Keep Me Close: Finding My Home in You, Vol. 1

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By Morrinmomo and whimhalooo. Released in Japan as “Watashi ga Kaeritai Basho wa ~Ibasho o Nakushita Reijou ga “Tokenai Hyouzou” to Uwasa Sareru Ryoushu-sama no Moto de Shiawase ni Naru made~” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Amy Osteraas.

Generally speaking my reviews don’t have continuity, and you should not have to read them day by day to get the gist of what I think. Sometimes, though, timing plays a major role. This week saw the release of two shoujo LNs with, if not similar plots, at least similar framing devices – the evil stepmother and stepsister, and years of horrible abuse. And they came out within two days of each other, so I am reading them one right after the other. Theoretically I could have put Housekeeping Mage in between them, but, well, that also deals with abuse destroying someone’s psyche. So this may be part one of two, as in this review I discuss abuse as a main plot point with romance being secondary, and then in Deja Vute I’ll circle round to the opposite. That said, secondary doesn’t mean minor. It’s just that in the case of Keep Me Close, the abuse drowns out the rest of the book – and that’s on purpose.

The book begins by speed-running the normal “Villainess” beginning. Claudia Innsbruck is whisked out of her home, where she had been doing servant work, and taken to the Crown Prince, who announces her horrible crimes. He wants her executed, but her stepmother and stepsister, who are so so wonderful, convince him to merely exile her to the south, to be a servant to (please read on, I promise it’s a good book) the legendary “Icy Duke”. On her arrival, Julius, who is unsurprisingly merely incredibly bad at dealing with women, and his assistant Anton, discover that not only is the selfish, spoiled daughter who embezzled all that money a broken, quivering wreck of a young woman, but that she’s suspiciously good at some things, such as finances and ledger bookkeeping. Is it possible that this is all another reminder that all stepmothers and stepsisters are evil unless proven otherwise?

Claudia is the highlight of the book, and the story does not skimp in showing what two years of abuse can do to a confident girl. We don’t see much of it, as this takes place after her exile, but we get the staccato refrain of “you will never be allowed to be happy”, which by this time she has taken to heart. Most of the book is not a typical romance as she and Julius, whose words always come out as “angry”, are just completely unable to deal with each other. I also liked the thriller aspect of the second half, as once Claudia recovers somewhat and decides to fight back, it becomes clear that it’s not just a stepmother and stepsister she has to deal with, but a much trickier opponent, who has several backup evil schemes. Fortunately for Claudia, this country has a King, and he’s not dead. Bad news for the Crown Prince. Also, while this book is mostly serious, there were a few laugh out loud moments. The king explaining to a horrified stepmother that money can be exchanged for goods and services just made me imagine him as Homer Simpson.

This is done in one, but there’s a second volume, like so many shoujo light novels. I assume that’s why the stepsister wasn’t completely removed from the story. In any case, if you don’t mind a heroine ground down by trauma, and her journey to recover, this is a very good book.

Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!, Vol. 10

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By You Fuguruma and Nama. Released in Japan as “Kasei Madoushi no Isekai Seikatsu: Boukenchuu no Kasei Fugyou Uketamawarimasu!” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

Last time I said we were caught up with Japan and I wasn’t sure when we’d get the next book in the series. Well, it turned out to be about a year and a half. And since we’re caught up with Japan again, it may be another year and a half before Book 11. On the bright side, unlike some other slow-burn romances I could name (coughDahliacough), this one is actually realizing that it’s going to be ending with Book 11 or 12 and doing something about it. The meeting with Alec’s brother, which we’ve been hearing will be happening soon for a while, finally happens. The actual suspense part of the book involves a figure from Shiori’s dark past, which she is finally able to lay to rest. They move into a larger house that ends up being a dorm for adventurers, with them as resident assistants. Oh yes, and they finally go all the way. Busy book!

There are three large stories that make up the bulk of this chunky book. In the first, Alec and Shiori are looking for a new place to live that is larger than his apartment, and discover an old boarding school that has just one slight problem: it may be haunted. Which is bad news, as that’s Alec’s one fatal flaw. In the second, a woman has been stalking Shiori and Alec, and she’s definitely bad news. She seems to know Alec, but he can’t remember who she is. And she’s got a ringer to help her out – Torre, Shiori’s old partner in her first adventuring party, is back and ready to cause another round of PTSD for her. In the last story, Alec and Shiori venture out to meet his brother (the king, in case you’d forgotten) at last, and also Rebecca, as she and Alec are finally able to apologize to each other and admit they’re both very happy with other people. This allows Alec to finally do what we’ve been waiting ten books for – propose.

Let’s talk about that middle story. I could not tell you how little I wanted to see the remaining member of Shiori’s old party… you know, the one who isn’t dead. And Shiori certainly feels the same. Fortunately, thanks to a villain even worse than he is, he gets a first-hand taste of what Shiori went through when he left her to die, and proceeds to repent. We even get a quick one page “and this is what happened to him the rest of his life” from the narrative, as if to reassure readers that we don’t have to worry about him again, either. The most amusing thing about the book for me was the sex. The start of the book shows that, while they haven’t gone all the way, they’re still doing everything short of that. We get to briefly see Nadia and Clemens, and hear about the marks all over her body, clearly from their lovemaking. And towards the enhd of the book, Shiori gets those exact same marks. These folks have very difficult lives, and so they are ready to have great sex whenever they can. And they do.

I always enjoy this series, but I’m enjoying it even more now that it’s resolving its plots and drawing to a close. I will happily wait for whenever we get Book 11.

From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess: Will the Duke’s Love Go Unnoticed?, Vol. 2

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By Saki Ichibu and Yukako Fujimura. Released in Japan as “Munou Saijo wa Akujo ni Naritai ~Gimai no Migawari de Totsuida Reijou, Koushaku-sama no Dekiai ni Kizukanai~” by Dengeki no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Joshua C Shupp.

I have, inevitably, mentioned this before, but it is still interesting how, due to translations having to actually be translated and not just literally ported over, “Villainess” is having to get redefined in these books. Sometimes it does mean someone who is capable of doing evil things, ranging from murder to throwing wine on someone’s dress. Sometimes it’s someone who enjoys sleeping around, or toying with other men. But sometimes the “bad woman” merely means “strong woman”, and one reason why transposed Japanese otaku, or shy retiring noble girls, might admire them is that they can do things that most would not. They can stand up to men and tell them off. Even if those men happen to be in a position of power. When people say “she’s rumored to be a horrible villainess”, there’s a thrill in their words. “She lives her own life!” Of course, this is still a romance novel, there are limits.

Surprisingly for a series as goofy as this, there’s a hidden opium trade in the kingdom, and Dylan is being asked to investigate – with Avril sometimes helping out despite herself. After a masked ball full of intrigue – and reminders of Avril’s former reputation as a loose woman – the signs point to a lead in Dylan’s own domain, as one of the mistresses that his dissolute father has brought in is part of a family involved with the drug. Meanwhile, Avril is just delighted to be able to see where Dylan grew up and meet everyone in his domain… though perhaps a bit less excited to meet his father, who supposedly likes meek, shy women rather than confident brassy ones. But Avril has a way to fix that. She just has to be a villainess! She’s so good at it!

I was reminded a bit of Marielle Clarac here, mostly with the idea that the heroine is so unassuming that she is automatically assumed to be a maid rather than the fiancee of the Duke she actually is. That said, Avril is much sillier than Marielle – this is a romance, sort of, but first and foremost, it’s a comedy, and there were plenty of laughs. Not just in funny scenes, either – possibly the biggest laugh in the book for me is when someone throws themselves out a window on the 2nd floor. We also get a side story that explains how Alexandra ended up with the Prince, which is great, as I like Alexandra, but also not great, as it promotes “if you’re annoying to the one you love for over a decade, she will eventually give in and love you.” Other than that, this was solid, if suffering a bit from second book syndrome. Series are hard, aren’t they? Everything is just the slightest bit less fresh this time around.

This arc will continue into the third book, and I’m sure Avril will do something outrageous while practicing her “horrible behavior”. And you won’t have long to wait, as this series is still monthly!