I absolutely adore everything Harlequin Manga has put out recently and The Earl's Convenient Wife was no different. These mangas take no time at all to read and I highly recommend them.

I am so excited to see a lot more of these Harlequin romance manga comics being released. I love them. They give me a quick, enjoyable, romantic read when I am short on time. And on top of that, it's a taster for the full story and sometimes I go back and get the book to read all the details which sometimes the manga misses. Nonetheless, thoroughly enjoyable. Apologies for the repeat review, but I tend to feel the same about almost all the books.

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 Earl's Convenient Wife: a Harlequin Manga

Author : Marion Lennox ; Illustrator : Kei Kusunoki

Release Date : 25 Feb 2019

Jennie was Alasdair's late brother's wife. Both of Alasdair and his brother came from the royal line. Before marrying Alasdair's brother, she was married to a common guy. This was the reason why Alasdair always saw Jennie in a poor manner. He always thought that she was nothing but a gold digger. Meanwhile, Jennie would have to work hard to manage the family's estate. The problem was started when Alasdair's aunt leaving a will saying that he should marry Jennie if he wanted to get the inheritance. Little that he knew, this marriage will bring a huge change in his life as he learned how to love again.

I know that the ending of the story is predictable yet the conflict presented in the manga version is beautifully illustrated. It is definitely a manga that offers sweet romance and a good one to read.

Review: https://literatureisliving.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/the-earl-convenient-wife-a-harlequin-manga-by-marion-lennox/

Lady Eileen's will stipulates that neither Alasdair or Jeanie's will receive an inheritence unless they are married for a year! So they a agree to a marriage of convenience despite the fact they can't stand each other.
A fun and heartwarming love story. It was a lot of fun and the characters while flawed in their own ways had a lot of kindness in them. Nothing especially exciting happened but it has lots of cute animals and baking!

Because this is a contemporary title, I'm not going to review it as I would over on FanSciHist Romance Reviews.

The Widowed Housekeeper (h) and The Scottish Aristocrat (H) must marry to fulfill the terms of his grandmother's will. The only problem is that they don't like each other...

I have not read the novel that this is based on, but it felt like it didn't condense very well into manga. I found it incredibly repetitious and somewhat disjointed. I didn't feel much investment in the characters or their relationship as a result. Even with some of their backstories explained (repeatedly), it felt like I didn't learn much about them. There is some vague nudity and implied sex, so it won't be for everyone in that respect.

This is a comment that I have for the entire Harlequin Manga venture: I wished that there were more colour. I found that the black and white just didn't set the right tone for the titles that I have read.

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite the reference to nobility, this is a contemporary romance. Jeanie works as a housekeeper at the castle of widowed Lady Eileen, the grandmother of her deceased husband. But when Eileen passes away, an unexpected will is found. Unless Alasdair, the current earl, and Jeanie get married, neither will inherit the castle or the estate. Alasdair is infuriated by the impossible will that says that he is to marry the widow of his despicable cousin. To maintain the financial empire that his family has controlled for generations, he has no choice but to suggest to Jeanie that they become husband and wife, if only in name, for one year… but what happens when they are forced to share close quarters? An enemies to lovers romance that will melt even the most cynical reader.

This story was a very quick read at 128 pages. It was a cute little love story, I was captivated by it as I read through it and I loved the artwork. However, I did find it to be a little repetitive. If it had been a little longer, I think they could have made it sooo much more dramatic. I like Jeannie's backbone, it isn't something that I think gets considered very often in romance stories. Despite it's bit of repetitiveness, I think that people that read manga would enjoy this title, especially if they're looking for something super quick (I read it in about 20 mins). There's not TOO much dialogue, which might be a plus for some.

I received this manga from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

So, it took me a few tries to understand how the blurb worked and what it was saying, very confusing, or I am just so stressed out that reading comprehension is fading away. :P Either way, I was curious to see how this one would go. Would Jeanie and Alasdair (what a name) find happiness (well, given this is a Harlequin Manga the answer is yes, but I wanted to know the hows). Of course, it wasn't really new, I have read quite a few Harlequin Manga the past months and I have seen the let's marry for a year due to reasons quite a few times. Also... by now I can easily see when plot twists are coming. :P

Eileen: "No way! It'll be my third marriage." Hold on hold on. Third? So, I know one of them died, but what happened to the other guy? Do I have to worry for Alasdair now? :P Sorry, she seems so young, and I am wondering how someone so young got married twice already and is now on the way to her third. Well, we find out what happened to Jeanie's other husband. I now worry even further for Alasdair, even though I don't like him.

*snorts* How appropriate, his last name (and hers then as she is in the family) is McBride. Sorry, am I the only one finding that funny?

Dang, Alasdair is such a freaking asshole. Bleh. I don't like him. I get that he is pissed but he totally got angry at her for having married a cousin he doesn't like. Dude, just because you don't like your cousin, doesn't mean you have to hate the girl. She seems so nice. So I am glad that she turned around and practically give him the middle finger. GO girl.

"She must be obsessed with money if she was married to my cousin." Really? She can have many reasons, but she doesn't seem to be the kind of girl who would go for the money.

I loved how the conversation between them regarding marriage was at first turning towards what he liked, but then she just flipped around the table and left him stunned. I so love this girl. She is feisty and has spirit.

After she slapped him. "When did I say anything to deserve being treated this way?" Um, dude, you have been criticising her the WHOLE time. Accusing her of being a money-hungry person who would do anything for money, I am sorry, you deserved and more. I would have cheered for her if she had also kicked you in the nuts. :|

Ah, there we go, creepy stalking. Instead of just going to find out about things himself he lets someone else check out on Jeanie. *sighs* I can't imagine that being very legal.

But thankfully they had a good talk about things, and I am glad to see another side to Alasdair. Still, I am not a fan of the guy. Judgemental prick. :| Plus I did think he was trying a bit TOO hard. Yes, it was cute that he did all that for her, but sorry it just felt like he was compensating. He never gave her some room.

*snorts*"My Scottish cakes are a secret family recipe."
"You won't show me?"
*Her looking doubtful. "I guess you're family, depending on how we look at it."

*sighs*That part came out of nowhere for me. There is no spark whatsoever. But oh well, it came at the right point in the story again, and now the drama will probably start. That always happens when there is around 30 pages left.

And for once I wasn't looking forward to the ending. Yes, the story is over, but I would have liked to see a x months after to see if they are still truly together after those months of contract, and yes I was seeing some sparks between them, but still not a lot. That I also why I wanted some more time. But I am happy that these two found each other, and I hope this third marriage will be a better one for Jeanie.

I did like the art, for most of the time, not always.

So yeah, not that interesting, frustrating characters, not that much romance/sparks, so yeah. I can't rate this one very high. Sorry.

I liked this one, the twist from the beginning with inheritance will of a descended woman. It had set everything into the action. Characters were good and likable. I liked the dynamics there an how everything played while reading it. Alasdair and Jeane are good matches and for sure something that I'm looking for as a manga reader, as each character had different reasons for feeling or behaving like that ad that added to the believability of the story.

This is one of those really dramatic and over-the-top romances. It is full of drama and passion and it is a bit improbable but still a good read.

Jeanie has been unlucky in love. Her first husband died very tragically and her second husband Alan, was a horrible man.

Alan died in a car crash and Jeanie was left widowed with debts. Two years later she is confronted with a proposition. Marry the new Earl and gain a castle after one year or lose the castle where she has been living.

I am not a great fan of 'arranged marriage' tropes but I thought this was still a good read because the artwork brought it to life. The only thing I struggled with was the storytelling in the manga was a bit clunky and repetitive. I think this detracted from the story.

Overall it was a good story but not a favourite for me.

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

An enjoyable romantic manga! Alasdair and Jeanie are brought together because of his grandmother's last will. They decide to comply with her last wishes and get married. Their relationship starts as a marriage of convenience, but as they get to know each other their feelings begin to change. I thought it was very sweet how he took her on trips. Trips that she never had time to take due to working so much.
Overall it was a very good story and was easy to read. The graphics were very well done.

I never knew how good it would be to see a male manga character in a kilt but it really was. This story was a modern Scottish Earl trapped in a seemingly no-win situation with regards to his inheritance and his estate. There is a bizarre obligation attached to his inheritance and that is to marry his cousin’s widow.

Alasdair is all harsh sweeping judgements and arrogance at understanding Jeanie’s motives and situations. In fact, Jeanie is a down-to-earth lass with a humble background and delusions of nothing. Watching these two navigate their lives together was pretty cute with a little predictability. Their rare outings together to see island life were the best because I got to see manga corgis, puffins and more!

This is one of my favourite harlequin mangas so far with excellent illustration and flow of the story block by block.