That star is for Kanako Uesugi's art.

If possible this managed to be creepier than the novel it's based on.

Step 1 in Revenge:
Get your enemy(?) to hand over his good luck charm that supposedly caused your friend's downfall.

If you've mentioned a couple times that good luck charm looks hella young, like a child, ignore that voice. Revenge Matters.

Step 2 in Revenge:
Kidnap said good luck charm to a far off island and tell your staff she's literally the worst woman ever so treat her bad.

If you notice she looks hella young while sleeping, crying or in general talking to you, ignore that voice. Revenge Matters.

Step 3 in Revenge:
Tell the gal she has no choice, it's all her fault for being a fool and you'll do as you like.

If you notice she looks hella young and innocent while arguing against taking her against her will, ignore that voice. Revenge Matters.

Step 4 in Revenge:
Don't bother seducing the harlot, didn't you say you'd take what you want? She didn't say no...Rape away!

If you notice she is OMG SHE'S A VIRGIN, LISTEN TO THAT VOICE. Revenge DOES NOT matter.

Step 5 in Revenge(?):
Look at the passport, oh she IS a child (18) and she's NOT a harlot. Did your friend lie perchance? New revenge!

So you noticed she's not a harlot, you made a bad mistake, revenge was bad...but oh look at that love maybe you can convince her to stay?

Step 6 in...whatever the fuck this is now:
Send her away!

But give her sad puppy dog looks and oh she came back this stupid fucking loon...can anyone say Stockholm Syndrome?

Look. Joanna called her father "Daddy" a lot. She saw no problem with him displaying her like a sexy doll constantly (Daddy needs me!). Then she decided she loved Vassos because he had the same hang dog expression and "needed" her like her dad.

In the book he's almost twice her age, so just a few years shy of her dad. In this manga Joanna mentions A LOT how she stayed with her dad because he needed her, would be lost without her and then she mentions that she wants to stay with Vassos for the same reasons.

Seriously this book was creepier as a manga. SHE IS 18. And the housekeeper, if possible, was a worst enabler here. Vassos' entire staff is OK with him potentially raping this strange oddly youthful looking girl because he told them how "evil" she was.

ugh. just. ugh. ( )

Before I begin this review let's start with something that REALLY set my hackles up:

"The Untamed arrogant and proud, unashamedly male! Harlequin Presents with a retro twist....Step back in time to when men were men--and women knew how to tame them!"

Let me break down what that means:
--the heroine will be at least 18, but under 22
--the hero will be somewhere above 30
--the hero will be rich and used to getting his way
--the heroine will not have a job, or if she does it will be some sort of 'female' job like secretary/nurse/assistant
--the heroine will protest a lot, the hero will laugh at her protestations
--the heroine will fall in love with the hero, for no real reason except the story calls for it

The book is set in 1975 (why?), the heroine is 18 (not quite 19), the hero is some age over 30 (though that's kind of a guess given some contextual clues) and the hero is so rich he owns his own ISLAND. The heroine has no job (but has aspirations to being a nanny, which in and of itself is not a bad profession, I was one once, but she honestly can not think of anything else she may want to go to school for and only settles on that because someone else tells her its a good idea) beyond what her father uses her for (he's a gambler and she is his scantily clad, sultry look giving good luck charm...that no one knows is his daughter and speculates is his mistress).

Yeah this sounds like a winner folks!

I have no good things to say about this book by the by so take from that what you will. Joanna has no backbone, also I find it hard to believe that no one at all thought it wrong that Vassos kidnapped her, openly threatened to rape her until he no longer wanted her and then promised to sell her off. Revenge is one thing, but seriously--how frelling loyal were his people that even the WOMEN thought it was okay for him to use Joanna like a piece of meat? How did no one object to this?

Beyond that what kind of father was Joanna's father that he didn't immediately jump up and say 'THIS IS MY DAUGHTER'? And why would Joanna expect a rescue from him when he wouldn't even acknowledge they were related? Why would she WANT a rescue from him?

Vassos was just...repulsive and disgusting. He either spends the book having sex with an unwilling Joanna, or a reluctantly willing Joanna (which besides the point but he's trying to get her to want to have sex with him for the pleasure of it...and goes about it by NOT driving her to climax. If I understood the writing rightly he would get her worked up, have his release and then send her back to her room without her own.) and promising to sell her off if she displeases him. He orders her around, keeps her cooped up, won't talk to her when she asks a question so she understands a situation he doesn't want her meddling in and even after learning the truth about her life he is still 'well. changes nothing I still want to have sex with you'. He goes so far to say that his revenge was only made sweeter because of who and what she was.

THEN to top it all off Joanna is suddenly 'in love' with Vassos? Because he chooses to get over himself enough to send her home? Really? But she doesn't tell him this, no instead she assumes he's done with her and wants to hold onto her pride (ha! lost that already). Their 11th hour confessions to each other were about as romantic as a hedgehog in bed. ( )