Slightly Married by Mary Balogh

When Lord Colonel Aidan Bedwyn’s close subordinate, Percy Morris, dies on the battlefield, Percy asks Aidan to deliver the news to his sister, Eve, in person, and to protect her. Even beyond her obvious grief, this puts Eve in a difficult position. According to the terms of her father’s will, his property was hers until a year after his death, at which point, it became Percy’s unless Eve married. If Eve is still single and Percy dies before then, the property and money is given to an unpleasant cousin. So, to fulfill his promise, Aidan proposes a marriage of convenience.

Though connected to two other Baloghs (the only ones I’ve read, actually) this is the first book in Balogh’s Bedwyn series. Based on the names (their mother was a history buff) and the personality of the head of the family, Bewcastle, I suspect these are at least partly inspired by Jo Beverley’s Georgian Mallorean books. I enjoyed this quite a bit-especially given the overused “marriage of convenience” setup-but didn’t find it as interesting as A Summer to Remember or One Night for Love. I liked Eve’s extreme stubbornness, and how Aidan managed to be so arrogant, but still managed to be charming. I think because he would realize he suffered from Foot In Mouth Disease almost the moment a symptom became evident.

One thing I’ve noticed is that while Balogh writes angsty romances and angsty heroes, her heroes tend to be nice, and not take their angst out on others, and so I like them more than I do a lot of angsty dramatic romances. I mean, I’m sure I’d like modern kdramas and certain shoujo more if angst weren’t used so often to justify the heroes’ jerky behavior to others, particularly their love interests.

manga: Tsubasa: Those With Wings Vol 1

Which is actually volumes 1 and 2 of the original Japanese releases.

Near the end of the post-apocalyptic 22nd century, Kotobuki is a thief who is looking for a legendary item known as Tsubasa, which can supposedly grant any wish. She’s accompanied by Raimon, a mysterious former military captain who quit so he could be with her.

As fond as I am of Fruits Basket, I had to give up on Takaya’s Phantom Dream due to my not being able to understand what was going on most of the time. Thankfully, that isn’t a problem here. Kotobuki is what seems to be Takaya’s typical heroine-that is, very energetic and determined, not very bright, wanting to help everyone she meets, and hard not to like. However, while this works well when the heroine is dealing with an incredibly messed up family, it makes me want to lug Basara or Gentlemen’s Alliance or Wallflower or Skip-Beat at the mangaka when it’s an adventuring thief. Especially when it’s stressed that Kotobuki isn’t a very good thief, and Raimon is incredibly skilled at virtually anything.

This, thankfully, is emphasized much less after the first couple of chapters. Raimon, incidentally, is seriously unbalanced. Like, I’m not sure how to describe it. I think various Fruits Basket characters studied under him. And, while he’s a perfect (if somewhat sexually ambitious) angel/attack dog with Kotobuki, he’s a bit to willing to let everyone else die if she isn’t going to be dying with them. And I admit with mild shame that pairings (romantic, platonic, familial, whatever) where one person can only be bothered to be heroic because of the other (and then goes to great lengths at that) is something of a kink, but that doesn’t really make it admirable!

There are characters and designs that seem to be precursors to Fruits Basket (3 briefly-appearing characters seem to be early versions of the design that eventually becomes Ayame) , but it’s not a direct predecessor in the way that Phantom Dream seems to be. There’s also sucking poison out of a wound conveniently located near the neck, stopping your significant other from causing a rampage by making out with them, a seemingly-stoic, whip-wielding female military officer who has a history with Raimon, and a female thief with flunkies. Not to mention some spiffy costuming. Combine that with my fondness for post-apocalyptic (and barely-pre-apocalyptic and “OMG IT’S THE APOCALYPSE!”) fiction, and I’m interested enough to continue despite “not a good thief but he’s good at everything except maybe being human.”

manga: Crown Vol 1

Ren is a mercenary who is leaving his organization for personal reasons. He drags his best friend, Jake, along with him, blackmailing him with a $20,000 debt, and later reveals to Jake that the reason they left is that he has to go to Japan to protect his teenaged sister, Mahiro, from their evil-stepmother, the queen of a small Asian country. Mahiro, it seems, is unknowingly in possession of an heirloom that marks her as the rightful heir.

It’s a bit odd to be seeing Higuri You’s art in a modern story that’s obviously influenced by her kinks, but in something that’s still very much not Higuri You. (Such as how I’m rather surprised that I don’t get the impression that Ren or Jake either one has an interest in jumping the other, even when they shower together.) There are also some odd moments with Ren and Mahiro that I’m totally handwaving as their not having seen each other since they were (judging by how they looked in the flashbacks) probably around 10 and 4. It’s just not the same without “my father sold my soul to Satan before I was born so he could be pope.” Actually, despite “separated siblings finding each other” being a big thing of mine in fiction, a lot of Ren and Mahiro’s scenes are too goofy and huggy for me. I’m much more entertained by both their interactions with Jake, he of the glasses and long hair.

One of the best bits is how Jake, who is uneasy around women due to his sister, is jealous of all the hugging and, having designated Mahiro as something similar to an exceptionally cute puppy, is so petrified when he gets a hug that he’s like stone with frazzled hair. (Ren, of course, does not approve of the hugging.)

I’m also bugged that, aside from other mercenaries (one of whom seems to be being set up as a future love interest for Mahiro, and who seems to be based on Sagara Sousuke) all the bad guys are fat and ugly. Except for the evil stepmother’s henchman, who controls the worst of her evil impulses. *rolls eyes*

But I generally had fun, and will be reading more.

manga: Maid-Sama Vol 1

MANGA: Hi! Look at my cover with a chirpy maid and a stereotypical “sexy bad boy.”
ME: What? You look awful! I must see if your description is as bad! *skims* WTF?! Over-achieving feminist who “sticks it to” the boys at school *twitches* who works at a maid café *twitches* and whose secret is discovered by “the sexiest boy in class.” *twitches*
MANGA: You know your masochism and love of trainwrecks will win this battle.
ME: Sigh.

And then there’s reading it:

MANGA: Heroine hates boys! But then, all the boys are loser jerks who bully all the girls in school.
ME: I will not be distracted from your “feminism=man-hating” ways!
MANGA: Then I will distract you with manga cosplay fetish.
ME: *is weak*

HERO: *discovers secret*
ME: Oh, great, he’s going to blackmail her.
HEROINE: Oh, great, he’s going to blackmail me and make my life at school miserable.
HERO: Blackmailing is for losers. I’ll just stare in morbid fascination and smirk some while I think about how she’s cute.
HEROINE and ME: …Improvement?

MANGA: Oh, guess what, I’m another one of those where the heroine all but kills herself to make good grades but comes in second place to the hero, who makes the best grades easily.
ME: RAWR!!!
MANGA: And here is the beloved shoujo trope where the hero worries the heroine has too much confidence in her ability to defend herself and uses his strength to make her worried that she’s being sexually assaulted so she’ll be more careful.
ME: RAWR GROWL HISS!!!

HEROINE’S BOSS: Hi! I’m worried about my employees being harassed, too! I, however, deal with that by buying them stun guns, pepper spray, and horns. I probably won’t mind if they use it on customers who don’t behave.
ME: I love you. Not enough to forgive you for your comments about how strong women really want to be conquered by men, but…

HEROINE: *is kidnapped by pervy customers*
HERO: *shoujo hero sense tingles* My future love has been kidnapped! I must go dramatically rescue her!
ME: Sigh.
HEROINE: *beats up kidnappers*
HERO: *dramatically bursts in through window* *sees beat up people* I am so proud.
ME: We will continue this trend?

HERO: Lookee! Picture of me and Heroine in her maid costume!
HEROINE and ME: This can’t be good.
HERO: *accidentally drops it off school roof*
HEROINE and ME: Yeah…
HERO: *jumps off roof and into pool to get picture back*
HEROINE and ME: …
HERO: I (literally) risked life and limb to keep your secret!
HEROINE and ME: Blackmail sense is tingling again!
HERO: Because I want to keep you all to myself and not share you with anyone.
HEROINE and ME: …Improvement?
HERO: I have to spend the night in the hospital. Can you stay with me in your maid outfit?

And so…

Possibly the most twitchy, trainwreck syndrome, yet absurd and randomly with promise shoujos I’ve seen on the shelves. Full of the most irritating shoujo tropes short of “Constant sexual harassment* and/or being a total jerk means true love!” but so over-the-top absurd that I long for more, even knowing it will probably make me want to hurt things.

*Kyo/Yuya being the universe’s sole exception.