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Title: Backwards Honeymoon

Authors: Leigh Michaels & Ritsuka Amane

Publisher: Harlequin K.K./SOFTBANK Creative Corp.

Available at eManga.com

Ah, how I love these comic book adaptations of Harlequin novels. I’ve mentioned before that I have been reading Harlequins for years and years, and they were especially comforting during my college days.  Light, fluffy, and full of happy endings, these were a lifeline during the stressful mind-numbing times of tests and required reading.  *shudders at the memory*

Backwards Honeymoon is a bit of a mixed bag.  When wealthy Kathryn Campbell learns, on her wedding day, that her intended is only marrying her for her money, she flees.  With the help of Jonah, the gardener’s son, she hits the high road and doesn’t stop to look back.  Deciding that she’s had it with men who are only out for her wealth, she offers Jonah half of her fortune if he’ll marry her.  At least he is kind and very handsome too.  Instead of leaving herself open to another heartbreak, she’ll take the bull by the horns and set the terms for her future.  She never counted on falling in love.

While Backwards Honeymoon isn’t a perfect read, it was entertaining as long as I didn’t over analyze the plot.  I could see where it was going on about page 4, but that didn’t deter me from enjoying this cotton candy read.  Road trips make for a fun plot device, and as Kathryn and Jonah’s journey meets with a few hiccups, including getting stranded in a small town, the romantic tension begins to crackle.  Since I like stories set in small towns, the setting had a lot of appeal for me.  While I would pull my hair out if I lived in a tiny place like where the protagonists find themselves trapped while waiting on car repairs, I do enjoy reading about them.  There is so much potential for comedy or drama, drama, drama when everyone knows everyone else’s business. 

Though there were a few points where the plot was uneven and that Kathryn and Jonah’s relationship didn’t always ring true, this was a fun, fluffy read. 

Grade: B-

Review copy provided by publisher

Title: Valerie

Original Story:  Debbie Macomber

Manga:  Mao Karino

Publisher: Harlequin KK & SOFTBANK Creative Corp

Available at eManga

Moving right along, I grabbed the other new Harlequin title and took it for a spin.  This one is much more to my liking.  The art is very solid, with attractive character designs and expressive illustrations that clearly telegraph the gamut of emotions running rampant through the pages.  There’s some great conflict that takes effort and a change of expectations to overcome, and tension between the protagonists that sizzles every time they are together.

Valerie’s father is critically ill, and the corporate warrior has to leave her high pressure job in the city and return home to the small town where she grew up.  Once there, she meets the young doctor in charge of her father’s care.  Though she’s instantly attracted to him, she doesn’t think that he’s qualified to treat her father.  Sparks fly, and Valerie has an unpleasant realization; she’s fallen for Colby, but their goals in life are too different for them to compromise on them.  Is she willing to just throw this chance at love away?

I enjoyed Valerie very much.  There’s a lot going on here, and after getting over my initial dislike of the career-minded, stubborn heroine, I couldn’t stop reading.  The romance elements are compelling, as are the efforts that Valerie makes to resolve their differences.  Colby is looking for a quiet, passive woman who waits for him to come home from work every day, and Valerie is anything but passive.  She is assertive and opinionated, and once she decides what she wants, she pursues it with an almost single-minded determination.  It takes a lot of work on both their part to reconcile what they think they want with what will really make them happy. 

This is a satisfying offering from Harlequin, though the presentation issues that have marred every single release can be found in this title, too.  The production values have improved, but they still have a long way to go.

Grade:  A-

Title:  Only by Chance

Original Story:  Betty Neels

Manga:  Chieko Hara

Publisher: Harlequin KK & SOFTBANK Creative Corp

Available at eManga

I had been putting this title off because the cover didn’t appeal to me.  The cover illustration looks so dated that it didn’t garner much enthusiasm on my part.  What a mistake!  Yes, the art style is a bit old-fashioned, but as the story unfolded, it grew on me.  This was a very solid read, and it is one of the best Harlequin titles available at eManga.

Henrietta is an orphan and she was raised in an orphanage.  Now she’s trying to make ends meet, working at a hospital.  She has a secret crush on Adam, a handsome doctor, and a chance meeting one day changes her life forever.  Can dreams really come true?

This is a sweet story with a convincing courtship between two people from very different backgrounds.  Henrietta is struggling to get by, working for a dragon of a supervisor and renting out a room from a compassionless landlord.  She doesn’t have any close friends, and if wasn’t for her two cats, she would be totally alone.  Adam, on the other hand, is from a wealthy family, lives in a gigantic mansion, and is an admired neurosurgeon.  How can two people that are so different possibly find happiness together?

I think I liked this one so much because both of the leads were nice.  I mean the do anything for somebody else nice, worry about hurting other people’s feelings nice, and just generally, well, nice.  No bickering or arguing between them, either, just a mutual admiration that transcended the differences in their social class.  It was very refreshing to read along as Henrietta overcomes her personal problems and finds the inner confidence to confess her feelings to Adam. 

The production values were still iffy, but I was enjoying the story so much that I didn’t even notice the smudges and oddly placed text.  If you’re in the mood for a feel good romance, this is ticket.

Grade: A-

Title: The Apartment Original Story: Debbie Macomber Manga: Ryo Arisawa Published by: Harlequin KK & SOFTBANK Creative Corp Available at eManga

Today was another of those challenging, mind-numbing days, when all I wanted to do when I got home from work is sit in a dark corner and pretend to be a vegetable.  Yes, it is one of those perfect days to read a fluffy romance with a happy ending.  No brain power required, which is just the ticket after a day like today!

Hilary has felt smothered by her mother since her father died, and she longs to break free of her mother’s control and face life on her own.  When she accepts a job playing the flute in the Portland Symphony, she thinks things are finally going to go her way.  Moving into her own apartment and having to take charge of her own finances, she is determined to make it without her mother’s help.  Things threaten to unravel when she discovers that the apartment was rented to someone else!  With the landlords out of town, Shaun stubbornly refuses to move out until he gets his security deposit back.  Can the two of them co-exist in the tiny apartment without killing each other?

The Apartment certainly qualifies for the label “check your brain at the door.”  Since that was just what I was looking for, the paper thin plot didn’t trip me up at all.  All of the bickering between Hilary and Shaun kept me engaged in the story.  The couple went from being miles apart on most issues to slowly accepting each other for the unique individuals they were.  Hilary came from a privileged background, leading to plenty of ground for misunderstanding and scorn as Shaun occasionally spoke without thinking, attacking Hilary for who he thought she was and making harsh judgments about her. 

The plot is predictable and stays firmly in the boundaries of a category romance.  The story doesn’t challenge the reader, or stray away from Hilary and Shaun and their courtship. There is some minor conflict resolution to keep things from getting boring, and the ending yields up sparkles and smiles.  If there was one thing missing, it was a lack of tension between the protagonists.  The air didn’t zing when they were interacting with each other, and their growing attraction was too understated.

The production values were better than that of previous volumes, but that might have been because there wasn’t as much dialog in this title.  The splotches were still present, but overall, I thought The Apartment looked better than the other Harlequin titles that I have read.

If you are looking for some brainless entertainment, you need look no further.  The Apartment fits that requirement to a T.  Cuddle up in a blankie and read this one with a soothing cup of tea.

Grade: B-

Presentation: C-

Title:  One Summer in Italy

Original Story: Lucy Gordon

Manga: Nanami Akino

Publisher: Harlequin KK & SOFTBANK Creative Corp

Available at eManga.com

Life has been a bit stressful between work and personal commitments, so the thought of reading something with a happy ending that wasn’t mental challenging was appealing.  I chose this title mainly because of the location, though my last visit to Italy with a Harlequin story was not very pleasing. I’m happy to report that One Summer in Italy, though far beyond the realm of believability, was much better than my previous jaunt.

Holly is on the run in Italy after her boyfriend gets  her caught up in the theft of a painting from a museum.  Fleeing on a train, she makes friends with Liza, a girl who is recovering from an accident that also claimed the life of her mother.  When the young girl’s demanding father wonders why Holly is in their train compartment, Liza quickly defends her new friend.  Her father, Matteo, just happens to be a judge, and he agrees to take Holly to his mansion in the Italian countryside if she will help look after Liza.  Desperate and with no other options, Holly agrees, though she’s nervous because Matteo is a judge.  He usually throws criminals in jail instead of harboring them at his luxurious estate!

I had to wear my rose-colored manga glasses for this one, so that I could accept the unlikely plot and go with the flow, so to speak.  I liked this one a lot.  The pacing was very smooth and story elements were introduced at very easy clip.  The relationship between Matteo and his heartbroken daughter was the main focus of the title, and Holly’s growing affection for both of them was convincing and compelling.   How could she not lose her heart to Liza, a little girl who is suffering both emotionally and physically since the sudden death of her mother.  And it was was only natural that Holly would also grow to love her generous benefactor, especially after learning about the dark secret he has been keeping.  Only a heartless wench would be immune to that!

To keep things from getting boring, Holly has to clear her name, and Matteo has to overcome feelings of betrayal and hurt that have kept him detached from his family.  And there’s a murderous lunatic on the loose to really shake things up.  The art is attractive and fits the story, and I was envious of Holly’s wardrobe.  The only downer, again, was the presentation, which I have to admit was better than the last title I read, but there is still so much room for improvement.  I am still of the mindset that the text should be inside the word balloons!

Grade: B+

Presentation: C-