Matched to a Billionaire (Happily Ever After, Inc. Series): Harlequin Manga

A billionaire and a woman in dire straits are matched by a matchmaking agency and only meet at the altar after a conversation on the phone for what starts as a marriage of convenience. But life has other plans for them and love finds its way into their hearts... kind of slow burn, but effectively rendered romance.

Matched To A Billionaire is a sweet romance about two people thinking they want something out of life only to find out there's so much more to be had when you dare to take a chance.
This is not my first foray into a Harlequin romance manga comic and it won't be my last. I love it mostly for the artwork and seeing the characters being depicted from the artist's imagination. There's something very charming about a romance in a manga comic. And the drawings of scenes of Leo and Dani being intimate? Sexy as all heck.
One thing I do need to mention though is that you need to know how to read a manga comic. It took me a little while to figure it out but basically, you need to read from right to left in the dialogue bubbles. Going from left to right, which was what I was inclined to do, makes no sense. That said, I still found it a bit confusing because the sequence of the narrative boxes didn't follow a logical top to bottom order since the artist took some liberties with the format of scene on the page and it jumped around a little bit. There were times when I was a little confused about which box to read first.
Aside from that, the story was a delight, if quite abridged. I guess that can't be helped considering the manga comic format does not allow the detail of the full content of the book itself and both the artist and author need to be selective about what to include in order to tell the full story. Even with the much abbreviated version of the story, I still felt I got the gist of everything that was going on.
Leo and Dani both want stability in their lives. Leo needs a wife to run his life and make it smooth. Dani needs enough funds to take care of her ailing mother. Neither of them bargained for what they got in each other.
Leo is a bit of an enigma at the start and also somewhat predictable. He's a successful venture capitalist but he's driven by a past that has left a mark on him. He's afraid to stop, afraid to enjoy life, and afraid to love again. He has a tendency to be consumed by his passions and what he does, and for him, right now, it's his work. He doesn't think there's room in his life for anything else. Enter Dani, and his life is turned upside down. She takes her duties as his wife very seriously and cares for him beyond his expectations. Small, caring touches in his life that eases him and surprises him. It was sad to see Leo's confusion and fear over his feelings for Dani. I'm glad he finally gave in to his desires and passion, and finally admitted his feelings and the impact Dani had on him.
I liked Dani. She was sweet, caring and good intentioned. She truly wanted to make the best of her marriage of convenience and be the best wife she could be to Leo. Even while being distressed by Leo's coldness and distance, she never once chastised him. She accepted this life was what she signed up for in exchange for funds and care for her mother. And despite Leo's behaviour, she continued to not only be a dutiful wife, but was genuinely invested in Leo and their life together. I admired her perseverance and hanging in there for as long as she could. She deserved every bit of love and happiness she found in the end.
This was a fun way to spend twenty minutes of reading time. It's a quick read and perfect for when I'm in a time crunch. There will be more romance manga in my future.