I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog, Vol. 1

전남편의 미친개를 길들였다 (Comic) #1

by Jagae (Artist), Jkyum (Original Author), cmjm (Adapter)

Fifteen years after the death of her father, Reinhardt Lincke finds herself traveled back in time to the day of his funeral, alone with the very man responsible for his death― Prince Michel Allanketh, her betrothed. Loath to waste the opportunity, Reinhardt stabs Michel in his leg, and is subsequently banished to the cold and isolated domain of Luden. However, her exile turns into a blessing in disguise when she stumbles upon a wild boy in the forest. Meeting this “mad dog” may be the key to Reinhardt’s revenge…and the start to a tumultuous romance!

Genres: Manga, Manhwa, Romance, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fantasy Romance, Josei

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2024

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing start to what is sure to be a very toxic read. Sometimes messiness is refreshing.

[hima · Rating 2 out of 5]

i am not a fan of the age gap AT ALL and it makes the relationship helllla weird

[Hot Mess Sommelière ~ Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE TRAIN WRECK ALERT


This escalates a lot more than you may guess going in and I am told the novel is even worse (I will read it!!!!)










Very mild, vague content spoilers (Trigger Warnings, rather)

















- hero has rabies, probably
- both are THEE worst parents and I feel sorry for their offspring ngl
- surprise romantized SA


Needless to say I was all over this series, but I can only recommend it to my equally deviant friends.


Recommending this with the new GR toggles is so annoying and frustrating but as my friend you should read this because ...

*reverse age gap (heroine is ~10 years older)
*calculating heroine hell-bent on her goal: revenge (but she's also really kind and excitable)
*very slow burn with lots of character development
*the side cast really shines
*the villain (the titular ex husband) is a disgusting little worm and he's honestly so fun to read about
*the Male Lead is a rabid little kid who would burn the world down for his Queen ... and will likely literally do so

Also this has the Knight X His Lady thing going and I LOVE IT

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: 3 stars

The heroine needed to take revenge on her ex-husband, and she was transmigrated 15 years back to get revenge. Amidst it, she stumbles upon her ex-husband's future war general, whom she takes in and trains to fulfill her need for revenge eventually...

Needless to say, this isn't my cup of tea with such a huge age gap and the toxicity and messiness...

[aedor ୨ৎ (catching up) · Rating 5 out of 5]

didn't know gr could add some manhwas/manhuas lmfaoo. I'm about to spill all the good shiets I've read.

this is one of them, psycho man 😍😍

[Yai Min (semi i.a.) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5 ⭐️

Let's not normalise a relationship where one is groomed, and the groomer is an absolute asshole and abuser.

Let's not normalise a relationship we're abuse is the norm and the suffering of the children is the result of this kind of relationship, were the parents only care about themselves and their egotistical goals not caring about the chaos and suffering they put other surrounding them into, mostly their own children.

The story is such a mess that I don't even know where to start, and the characters are the worst... after more than 90 chapters, the characters' development is still shining in its absence, and moreover, you could say the characters take a turn for the worst, making them annoying, clingy, immature, just hollow characters with no enhancing or attractive qualities to them.

The artist tried to make a strong, independent, intelligent, and willful MC, but in the end, the result of what was delivered to us readers is a weak woman, dependent on a sexual and toxic relationship with the groomed ML, someone who started a revenge plot to avenge her death father but along the way [more like at the very beginning, just after meeting the ML... 😪🥱] she ended up forgetting the main reason why she started all this plot and why this was all started in the first place, tge artist instead created an obsessive and immature woman with a need for attention, who didn't even blink when abandoning her own child for her egotistical belief and feeling that need of superiority, which was only her thirst for being the only reason and center of the world to the ML for existence, and the need to feel his clinging and begging for her which fed her toxic thoughts of him being an inferior being and a monster, who only thought of himself... [both are quite the couple... really, so hypocritical the both of them, and that need from the two to feed their egos and their own twisted emotions from the other, it's just unhealthy... the poor children that had to live while suffering this kind of abusive environment... I really hope this kind of relationship NEVER GETS NORMALISED and so that children never have to suffer through all this]

This is a fantasy-romance [the joke is in the ROMANCE, where was it even that romance, to make a main genre of this manhwa? Because I as hell didn't perceive it anywhere during the story, I just read two obsessed people, which one ended up being the result of the actions and plots of the adult and manipulations of the other, being the case of even being victim of grooming and abuse by that other person], some of the tags that were made define this story are age-gap [I find this tag quite confusing and controversial because of the events that take place in the first part of the story, age gap is a bit of a stretch, and also depending and what we each consider age, this could mean one thing or another very different, there’s kind of a time travel, where she travels back in time 15 years back, and she's already 8 years older that the ML, having met when he's 12 years old 🤢🤮... having said that, for me, in reality, she's 23 years older than him, as she has lived in both timeliness, she has mentally 23 years of life experience more than the ML, which has only one lifetime experience and thus cannot manipulate and control people like she does], this is what I call a groomer, someone of older age, with more life experience which take advantage of a gullible and inexperienced one, controlling the relationship between both and having more power that the other, another tag is revenge, Handsome Male Lead 🤡🤡, smart female lead I thought this one was a joke... but to my surprise... it's not!! They really think this, omg, I'm dying here of laughter at the unbelievable definition

To end this review, I want to honestly say that I don't recommend this manhwa, it's so messy, the characters are so badly written and underdeveloped [to say the least, because honestly, there's CERO character development], the plot gets thrown out the window at some point throughout the story, not solving or ever returning to the main plot twist which was why everything started, and the relationship between the MC's it's so toxic and repulsive, that it gets old and boring rather sooner.

Hope you have a very nice weekend!!
Enjoy your reading and relaxing times everyone!!


P.S. It's been a long long time since I last posted something in here... honestly, I've been too busy to even read much, and even much less to write reviews, and I'm starting school next week so I'll be busy again... I don't know when I'll get to post again, but I'll try to post something once in a while. I hope everyone has been doing great meanwhile!! 🥰🤗

[Mk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not get it. This keeps getting recced everywhere repeatedly, so I am going to try two volumes but I think it is just bad and kind of creepy??? What is the appeal?

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read something this dark and twisted... and that's was actually well done and not surface level.

"He started off as my tool and became a frightening accomplice, but, bit by bit, trust and compassion formed between us. He is what I sowed, he is what I raised, and he is what I reaped. He is my sin."

Rein is such a complex character, I absolutely love how dedicated she is to her revenge and yet finds herself trapped in these short moments of guilt and moral ambiguity. Her strong belief of being someone who brings death to everyone she loves, and yet still clings to every joyful memory from the past, no matter how fleeting, is something that connected her to me especially...

The romance isn't really the selling point of this story, I'd say there isn't any of it at all actually. If we are being truthful, this story is about three things: revenge, obsession and madness. I think it's intresting how those three can be easily mistaken for love, and yet how they are also needed, in certain amounts, for love to exist at all. And we are shown just how twisted the perception of love can be through every major character in this story. Maybe I'm reading too much into this who knows, but that's what intirgued me the most about this particular manhwa.

Wilhelm is batshit crazy I absolutely love how unhinged he is about his obsession with Rein (cmon, we all know.exactly what he did when he found her old portrait and knelt before it lol), how he delivered her the prince's body and gave her her father's sword and absolutely relished in seeing her slashing into it until there wasn't anything to recognise as human about it... and then proceeded to kiss every inch of her body and fuck her whike they were both covered in prince's blood? Yeah, poetical horniness is my jam 🤭

Also ngl those flashbacks to Wilhelm's past with the prince and princess made me nauseous. Extremely so.

side note: sir dietrich was a sweetheart who deserved better! he deserved to live out his lofe with rein and for them to raise wilhelm and be a happy family 🫶

[Artemissia G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rien que la couverture, ça me donnait déjà trop envie de lire ce webtoon ! Et le résumé m’a bien aidé également à ouvrir les pages de cette histoire. On est sur une dark romantasy vraiment bien construite avec une héroïne qui ne va pas se réveiller bien avant que sa vie bascule, mais bel et bien à ce moment-là. Exilée sur des terres froides et arides, Reinhardt va recueillir un jeune sauvageon qui n’est autre que le futur chien fou du prince maléfique (je ne l’aime absolument pas), son ex-fiancé qui l’a exilée. Prête à se venger de cet arrogant au cœur de pierre, elle va avoir l’idée de former Wilhelm pour faire en sorte qu’il soit de son côté et que jamais il ne serve les intérêts du prince.

Comme je le disais plus haut, le récit est très bien construit et il prend son temps pour mettre l’intrigue en place ainsi que ses pions. On fait la connaissance de Reinhardt qui est une héroïne à la morale grise même si au fond, elle est douce et bienveillante. Les épreuves qu’elle a subies l’ont endurcie.

J’ai kiffé ma découverte de cet univers et de ses protagonistes. L’histoire est addictive et je me demande encore s’il va y avoir une romance et avec qui (bon, on s’en doute un peu quand même… rien qu’à la couverture).

Les dessins sont superbes et mis en valeur par une jolie mise en pages. J’ai vraiment passé un bon moment avec ce premier tome. J’ai une bonne hype pour ce titre et je trouve que dans l’ensemble, les éditions Pika WaveToon savent nous offrir de belles pépites en devenir !

[KristynRene SwissCheese JellyBean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a little weirded out. He's 16 but looks like he's 10. She's in her 20s?? Is there a romance here? It's really groomy right now. Very uncomfy. Where is this going?

[Nika✨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Marco solo este, pero en realidad todo lo que diré a continuación es sobre la historia hasta su final, incluyendo el epílogo.

Empecé a leer este manhwa cuando estaba recién iniciando la publicación en inglés. Eso significa que le dediqué más de un año de mi atención con las actualizaciones semanales, por eso ahora que ha finalizado de verdad quería compartir mis pensamientos.

"I Tamed My Ex-husband's Mad Dog" es sobre cómo Reinhart, la protagonista, vuelve en el tiempo inexplicablemente y tiene la oportunidad de buscar venganza contra su ex marido que arruinó su vida. De esta forma va tomando decisiones que la ayuden a cumplir este propósito y de paso sortear las dificultades de esta nueva vida. Uno de los puntos claves, fue conocer a Wilhelm antes de tiempo y tenerlo de su lado antes de que llegara a convertirse en el lacayo más leal y letal del príncipe heredero (el ex marido).

Ese sería el contexto inicial. Conforme avanza la historia se van descubriendo muchas de las incógnitas y cuando Rein alcanza su venganza, la historia pasa a centrarse en el "después", donde la relación de ambos protagonistas empieza a torcerse en consecuencia de todo el bagaje emocional de dos vidas.

Menciono esto porque la historia abarca dos temas: la búsqueda de la venganza y cómo está puede ir deformando y consumiendo a una persona. Y un romance entre dos personas demasiado dañadas, que termina rozando la dependencia y la obsesión. Una parte que considero importante, es que a mi criterio sí hay amor entre los protagonistas, pero viene siendo bastante dañino y retorcido, tanto que tal vez no entre en la categoría esperada si lo que se busca es una historia donde la pareja sea sana. El problema, es que también pienso que la ejecución de esta premisa es un poco floja, así que entiendo que no llegue a ser del agrado de muchos la forma en que se desenvolvieron las cosas entre los protagonistas, especialmente cuando llegamos al epílogo. Pero bueno, voy por partes.

Como mencioné la historia empieza con Rein queriendo venganza y con justos motivos: su marido es un inútil que piensa con el pene, le es infiel, organiza el asesinato del padre de Rein y para rematar le pide el divorcio justo en el funeral. Rein renace justo en ese momento y con los sentimientos a flor de piel actúa impulsivamente y lo apuñala. Desde entonces se propone a trabajar en su venganza, porque solo asesinar a Michel no es suficiente. Tiene que asegurar su posición y sentar bien las bases para que las cosas no vuelvan a terminar como en su primera vida. Todo esto nos habla de cómo Rein es muy calculadora en sus decisiones, pero también nos indica mucho de su inestabilidad emocional y cómo su rencor tiende a nublar su juicio y consumirla. Los resultados ya se ven en la segunda temporada, donde a pesar de que ya tuvo lo que quería todavía se resiste a confiar y teme que la traicionen. En general sí entiendo el arco por el que querían hacerla pasar, pero cuando lo unieron con el romance sí llegué a sentirme algo insatisfecha.

Cuando hablo de Wilhelm inevitablemente también debo hablar del romance, porque es su obsesión por Rein la que mueve la gran mayoría de eventos de la historia. El pasado de Wilhelm es bastante duro, huérfano desde nacimiento y aprendiendo a sobrevivir de la manera que puede. El título de "perro" es bastante adrede, pues el trato que recibió durante toda su infancia hasta su adultez no es mejor que el que un perro callejero recibiría. Conocer a Michell y convertirse en su caballero inició como una oportunidad de salir de esa vida, para luego volverse otra pesadilla. Al final de la primera temporada es que Wilhelm cuenta todo eso y entonces se descubre que él también buscaba venganza, pero su motivación para renacer no era solo eso, ya que desde su vida anterior viene cargando con su fijación por Rein. Entonces, lo que tenemos es que Wilhelm después de una vida llena de carencias, encuentra a alguien a quien quiere aferrarse y ese anhelo se pone por encima de todo, incluso los deseos y opiniones de Rein.

Al final del día la relación es bastante compleja y por eso digo que los dos estaban demasiado dañados para iniciar algo juntos. Viéndolo desde cualquier ángulo, la forma en que terminaron juntos y todo el daño que se hicieron es esperable y la historia se estaba construyendo para eso. No quiero sonar como que estoy tomando bandos, pero de verdad recalco que aunque Rein tuvo sus motivos egoístas y reacciones irracionales, el daño que le provocó Wilhelm y todas sus acciones posesivas fueron horribles. Leer esos capítulos de verdad era un no creer, porque después de todo eso me era imposible verlos con un final feliz...

Pero igual lo tienen. Por eso es que mi calificación no puede subir del 3.5, siento que con ese nivel de daño y ese nivel de obsesión, un final así de fluffy se siente como si aquí no hubiera pasado nada. Y en parte, no digo que ellos no tengan esperanza, después de todo me gustan mucho las historias de redención, lo que siento es que en esos arcos finales se pudo haber manejado de otra forma.

Pero bueno, esos son la mayoría de mis pensamientos, ya pensándolo bien yo solo me quedé por el wifeguy supremo Dietrich. Era mi rayito de luz cuando los protas me desesperaban :'D

Pd. No supe cómo incluirlo arriba, pero menciono que la age gap es el problema menos serio de estos dos. Tampoco considero la relación grooming, pero lo que sí es cierto es que se les fue un poco la mano haciendo que el ML se viera de 7 cuando se supone que tiene 12? no recuerdo, pero era alrededor de esa edad(lo de la desnutrición no es excusa). Solo eso, las cosas empiezan cuando ambos son adultos en la otra vida, so...

Pd2. No sé cómo escribí todo eso de los protas y olvidé hablar también de Dietrich. HABLEMOS DE DIETRICH:

Dietrich es el único cuerdo en este trio, el MVP, el estándar. No importa si no es un second ML (gracias a Dios no es), porque él brilla por si solo. Pero bueno, hablemos de su papel en la historia. Dietrich es el amigo de la infancia de Rein, se insinúa que ella tuvo un crush por él (y con toda la razón, Wilhelm tendrá lo suyo y lo dibujaron muy bien, pero cuando aparece Dietrich se me olvida todo). Volviendo al tema, nunca pasa nada más allá de eso y Dietrich vuelve a demostrar EL HOMBRE que es cuando le sigue siendo leal a Rein y a su familia a pesar todo. Cuando Rein regresa al estado de su familia para gestionarlo, Dietrich se vuelve el capitán de sus caballeros y también el mentor de Wilhelm.

La relación con Wilhelm también me gusta mucho, porque aunque Wilhelm le tiene celos por la cercanía y confianza que tiene con Rein, eso no quita todo el tiempo que pasaron juntos. Yo sí pienso que Dietrich le agarró cariño, hasta lo pudo haber visto como un hermanito, incluso si desconfiaba de sus intenciones (Dietrich sabía que había algo shady con él, mi King). El problema es que Wilhelm no deja de estar mal del coco y no iba dejar de ver con celos a Dietrich, tanto así que tampoco culpo a Rein por pensar que Wilhelm sí fue el responsable de su muerte (cómo lloré esos capítulos cuando pensé que se habían cargado a mi única esperanza en esta historia). Aún así, yo sé que en el fondo los dos se tienen cariño, aunque no lo digan en voz alta. Son como hermanitos, su combate final sanó mi corazón.

Dietrich también tiene un arco de pérdida de memoria, que en otras circunstancias me habría enojado, pero como es él se lo perdono. Además su historia con Leoni también es muy linda, si los protas me hicieron perder la fe en el amor en algún momento, estos dos me la revivieron. Tan cuquis. Y bueno, eso es todo lo que debo decir sobre Dietrich. Gracias por existir 🫶🏻

[Clarice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

The way that webtoons and manga are giving more character depth than whole @ss novels rn is actually astonishing.

Great series and not a conventional “romance” by any means. The fmc is transported 15 years into the past to take revenge on her ex-fiancé the prince. However, she’s is banished to the far reaches of their kingdom where she meets a teen boy who saves her life. He is 16 and she is 24 (I think). In the alternate future this boy is actually her husband’s enforcer/ top military man. She plans to train and use him against her husband in this timeline. Many things ensue and apparently as he gets older he grows feelings for her. Just as a note his and her initial feelings are not romantic. It’s only when he is older than 18 do things turn more so apparently.

Anyway all of the characters have a lot of depth morally and emotionally and this is another great webtoon that I’ve picked up. I’m happy for the shorter form content bc after reading the beast that was Alchemised my poor brain needs a break.

[Michelle Easton · Rating 4 out of 5]

That is one hell of a way to start off a new series. I can definitely see where the plot might be leading and I’m excited to see what will happen.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

can’t wait to turn my brain off this is gonna b so good

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai kiffé
1⭐️ en moins par ce que c’est bizarre qu’elle le rencontre jeune mais bon

[devynreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

At first I was a lil nervous because - why is there a romance between a child and adult?! Manga really pushes the boundaries in that regard. But fortunately Wilhelm is 16 and just looks like a tiny child lol. This is a nice change of pace because usually the male MC is older, which I do prefer, but in this case I can definitely get into a wild, dangerous younger man becoming attached to a beautiful older woman. Volume 2 when??

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grooming of a child. 🚩🚩🚩 I do not recommend

[Paula Josina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zuallererst möchte ich mich für das Rezensionsexemplar bedanken, welches mir von papertoons bereitgestellt wurde. Dieser Fakt beeinflusst aber in keiner Weise meine persönliche Meinung zu diesem Buch. Der Post enthält Werbung und die Rechte liegen beim Verlag.

Natürlich ist dies nur meine persönliche Meinung und nur weil ich diesem Buch diese Bewertung zukommen lassen, heißt es nicht, dass es auf jeden anderen zutrifft.

Ich glaube ich habe ein neues Subgenre gefunden, welches ich liebe – Revenge Stories. Ich liebe es wenn die Hauptprotagonistin zurück in die Zeit reist und ihre Rachepläne schmiedet.

Ich war zuerst etwas verwirrt über den Anfang und habe einen kleine Moment gebraucht um mich zu orientieren. Der Zeichenstil gefällt mir sehr und auch das Cover ist ein Hingucker.

Die Story mit ihren interessanten Charakteren klingt vielversprechend und ich bin gespannt, was da noch so kommt. Mich würde vor allem das Alter der Protagonistin interessieren um evtl. ein bisschem mehr über den zukünftigen Plot vermuten zu können 😉

Fazit
Ein sehr guter Start, der Lust auf mehr macht!

[E.J. Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot started out a little slow. Was a bit hard to follow in the beginning. The reverse age gap, I could easily ignore, however the grooming the ML is a bit- ew.

He acts like a 6 year old, she treats him as such, even after realizing he is 16. But he's comparatively small for someone his age. Which just gave me weird vibes.

Stockholm syndrome type of feel, with definite grooming involved. The first volume didn't get good till the very ending. The book dragged on and on until about the last couple of pages. Where Wilhelm went from being small, to somehow 2 months later being taller and more filled out. Even though she had legit just seen him?

Timeline is a little difficult to understand.

[Janina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich mag's sehr. Süß. Gute Charaktere. Ich mag die Dynamik zwischen Rheyna und Wilhelm, ebenso wie Rheyna und Wilhelm zusammen mit Dietrich. Auch der Nebenplot, die Umstände der neuen Unterkunft Luden zu verbessern, gefällt mir gut und ist interessant. Freue mich auf Band 2 :)

[tatterpunk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars is, honestly, a little high -- it's more like 3.5. But I feel bad for this series and to some extent this author, so I'm rounding up. Why do I feel bad? Because:

LITERALLY WITHIN THE FIRST TEN CHAPTERS: Here is this world's version of a seasonal change myth, except even more overtly violating than the one we're usually familiar with! Which is saying something! And let's add in some of the more fucked-up aspects of Norse myth just for fun!

WILHELM: "Well, I know right away who I identify with in that story, and say so. And I'm cool with that."

REINHARDT: "I lack my romantic lead's self-awareness, which is honestly one of the flaws of this story, but whatever. Even if I'm not overtly associating myself with one of the central characters of that myth, she is my patron deity whom I pray to constantly, and seeing as she's a revenge goddess and this is THE STORY OF MY REVENGE, you would have to be at a kindergartner's reading level to miss the parallels."

STORY: progresses as you might imagine, mapping itself more or less onto that fucked-up myth, reminding you of its existence and of its overall fucked-up-ed-ness at periodic intervals

GOODREADS REVIEWERS APPARENTLY LACKING ANY MEDIA LITERACY: "Hey! This shit is fucked-up! How dare!"

ME: .................

Listen, are the characters kind of shallow and one-note? Sure. Is the whole story HIGH DRAMA instead of psychologically complex? I wouldn't argue otherwise.

But if the author metaphorically sits down with you, takes your hand, and goes, "hey dude I'm into not just red flags in my romances but straight-up black flags, I mean I'm into them like some people are into chocolate," don't then get pissy and throw a tantrum because they served you a Death by Chocolate Black Flags cake instead of a Green Flag salad.

Also, please understand what "grooming" is as a concept, and how a twenty-four year-old taking care of a sixteen-year-old for exactly ONE YEAR before he's sent off to war for three, and how Reinhardt literally had zero romantic or sexual intention OR ATTRACTION to him before he became an adult and even then puts up a hell of a resistance, is not it. Listen, if you're that icked out by an older female lead, fine, but don't throw around very serious terms that very seriously affect real people because a fictional story got you in your feelings.

Okay, all that venting aside, do I recommend this title?

... sure! I thought it was fun. The art is consistently spectacular, there were details like the tiniest rainbow smudge painted into Wilhelm's eyes, as opposed to the usual depthless black, when Reinhardt first says she has feelings for him, or the costume changes as Reinhardt slowly emerged from mourning, that took my breath away. Say what you will about the story: the art is on a level I rarely see in webtoons when it comes to thoughtful composition. I do wish the female lead had more agency in her own story, but that's such a common complaint for me it barely registers anymore as long as she's not a complete pushover or limp noodle, which Reinhardt definitely isn't. Wilhelm is delightfully unhinged, and so is Reinhardt at the best times -- the two of them fucking for the first time in front of Michel's desecrated corpse, and how when they finally made it to a bed they still let the sheets get covered in his blood? Cinematic poetry, HOW can you not get into this insanity. The romance before the "turning point" is pretty thin, I'll admit: I just don't believe this author when they go for cute, but Wilhelm's crazy-eyed obsession is believable and (for me) enjoyable as hell. The secondary characters are thin as paper and disposed of as easily (even THEIR OWN CHILDREN, I mean the myth warned us!! but wow are they both absolutely shit parents), and this I'll acknowledge as a real and unfortunate flaw. It weakens the story and brings it down from a truly thoughtful dissection of trauma and its ramifications and puts the focus solely on: wow, Wilhelm is hot when he's unhinged.

And he is, when you understand that's the whole point. Reinhardt is surrounded by men (let's not talk about the secondary women in this story, that's where shit gets complicated) who coddle her, comfort her, treat her like spun glass... and they fail her utterly, one after the other. Wilhelm is the fantasy of the Black Flag Boyfriend who is so deeply toxic he ends up almost swinging around to the other side and being good for you, unlike the first loves or seemingly perfect fathers who believe the world is a nice place and end up feeding you to its monsters because they trust other people to be just as good and fair as they are. Wilhelm is SO obsessive, SO toxic, SO disconnected from reality save from What Makes Reinhardt Safe And Happy, he's actually a decent protector.

... until he isn't! Which is probably why I'm giving this series a nudge toward four instead of rounding down to three: the sequence where Wilhelm finally realizes how toxic he is was a really hard fucking read, in a way where I commend both the author and artist for the choices made, there. But it brings a much-needed... I won't say depth, but a kind of shading to their situation. It's the author acknowledging, yeah, this is a fucked-up relationship, even within the story it brings a lot of misery to the people involved, it should in no way be emulated by real people... but it's fun narratively, no?

And it is. If you can get over yourself and enjoy the story as intended, as clearly foreshadowed, as CLEARLY INDICATED to be what it is every step of the way. It's a weird, fun time.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I love a vengeful lady. Especially one who has been unfairly scorned and is now on a very righteous warpath. Make her clever, conniving, and a little unhinged—and I’m there.

I support women’s rights—and women’s wrongs.

This story ticks all those boxes.

The first volume here introduces us to Reinhardt “Rein” Lincke. After the unfortunate death of her beloved adopted father, Rein is subsequently dumped by her husband—who is the crown prince.

Overcome by grief and loathing, Rein wishes for nothing more than for an opportunity to go back in time before this whole mess began—and, as luck would have it, she gets her second chance.

When Rein wakes up 15 years in the past, she wastes no time breaking ties with her betrothed and getting herself banished to the country’s hinterlands.

There, she plans to plot her vengeance.

But, the situation is not good. That is until Rein comes across an unexpected acquaintance—a wild boy that she recognizes as the young man who will eventually become the prince’s “mad dog” war hero. An auspicious find. She names him Will.

Rein decides to tame this little puppy—to make Will hers. He could come in handy.

So, it’s quite problematic on a few levels.

Power play between two consenting adults of age can be sensual and kinky. But, under less than ideal circumstances, it can also be exploitative and perverse. This series is very much teetering on the exceedingly thin line between kinky and exploitation.

This series will certainly fulfill fantasies for many readers, especially those who enjoy power play relationships where female partners take the dominant role. But, it’s also not a good or healthy representation of this type of relationship either. The age difference between the two main characters is discomforting to say the least. (Granted, nothing untoward has necessarily occurred. But, still. It’s disconcerting to even have to clarify that in any kind of media. This is very much leaning into “grooming” territory in some respects. Though, I don’t like using that term due to overuse and misapplications.)

So, from a purely fantasy fulfillment perspective, this is a satisfying read. If you are picking this story up for any other reason than fantasy fulfillment, 1) why???? and 2) you probably won’t find it to your tastes~

[Kati S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wenn du mir auch nur eine weitere Chance geben solltest, werde ich nicht mehr auf meinen Ruf achten, sondern so richtig durchdrehen."

Was würdest du tun, wenn du die Möglichkeit hättest, dein Schicksal zu ändern? Die Protagonistin dieser Geschichte hat Rache geschworen und macht sich selbst die Hände schmutzig.
Ich muss gestehen, allein das Cover hat mich dazu gebracht, die Geschichte lesen zu wollen. Und meine Befürchtung, dass ich mal wieder mit einer Protagonistin konfrontiert werde, die nicht für sich selbst einstehen kann, wurde schon nach den ersten Seiten zerstreut.

Aber worum geht es eigentlich? - Rheyna, die Kronprinzessin, wird von ihrem tyrannischen Ehemann, der sie seit Jahren wie Dreck behandelt, mit der Tatsache konfrontiert, dass er die Scheidung will. Wegen einer Mätresse, versteht sich. Doch anstatt dies einfach hinzunehmen, schwört sie Rache. Plötzlich wacht sie 15 Jahre in der Vergangenheit auf und hat die Möglichkeit, ihre Pläne in die Tat umzusetzen, und sie bekommt auch noch einen unerwarteten Mitstreiter.
Klingt spannend? Ist es auch.

Ich gebe zu, eine "Ich reise in die Vergangenheit und verändere alles"-Geschichte hat mich schon lange nicht mehr überzeugt. Aber diese hier hat mir wirklich Lust auf mehr gemacht. Man ist von Anfang an mittendrin im Geschehen und es ist durchweg spannend und emotional. Was mir auch sehr gut gefallen hat, ist, dass die Geschichte bisher ohne unnötigen Füllstoff ausgekommen ist. Alles, was passiert ist, ist relevant für das, was als nächstes passiert.

Das Design und der Zeichenstil sind wirklich schön. Ich habe mich oft in den Augen auf dem Cover verloren. Verlangt alles, nicht wahr?

Für mich ist dieser Band ein gelungener Auftakt zu einer vielversprechenden Geschichte. Ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Band und muss unbedingt wissen, wie es weitergeht.

(Rezensionsexemplar direkt vom Verlag erhalten)

[Cassie Renais · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a grittier than average returner villainess RF; the protagonist wants revenge of the murdery variety, not the I'll divorce you and make lots of money variety. There's very little humour, and there's lots of grief and angst. Reinhardt is not a happy-clappy make everyone's lives better with a bit of ingenuity kind of heroine. All three of the main characters are appropriately morally grey, making the story feel dark and engrossing. The stupid, evil prince is a bit of a caricature, but they always are.

The hardest part of this story to stomach is the fact that it begins with Reinhardt in her 20s (unclear exactly how old), and Will at 16 looking WAY younger. He looks like a very, very young child. As a reader, it's hard to see a romance developing under those conditions. You find out later that they're 8 years apart, and that they're BOTH returners, so the age gap is less concerning but even as the story develops, it takes a while before there's any possibility of a non-toxic relationship between them. Even at 20 and 28 it still feels predatory. The author does a good job making the progression realistic, but the ick never fully goes away.

Fortunately, Will is not an innocent happy clappy kind of character either, so you end up feeling like the two deserve each other in their revenge-driven morally grey obsessions.

Overall, a darker RF than I'm used to, but it sticks to its guns exploring the seedier side of human motivations and relationships without ever crossing the line into off-putting. It's worth sticking with it beyond the initial shock that the ML is a child when the story starts.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if you get a second chance at life? And decide to take revenge on your ex (well, they didn't get married in this life, thankfully). I really love these stories and so I was eager to read it when I saw it on ComicsPlus. I really like Reinhardt and I love her attitude (I mean this girl just stabs her ex, though I would have rather seen her do more damage, but I guess with the death penalty looming you just do the most damage you can do so you don't die yourself). She doesn't waste her time. She is determined. She is smart. And I am rooting for her. I loved the addition of Will/Wilhelm who has helped her when she got lost on her way to her new domain, though I am seriously hoping for ZERO romance until Wilhelm is like 18-20, otherwise, eww. Nope. Just go and kiss Dietrich. That guy you have been in love with at times and is now back in your domain.
The art is really pretty and I love the style!

[Tiera Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

a “touch her and you die” ML? yeah I’m so obsesseddddd with Wilhelm!! The storyline is about revenge and the FL will do anything to get it. The MCs meet when the ML is 16 (but he’s extremely malnourished and neglected so he’s drawn almost like a pre-teen) and the FL is about 19-20 at the time I believe? The FL pretty much sees him as a little brother and she and her friend nurse him back to health and allow him to grow for his sake but also for her revenge plot. Some find it controversial because he’s drawn as if he’s like 13 when they first meet. But, if you can get past that and hit the time skip he’s a complete grown man who is obsessed with the FL. If you like obsessed, possessive, puppy-like and deranged MLs you’ll like this.

92 chapters in total, 4 volumes on GR, so this first volume I considered chapters 1-23

[Emerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for the whole series ig

Firstly, I've read a lot of manhua and so the trope of 'raising someone who will ultimately become your lover' is one I am unfortunately desensitized to (yes this is a common enough to be a trope idkkk why). Anyway, once I accepted my fate of what the set up of this was, I did enjoy the ride

The main characters both suck and will only get Worse throughout the series, which was far more entertaining than it had any right being. The actual world building is shallow, as are any characters beyond the main leads. This is also one of those series where you can tell it was based off a novel first, just in the way scenes were presented, or cut off, or how you could tell something was skipped.

This was ultimately a popcorn read. Do I recommend it? Not really, but I did have some fun with it for what it was

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series started off SO strong. I was drawn in by Reinhardt's overpowering revenge and determination. Unfortunately, the series had a disappointing resolution near the end of season one and spent the last third of the series in straight pain. I think the author wanted to make up for all of the pain with fluff in the extras, and it wasn't bad if you turned your brain off and forgot about how they handled their issues previously.

This series was about a toxic couple who made bad decisions throughout the years and suffered for it. They were a wreck, and I couldn't look away.

[Tahyun · Rating 4 out of 5]

The crux of the title's premise was just as disturbing as I thought it would be, but the story was also oddly more wholesome than I expected. Which makes me think overall, it may come out delightfully grey. The quandary the MC is in is really intriguing so I'm looking forward to seeing how she navigates her way to her goals/out of the shit show she landed herself in.

Baffled, bemused, and anxious to read Vol. 2.

[Greyling Osorio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ (Reseña de todo el manhwa)

Fue muy entretenido, no podía parar de leerlo, me encantó por que me hizo sentir tantas emociones y eso para mi es una señal de que la historia es buena y esta bien contada.

También fue algo perturbador, me encantaron los personajes aunque me hubiera gustado que algunos aparecieran más.

Queria mucho a la protagonista pero odié lo que hizo con sus hijos, que bueno que al final todo se resolviera.