Always a Catch! 01: How I Punched My Way into Marrying a Prince

Always a Catch!: How I Punched My Way into Marrying a Prince #1

by Mayo Momoyo, Itsuki Mito, Kaki Nagato (Art)

A zany romantic comedy starring a duke’s daughter, who’s more of a fighter than a lady, and a prince who happens to be into that!

Maria, the daughter of a duke, grew up believing she would one day inherit her father's dukedom. Accordingly, she focused her attentions on honing her martial arts prowess, while thoughts of marriage fell by the wayside. But the arrival of a baby brother in her family means she's losing her role as heir! Now that she’s decided it's time to marry after all, she’s arrived a little late to the game! Are there even any eligible bachelors left?

Upon going to study abroad in a neighboring country where she might still stand a chance at getting hitched, she's bewildered when the crown prince there declares before all that his engagement to her is null and void! Wait...what engagement?!

Apparently, he's mistaken her for the wrong girl! But once that's all cleared up and he catches sight of her knocking out a whole pack of bandits, it turns out that this prince may have a thing for ass-kicking young ladies after all...

Genres: Manga, Romance, Fantasy, Humor, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Historical

192 pages, Paperback

Published November 26, 2024

Reviews

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

FIRST IMPRESSION VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/jWoftT2GQWs

SO MUCH FUN!

I really really enjoyed reading this one and had a VERY strong feeling because who can resist a super cool female lead who beats up people?! LOL!

Seriously, Maria was amazing! I honestly was surprised how she can kick butt with such fierceness, but also be super cute in her mannerisms and her earnestness with other people (even if it's unintentionally by her voicing her inner thoughts out loud LOL). She makes a fun heroine you can look up to, but also one you can relate to as well.

The beginning was hilarious and I loved how she stood up to the prince, who speaking of, was such a sweetheart! I LOVED how he is genuinely courting Maria and that their love story doesn't seem or feel rushed. As Maria says, he is "the prince of princes" because of how respectful he is and absolutely admiring and loving her for who she is.

The story itself was really engaging and I am definitely looking forward to reading more! I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a heroine who can and isn't afraid to throw punches, a sweet romance, and some fun humor at a variety of moments!

[mikaela (spinebreaker) · Rating 3 out of 5]

super silly. not sure if i want to keep reading this series but this was a lighthearted volume 1 with lots of exclamation points and sparkly people

[Jourdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super cute, fun and funny rom com for fans of Pass the Monster Meat, Crash Course in Naughtiness! The concept of her catching the attention of the Crown Prince by being a very capable martial artist was such a fun idea to me and he’s also super clingy with her which I absolutely love.

[Kimberlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This only works because everyone is kind of an idiot.

[Noelle Haycraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually such a sweet manga and I love it so much. I'm actually zooming to read the next volume.

We start off with Mimi being treated like a son by her parents as they've only given birth to girls; and then the unthinkable happens. Mimi's mother gives birth to a son! And they don't need Mimi to be the heir anymore, so now she has to find a husband. That might take some time... or so she thinks! And damn it if she doesn't charm everyone she meets along the way.

Happy Reading!!

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The heroine is a but like Pollyanna, if Pollyanna was raised to be a fighting boy who questions and assumes her way through bullies, has a brass knuckles hair clip, and a similarly ridiculous prince fiancé who is obsessed with her (like his parents and grandma are, too, but not his brother who is engaged to her cousin). Besides him possibly needing glasses being dropped and her being ignored when she says to let go, it's pretty entertaining.

[Emma (littledollreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think the joke of this was funny and the plot kind of depends on the joke.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so silly

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this one so much!

[Cindy ✩☽♔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has occurred to be I’ve read this online before and lost track of it. Nevertheless, it’s a fun time and I’m happy for the author that it’s getting an official English release.

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is SO refreshing!!!! Finally a super humorous spin on this overused trope I adore!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, but I can see others rating it higher (just not my thing).
A silly rom-com about a tomboyish noblewoman who, since the birth of her new baby brother (whom she adores - no angst), will no longer inherit the estate, so suddenly she has to go find a husband despite lacking the typical man-catching noblewomen's upbringing. Visiting her cousin at a ball in a neighboring country, she is approached by that country's crown prince, who immediately rejects her (for a silly reason I won't spoil) - until he witnesses her kicking some bandit butt and becomes smitten. But if this not-a-catch noblewoman were to accept the definitely-a-catch prince, she will also have to impress his followers and family...

A silly, lighthearted spoof on common shoujo (girly-manga) tropes. I prefer a touch more seriousness, myself.

Content concerns: no swearing, nudity/sex, drugs/drunkenness so far; occasional slapstick-ish fistfight violence (people get punched high into the air, that kind of thing); occasional petty queen-bee bullying (snipe-y comments, etc), but these are handled with silly humor

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so refreshing haha.

Maria (Mimi) was raised as her family’s heir, so she rough housed, did manual work, and the works growing up. Everything except for learning decorum and how to be a lady. Well, her parents popped out a son, so she’s told to find a husband. Problem is, all the eligible men are taken in her country! So she goes to a neighboring country to find a man.

Insert some shenanigans, and she’s found herself engaged to the crown prince.

Mimi is totally unrefined, but strong considering her background in martial arts. She blurts out her thoughts and is genuinely kind. MMC, Renato is Velcro clingy and affectionate towards her so I can’t wait to see where this goes.

Recap: public breakup, meal together, she does the random sheep counting for him, he flirts, she gets kidnapped and beats up her captors, he shares he saw what happened and proposes, three months later she meets the royal family and queen mother and king adore her, but the queen doesn’t seem like she likes her. Later on tea with the queen, saving the queen, queen actually thinks Mimi is super cool.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, I guess? This is a bit silly, but it seems like it's supposed to be, so the over-sized reactions and emoting that's standard in this genre/format were less annoying.

The story doesn't have a ton of depth-- a girl (older teens?) raised to rule was, before the start of the story, displaced by the eventual birth of a brother, so she's at something like a finishing school in order to find a husband. She's bad at soft and feminine pursuits and lacks finely-tuned social skills, but she saves the day a few times by being brash and/or physically fighting the bad guys when necessary.

A case could be made that the heroine is ND, maybe some flavor of AuDHD, but it's not specified. The romance is light and chaste.

I received digital copy of this book from the publisher, as part of LibraryCon Live! 2024.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to think going into this, but it's so different while still driving the romantic interests that the story is hilarious. Mimi should be a proper lady in everyone else's eyes as the daughter of a duke, except her family is rather unique. Combine her strength with her habit of saying what she's thinking and her unique point of view on things (if a bit naive and off the mark at times) and it makes for some rather hilarious situations and interactions. Things start off rocky when Prince Renato declares their engagement is annulled in front of a crowd, except he's not engaged to Mimi at this point, but to her cousin Aida. It seems everyone who meets her can't help falling for her innocent charm, even when they come across as possibly even hating her. That's a useful ability, even if she has no clue why everyone else might be so taken with her.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria grew up believing she would inherit the dukedom until a little brother came along. Now she need to find a suitable marriage so she started attending school in a neighboring country with her cousin Aida. But when Aida's fiance, Prince Renato, mistakes Maria for Aida when he breaks off the engagement, she knows that something is off! And boy are things fishy! Between restaurant kidnappings, assassination attempts, and etiquette lessons, Maria barely has the opportunity to realize she has made quite a catch! It will be interesting to see what they get up to in volume two!

Thanks Square Enix Manga for the chance to read this volume

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was cute. I do enjoy my romance with a lot of action (or, maybe it is the other way around). The female protagonist was charming and endearing. And I love that she can fight for herself and is just herself. The male protagonist is kind and honorable but has some growing to do. One of his first actions, while his intentions ended being for good reasons, was badly done, even if it led to the meet cute. Poor decision on his part and at least he admits it. Also, if a girl says she wants off your lap, let her go, even if your only intention is to cuddle her. A bit of a red flag there. Still, I was very engaged and giggling and enjoying the story. Will be picking up volume 2.

[Rella · Rating 4 out of 5]

pues esta pendejo y crei que el prota, el principe cambio de personalidad de un capitulo a otro.
pero era un malentendido para hacer un plan elaborado para ser la celestina del hermano con su propia prometida y deja de ser el heredero de paso.
pero pos no.
todo se corrigue y ahora no suelta a la prota, que sus pensamientos los dice en voz alta, es super amigable y buena para la pelea.

ese malentendido con la furura suegra esta lindo, la suegis tiene resting bitch face y realmente la ve linda a la prota.

un poquitoo raro lo apegado del principe a la prota pero lo dejo pasar en esta serie light

[Felix The Pirate Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine wirklich unglaublich niedliche und humorvolle Geschichte, von der ich gern mehr hätte. Ich mag die Protagonistin unheimlich gern, weil sie nicht der Norm entspricht. Sie handelt auch entsprechend ihrem Charakter und verbiegt sich nicht, damit andere sie mögen. Sie offenen Herzens, ehrlich und doch ein klein wenig naiv mit einem starken Uppercut.

Japp, die süße Protagonistin hat unglaublich starke Fäuste und einen ebenso stark ausgeprägten Gerechtigkeitssinn. Ich bin schon sehr gespannt, wie sich die Geschichte weiter entwickeln wird. ;)

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, this was so cute and hilarious, I loved every bit of it. Mimi-chan is just adorable and I love how she is super strong (and so smooth and awesome, those scenes with the kidnappers or in the garden, oh my) but still gets flustered by things, for instance when the prince is saying sweet words. And then there are other characters, that queen, oh my gosh. I really enjoyed the art. Oh, and I love that Mimi has a mini-knuckle-thingie in her hair! That will come in handy.

[Niche · Rating 2 out of 5]

The heroine was trained in combat because there was no male heir to the family, but when her brother is born, she finds herself having to find a husband with no training in how to be ladylike.

She's thrust into politics when the crown prince mistakes her for his fiancée and publicly breaks up with her. Long story short, he ends up falling for her.

She's kind of the stupid-silly, tomboy, action heroine type. It was kind of funny, but I still found the flirting in the romance cringe.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may very well be my new favorite series! I feel as hopelessly devoted to Mimi as Prince Renato and his family. Mimi classifies as a no-filter type of girl. Her inner monologue becomes outer a little too often, with hilarious results. If you looked up "can do attitude" in the dictionary, you will see a picture of Mimi. She's outspoken and brave and an easily loveable rom-com heroine. Packed with laughs and plenty of action, this is definitely a delight!

[Tia Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love strong female leads but this manga lacked in a lot of areas. The characters felt very surface level. The male lead was obsessive and not in a funny cute way but in a very annoying manner. She is a very dense main character and everyone just loves her with no rhyme or reason.
Overall the books okay just leaves a lot to be desired.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s nothing I love more than a subversive narrative and a pathetic loverboy who is OBSESSED with his partner.

So, this story really got me.

In this first volume, we’re introduced to a kickass FMC with a good heart, an MMC who is infatuated with his feral fiancée, and the love that blooms between them.

I’m absolutely looking forward to reading more! I hope we get more stories like this one~

[Jennica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars; I don’t see this being a new favorite by any stretch, but it was a good time. It was funny, and I liked the main character’s quirks. The art took me out of the story a couple times, but it was overall well done. I am looking forward to the next one.

[Katya Katarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has exceeded my expectations from the start. Maria is such an adorable female protagonist! She’s a balance of dumb, smart, and strong! I laughed hard when I realized her hair pin is brass knuckles. Already anticipating the second volume!

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 2025
Kindle edition

Oof, this was a costly weekend. Got bored, decided to see what manga was out. Ended up getting a selection. This was a fun one. Miscommunication from the prince, but he meant well. Awful way to break an engagement though. Everyone doted on the FMC and she could handle herself easily. The way she tried to play the damsel after beating everyone to a pulp was funny. Looking forward to more from this one.

[Eponine821 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little light reading

It’s hard to tell from the sample, but the prince is redeemed.
This story is cute, but it’s not so gripping that I feel compelled to buy the next volume.
The artwork is good and I never had difficulty telling who was speaking.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not disappointed by this story of a girl who is a walking disaster and also wears brass knuckles in her hair.

[Mk · Rating 2 out of 5]

maybe it's all the isekai I've been reading, but the FL in this series reads like a villain in any other series, so I can't really find her charming