I absolutely adore everything Harlequin Manga has put out recently and The Beauty Within was no different. These mangas take no time at all to read and I highly recommend them.

I just can't seem to get enough of the romance mangas. Love them. Love the artwork and love that they are adapted from some truly excellent stories. This one is no exception. Beautiful. Romantic. Captivating. And pardon the similar reviews for all the books. I'm catching up and have loved all of them.

This manga version of The Beauty Within is a quick if somewhat forgettable read. As with most of these types of adaptations, the depth and sharper edges are removed and the story distilled to the simplest of themes. In this case, an intelligent spinster and an 'aristocratic type artist with a past' come to know each other and find respect in their shared tales of being manipulated by their parents. It's a Twinkie of a book - artificially sweet and not very filling but a nice diversion all the same.

Story: Lady Cressida has turned away many suitors due to her love of mathematics. Few Regency men want a 'bluestocking' for a wife and now that she is in her late 20s, her father is especially keen on seeing her move on. When he commissions a portrait of his precious sons, Cressida is put in charge of the family to help her step mother. Artist Giovanni DiMatteo is anything but what she expects. And in Cressida, he finds the muse he has been seeking. Little do they know that these two 'caged birds' will find a way out of their unhappy situations.

The illustration work is fine - I do wish the author had researched the period a bit better. As well, at times heads can appear too small for the body - causing the heroine to look like a 10 year old in a grown up's dress. But these are quibbles and manga aficionados will appreciate the artwork.

The typical 'caged bird' themes are prevalent here and not very subtle - there is a canary in a cage in several pages just in case you missed the point. Our heroine is very tell with little show and the hero bland, if serviceable.

It is a very undemanding read and good for an afternoon 'snack.' Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Here meet the plain Jane! Cressie is the daughter of a count but she is the most "invisible" one of all of her her sisters. Because of this condition, she has to face a difficulty in finding a husband. Count Amstrong, his father finally assigns her to become the tutor for his step brothers. Upon her arrival in her step mother's house, she meets Giovanni di Matteo, a world-famous portrait artist. He was there to paint her brothers. Di Matteo later asks Cressie to become his model for the painting. Since then, the attraction between them starts to grow. Little does Cressie know that Giovanni has a secret he carries with him.

I know the ending of the story will be a little bit cliché but well it is still an interesting manga to read. Everything is illustrated beautifully. Ah it is a super sweet manga.

The beauty within is a story of Cressei is the daughter of a count, but also a mathematician who dresses as a man to attend science lectures and wants to publish a math book for children. Giovanni di Matteo is a world-famous portrait artist was is commissioned to paint the portrait of Cressei's younger brothers who she is tutoring.

This was an incredibly enjoyable read. Cressei and Giovanni had great chemistry (although they seemed to get together fairly quickly) I enjoyed their interactions. The twists while no unpredictable were very satisfying and the story had a surprising amount of depth. The story was very endearing and I highly recommend this.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/03/04/the-beauty-within-by-nei-nowaki-and-marguerite-kaye/)

My Rating: 3 stars

Library recommendation: Not recommended for public library Romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.

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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Slow burn

Relationship dynamics: The Italian Artist with Deep Dark Secrets (H) / The Plain Bluestocking with Low Self Esteem (h)

Sexual content: None. Kissing only. Some vague artistic nudity.

Triggers: None.

Grammar/Editing: There are some typos.

Review: I have not read the original book that this manga was based on, but it felt a bit disjointed, presumably as a result of being condensed from the original 288 pages. It is set in the late Regency period (1828). The historical context did not seem problematic in any way, but was unremarkable, otherwise. I understand that this manga was originally done in colour, but the ARC that I received was not full colour. I felt that the story suffered because of it – particularly because the story is so art-focused.

Giovanni and Cressida are interesting enough characters and the progression of their relationship is reasonable. Giovanni was a far more interesting character to me than Cressida was because he was so determined to show her the beauty he saw in her, even if she didn’t see it. Cressida is based on the bluestocking trope and doesn’t venture far from the traits you would expect to see. The supporting characters were not terribly well developed, although the stepmother is better developed than some of the others.

Art Version: A valiant attempt at recreating a Rembrandt, but more akin to a Picasso in execution.



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Enchanting in art and story.

London, 1828, love blooms between two very atypical characters.

Lady Cressida is bound by duty to her aristocratic father while her mind is mathematically inclined. So original, and it prompted a very good analysis of what beauty is and how it is measured against our core value as a person. Giovanni is an artist at heart, but sells his paintings to make a living. Their encounter sparks new life in their spirits.

WHile he paints portaits, they pry each other's innermost secrets and awaken their true nature. It's inspiring and beautiful. Very sad as well as the artist has led a solitary and love-deprived life.
The characters grow to encourage each other, understand the true beauty of their hearts. it's adorable.

The art depicts the buildings and fashion and social customs of the period in an elegant, clean way. The whole story reminded me of Jane Austen's style.

Can a world-renowned painter see through her to the beauty she hides within? Can she see through his own disguise and sorrow? Two wounded souls meet by chance and form a bond that even social divide cannot tear apart. A touching journey to self awareness and love.

This is a lovely regency story. It tells the story of a young woman called Cressida who doesn't fit in.

She wants to study and learn because she is academically gifted. Her father just wants her to get married but she isn't very pretty and each year the social season comes to an end leaving her without a suitor.

Frustrated by his daughter's lack of suitors, her father packs her off to the countryside to act as governess to her unruly stepbrothers and while she is there she meets a mysterious artist called Giovanni who promises to show her that she is indeed beautiful within.

What follows then is a journey of discovery and of course eventually the two of them fall in love but Giovanni has some dark secrets of his own and he needs to see the beauty within himself before he can really love the beauty in Cressida.

This was a lovely romantic drama and a really engaging story. It had a lovely regency feeel to it and it reminded me of other stories set in that period such as Pride and Prejudice. The artwork was good and brought the story to life.

Highly enjoyable.

Copy privided by Harlequin/SB Creatuve vis Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

There was a depth to this manga story and I have to say that the historical romance theme worked so well with the illustration and story telling. The heroine, Cressida didn’t fit the mould of the time for women of aristocracy and she was left on the shelf at 28. Giovanni, the hero was a renown portrait painter and perhaps a little more.

These two had chemistry and connection that was portrayed well through the blocks and illustration. Cressida was perhaps a little young looking for 28 but Giovanni was sculpted well.

This was a quick and enjoyable read, the perfect book to devour in a few hours free time.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.