I read 17 books this month and I only need to read 14 more in December to smash my yearly goal of 200 books.
Ping Pong Dash Volume 1 by Shingo Honda ***** – So, all we get from the synopsis of this manga is: Haruku Tendo is the strongest Yankee, striking fear into all of Ibaraki Prefecture. He meets the beauty Sawa and then discovers ping pong, so I honestly had no idea what to expect from it, but I had never been drawn to sports-related anime or manga, so I didn’t have the highest of hopes going into it.
2. Sota’s Knife Volume 1 by Kei Honjo & Yuichiro Sueda *** – So, this manga follows 20-year-old Sota Kitaoka working at a famous restaurant as he struggles with his own ambition to become a chef in his own right. While he is working doing small jobs like dishwashing and peeling potatoes Sota has a dream to work with his father in their family restaurant.
3. SeQuence Unbound by Lorraine L.M.L. **** – So, this review is going to be short and to the point as I can’t discuss a lot of this book without giving away major spoilers for the series, but this is definitely the book where we get the answers we have wanted since book 1 and where the stakes are taken to completely new levels for all the characters, not just Lessi.
4. Guinea Pigs by Benacquista Tonino & Barral Nicolas (Illustrator) *** – So all I know about Guinea Pigs is that it is a graphic novel about the human trail phase of drug testing. So we are introduced to a new drug only referred to as M2C2T and the three candidates have been chosen to test the drug. The first is 44-year-old Daniel, who has a form of amnesia which means he is constantly losing jobs, and this is a quick and easy way for him to earn some cash, then there is 23-year-old Romain, who has his own personal problems but otherwise physically healthy and finally the 26-year-old Miss Parchiby, who tried to be an artist and failed.
5. Hibakusha by Thilde Barboni & Olivier Cinna (Illustrator) ***** – So, this is the story of Ludwig working as a translator in 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan, which isn’t a good time to be Japanese or German. We learn that Ludwig was crippled as a child which means he couldn’t be a soldier during WWII, but he had skills which were used by the German Reich. Ludwig dreams of escaping his loveless marriage as they only thing they share is a son and even fantasizes about having an affair when he learns he is going to be sent to Japan on a mission.
6. Secrets of the Stones Issue 1 by Sabrina Kidd & Katy Arrington (Illustrator) ***** – So, the synopsis of Secrets of the Stones states: After suddenly awakening, completely alone and with mysterious injuries, Christine has no recollection of who or where she is. She finds herself pursued by dragons, rogue magicians, and an heiress hell-bent on revenge. Through her own instinct and intuition, Christine must try and piece together the story of her life. Who is a friend and who is a foe? Who had she been and who will she become? Sometimes it is only in our most vulnerable moments that we are able to find our true inner strength. Which seems extremely interesting to me and unlike any other graphic novel I had picked up in quite a while.
7. Taken Away by Cyn Bermudez ***** – So all I can gather from the synopsis is that this novel is about Victor, Isaac, Vanessa, and Sara who have been taken away from their mother. They’ve been forced to leave behind their home, school, friends, and worst of all, each other. Vanessa and Sara have been placed in the same foster home, but Victor and Isaac have been separated from their younger siblings and each other. However, I had some doubts as the hardcover of this book is only 88 pages long.
8. Mistaken for a Mistress by Marito Ai (Illustrator) & Jacqueline Baird ***** – So, compared to the other manga I have read from Harlequin comics, the synopsis of this one surprised me the most as it didn’t seem to fit the usual themes that these mangas have had: A man shows up not long after Marlene’s mother and Paolo, her mother’s wealthy, married lover, die. The man says he’s a friend of Paolo’s and that he wants to discuss Paolo’s will with her. But then she overhears a cruel plot against her: “Seduce that low-class harlot who’s looking for a sugar daddy and leave her without a single penny.” Because Marlene, her mother, and Paolo lived together as a family, the man has mistaken Marlene for Paolo’s mistress…and decided to punish her.
9. Open Earth Volume 1 by Sarah Mirk, Eva Cabrera (Artist) & Claudia Aguirre (Artist) ***** – So, all I can gather about the graphic novel is that it is about polyamorous relationships in space, so score one for this novel. So we are introduced to Rigo who has lived her whole live in space after the collapse of Earth. So, we are introduced to a whole host of characters commonly known as the non-Earth born generation which include Rigo who are all 20 or younger. Everyone over 20 is part of the Earthborn generation and willingly left everything behind including Rigo’s parents. Through them, she learns that they might never go back to Earth until all the Earth-borns have died as they don’t really want to face everything they abandoned back on Earth.
10. WaterSnakes by Tony Sandoval ***** – So, all I know about WaterSnakes comes from the synopsis: Mila is a solitary teenager ready to put another boring summer vacation behind her until she meets Agnes, an adventurous girl who turns out to be a ghost. And not just a regular ghost, but one carrying the essence of an ancient fallen king and a mouth full of teeth that used to be his guardian warriors.
11. Undercover Man by Hibiki Sakuraya (Illustrator) & Merline Lovelace ***** – So, all I know about this manga comes from the synopsis: Paige works her desk job and is engaged to her boyfriend, David. He’s kind to her, but something seems to be missing. While the two of them are in Cannes for their wedding, Paige gets into trouble. Then, the truth is revealed to her. It turns out David is an operative for OMEGA, a secret agency. Paige finally has the chance to know the real David, so she offers her help with the investigation. And now she’s working undercover as a prostitute, carrying a small gun disguised as mascara, and her code name is Jezebel. Unlike other Harlequin Comics, I think this one is going to be different as the core relationship is already established which it hasn’t been in any of the others as far as I can recall.
12. Heart Break Club Volume 1 by Nikki Asada ***** – So, I didn’t know anything about Heart break Club going into it but the cover gave me some Breakfast Club vibes, so I had to request it. The synopsis states: Nima Momosato is jinxed. Whenever she has a crush on someone, they end up finding love elsewhere right in front of her eyes. She ends up joining a slightly weird club that observes and studies other people’s love lives and relationships. Now, this was enough to get me hooked.
13. OtherEarth (Last Reality #2) by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller ***** – So the end of OtherWorld saw Simon entering the OtherWorld game for the final time with Busara’s help in order to rescue Kat from the Company which had been keeping her hostage in the game. However, this has left all three of them on the run from the Company and the person behind it all. The opening to OtherEarth was great, we begin to see how psychologically unprepared Simon was for what happened in the first novel and how it is really getting to him now he has had some time to process everything.
14. After the Ball by Catherine George & Takane Yonetani **** – So After the Ball intrigued me because it features identical twins pulling a switching act although not deliberately it seems, and I can foresee all sorts of trouble because of this. We are introduced to Eliza who agreed to take her sisters’ place at a party with Paul who doesn’t seem to know the difference. However, Eliza’s friend Giles is also in attendance and fearing that Paul wants to bed her as Gemma he agrees to help Eliza, but it seems he wants something in return.
15. The Prince’s Mistress by Sandra Marton & Kohaku Yu *** – So, all I get from the synopsis of The Prince’s Mistress is that Chloe, a busy model, is helping out at a charity ball when she meets billionaire Nick. He agrees to make a significant donation if she’ll go out to dinner with him. While this is a pretty common plot for these types of books, I was still interested to see how these books would be adapted to manga format.
16. The Greek’s Long-Lost Son by Rebecca Winters & Haruhi Sakura ***** – So, we know from the synopsis that Stella and Theo had a relationship, but their families didn’t approve especially when Stella finds out she is pregnant, so they plan to run away together but Theo never shows. Now, six years later he is back in touch and wants to get to know their son and while Stella is hesitant, she agrees to meet with him.
17. A Proper Wife by Sandra Marton & Chikae Ide ***** – So, the synopsis of this books sounds amazing: Devon had every reason to strike the man at the fashion show, but she was still fired for it. And after all, she had done to become a model! Depressed and beaten, she receives an invitation from the patriarch of an enormously wealthy family, one she knows well. Devon’s mother had already betrayed the family, so why would they call for her now? Well, it seems the patriarch is determined that Devon should marry his grandson, Ryan, the very same man from the show.
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