#taming of the dukes

[catedwrites]

Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard

Never Met a Duke Like You was an honestly fun read. Yes, there were moments of seriousness and hardship--the discussion of mental health and its treatment in Victorian England as well as the portrayal of what it feels like to be neurodivergent, in particular were written deftly and compassionately (as a woman with ADHD as well, I thought Howard's writing of Vesper was true-to-life and very well expressed). These "heavier" topics provided a really good counterbalance to the snark and banter between Vesper and Aspen. I found their conversations genuinely entertaining and witty, and really appreciated the "sparky-ness" of their relationship. While the constant longing for each other did grate a tad before they actually came together, the payoff was worth it. I did think the climax was a tad drawn out, but nothing that put me off. I haven't read anything by Amelie Howard before, but I would, now, like to go back to her previous books and take a look.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

[loeh]

From the moment he saw your portrait, his life began to change in ways he could hardly understand. At first, he attended the auction out of obligation. He was indifferent to the event until he saw you, captured in a frame, almost lost among the other items on display.

You didn’t stand out at first. Your beauty wasn’t the kind that demanded immediate attention. Yet, when the bidding for your portrait began, he found himself compelled to participate. Was it boredom? A reckless display of wealth? He couldn’t say, even to himself.

The moment he brought your portrait home, he placed it in his room—an odd choice, one that puzzled him. It started as a mere curiosity. What was it about you that had so many people interested? Why did you look so serene, yet so stern?

Your gown, with its deep crimson velvet, was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, clinging to your form like a whispered secret. The intricate lace on the bodice gracefully embraced your delicate shoulders, while the silk train flowed like liquid fire. It was mesmerizing, yet it was your expression that truly captivated him. It wasn’t one of joy or contentment, but of solemness—a quiet command that demanded respect and obedience.

Each night, as he looked upon the portrait, he became more obsessed, wondering who you were, what thoughts filled your mind when you posed for this image. It was as though you had reached out from the canvas, drawing him into a world where he couldn’t escape your gaze, a world where he was slowly losing himself to an obsession he couldn’t explain.

His curiosity had become an all-consuming obsession. The more he stared at your portrait, the more he needed to know about the woman who had captivated him so completely. He scoured records, questioned merchants, and chased down rumors, but for the longest time, his search led nowhere. You seemed to be a ghost, a figure lost to time.

Finally, after what felt like an endless pursuit, he encountered an elderly man who claimed to know your story. The man spoke with a somber tone, revealing that you were once the Crown Princess of a proud and flourishing kingdom. But tragedy had struck when your father’s own brother, betrayed the royal family. He committed treason, igniting a rebellion that tore the kingdom apart.

Despite being outnumbered and facing overwhelming odds, you stood as the last line of defense. You took up arms, leading the loyalists in a desperate attempt to save your home. The man recounted how you fought with unmatched bravery, refusing to yield even as the kingdom crumbled around you. But in the end, your efforts were not enough.

The last anyone saw of you was during a fierce duel with your once loyal knight and lover on the edge of a cliff. Some say you were killed in that final battle; others believe you vanished, your fate a mystery. The man who recounted this tale was none other than the head butler of your kingdom, a loyal servant who had witnessed the downfall firsthand.

Through further questioning, he learned that after your supposed death, your uncle’s reign quickly fell into chaos. The kingdom, once thriving, could not withstand the internal strife and soon succumbed to external wars. These conflicts were so devastating that they effectively erased the kingdom from history, leaving nothing behind but forgotten ruins and faded memories.

The more he uncovered, the deeper his obsession grew. You were no longer just a figure in a painting; you were a tragic heroine. The thought that your story, your life, could be forgotten by time haunted him. He felt an inexplicable connection to you, as if understanding your past could somehow fill the emptiness he felt within himself.

In the end, his search led him to a humble barhouse where you, once a Crown Princess, were now reduced to serving as a maid. The sight of you, stripped of your former grandeur, struck him like a blow to the heart. How could someone of your noble stature have fallen so low? The injustice of it consumed him, feeding the obsession that had taken root within him.

Determined to restore you to the glory he believed you deserved, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He married you, forcibly and without your consent, convinced that he was saving you from a life of indignity. To him, this was an act of love, a twisted belief that he was doing what was best for you, even if you couldn't see it.

He impregnated you with his children, two daughters who became the center of his world. In his mind, he had found his happy ending—a life with you by his side, a family that completed the vision he had constructed in his obsessive heart. He had given you back everything you had lost, or so he thought.

But you, despite everything, continued to resist. You sought every chance to escape, your spirit undimmed even in the face of his control. You spoke of how you didn't love this life, how you longed to be free from the gilded cage he had created. To him, your words were incomprehensible. How could you not see that he had given you everything? How could you reject the life he had worked so hard to build for you?

In his eyes, your ingratitude was maddening. He had rescued you, loved you, given you the children he believed would bind you to him forever. Yet you still sought to flee, still spoke of a life you wanted to escape from. To him, it was baffling—shouldn't you be more grateful? Shouldn't you love the life he had crafted for you with such care and obsession?

But in his twisted perception of love, he could not see the prison he had built around you, nor the pain he caused in his relentless pursuit of a happiness that was his alone.

Maximillian Ashet, Dylan Sean Blathe, Anastacius de Alger Obelia, Dion Agriche, Cruel Harte, Rezef Hill, Eros Vasilios, Callisto Regulus, Ahin Grace, Theobold von Baden Mismarck, Noah Wynknight, Abel Heilon, Prince Escalus, Luciano Valeztena

[sleepycoffins-and-benhargreeves]

Me snorting isekai animes like it's my lifeline

[romancemedia]

[feymure]

Shoujo & Josei Anime to look forward to in 2023

With a new year comes a new post from Yours Truly! And this year, us fans are getting an actual year of shows to look forward to! Thank you all for your support that has brought these anime! Please continue to show the love this year and onwards!

Series coming in 2023

Movies coming in 2023

MAL(My Anime List) Links:

https://myanimelist.net/anime/52173/Koori_Zokusei_Danshi_to_Cool_na_Douryou_Joshi

https://myanimelist.net/anime/53126/Yamada-kun_to_Lv999_no_Koi_wo_Suru

https://myanimelist.net/anime/49980/Sugar_Apple_Fairy_Tale

https://myanimelist.net/anime/46422/Niehime_to_Kemono_no_Ou

https://myanimelist.net/anime/52308/Kanojo_ga_Koushaku-tei_ni_Itta_Riyuu

https://myanimelist.net/anime/50652/Tsundere_Akuyaku_Reijou_Liselotte_to_Jikkyou_no_Endou-kun_to_Kaisetsu_no_Kobayashi-san

https://myanimelist.net/anime/51215/Seijo_no_Maryoku_wa_Bannou_Desu_2nd_Season

https://myanimelist.net/anime/53438/Higeki_no_Genkyou_to_Naru_Saikyou_Gedou_Last_Boss_Joou_wa_Tami_no_Tame_ni_Tsukushimasu

https://myanimelist.net/anime/53300/Ojou_to_Banken-kun

https://myanimelist.net/anime/51956/Paradox_Live_the_Animation

https://myanimelist.net/anime/52962/Tearmoon_Teikoku_Monogatari__Dantoudai_kara_Hajimaru_Hime_no_Tensei_Gyakuten_Story

https://myanimelist.net/anime/51552/Watashi_no_Shiawase_na_Kekkon

https://myanimelist.net/anime/53097/Tokyo_Mew_Mew_New_%E2%99%A1_2nd_Season

https://myanimelist.net/anime/53716/Hirogaru_Sky_Precure

https://myanimelist.net/anime/51065/Sazanami_Soushi_ni_Junketsu_wo_Sasagu

https://myanimelist.net/anime/54850/Oooku

https://myanimelist.net/anime/44081/B-Project__NetsuretsuLove_Call

https://myanimelist.net/anime/54294/Dog_Signal

https://myanimelist.net/anime/48917/Stand_My_Heroes__Warmth_of_Memories

https://myanimelist.net/anime/52999/Ensemble_Stars_Tsuioku_Selection_Element

https://myanimelist.net/anime/54858/Hypnosis_Mic__Division_Rap_Battle_-_Rhyme_Anima__

https://myanimelist.net/anime/49842/Otome_Game_no_Hametsu_Flag_shika_Nai_Akuyaku_Reijou_ni_Tensei_shiteshimatta%E2%80%A6_Movie

https://myanimelist.net/anime/51716/Bishoujo_Senshi_Sailor_Moon_Cosmos_Movie

https://myanimelist.net/anime/39905/Collar_x_Malice

https://myanimelist.net/anime/54118/IDOLiSH7_Movie__LIVE_4bit_-_BEYOND_THE_PERiOD

https://myanimelist.net/anime/52186/Kin_no_Kuni_Mizu_no_Kuni

https://myanimelist.net/anime/52364/Hirano_to_Kagiura

https://myanimelist.net/anime/55153/Yuzuki-san_Chi_no_Yonkyoudai

[whoishotteranimepolls]

[pruneunfair]

Ranking all the OI I read. Part 1: the lesser.

It'll be like my tier list except with added stories from the haven't read yet section and of course my opinions.

Since Tumblr only allows 30 images per post and a daily pass based on how many pictures can be posted at all. I'll be posting this list through multiple parts starting with the worst. Get ready because there's gonna be a lot of negativity right now.

Starting with the tier I like to call "Absolute dog shit." Terrible plots, gross content being glamourized and little to no potential at all.

honestly picking the worst of the worst was hard cause there's so many to choose from.. and I think the title of the absolute worst doesn't go to Remarried empress or Today the villainess has fun again..

Its this one: beware of the brothers

I really can't say I was surprised 😭. I mean.. look at the damn title. The FL gets adopted into the family because she looks like the ML's dead sister and it just.. escalates into step-bro love. "But it's not related by blood-" still incest and even if they didn't grow up together, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO FUCK SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE YOUR DEAD SIBLING!?

The order of slave breeding

Yes this is an actual manhwa.. I genuinely wanna know why the author just looked at themselves in the mirror and said "Yes this is a good idea." As the title suggests.. it's about a slave merchant for a FL and her slaves falling in love with her and as if it couldn't be uncomfortable enough it is one of the few manhwa with a dark skinned ML. I don't care how many times they'll offer excues for the lead I don't fw slavery being used as a romance device in media.

I belong to house Castillo

Technically I didn't read all of it, I just read the spoilers for the rest of the chapters but to be fair, I just got finished cursing myself by reading stepbro fantasies and master/slave ships, I'm not trying to give my FBI agent a reason to search my hard drives. It's a basic and cliché found family where the FL Estelle is sold by her mother to her father and the ML is a 17 year old who basically grooms her..why? Because raising your love interest is the "only" way to make a story stand out amongst the other generic found family tales.

I tamed my ex husband's mad dog.

More cases of grooming except this time it's the FL as the perpetrator. ML looks like he's 8 but he's apparently 16.. so we got a groomer protagonist in the form of Reinhardt who also neglects her first child and favors her second child she had with her victim with the excuse of not wanting to care for her son being that he looks like her toxic ex. Lady what? That boy deserves his own villain arc holy shit.

No more turning a blind eye.

This one really dissapointed me 😔. The cover looked stunning, the artstyle while a little off was still eye catching and the title sounded promising. Nah this is a hunk of junk that had a gentrification plot for some reason.. and you were supposed to sympathize with the guy who wanted to render hundreds of people homeless to make room for art galleries or whatever it was they wanted?

The dragon kings bride

I already knew this one was probably gonna suck judging by the title. First off it treats dark skinned people like barbarians, the ML Hakan meets Lucina when she's a child, Lucina is threatened with death if she doesn't marry him and you can probably guess where it goes. Like I said I don't really have a right to be shocked but it still goes on the list for its weird obsession with Lucina being so tiny that having sex with Hakan could kill her along with a not so hidden pregnancy fetish.

I became the tyrants secretary.

Its just workplace sexual harassment, theres not much to it. Cannot stand the ML who is a basic garbage human and Rosalyn is a block of wood when it comes to personality. She wants to do all these things but she has no spine and no will to actually do them but at the same time shes so good at everything on a whim. I usually don't mind a clueless FL but Jesus christ! She makes Adrien Agreste look smarter!

The villains savior

Gotta say the artstyle is really pretty and the FLs design is so cute. Everything else though is pretty bad. The point is basically the lead Ezlay is trying to essentially "fix" the ML as the title suggest. A lot of people dislike this one because Ezlay is very emotional and cries too much but that's honestly the least of the issues here. Now to be fair, Aseph is a villain so it's expected that he's gonna suck but that doesn't mean Ezlay needs to have the personality of a rock either, it's not that she cries a lot that annoys me, she's literally just a male fantasy personified. All she is absolute patience and acceptance for what Aseph does to point of enabling that toxic behavior.

Now we enter manhwas that are horrificly awful, not much difference except these ones have a bigger grain of potential

Lucia

This one got a lot of hate tiktok so naturally I had to read it and yeah, it was pretty bad. The artstyle though just.. I'm sorry but Lucia's face is literally just 👁 👄 👁 and thats not even mentioning the ML Hugo. It's really crinegy and it tries to fill that void with poorly made smut. The plot is also really and I mean REALLY dead set on 1950s values for women and the relationship between Lucia's and Hugo is downright toxic. In fact I don't even think there's a plot.. it's just porn. The only reason it's not in dogshit tier is that it's so iconic for being awful that it deserves to be higher up.

When the villainess is in love.

Okay all I can give this one is that Libertia has a better character design than Lucia. She's a mary sue but at this point that's a lot of leads nowadays so it's not a total shock but this is definitely a case where the story would be so much better if it was the actual Libertia as the protagonist instead of a carbon copy of the ogfl taking over. The worst part though is the fashion and I normally do not care about how dresses look in OI as long as they at least look good and fit the setting.. and dear God a lot of those dresses are nightmares to look at. Thankfully I had heard the novel was better.

Today the villainess has fun again

not a fan of the protagonist. Reilynn is really insufferable to follow since she's basically just an entitled asshole who thinks that just because she got transmigrated as the wealthiest woman in the land that she must be in the right because she's not like Iris who is a basic pick me girl. Beyond the fact that watching her throw money at people to get past an obstacle without effort she's also heavily written as a pedo because out of her options which had 2 green flags her age, she chooses the slave she bought who acts and looks like a 10 year old boy with attachment issues.

Try begging

what is with Solche and their weird obsession with rapist male leads? It's somehow worse then cry or better yet beg. Basically the FL Sally/Grace is a spy and when the ML Leon finds out.. he basically tortures her and SA's her multiple times and somehow they fall in love. Do with that what you will, the only slack I will kind of give Try begging is that it at least warns you of what your getting into beforehand. I really hate that Solches writing actually has so much potential to be amazing yet they use their talents to make rape fetish content. I want to know why manhwa tiktok likes this so much, they're all about girl code until a rapist looks hot (Leon isn't even hot, hes mad ugly)

Abandoned empress

Ah yes, good ol abandoned empress, the manhwa communities favorite punching bag so it's only right it lands here. For all the writers out there if your making a character you'd want the readers to support as the love interest you typically would give them an interesting personality and to tone down anything you think is too much for a healthy relationship. Abandoned empress decides to do the opposite of that and even after scenes of Ruve abusing his wife Aristia by cheating on her, beating her, SA'ing her, killing her dad, and causing her to miscarry so you would naturally think "okay clearly Ruve is the antagonist." But instead they pulled some bullshit "but he's not doing it anymore because he was poisoned in the last timeline!"... what!? Were there any new writers by any chance because how did we go from a abusive monster to a misunderstood Lil guy? I would say more but I think everyone already agreed a long time ago Abandoned empress is ass.

Revenge on the real one

the protag is essentially those villainesses in regression stories that cause the heroines initial downfall. I was already aware of what would happen before I even read and let me tell you it was accurate. The protagonist Helga is AWFUL. The torture she puts Hillian through is overkill and at this point Hillian deserves her own regression story to stand up to Helga because my girl was not that bad for her sister to ruin her life because of a stupid tragic origin story. The worst part is the Helga fans I see on places like tiktok who just don't want to admit their FL is a bad person. "Oh but Helga past was so sad! It's not her fault she's like this." Don't mean she has to banish her sister from her own nation when Hillian was innocent.

Villain Dukes precious one.

I really dislike the reincarnated as a baby trope and I can only ever tolerate it when it's just for a few little chapters. They always feel like those weird ass Elsagate videos with embarrassing humor to come across as funny and this one is no different. Even after the FL grows up the plot is still bland and cringe inducing. I don't have a lot to say about this one other then it is weird as hell. Apparently it also got a little incest-y so no thanks!

Poisonous Lily

While the characters looked basic in terms of design the title sounded intriguing. Unfortunately the translation is horrible, they can't even get the whole Lily flower theme right on the tapas version by giving her tulips to carry on her wedding. The dialog is..interesting to say the least. I won't lose it too much though on this one though since I'm pretty sure this is a lower level book trying to make it out in a sea of over advertised manhwa

I thought my time was up.

You know those porn/no plot tags on ao3? That's basically ITMTWU in a nutshell. Within only 20 chapters, the male lead Asrahan is already obsessed with Lariette after chapters of her violating his personal space to force a relationship between them. The whole magic plot is pushed to the side, Asrahans curse isn't allowed to be an actual rotting flesh curse like it's described as cause he's still gotta be pretty, and the rest of the plot is basically just soft core porn and fanservice that does little to actually move whatever is left of the plot.

For my derelict favorite.

The. Hypocrisy. How is this book gonna make the entire message about deconstructing main character centered morality and then almost immediately backpeddaling with justifying Hestia for attacking a woman who doesn't know her for rejecting her favorite man and proceeding to just ruin her day whenever she can. Hestia would say "im not like other girls." Hestia would be an avid fan of those trust fund baby GMV. Hestia would put her hair in a messy bun, shit on whatever is popular and act like she's making a statement . Even calling her Hestia feels like straight up disrespectful to the real goddess of the hearth who funnily enough is known as one of the most chill Greek gods.

Marry my husband

now Marry my husband is not insanely problematic wheras it's just cliché, predictable and in general pretty bad. It is a fast food manhwa designed to fulfill the classic top boss takes good care of you fantasy so naturally a lot is put on hold to showcase the sweet relationship between the central characters and almost everyone needs to have a lover. It's so bad it's actually kinda funny because the villains are so cartoonishly evil for office workers. Sumin is out here speaking in 3rd person, dressing in clothes found in the little kid section of Walmart and makes comical comments about her desire to ruin Jiwons life, Minhwan is basically a borderline discord mod who casually killed jiwon in the first timeline and goes "Oh well." and there's this random ugly old man who's name I can't remember who's the only one interested in Sumin till the end because he basically wants em younger without the risk of going to federal prison.

Remarried empress

I don't think i need to explain much at this point, if you know my account then you already know how I feel about remarried empress. Season 1 was pretty good though.

Divorcing my tyrant husband

I think we all know at this point that's whenever a title has the word "divorce" 9/10 of the time there is never going to be divorce and it'll devolve into the FL changing her mind and staying with her trashy ex husband because he now decided that Robelia wasn't like other girls and left his mistress in the dust. The plot kinda started getting out of hand when Robelias love interests expanded to one of her obsessed slaves and a Duke to prove that Alexandros was the better option. The villian Aisha is a joke who gets her ass handed to her over and over because "damsel woman always bad." and the art starts to lose its touch. I usually don't mind when artstyle changes but dear God do some of these characters look a Lil fugly.

Cry or better yet beg.

The final story that is in the awful section, why? Because it has the most lost potential. As terrible as this CoHo equivalent is, it details the very realistic parts of being a mistress to a nobleman. In most other stories, the mistress is an evil wench who could easily back out but in cry or better yet beg, Layla is unable to escape Matthias's abuse because it could risk her uncles job. There's a lot to this manhwa and novel that could've made a tragic story about a girl trapped in an abusive relationship with little help, the art is gorgeous and the characters for the most part were well written. It's a real shame that it turned out to be a rape apologist work instead.

next up are the mediocre manhwas, finally there will a little more positivity.

The villainess is a marionette

its.so.boring! This one was hyped up all over the place on Instagram and tiktok and the art looked stunning so I gave it a shot. This is definitely one of those stories that only got popular because of its art in my opinion because the plot is so confusing. Events are happening left and right, the pacing goes from too fast to too slow, characters personalities and traits keep warping, and while this might just be the result of poor adaptation her brother comes across as incestuous a couple of times. while Cayena isn't the worst FL, she's a mary sue by all definitions. Sorry but it's a bunch of jumbled wires. The reason it earns a spot in "it's okay" is because I heard the novel like usual is better so it might not be the fault of the original author

I was the male leads ex

It wasn't bad just boring but a little less boring then the former I'll give it that. The artstyle looked prettier in the beginning so that was kind of sad to see it change in later chapters. What drew me to keep reading was the chance that the ogfl Julianna may not be evil but even a potential love interest. So I got excited and apparently there's the idea that Julianna is actually her brother in disguise which.. would just ruin it tbh, there goes any chance at a ogfl being a human being and not a plot device. Not a huge fan of Erica or really any of the love interests.

From maid to queen

This is the newest of the lineup I read and it was actually interesting for once to see a new story where the MC was the concubine. First off the maids feel less like women employed to do the chores of the palace and more like the cartel 😭, in early chapters whenever Urania is aiming to be the concubine, being lazy with her job or getting comfortable with a powerful man in general they're already out with sticks ready to ruin her day and they even try to kill her. Lot of people don't like that Urania isn't a girls girl but honestly I can't blame her for wanting more out of life then poverty, where she comes across as stupid is that she's still wanting that role even after it got her killed last time. I think that it could work though since it shows that urania is more human and not a perfect goddess of a woman however that does not make up for the shit world building (like what the hell was that mushroom that could turn into a perfect still corpse of you 💀)

The villainess maker.

Ill admit I'm a little harsh on this one on my tier list. The plot still isn't great but there are so much worse out there so it ended up moving up on the list due to default. The plot is mostly just bland and generic down to all the characters and the tropes. Ayla is a girlboss in the villainesses body, Charlotte is a super "revolutionary" kind girl turned wicked wench and the ML is another "touch her and I'll kill you" type. What i will give the Villainess maker is the distinct artstyle. It's not as stylized and while it does get lazy at the end it still is very recognizable.

Abellas dessert shop.

Its another extremely underrated manhwa that's another isekai about a wronged woman looking to move on from her shitty fiancé and start a dessert shop. Ngl the moments where Abella is forced to put on a kind face despite her cheating fiancé or her ex friend popping in is definitely relatable especially in the workforce. Still a little bland but wholesome.

I didn't mean to seduce the male lead.

Eleanor is the FL hired to convince the ML to accept women into his life with the hopes that he will fall in love with the ogfl Irene. Tbh this one can get very icky with how it tries to force the notion that you must fall in love but the guy just instantly falls in love with Eleanor so.. I guess that's a little better? Regardless though i will not fault this manhwa too much because unfortunately the author died before the story was over so it deserves a little slack since it never got the chance to be more. Rest in peace author.

Who made me a princess.

Ill be straight with this now: it's Mid. Objectively the story isn't too terrible and I do find Athy a good protagonist not to mention my love for Jennete but everything else is pretty "meh." Not a huge fan of Claude from his design to his personality, the ML is another case of a grown as immortal meeting his wife when she's still a child (theres a little credit ill admit for Athy being mentally a grown woman but that doesnt stop me from thinking its uncomfortable to acknowledge) It can be cute sometimes and I'll give it that but I don't think I'll ever reread it, just not for me.

Actually I was the real one

Good god this was such a bastardization of the original novel. With that said I'll admit i was still entertained reading it since you could say that the novel wouldn't be an instant cheat sheet to learn what was gonna happen. Still it could've at least tried to be a loyal adaptation. They give Keira 2 options to choose as a love interest when she had none in the source material, Zeke is pushed to the side and the maids honestly get on my nerves with their one note personalities. They also seem to forget that Cosette is literally being possessed by a demon he'll bent on destroying humanity (which she succeeded in the first time) because what was built up as an amazing antagonist is just a joke now. The only other redeeming factors are that in the Manhwa Cosette is still alive and the whole elemental plot stays constant. Despite my complaints on the adaptation it is still a interesting read but the novel will always beat it no matter what.

I know it sounds like I'm just being a negative Nancy with all of these and I'm sorry for being so negative but the next part will be more positive.

Next time on part 2 will be the decent stories.

[betterbooksandthings]

Romance Anime Recommendations

Listen there is nothing I like better than a satisfying romance in any genre. So, maybe it's no surprise that I am practically feral for any new romance that comes on the sense in anime. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but if you like romance anime and you see something you haven't watched yet you will at least have a new show. (be warned these are not ranked in any particular order). With that let's get started.

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Kamisama Hajimemashita

Yona of the Dawn

Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits-

I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss

Skip and Loafer

Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf

My Happy Marriage

Romantic Killer

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

[binglepringle]

(A few of the) Batfamily and their Hozier songs!

because I have not slept I’ve barely eaten I have only listened to Hozier for the past week and done class work sheets in a trance-like state of unconsciousness

So if this doesn’t make much sense, you know why. It’s the voices telling me.

Bruce: As It Was

Dick: Be

Jason: In a Week

Cassandra: Like Real People Do

Damian: Shrike

Duke: Sunlight

Stephanie: Wasteland, Baby!

Barbara: Jackie and Wilson

[mermaidsirennikita]

I remember struggling to enjoy The Dukes Perfect Wife because of Hart’s relationship with his mistress (Mrs. Palmer?) I couldn’t get over the fact that he went back to her after she ruined his relationship with Eleanor. This was years ago so maybe I’m misremembering… Was my reading wrong?

Nope, Hart does go back to Angelina Palmer; I think that for me, it's just not really an issue and honestly something I find to both make sense and act as a supporting factor for his journey.

I don't believe he went straight back to her—there's the gap in time during which he briefly is married to Anne, who it sounds like he was pretty incompatible but Determined to Make It Work with, and then Anne AND their baby son die. So he's lost Eleanor, he's lost his wife and his son (and feels immense guilt over those things), there's the whole "and I killed my dad for Ian" thing...

I'd be kind of surprised if he DIDN'T go back to Angelina. Because the thing is that SHE didn't ruin his relationship with Eleanor at all lol. Hart did. Hart ruined it by not being open with her, and by being domineering and trying to aggro his way into making Eleanor forgive him. AND, as I think is often dismissed when people critique this book, he didn't just have a big fight with Eleanor and have that be final. He went to her DAD and told him he'd slept with Eleanor (which would be humiliating today, but way more so back then) so that her father would force her hand. He told her she'd been seen as his "leavings".

Eleanor doesn't blame Mrs. Palmer; she calls her on being manipulative, sure, but she also understands that the woman is basically operating in a no-win game and is doing her best to win by whatever means she can. And then she learns that Mrs. Palmer would go even further to try to keep Hart's interests at points... and Hart would be disgusted.... and he wouldn't leave her...

And based off what we can see in both that book and Ian's book (when Mrs. Palmer is alive) they pretty much had an incredibly toxic relationship in which she framed herself as the person who could take his darkness~ at a point when he had a pretty low sense of self worth despite telling everyone he was THE SHIT, and he both felt like he didn't deserve any better than their shitty relationship, AND felt like nobody else (i.e. Eleanor) would accept him. (Plus, there was the whole thing where he fully knew that he'd encouraged Angelina's dependency on him and didn't realize the consequences until it was too late.)

Like... should Eleanor have accepted him as he was when they broke up? Nope.

By the time Hart and Eleanor get back together, Mrs. Palmer has been dead for two and a half years. And even before she died, the relationship had collapsed to the point where she was doing some WILD SHIT to try to keep him, and he was on his way out, but he also was clearly aware that it had gone a bit far and she might kill herself if he left. Just a MESS. And he did care about her—it would be kind of worse if he didn't after this long-term deal. The point being that the Hart who got back together with Angelina is not the Hart who was with Angelina when it ended, AND. Even after that point, he's still not in the place he needs to be with to be with Eleanor.

I think it's a better creative choice to have Hart go back to Mrs. Palmer, ESPECIALLY in the midst of a fuckton of grief and trauma. Because if he doesn't, he's either with some other lady who functions similarly to her (take aside her relevance to Ian's book) OR he's... what? Celibate? That doesn't track at all.

But if he is, say he doesn't go back into that toxic place... Why are he and Eleanor apart for so many years after Anne dies? Why doesn't he reach out to her? Why doesn't she reach back out to him? What's keeping them apart—because it sounds like Hart learned his lesson, at least on that level.

The point is that he didn't learn his lesson. He lost the thing he loved most, AND he then lost the other thing he loved most (his baby son), and he still kept fuckin' going. Because rather than rising to the challenge Eleanor basically laid out for him, he sank internally while projecting success and power externally. Some ground work is laid in Ian's book (and tbh the other books before Hart's) for him to have his real turning point, and I do think it's so deliberate that he basically gets stepped on by all his little brothers before he gets his HEA... He's basically getting a reality check that his mythical suffering to protect them is bullshit that he uses to ignore the work he needs to do on himself....

But Hart has to decide to be worthy of Eleanor, and before that I think he has to get a lot of narrative punishment.

(In turn, I think that Eleanor has to learn that she can call him on his bullshit and expect him to LISTEN... while also placing more trust in his feelings. Because he didn't cheat on her lol, and she did kinda just take another person's perspective on him wholesale versus hearing him out.)

And then I mean if we put all that aside I'm still very... Well why the fuck wouldn't he go back to a woman he had a long-term relationship with, with whom he was very sexually compatible, if he legitimately thought there was zero way that he'd ever be happily with the person he wanted to be with again? Lol, it's very human to me.

I get why a lot of people don't like it, but I sort of prefer romance novels where people fuck up in a way that rings at least somewhat true to life. One of the reasons why Hart and Eleanor are two of my favorite leads is that the relationship feels very real to me. They read like two people in their thirties who had this wild passion for each other and still do but have sense Been Thru It. He is finally ready to be with her, but it's in part because he fucked up like 7x between their breakup and now (and I also frankly just appreciate that he actually reads as someone who's been through the degree of trauma he went through as a kid, because there are a ton of books where Hart and Eleanor's initial courtship IS the love story, and he immediately throws his pride aside and grovels after their fight and she forgives him, HEA, and that is NOT satisfying to me... People who have been THROUGH IT tend to fuck up more than once) and she's finally ready to hear him out because she had time to take the stars out of her eyes and become a grown woman who has an existence separate from him.

EDIT:

Lol I opened my copy of Ian's book to confirm something before I type this out, and then I opened it back up and forgot than Hart was twenty and Angelina/Mrs. Palmer was thirty-three when they started up. (Which also means she'd been his mistress for about seven years when he met Eleanor.) Which isn't illegal! But does explain a lot about that relationship.

[asteriass]

Am I only one annoyed/bored out of their mind about how almost EVERY SINGLE ONE of these romance fantasy manhwas end with the main leads’ marriage & then the epilogues/side stories is about their children or them expecting children/FL being pregnant or something similar??

Like OMG, switch it up ‼️😭 I’m not saying the main characters shouldn’t get married or have kids, but dear god it’s same EXACT formula almost every time. It’s more saturated than even the villainess troupe which is saying A LOT.

I don’t even want these authors to do something extraordinary. Even something as simple as what The First Night With the Duke did is fine.

Like, in the side stories the main leads go on their honeymoon & get involved with the royal family of a neighboring kingdom. And it leads to some quite interesting moments.

Additionally, we see how Zeronis & Ripley handle children WITHOUT straight up throwing them in a parental environment. Like we see Zeronis get a taste of how naughty & bratty young children can be (And as you can guess he isn’t good with children) But we see him kinda start to warm up to them slightly over time/learn how to deal with them. We see the main leads see other parents & how they failed at parenting first hand. And they see what impacts this can have on a child And I like that, it went along with how Zeronis and Ripley are trying to have children

Or something like Miss Not so Sidekick is totally fine too. It literally follows the SAME exact formula of wacky misadventures from the main story all the way into the side stories. We also get a “What if” route and chapters set in kinda alternate realities. Sure, we get to see their son, but the child/Ripley expecting children isn’t the main focus of the side stories. This actually makes good use of its side stories/epilogues

Also, I’m sorry but some of these couples shouldn’t even be having children. We see this proven perfectly in Tender Heart Becoming a Duke’s Maid. Their children have NO manners. And they SUCK at being parents. Omg it’s a trainwreck 😭

Main leads like Dylan & Charlize?? Yea, they should definitely not be becoming parents either. I genuinely do not see it going well

So please authors spare me from this “And they got married living happily ever after with their 2 children” formula 😭😭🙁

[webtoon-brackets]

[cosmicqueen10]

Again this will all change when new stuff comes along that I enjoy more.

... I do watch anime more now so ...

... Yeah~

[illeaadante]

Also! for those of us who support women's wrongs:

The One Within the Villainess

^basically, have you ever been so gay for the girl who got transmigrated into *your* body that you killed god about it?

Tales of Reincarnation in Maydare: the world's worst witch

^a girl who is very proud of her ancestor, the Worst Witch, but there are many reincarnation shenanigans afoot

I'll be a Villainess that Goes Down in History

^Alicia has zero awareness of how people actually perceive her, but she is hardcore asf. Name me another isekai protag who would [spoilers and also body horror tw] rip out her own eye with zero hesitation because she wanted to.

And another for funzies (and because I need someone to talk to about it):

I was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but All the Boys Love me Anyway!

^don't let the title fool you, this is one of the best currently ongoing ones I've read. Every SINGLE Character in this series is some flavor of yandere obsessed with our protag Mystia. And she is just, so very autistic, and just trying to live her life. Thankfully for her, all of the yandere's cancel each other out so no one has died (yet).

Isekai with male protags: "I was a loser on earth but now I'm super fucking strong and gettin mad bitches"

Isekai with female protags:

Reincarnated princess uses earth knowledge to make magitech a thing and romances sad girl

Girl romantically pursues her video game waifu

Girl is tasked to teach actual fucking gods to be more empathetic to humans

Woman reincarnated as the daughter of a magic item crafter uses earth knowledge to advance her trade

"Straight" girl is sucked into a world with zero men and lesbians everywhere and finds out she's sapphic (there's like actual plot but the gay is what matters.... to me)

A ghibli film. Need I say more

Woman reincarnated in video game as doomed villainess desperately tries to change her story

Girl reincarnated as a tiny baby spider kills monsters to level up

Like the male protag one but the lame guy's mom got isekaid with him and she's the op one.

Two normal girls fight urban legends in terrifying danger dimension

[beneaththetangles]

Heroes? We’ve got that. Female leads? We’ve got that, too. Villainesses? Indeed. Vampires? We’ve got a double dose! This week’s column features all that and more! Dig into our reviews and let us know what you think of these series and what you’re reading!

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Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside (Vol. 9) • Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki (Vol. 1) • Dracula’s on the Night Shift! • Hirayasumi (Vol. 2) • I’m the Grim Reaper (Vol. 2) • I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss (Vol. 4) • The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl (Vol. 7) • In the Land of Leadale (Vol. 6) • Pupposites Attract (Vol. 2) • Unholy Blood (Vol. 4) • Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion (Vol. 8)

[manhwa-dacryphilia]

Kyle Beilo from Viola Tames the Duke