I really wanted a chance to read these manga, but unfortunately the files expired before I had a chance to get to them. Based on cover design and description, a majority of the books sound interesting. Perhaps next time I will have time to read the eARC sooner.

I didn't really know what to expect from this - but I enjoy romance, and I enjoy manga - and I was pleasantly surprised? I really enjoyed reading through this, it was a lot of fun.

The reason I didn't give it a higher rating is because the story was a little bit simplistic for me, and the characters felt a little one dimensional. I'd still recommend checking it out, and I'm for sure going to be checking out some more of then harlequin manga romances because it was so fun.

This is a new concept for me. I found it interesting and enjoyed the illustrations and flow of the story.

I love the holiday season when I can read great romantic stories like this. Merry is a cheerful waitress and although she is down on her luck she is always polite and well mannered. One of her regulars, hires her to pretend to be his girlfriend when he goes to visit his family and his son for the holidays. When she notices the distance between Peter and his son, she tries her best to bring a little holiday cheer to them both.

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

Book Review
Title: The Magic of Christmas
Author: Motoyo Fujiwara
Genre: Manga
Rating: *****
Review: With the Christmas period just over I was still in the mood of a cosy Christmas romance. In this manga we follow Merry, a server, was in desperate need of money. One day out of the blue, Peter, one of her customers, asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend over the Thanksgiving holiday. He seemed serious and the money would certainly help, so Merry accepted his proposal.
Merry and Peter come from very different worlds but when she meets his family, she is overcome by the love they have for each other, but she is surprised to learn that Peter has a 5-year-old son called Sean. This makes the proposal difficult for Merry as she too has a soon that she had with a married man who took Jason and Merry hasn’t seen him since. As he would be 10 soon Merry realises how Peter is hurting his son who wants nothing more than to be with his father.
Merry being the kind of person she is works to help the father and son communicate and build a better relationship between them. However, there are a lot of bumps along the way especially when Merry and Peter start sleeping together which complicates things even further. When the time comes Merry thinks it is better to remove herself from the situation as she is only supposed to playing a part not getting emotionally attached to the family.
In the aftermath of Merry’s departure Peter is angry but after Sean tells him about Merry’s son and how she made him believe in magic again so his wish of living with his dad can come true. Peter realising what he has thrown away goes after Merry and rather than suggesting a relationship he jumps straight to proposing. Merry obviously agrees and she gains a fiancée and a soon to be stepson, but it doesn’t diminish the longing for her own child, however, Peter is well connected and manages to get joint custody of Jason for Merry.
The Magic of Christmas isn’t just a holiday romance, but it is about how the festive season can bring miracles and restore people’s faith in each other which is most evident in Peter and Merry’s situations. Both had lost people they loved; Peter his wife and Merry her son but through faith and sheer determination they got everything they wanted.

Review to come on Christmas (first day) on all the sources mentioned in my blog.

I received this one from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review!


So, the last Harlequin Manga. I am finally through my whole pile of it. I could have finished a week or so ago, but decided to spread them all out when I got them, and this one I wanted to save until it was almost Christmas.

And this one just sounds adorable, and sweet. Once again featuring a fake relationship (boy, these Harlequin manga do love that trope so so much), but also featuring a woman dedicated to help her fake boyfriend with his relationship with his son. Aww.

“Can I take your order?”
“Um, yeah… I’d like a woman.”
“I’m sorry… but we only serve burgers and sandwiches.” <- Best convo. 😛

The way she was asked was a bit out of blue, I guess he has been gathering courage for some time now, and I was glad he did explain. They did seem to match quite well, I know, I know I have only known these characters for a few pages, but I love them. And I can see the spark. It just needs to fully ignite. And throughout the story we see these two get along very nicely, and I was just shipping them like crazy. Eeep, so adorable. Those romance parts. swoons I was just so tearing up when he brought her home after Thanksgiving and didn’t let her go until they got interrupted by something. Awwwwwwww. wants these two to kiss and say that they like each other

Wow, wow. That poor girl. That is just terrible, I can imagine that she was shocked seeing her fake boyfriend’s son. After all that, anyone would be in tears and have a hard time. 🙁

It seems that Merry has her hands full figuring out what is going on between her fake boyfriend and his son. I thought first that his son would be a grumpy teenager, but it is a tiny boy who apparently misses his dad so so much.

Bro, no just no. You just had sex, you had a wonderful time, and then you tell her she needs to play fake girlfriend again? No. Not classy man. Not classy.

I am not crying. Just got something in my eyes, really. That part when she talked with Peter’s son, it was just perfect. She finally told someone she had a son, and their conversation was just so sweet.

This manga is making me cry. sniffles Yep, I am crying so much now. From that Sean talk moment to the end, one stream.

The art was just so fabulous and glittery. Well, maybe not always, but still for most it was that.

Oh my gosh, this was just the best out of all the Harlequin manga I read from this batch. OMG, this one is just one you NEED to read for Christmas. Be prepared, tears will flow. Bring tissues.

I thought this was thoroughly enjoyable and just what a Christmas romance should be!

When Merry finds out that the cafe she works in will close for Christmas she is worried. If the cafe doesn't open then she doesn't get paid. If she doesn't get paid then she can't pay for college. Peter is one of her customers, a quiet, handsome widower and he asks Merry to pretend to be his girlfriend and visit his mother with him. Peter's mum wants to fix him up with a girl and Peter is simply not interested.

Merry needs the money and so she agrees but what starts out as a job turns out to be something more as Peter and Merry get to know each other. Peter actually has a small son who has a Christmas wish list and Merry has a son of her own who she is prevented from seeing but Merry believes in Christmas, magic and Santa (although Christmas isn't really about magic at all) and the lonely little boy gets to see his dreams fulfilled as Merry and Peter respond to the growing attraction between them and the possibility of love.

This is one of the best manga romances that I have read. It is a lovely Christmas romance with all the emotion you would expect from a Christmas story. The characters are very realistic, with flaws, problems and doubts that need to be overcome and the way the love and attraction develops between them is also very real.

This all adds up to a beautiful love story and throw in a small child and a ten foot chicken and you have a wonderful romance.

As with all Harlequinn mangas, the artwork is great with clear, expressive drawings. The children look cute and the love and warm feelings flow from the pages. A lovely, engaging romance, just how it should be for Christmas!

If you are looking for a well written, well drawn imaginative Christmas romance then this is the one for you.

Copy provided by Harlequinn Romance via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Rating 3.5/5

I really liked this quick read! It was full of holiday magic and the surprises that life has in store for you if you just believe!

A little too "Magic" in my opinion, but ok, It's a love story and it's on Christmas time, what should have I expected?

Un po' troppo magica per i miei gusti, ma d'altronde cosa mi dovevo aspettare?

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

📚I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Harlequin/SB Creative as the publisher in exchange for an honest review📚

Book title : The Magic of Christmas

Author : Andrea Edwards; Illustrator : Motoyo Fujiwara

Release Date : 10 December 2018

Merry Roberts is a waitress in a bistro while studying performing arts at school. While doing her waitress job, she meets Peter McAllister who later purposes her to become his temporary girlfriend. His reason is so clichè. He needs someone to bring home and to be introduced to her mum and son, Sean. Another agenda is to please the son who has lost the mother. It turns that Merry gets along very well with Peter's family. She is really a mother figure also for Sean. However, she keeps a dark secret from her past which I am not going to spoil here.

This manga style is great tho. The illustration is beautiful and gives a life to the story itself. I love the story as well. It is sweet even some scenes break my heart esp ones portraying Sean and his longing to a mother figure and family. Defo a HQ-adopted-manga that one should read to sweet their life.

Review: https://literatureisliving.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/the-magic-of-christmas-harlequin-manga-by-andrea-edwards/

This manga is based off of a book, which I am sure has a much longer story. I believe these romance manga series are meant to be pretty short (128 pages) so there is a lot to get through and not a lot of time. That would probably be my only complaint - some of the story was rushed or skipped over for lack of time. Other than that it was cute, the art was nice, and the characters were interesting.

A widower resents his mother's pressure to remarry and to get her off his back he offers a young waitress at the diner he usually goes to to act his girlfriend during a Christmas visit. But the deception is hard to keep on when you start catching feelings and Christmas miracles are made to make dreams come true... Warm and cosy Christmas romance, better enjoy it with mull wine.