It's been over a year since Stacia has seen her husband Rico in the Harlequin manga, Public Wife, Private Mistress by Sarah Morgan and Masami Hoshino. He forces her to come back to Italy with him to help his family through a hard time – his sister Chiara is in a coma. Even though Chiara caused the final break in their marriage, Stacia agrees to go back. Will Stacia find a conclusion to their marriage? Or will romance find the two former lovers once again?
Public Wife, Private Mistress was drawn by Masami Hoshino, with the original concept by Sarah Morgan. Digital Manga Publishing is releasing the manga along with Harlequin K.K./SOFTBANK Creative Corp., which includes many other adaptations of Harlequin novels.
The manga is currently available for rent from Digital Manga's eManga website.
Public Wife, Private Mistress Harlequin from Digital Manga Publishing
In this Harlequin, Stacia has already met and married the man of her dreams – and fallen away from him. The manga is interesting in that it's not just about the lead finding a sexy and successful man, instead focusing on a couple coming to a full understanding of one another.
The story speeds along, but the Harlequin manga doesn't feel overly rushed. Past events are revealed gradually so the reader isn't overwhelmed at the beginning of the manga. Most histories come about naturally, though there occasionally one feels tacked on.
As a Harlequin, the manga makes an effort to direct the readers' emotions a certain way, and it's not sneaky about it. Rico's destitute past - he had to starve himself so his mother could eat - comes out of left field. It's obviously meant to twist feelings towards sympathy for Rico, as if the writer realized halfway through that she made Rico seem like too much of a callous bastard.
Rico's sister leaves an annoying loose end, never fully redeeming herself. The fact that Rico doesn't know the truth of that night, that Stacia wasn't trying to sleep with another man, proves that he loves his wife despite everything. This leaves Chiara looking cruel, or at least cowardly and selfish.
Masami Hoshino's Harlequin Manga Art
The art is reminiscent of early 90's shojo manga – and it's delightful. Angled features still look soft in the sketched-out style, and expressions add realism to faces even during more overwrought moments. Backgrounds are sparse, but characters exist naturally within them.
Public Wife, Private Mistress, Harlequin Manga from Digital Manga Publishing
Being a Harlequin story, it's easy to predict how this manga will turn out. But the characters are interesting even within cookie-cutter roles, and the story is absorbing enough to get readers lost in the romanticism. This isn't just a manga for fans of Harlequin, but for general romance manga fans as well.
Public Wife, Private Mistress by Sarah Morgan and Masami Hoshino gets 4/5.
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