melting beauty treatment

love, that's an understatement

love's reach

lovesick ellie

mabusasa

maga-tsuki

maid in honey

manga dogs

mars

medaka kuroiwa is impervious to my charms

men's life - her secret life in the boys dormitory

mermaid melody pichi pichi pitch: aqua

mikami-sensei's way of love

missions of love

momo's iron will

moteki

mr bride

my best butler

my boss's kitten

my boy in blue

my boyfriend in orange

my darling next door

my darling, the company president

my little monster

my lovesick life as a 90s otaku

my maid, miss kishi

my pink is overflowing

my sweet girl

my wife is a little intimadating

my wife is wagatsuma-san

mysterious girlfriend x

nezumi's first love

nighttime for just us two

nodame cantabile

o maidens in your savage season

ogami-san can't keep it in

oh, those hanazono twins

our bodies entwining, entwined

our fake marriage

our fake marriage: rosé

our love doesn't need a happy ending

our precious conversations

paradise residence

pass the monster meat, milday

peach girl

peach girl next

peach heaven

perfect world

practice makes perfect

sailor moon

princess jellyfish

pupposites attract

queen bee

ran the peerless beauty

real girl

rent-a-(really shy)-girlfriend

rent-a-girlfriend

sachi's monstrous appetite

sakura's dedication

sankarea

saving sweets for after-hours

say i love you

school rumble

searching for my perfect brother

she, her camera, and her seasons

she's my knight

sheltering eaves

shikimori's not just a cutie

shugo chara

shugo chara chan

star-crossed

such a treacherous piano sonata

suzuka

tenpuru - no one can live on loneliness

that beauty is a tramp

that blue summer

that wolf-boy is mine

that's my atypical girl

the café terrace and its goddesses

the flowers of evil

the full-time wife escapist

the garden of words

the gods lie

the golden sheep

the honey-blood beauty & her vampire

the prince in his dark days

the prince's black poison

the prince's romance gambit

the quintessential quintuplets

the springtime of my life began with you

the story of our unlikely love

the tale of genji: dreams at dawn

the transcendent one-sided love of yoshida the catch

the untouchable midori-kun

the wallflower

the walls between us

the writer and his housekeeper

those not-so-sweet boys

those summer days

to be next to you

to write your words

tokyo alice

tokyo tarareba girls

tokyo tarareba girls returns

tokyo tarareba girls returns 2

tsuredure children

tune in to the midnight heart

tying the knot with an amagami sister

vampire dormitory

voices of a distant star

waiting for spring

wake up, sleeping beauty

watari-kun's ****** is about to collapse

we must never fall in love

we're new at this

welcome back, alice

what did you eat yesterday

what i love about you

when we shout for love

when we're in love

when will ayumu make his move

will it be the world or her

with the sheikh in his harem

world's end and apricot jam

yamada-kun and the seven witches

yamaguchi-kun isn't so bad

you got me, sempai

you must be this tall to propose

you're my cutie

you're my pet

your lie in april

hitting rewind with you

love out on a limb

love in focus

drawing from your memory

the ayakashi hunter's tainted bride

snow & ink

the boy i loved became the jaded emperor

the wizard and his fairy

ray (fl)

ray, my beloved. i loved her from the start and my love remains unchanged. id lay down my life for her 😤

first of all, girlie got a haircut after a timeskip. i love a good bob and she ate that look up. but let's talk about her pre-timeskip growth for a sec bc a backbone was born and it was glorious.

ray made it abundantly clear to clodan that she is not an object to be possessed by him. when his overwhelming jealousy had him acting a fool, she did not falter in her convictions. she knew he was wrong and was not going to easily forgive him. this followed him finally confessing his love for her and this fact alone highlights how much she has changed. the ray we first met, a girl starved for love and affection, would have felt similarly but remained silent in order to avoid jeopardizing clodan's love for her. however, ray has learned that she deserves both love AND respect. for the first time, she sees her own existence as meaningful in itself and not just in connection with the men of her life (clodan and her brother, hayes). i was honestly so proud of her, this is a huge step towards learning to love the most important person.....herself.

of course, this does not make her immune to clodan's manipulations. he's a master at it, after all. trauma is a tricky thing, almost water-like as it find ways to trickle through the cracks of your resolve. it is not a sign of weakness in ray to be gaslit by clodan, it is simply the ever rippling grasp trauma holds on her. however, ray now has the awareness of clodan's nature and can piece together what is happening. that is what makes all the difference and sets the stage for the next act of her life.

the next act comes in the form of a six year timeskip. i will not go into explicit detail but i will say ray truly has grown into a brave young woman who now has something to fight for. her character arc was beautifully done and it shows that she did not need to sacrifice her sense herself for love.

clodan (ml)

oh, clodan, the reddest of flags.

listen, he's not for everyone but i like him. feeling a little hypocritical about that given how hard i went against cesare from high society.....but i accept my flaws so whatever.

just like ray, clodan is imprisoned by his own trauma. unlike ray, his way of coping comes at the expense of all who have the misfortune to be around him. clodan truly does love ray but clodan also does not truly understand what love must entail. love cannot be a means of control. love should not be destructive. clodan is unable to come to terms with that and it is ray who pays the higher and more painful price bc of it.

don't get me wrong, clodan suffers bc of his mistakes. he has six years of it and, boy, does he grovel at the end. however, i can easily see readers not forgiving him and i don't think i entirely forgave him either. his trauma is not an excuse of his actions, it is the explanation. we can feel for his own pain while condemning what he put ray through.

i apologize for not going on as long about clodan but ray truly was the more compelling character to me. i stayed for her with the hope she has her happy ending. all i will say is im satisfied where we ended up.

but it would pain me to mention the true mvp of this story....the gardener. that man is right behind ray for me, i would simply hang the moon for that sweetie and that is my truth.

overall, i really enjoyed this title. it was painful, it was spicy, it was maddening, and it was so beautiful. the true star was ray but none of the characters were one dimensional or uninteresting. everyone had their demons to overcome and it was truly riveting to read.

per usual, we start with my newest crush (i like all women way too much, i fear). this is eunyu, a junior in college. right off the rip, we see that eunyu prefers to wear baggy clothing and baseball caps to hide her face. still looks cute as heck to me but i digress.

we find out later that she has a major complex when it comes to romance. she grew up watching the deterioration of her parents' marriage. she cites her father's eventual infidelity as a result of his superficial desire for her mother's youthful looks. once those began to fade, he strayed. it's understandable that a young girl would develop trauma as she witnessed her mother's despair and i cannot fault her for attempting protect herself throughout the story. if you've never witnessed a healthy romantic relationship, any possibility of finding yourself falling in love can be utterly terrifying.

unfortunately, this is not the only issue for this sweet girl. we quickly realize that her coworker at one of her many part-time jobs is obsessed with her and begun stalking her. the real painful kicker here? he claims it was love at first sight further worsening her existing trauma. this all results in her stalker physically attacking her but have no fear! if there's one thing a romance manhwa has, it's impeccable timing.

but we gotta take it back real quick and introduce our ml first. this is jaeha and, yes, i know, he's pretty fine. the typical ml design but don't fix what ain't broken, you know? he's a year above eunyu and just returned from his military service. he also spent some time abroad in the us.

you see, jaeha is into eunyu from the jump. can we see how that is gonna be an issue? even though he legitimately likes everything about her, him confessing the immediate attraction very much concerns eunyu. they grow closer when they're paired together for a group project and both are feeling the spark. at first, she legit thinks she has hay fever, not even considering for a second that she has feelings for jaeha. she turns him down and explains her mistrust of love at first glance. jaeha says they can just be friends but that never lasts long, now does it?

when jaeha attempts to give eunyu space, she is hit with a double whammy of trouble. first, the school forum is claiming jaeha has a gf abroad. second, her stalker has clocked what's going on between the two. both suck but one in a way more sinister way. she begins receiving texts from an unknown number claiming they belong together and gets calls where no one speaks on the other end. this all culminates in the previously mentioned attack.

however, prior to this, eunyu agreed to meet jaeha and was on her way to see him. thank god he put the pieces together and get to her right in the nick of time. he does take a brick to head but is able to knock the creep out and sustain only minor injuries.

it is his protection of eunyu at the risk of his own life that allows her to realize how deep his feelings truly run and she makes the decision to start a relationship with him.

now, this is right around where i stopped. obviously stuck around for their first time (bc ofc i did) and then immediately chickened out before things fell apart. my current guess for what causes the eventual break up? i think it's a mixture of her mom either falling ill or dying (pls be the first) and the re-emergence of her trauma. she'll be the one who dumps him and jaeha will not get actual answers as to why. so ouch all around.

like i said earlier, i get why eunyu acts the way she does and i cannot fault her for falling victim to her trauma. it's a hard thing to break free from. however, jaeha does not deserve what's to come and i would understand if he felt hurt AND angry in the aftermath. but given the amount of green flag energy this man radiates? i don't think it'll ever result in any sort of contempt for eunyu, mostly confusion and sadness.

when im emotionally ready, i will happily let this manhwa tear my heart out.

per usual, we start with our fl. per usual x2, she's gorgeous and im in love with her.

this is viviana, the duchess of house fortuna, and she's not having a good time rn. her husband is not fulfilling certain needs of hers and she has taken matters into her own hands (we love a pioneering woman in this household). however, one of her sessions leads to a massive misunderstanding when said husband overhears and accuses her having an affair. she obviously does not take kindly to that and rips into him....and then almost immediately takes an accidental swan dive down the stairs, leaving her "partner-in-crime" (iykyk) as the sole survivor of her tumble. she's dead but hey! she did prove her she was not stepping out on her marriage! silver linings, y'all.....

now, we know damn well this ain't the end for viviana. in typical manhwa fashion, she reawakens in the past, conveniently a month before her wedding. the solution is clear..... call off the wedding and run! but, dear reader, it can never be that easy, can it?

well, hello there, ml! (is this a safe space to say white hair and red eyes in a ml is top tier?)

this is alto, viviana's husband-to-be and mr "can't satisfy my wife."

(...i had to dunk on him but i do actually love him, i swear)

you see, alto was also not having a good time before the regression trope. while it becomes clear that he was in love with his wife, he held himself back in their marital bed. why? well, my man has a secret.

we've got a werewolf, folks! 🗣

unfortunately, alto has A LOT of trauma intertwined with his identity. he feels a deep sense of abandonment stemming from his parents (his mother reacted very badly when she discovered alto's father was a werewolf and that mentality then focused on her son) and was abused by his grandfather as a means of "education" (the lesson? rigid control of his emotions so he doesn't reveal his true self to others). the man was going through it and his behavior in the original timeline becomes profoundly tragic. he has loved viviana since he met her but was groomed to such an extent that he had no clue how to reach her. it doesn't negate her hurt but it does reveal that he was never intentionally cold and unloving.

all this to say, alto is a green flag. he stands apart from other mls in the regression genre since he was never a terrible person who needs to grovel to atone for the sins of his past self. his fatal flaw was never being taught how to process his emotions without shame. he never knowingly hurt viviana (minus the first night, something neither party ever received proper education on how to navigate it), he never abused her and his accusation of her being unfaithful never came from a place of anger. actually, id argue it was never a full-on accusation in the first place. it was a manifestation of his own insecurity that he did have the tools to properly convey. don't get me wrong, viviana was completely justified in her reaction bc she had no way of knowing the depths of his trauma. there is no villain, just two victims who never found the chance to truly connect at any level.

needless to say, viviana's plan of calling off the marriage was unsuccessful and alto's fear of viviana discovering he was a werewolf was unfounded. we now have a beautiful (and spicy) tale of lovers overcoming miscommunication and finally getting to know one another. i highly recommend this title as these two easily became one of my all-time favorite manhwa couples. the ride can be bumpy but it doesn't feel like an earthquake so it's perfect for readers who enjoy smaller doses of relationship angst.

also, special shout-out to viviana's maid and alto's aide. supportive friends AND a solid secondary couple.

here's a list of the novels currently available and i have starred the ones featured in my header, just in case the beautiful cover art has peaked your interest 😉:

1) under the oak tree*

2) lift my curse, sir knight

3) a wicked husband

4) flower of allure

5) the redemption of earl nottingham*

6) tempest night

7) justice for the villainess

8) the hidden muse

9) predatory marriage

10) high society

11) wish upon a husband

12) betrayal of dignity

13) trash will always be trash

14) it was just a contractual marriage

15) the accidental heiress*

16) the 11th school trip

17) lady devil

18) savor the taste

19) love history caused by willful negligence

20) ballboy tactics

21) i raised a black dragon

22) i've become a true villainess

23) disobey the duke if you dare

24) the tainted half

25) the noble pirate

26) the golden forest

27) shall we bathe, your grace?

28) adeline's darkest night

29) a marriage contract with my two husbands

30) may god bless your demise

31) kneel before me

32) rewriting my tragic ending

33) observing elena evoy

34) the flower of veneration

35) winter wolf

36) falling for the enemy

37) finding camellia

38) die melusine

39) lies become you

40) princess of the animals

41) amina of the lamp

if you're a seasoned manhwa reader like me, im sure you recognized MANY of these titles and have read the manhwa adaptions. we have some iconic stories available and, i promise, reading the original novel will strengthen your love for any manhwa. there's so much lore to be discovered that has to be cut as a novel is adapted and already beloved scenes from manhwas are given a whole new light as you experience them in their original form. novels aren't for everyone but i highly recommend giving them a go!

now, let's get into the titles i featured in my header. these will be less of a review and more of an explanation of why i chose these particular novels to highlight.

first up is the redemption of earl nottingham. if you like angst and slow burn romance, this one is for you. the growth of the leads is so satisfying to witness...and painful but it's worth it, trust me! i love the era this story is set in and how it explores classism and *SPOILER* navigating the lives of immigrants in america. i have cried, gotten angry, and felt butterflies as i read this. it's truly a journey and the destination is a beauty to behold.

next up is under the oak tree! i mean, come on, this one is a given. it's a manhwa juggernaut and the novel holds up to the hype. you can check my page for my review of the manhwa for more details on my thoughts. all i want to say rn is this.....this title is not a victim of being overhyped, it has earned its status of iconic.

the last title is the accidental heiress. i really believe this one is heavily slept on and im personally offended by that. it's a slow burn romance that feels like a warm hug. this one just makes me happy and the manhwa remains as one of my top comfort reads. my one complaint was not getting to fully experience the romance of the leads after the confession and im looking forward to the novel giving me the chance to fall in love with riella and hann all over again. i swear, they are a top tier couple.

all in all, this was a great move by manta. the one advantage other platforms had over them was the inclusion of novels in their catalogs but now they've swept away the competition. i can't wait to see what novels are to come 🥰

let's start with my beloved, maxi. i will not tolerate any slander about her, i would die for this woman.

maxi starts off very sweet and naive with a sad upbringing. due to constant abuse from her noble father, she suffers from intense low self-esteem and a stutter. she is married off to the ml, a peasant knight, as way for her father to send the ml to the dragon subjugation in his place. however, she only spends one night with him before he leaves for 3 years to fulfill his military obligations. the entire time he's away, she lives in fear that he will divorce her upon his return. however, our ml takes her back to their home and their love story begins.

maxi already caught my attention as one of the few fls with a disability at the time and my love for grew as she did.

let's start with the obvious: she is so cute and i adore her freckles. i will always fold to the fl and she is no exception. throughout the story, the only thing i wanted was her happiness and safety. she deserves to be loved and i will fight anyone who calls her weak or pathetic. she is a victim of abuse and that trauma has shaped her. readers should approach her character with this knowledge and give her some grace. her environment shaped her into a scared and insecure young woman at no fault of her own. instead of attacking her, one should cheer on her gradual growth. like i said before, i will defend her with my life.

maxi truly does blossom and comparing her at the start to where we find her at the beginning of season 5 shows just how impressive and resilient of a character she is. instead of hiding in the shadow of her husband, she goes out of her way to harness her ability as a healer and step up for the sake of her ppl and husband. she does not back down when the ml tells her to and follows her own sense of justice. the maxi of the past would have never thought herself capable of that and it really is a beautiful example of a victim rising above her trauma.

maxi, my love, here's to a well-deserved happy ending in the future ❤

aw, riftan. i both love you and want to throttle you sometimes. i will say this....his heart is in the right place but he doesn't always go about things in the right way.

and, yes, to state the obvious, he is extremely attractive. maybe that's why im so lenient with him lol.

despite maxi's fear of divorce before his return, this was NEVER on the table for riftan. he fell in love with maxi way before their arranged marriage. it always was and always will be maxi for him. gotta love a man of intense yearning 😍

however, due to his inexperience with women and kinda stunted emotional growth, the man does not know how to express himself well at times. all he wants is to protect maxi but he has a tendency to come off as overbearing and controlling. i honestly don't believe that he intends to present as such but, god damn, when he fumbles, he fumbles HARD. there are a few moments of him yelling at maxi instead of communicating his concerns and i want to fling him into the sun each time. like, come on, dude, i know you're better than that.

regardless of that, it's clear how devoted he is to maxi. he loves her so much and it's the "let the world burn" type of ml if something were to happen to her. when he retrieves maxi after three years, he immediately begins to make up lost time....if you catch my drift 😏

while riftan's growth is a bit slower (and more frustrating lol) than maxi's, it's clear that he is improving and wants to be better for his wife. his main goal needs to be seeing maxi as her own person who is capable of protecting herself and to stop putting her on a pedestal where nothing and no one can touch her. his growth is entwined with hers and it is his slow pace that quickens maxi's resolve to prove herself. he comes off unintentionally toxic but that does not absolve him of his missteps. i have faith he will become a great partner to maxi and will no longer try to shield her from a world she must experience in order to truly find herself.

riftan, my man, do NOT let me down.

all in all, under the oak tree is a staple in the romantic manhwa genre for a reason. it has beautiful art and even more beautiful character growth. there will be moments of frustration for any reader but trust the process, y'all, it's all to build up to a satisfying conclusion.

if you read this manhwa and enjoy it, i also highly recommend the original light novel. it allows for a deeper look into the characters AND has a side story completely in riftan's pov that covers the time before the story takes place.

our story starts with irae (another cute fl enters the chat ❤) waking up in the hospital after an accident. she is very quickly blindsided by her husband coming to visit for two two reasons....

1) she has no memory of being at all

2) and, well, he looks......

hello, ml. obviously, irae is NOT about this and tries to get this monster outta her room but, for some reason, she's the only one concerned about this situation. well, it makes sense when everyone else only sees this:

OH. so he DOES have a face......right? maybe. at this point, irae is convinced that this is merely a symptom of some sort of brain damage and we TOTALLY buy that as fact, right? so legit, no cosmic horror in this house....right?

ANYWAYS!

his face keeps changing but nowhere closer to human. im talking planets, flowers, boxes....the list goes on. somehow, this isn't the weirdest thing happening here. irae keeps seeing strange things and the life described by her husband does not match up with her memory at all. something ain't right but, damn, this man is so smooth that it's hard to dwell on it.

now, what do i think of this title? well, i am intrigued. im really enjoying the small details that heighten the tension and set you on edge with the nagging feeling that something sinister is at play. we got a thriller on our hands and im so down.

i wouldn't call myself a monster lover but i am pretty open-minded so a certain dream (or is it a memory....🤔) irae had did not give me the ick so i can see why some ppl will NOT want to touch this one with a ten foot pole.

if none of that scares you off, i do recommend checking this one out! there's a lot of potential here and im eagerly waiting for the big reveal of what the hell is up this dude.

thank you, again, manta, for sharing another great title. see y'all next month 😘

y'all know what im about to say......

A NEW BOMBSHELL HAS ENTERED THE VILLA 🗣🗣🗣

seriously tho, can i have some commotion for this beautiful woman? got it out of your system? great! time to be sad 😀

our fl is ray lisbon. she has ended up at this mysterious manor alongside her older brother, hayes. per the usual manhwa playbook, her life has not been easy. her father passed away and left behind massive amounts of debt, her mother fell ill from the shock of it all, and her brother severely mistreats her. what really broke my heart is that ray is illiterate after her brother kept firing her tutors. someone pls be nice to my girl, im begging you.

especially you, sir 🤨

*sighs and taps mic* ANOTHER BOMBSHELL HAS ENTERED THE VILLA......yay?

maybe not yay.

so, this is clodan, our ml. let's get it out of the way....he's hot. like really hot and now my most attractive ml ranking has taken a hit. thanks for that, dude. but, like so many mls, can the looks make up for the red flags?

y'all, im in a tricky spot rn bc i dunked hard on cesare from high society and now im simping for what seems to be a massive black flag. cognitive dissonance at its finest, pls cut me some slack here. moving on.....

okay, clodan has an immediate interest in ray. i get it, man, me too. i can't go into too many details bc a lot of his backstory would be major spoilers so let's just call him dangerous and keep it rolling. ray has no experience with men and quickly ends up reciprocating his interest. and, well, things start getting strange in the manor but only hayes seems to have noticed.

im sure y'all weren't expecting me to dedicate a paragraph to the fl's older brother but his character actually highlights something i really like about this manhwa so hear me out.

i find hayes and his relationship with ray as a great example of how complicated familial abuse can be. he demeans ray constantly but still shows concern for her safety when he realizes that clodan is more than a reclusive nobleman. after being incapitated by clodan, he attempts to escape with ray in the middle of the night. when he realizes ray is under clodan's influence, his abusive nature overcomes any brotherly concern left as he strikes her and flees the manor alone.....or so we think. deep down, hayes does care for his sister but he cares for himself and his reputation more. it's not shocking in the slightest but it does further the despair you feel for ray as you realize just how truly alone she is in this world. his character highlights how the "love" someone may feel for will not keep you safe from their inherently abusive nature. his "love" was only willing to protect his sister to an extent and it was nowhere to be found when the target was on his back. i think the author tackled this complicated relationship well and i hope this bodes well for how the main romance will be handled further down the line.

one more thing regarding the brother....clodan does drop a very weird line about hayes sneaking into ray's room at night for "a taste." this is not something that actually happened, just the product of clodan's unhinged jealousy. when i tell y'all my body recoiled VIOLENTLY at that one....honestly? kudos to the author, that was a masterful display of how messed up the ml is.

now, my final verdict of this title....i love it. the art is gorgeous and the author has shown immense promise at how this dark romance will play out. ray is an easy fl to like and empathize with. you just want to protect this poor girl at all costs. clodan is an absolutely intriguing ml, one that will be well-liked by fans of the dark romance genre. even after that creepy line, i still really enjoy his character. this manhwa has so much potential and i cannot wait to see how it all unfolds.

let's get introduced to our fl and ml before we really delve into my thoughts.

now, this beautiful woman is adele. can we just take a moment to appreciate this absolutely lethal face card? my queer heart about beat outta my chest when i saw her. i simply will never recover from this.

you see, adele has a problem. she is living in the slums of gimora and is pretending to be a man named abele. why? glad you asked. women aren't even safe in a fictional world so this was essential to ensure her safety. unfortunately, her disguise was seen through and she has been given a week to produce a protection fee or else. her main source of income is from being a shoeshiner so this will not be an easy thing to accomplish. well, luck is seemingly on her side bc she finds herself shining the shoes of quite the infamous man...

the man of infamy is cesare buonaparte, the most high-ranking noble in gimora. he too has a problem. this man does NOT want to settle down but he is being pushed to marry a woman due to marriage pledge between their families. yeah, the stakes are a lot less low for him but you'd think he was about to be brought out to the gallows.

this is where adele comes in. she is able to convince cesare to enter a three month contract that will solve both of their problems. and no, it is not a marriage contract. well...not in the way you'd expect.

adele has been tasked with acting as cesare's long lost younger sister who has returned to gimora in order to debut into society. her main goal? to secure a marriage proposal from the della valle family. she now has to learn the ways of nobility and dodge the suspicions of cesare's prospective fiance. what could possibly go wrong?

...

it's cesare, cesare is exactly what can go wrong bc OF COURSE he is.

can adele juggle perfecting her role of a noble lady and cesare's growing affection for her. i'll leave to y'all to find out.

but, what do i think of this manhwa? i absolutely love it. the art is absolutely gorgeous and the character designs are top tier. i believe the author is doing an amazing job at exposing the classism at play and adele's struggle to not let her emotions at the blatant disrespect for who she was overwhelm who she must become.

as for adele as the fl, she is easily one of my favorites. she is a very smart woman who has figured out how to deal with the personification whiplash himself. it's not easy but she is handling him with impressive ease. it's honestly thrilling to witness her growth and im eagerly awaiting to see what she does next.

but now, we have to talk about cesare...

frankly, i hate this man.

to be more specific, i love to hate him. he is a red flag but, gosh, it is fun to watch him yearn. if i had it my way, his feelings would be unrequited until the end of time but i've been around the manhwa block long enough to know where this will most likely land. however, im not too mad about that. i love a good redemption arc so i will not say no if we get one. but more than that, i do love hating a man so im having a jolly good time regardless of where this goes.