The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress is a new Harelequin manga from the publisher Digital Manga Publishing. This romantic tale tells of a maid named Tess, who finds herself pregnant after a one night stand with a famous millionaire, Benjamin. Still not over the death of his wife and unborn son, Benjamin is angry at the news. But he'll take care of Tess and the baby, if she agrees to move in with him and follow his rules.
The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress is adapted from a story by Michelle Celmer with art by Hitomi Tsukise. The manga is available for rent on Digital Manga Publishing's eManga website.
Harlequin eManga The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress
Even considering that this is romantic wish fulfillment, the characterization is flimsy at best. Benjamin's actions contradict his words. He states he wants nothing to do with the baby, but insists that Tess lives with him. And Tess is presented as an independent woman, but she only fights for a moment before inevitably going along with what Benjamin says.
Though not as bad as The Billionaire's Secret Baby, the language in this Harlequin has a tendency to be stiff. Tess goes into descriptions of Ben, saying he has "A charming face, like a work of art, jet-black hair and slightly sad but seductive eyes." I understand the author's trying to make Ben sound as sexy as possible, but these descriptions are so generic they creep onto the side of boring.
The author attempts to deepen Tess's character by giving readers a window into her past. We see that her step-father was a creep and a drunk, and she loved to dance before an accident took that away. It's very interesting backstory that should have increased the tension, but nothing's given, or even hinted at, until we're past the halfway point in the manga. It feels tacked on, and the emotions fall flat.
I also wished that the author had spent a tad more time on Tess's problems with her mother. She sells out her daughter for $10,000. What character flaw caused her to do that? I understand that, as a Harlequin romance, the focus has to be on the couple, but even a few thoughts by Tess at the beginning of the manga would have shed more light and created a more engaging tale.
We do get to see Ben's mom, and what a treat she is. The famous ex-actress shows up after the tabloid stories appear, and you think she's prepared to dish out a tongue-lashing. But she acts in an unexpected way, by absolutely loving Tess, and being delighted at having a grandchild. This gives Tess an ally, and brings some variety to the story.
The manga concludes too neatly: the press leaves them alone, Ben's mom is getting back together with his dad, and Ben and Tess marry happily, holding their baby. I wouldn't have much of an issue with this (it's a Harlequin story, of course it ends happily) but the rewards come with no hardship, taking away a lot of satisfaction.
Hitomi Tsukise's Art in Digital Manga Publishing Harlequin
Tsukise's character designs are nice, but she gives everyone strange, long swan necks. Backgrounds are filled with screen tones more often than objects, and Tess's tours around the mansion are odd, as she seems to be floating over the panels.
The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress by Michelle Celmer and Hitomi Tsukise
The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress uses a favorite romantic device of mine, the aloof, often rude man who turns out to be the love of the heroine's life. Unfortunately it's presented in a shallow, clumsy way, and while it has its fun moments there are other offerings in Digital Manga Publishing's Harlequin line that are more worth your time.
The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress gets 2/5.
- ISBN: 9784596951007
- 128 pages
- Released February 22, 2011
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