Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Emperor(11)

I enjoyed the story very much. Hildegarde was the pope in this story, reincarnated from a powerful CEO in Korea who did many charitable deeds. Enough to be deemed a special soul and given the choice to follow her sisters soul and dedicate herself to their happiness. I liked her impressive powers and the golden eyes, hair and power effects that were all filled with light. She was also good at reading people and cared about a safe world. Contrastingly, her love interest was the dark haired Emperor with the OTT need to protect his Hilde. He had an intensely possessive nature that needed a strong person to manage and red eyes that are reminiscent of the many people he has ruthlessly killed. I love a dangerous and possessive guy, but I would want him to also respect boundaries. So the way Hilde managed to get Caleb to reign in his murderous inclinations was something I respect in a FL. Also, very handy to heal what he did coz he started as a bit of a violent brute. I enjoyed the story. For sure it was about saving the world and dealing with corruption, but at all times it was also very evident to be a love story. The way the Emperor totally adored Hilde was reflected in his actions, his gaze, his words, the occasional hint of a blush and in what he was prepared to sacrifice for her (pretty much everything just FYI). Hilde’s growing affection for the Emperor was a different dynamic of being drawn against your will at first, to seeing beneath the rumours and stories and judging him by his constant care and attention. There really was a fated mate/ soul mate feeling between them both. So read this for the love story of two who are more intertwined than you realise at first, and who will always find each other in the end.

Prince Kaliyan takes over as the new Emperor at the end of a long and bloody war for the throne. He takes an empress and turns to the Captain of his guard, Ian. Ian who is his lover and the man who fled when an Empress stood beside Kaliyan. After fruitlessly searching for 3 years, Kaliyan drew Ian back by threatening to execute his brother. Can he keep his lover, now that he has a wife and a son? I liked elements of this story, like the possessive love felt by Kaliyan and that Ian had too much self worth to stay with a newly married emperor as the lover on the side. But the plot tried to be too big for 9 manhwa chapters and it was simply a bit of a grind. Some moments of honesty with Ian would have been fair from both Robin and Kaliyan.

A really lovely story about a friendship with the petite commoner Kouran, and the Emperor of Shou, Shiki. I liked the MCs, the gentle Shiki who is really only gentle with Kouran, and the sweet orphan girl who has a tendency to put others before herself. Their steady friendship to romance was lovely, it was the kind that was so strong that you knew nobody else could come between them. I wasn’t bothered by Kouran‘s petite build that often saw her being mistaken for a child because she was very clear and upfront about her age and it was a fun plot device (especially given that Shiki was actually younger than her by a year).

I watched the anime and then came to this manhua because I loved the characters and story so much. Body swap between the Emperor of Chen and his warrior like Empress. Plots to overthrow the throne. A harem full of secrets and a dowager Empress with little liking for her sons wife. War. All this and a sweet love story too! It’s a beautifully drawn story that was hard to put down. Highly recommended.

A beautiful story of a true and deep love. Dojin and Yellow Dragon had such faith in each other but around them was intrigue, jealousy, and a real threat to any chance of being together. I found their ending to be a bit of a tear jerker but still sweet and heartwarming. Not everything seemed to have real closure, it would be nice to have a few side stories to answer some lingering questions, but the main resolution was still satisfying.

CW: Dub Con A historical BL set in the Korean Josean Era but with a twist. Here, the powers of Yin and Yang play a similar role to alpha and omega in an Omegaverse story. Those with Yin seem able to conceive be they male or female. Yang is the alpha, masculine energy. -Lee Eunwoo: Strong Yin. Given as a tribute to the emperor, Eunwoo is sexually taken and favoured by the emperor on his first day. Failure to acquiesce would harm his family and see himself suffer so be warned, this is forced consent not willing consent. Eunwoo has a gentle nature but must be forever on guard against the Imperial concubines as his being favoured has him rise in their ranks sparking resentment. -The Emperor: A fair representation of such a person who would kill all his siblings to ensure his inheritance. Pure Yang energy. Takes what he wants, when he wants. The story isn’t really romantic to me. Eunwoo has zero choice or control over when he has sex, how often, how long, positions or anything. But he is smart enough to realize that his life is bound here and his safety and existence lie in being the most favoured and beloved. Sad that a happy moment was having the opportunity to choose for himself a hairpin. As for the Emperor, it’s not that he fell for Eunwoo that he wanted them to be the one to carry on imperial heir, but Eunwoo’s lack of political ties in his country. Yes, this pair eventually were apparently “in love” but I never felt that. More the connection of time and a family plus lots of sex. A better life than many for sure. But not heartwarming.

Completed story This was a very well crafted story and I loved seeing the development of strength and will of the Princess as Athanasia grew up in the shadow of such a cold and deadly father. Because no matter her determination, she was also vulnerable and sweet and it’s a real skill to write a FL who has that kind of feminine strength that we see here. The story was interesting with a good balance between darker, disturbing themes and the softer and humorous moments. Definitely worth its high rating.

CW: Rape (not involving either MC). This is a smut story but there’s some plot too. The sexually confident FL is tired of dating men who are selfish lovers and wishes for more. So boom, she is in a historical world and adopted by a powerful man in order to be entered into the Emperor’s harem as a concubine. Now that barely there plot setting is over, we get to the real story which is Kayeon captivating the Emperors’ body, mind, and ultimately heart. Her sexuality isn’t the sum of her (thankfully) because she shows intelligence and grit to survive jealousy from the harem and political machinations against the Emperor. And the affection between the MCs balances the smut just a little, but ultimately you gotta admire a woman who is confident in her femininity.

This was a lovely story. Carnelia (FL) was isekai’d into the role of the villainess who would be executed at the hands of her husband. However, she was nothing like the character from the story and set about to survive by becoming friends with the prince she was forced to wed when they were both 12. And that friendship was what set this story up for a wonderful foundation for a plot of political machinations for the emperors throne and ofc love. I loved the MCs, their strong bonds of friendship turned love are amongst my favourite tropes. The supporting characters were such eye candy and the art overall was impeccable. There were sweetly funny moments like the Prince perpetually having his nose buried in a “How To” book and Carnelia having to fix that. Definitely a story to reread.

Even though this is unfinished as a manga, I have read the complete web novel and really enjoyed the story. While they start young their story follows them through several years and it’s lovely how they deepen their connection and manage to fall in love, defying the boundaries of space and time in a cleverly contrived way by the author. Suxi, who had been well cared for since childhood and had achieved excellent results, was a good girl everyone liked. Lu Huan was exiled from his childhood and suffered humiliation before he became an emperor. One day, Suxi downloaded a love cultivation Game App, and found that the game protagonist’s eyes were dark and beautiful. He was drawn completely according to her taste, and she immediately opened the mode of baby raising mode. “Why is there no fire in the cub’s house? Do you want gold to buy it for him?” “The pup looks better in snow white. Ouch, buy, buy, bought it!” “Why was there a trace of footprints on the cub when he came out of the door? Is it a side mission to deal with the bully ?!” Suxi enjoyed playing the cultivation game. Lu Huan had lived in mud and blood since he was a child. He thought that living was just a matter of getting through one day then another. Until he made a complicated discovery- A warm charcoal fire was smuggled into his room. His torn old clothes were quietly replaced with new ones. Those who bullied him and ridiculed him, who knows who taught them a lesson, but their faces were swollen and they dared not go out. On his long lonely journey, he had a female bodhisattva walking his path with him.