Roses and Champagne Volume 1

by Zig

Justice for Jeong Yiwon doesn't always mean following the rules. Working as a civil rights attorney in corruption-laden Russia, he needs to be bold enough to fight against a system where rich businessmen and mob-backed politicians have carte blanche to do whatever they want.

Ceaser Aleksandrovich Sergeyev is sophisticated, refined, angelic in his beauty—and one of the most feared men in Russia. Known as the Czar and heir to the Sergeyev Crime Syndicate, no one gets close to him, and human life is nothing more than a means to an end.

After a chance encounter with Yiwon, Ceaser is intrigued, and when the two cross paths once again, Ceaser resolves to have more. Unlucky for him, Yiwon hates the mafia, and Ceaser's obsession is nothing more than a nuisance.

That is until Ceaser offers Yiwon a way to take down one of the city's most crooked officials in a seemingly unwinnable case. Now Yiwon has to decide how much he'll indulge Ceaser and his little games to win his trial.

But what happens when Ceaser's obsession evolves beyond mere lust? And how can Yiwon reconcile with the inexplicable draw he feels to a man so evil?

Volume 1 contains Chapter 1 – 12 of the original serialization.
You can find subsequent chapters on the Tappytoon app.

Genres: Romance, Manga, M M Romance, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 22, 2024

Reviews

[alex :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh i can just tell ceaser is about to be a problem. i fear i’m ecstatic to see jeong’s ass get TORN up hehe 😏. 3.5 stars!

[Reading_ Tamishly]

Their chemistry exceeds my reading goals 🌈

[Chani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book and great translations

Really enjoyed this book! Instantly bought the others. Since the story is split by chapters, keep in mind this just ends, so you’ll want book two on hand to continue without having to wait.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are vacations for if not reading books you suspect might be trashy? This one isn't, actually; Zig is a good author, and I found I vastly preferred this to their omegaverse novels. The translation is particularly good, too, which was an added bonus I wasn't expecting.

[terka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not perfect but kinda funny so I will continue reading this. A super light read where you don't really have to think :D no spice in this volume but from my understanding it will get spicy eventually

[Charla · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You're not just some piece in a game." Not you. Never you. But the rest of the confession caught in Ceaser's throat, unwilling to make itself known.

Oh Ceaser, he's a black flag🏴that you can't help but love.

I read the manhwa first and had no clue they were based on these web novels. Now that the manhwa is complete, side stories and all, I decided to try out the novels which are split into 4 different volumes. Chapters 1-17 of the manhwa covers this first volume. I really enjoyed this, I liked all the extra details you read about that you might not necessarily get from the manhwa. Anyone who's read the manhwa knows what is coming next...poor Leewon 😩 but just have to stick it out for their relationship development towards the end.

[C Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has raping of the main character through out.
He gets deliberately harmed by the main lead.
This is a mafia romance not a gentle easy read.
They are together at the end.

[Leca Baaross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this manhwa was like picking a seemingly beautiful apple from a tree and then realizing it wasn't ripe — a situation where disappointment and frustration at not having noticed it before go hand in hand. The premise is indeed interesting, as are both protagonists; they manage to create a couple with a balanced power dynamic based on the contrast in their personalities. Ceaser was a cold Russian man with a past that clearly shaped who he became, and Jeong Yiwon was a fair Korean lawyer who wasn't afraid to fight for what he believed in.

The problem arises from the creator's own impatience with her work. She doesn't care about developing the darkness of her story and simply introduces it in the most disrespectful way possible toward the couple — with a scene of sexual abuse and rape, strongly contrasting with the tone established at the beginning.

Ceaser was a character whose cruelty was made very clear from the start. As a mafia leader who had no problem pointing a gun at a child just because he felt threatened, his unethical behavior was never hidden. However, his abuse — which the story justifies by saying he wanted to keep Jeong Yiwon from distancing himself — doesn't do justice to his character or to the relationship they had. And I can't deny that I feel this drastic change in behavior comes more for shock value and to satisfy certain expectations of a BL romance with a cruel protagonist.

His character was never aggressively sexual; on the contrary, he was always much more restrained, avoiding impulsive actions precisely because he understood Jeong Yiwon's emotionally strong personality. Considering that, after faking his own death, he shows a strong disregard for keeping Jeong Yiwon close or reachable for communication, I strongly believe this narrative choice was not planned according to the initial development of the story.

But my main issue stems from the rush to finish the work, which led to such an abrupt change and such a hastily developed sequence of events.

[Dashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read the manwha before I realized it was a novel that is just now being translated into English. Normally if I watch a movie first it is difficult to read the book. Not so much so with manga. The level of detail you miss out on is astounding either way.

For instance, Ceaser, while I in no way condone his behavior I do have a better grasp of why he acts that way. These are very interesting complex characters. Though the author Zig seems to always include red flag interactions so be aware and look up trigger warnings beforehand. If you can get past all that though both Rose's and Champagne and also Kiss Me Liar are very crazy twists on love stories and the Manwhas have beautiful artwork as well.

The third person got a bit confusing at times but I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Ceaser is a sexy manipulator and Jeong a wildcat. I've always been a sucker for a beauty and the beast romance. While in reality, you can't change someone so drastically in the book world I always yearn for it.



----Quotes----

He was so beautiful, Ceaser couldn’t help reaching out to brush away some errant strands of hair that had fallen over his eyes, immediately prompting a tiny frown to form on Yiwon’s face. Ceaser smiled wryly—rebuffed even in sleep.

[Liaminouche · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai beaucoup aimé ce webtoon ! Les dessins, que ça soit les personnages ou les décors, sont superbes. Jeong Iwon et Cesar sont à tomber 😍 J’aime beaucoup le côté chat sauvage de Jeong et j’ai hâte d’en savoir plus sur Cesar ! Pour ce qui est de l’histoire, ce n’est que le tome 1. On rentre tout juste dans ce monde mafieux et j’ai hâte d’en savoir plus ! Heureusement que le tome 2 sort ce mois-ci 🤩
Le seul défaut pour l’instant est, je trouve, qu’on avance trop vite dans l’histoire. Il y a beaucoup d’ellipse qui ne permettent pas d’apprécier entièrement les moments.

[Marisol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished reading the 70+ chaps currently out of the manhwa. I won't deny that I binge read this story, and I was fascinated by the romantic relationship between the mc and his love interest. But some of the things that ceasar does to the mc is just too unforgivable for me to properly root for their relationship 😭😭 its upsetting because this shit started off SO GOOD and then went completely off the rails. Oh well, on to the next!

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent read. Yiwon and Caesar are a great match. Fire to coals. The action was great. The romance is hot. The interactions range from sexy to downright stupid. Caesar is a controlling, manipulative, psycho but like, that's what you're here for if you're reading this book. The overall action and story was a lot more engaging than I expected it to be. I had a great time with this story.

[Karu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite shocking, and there’s some many troubling moments. But I do recommend this book for people who like aggressive relationships and violence. Some parts were gruesome in my opinion and others felt like a dream.

[.•°•MonaLisa•°•. · Rating 5 out of 5]

★ 5 stars ★

Okay so in no way we condemn his actions but yk...still love him!😭 Read until Side Story 27 and am waiting for an update but I love it, just Dimitri that's such a nuisance 😭🥰✨

[Melinda Sixtos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

Hasta ahorita una historia entretenida que si está buscando tener una trama.

[Shawnie Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know when I started reading this series so 🤷🏽‍♀️…

All I know is it’s amazing and Caesar is the reddest of flags but has green moments 😂