This is so good??? Like, I did not expect to be so invested in this story, but I most definitely am. I love the plot, I adore the heroine and her "4/5
This is so good??? Like, I did not expect to be so invested in this story, but I most definitely am. I love the plot, I adore the heroine and her "kids" and the art style is absolutely gorgeous too. It’s still ongoing, so I fear that if I keep liking it as much as I do now, I’ll definitely run to continue with the novel....more
The third book gave me so many feels. I was either kicking my feet and blushing at Cár4.25/5
[novel chapters: 114-176/601]
The review contains spoilers!
The third book gave me so many feels. I was either kicking my feet and blushing at Cárcel being so in love with Inés or crying to the point of getting a headache. We got so many beautiful and heartbreaking moments in this volume. I absolutely loved how much their relationship has already progressed. Not only their relationship but both Inés and Cárcel as individuals, too.
The action still takes place in Caltzea, but this time we got to see more scenes of the main characters socializing, attending banquets, and inviting people over, which sometimes led to problems. We also get glimpses into their second and third lifetimes, mostly from Inés's perspective. Once again, I have to say that she is truly one of the strongest heroines I have ever read about. I just want her to find happiness in her fourth life with Cárcel. She deserves it so much after everything she's been through.
This book made me realize just how much I love Cárcel. I'll probably say this in every review from now on, but seriously, this man makes me blush in every single chapter. I need to list everything this man did in this book that made me love him even more, so let's get right to them. — Cárcel cried when he found out that Inés's mom called her a defective product. This scene was so precious, because it showed how much he loves her. — This man literally notices the smallest details about her.
"Cárcel seemed the kind of man who didn't care about remembering details, and yet when it concerned Inés, his memory exhibited meticulous precision like the sharp, heavy bayonet he wielded"
— He almost bought the entire jewelry store for Inés, because he couldn’t decide on the color of the gems because she looked beautiful in all of them for him. It was also the first gift he ever gave to any woman. — His love language is without a doubt physical touch. If he only could, he’d spend every moment of the day kissing—especially covering her face with kisses, holding her, and keeping her close. — He is trying to find the best possible doctor for Inés, because he worries about her health. In fact, if he could, he would carry her everywhere because he's scared something might happen to her.
"While Inés seemed to consider her condition a great weakness that would be nothing but a burden to her husband, Cárcel was the kind of man who would welcome such a burden with open arms. In fact, considering his blind affection, his strong obsession, and his slightly perverted interest in her, Raúl imagined that Cárcel might even go above and beyond that."
This man truly lived by the "in sickness and in health" vow.
— Cárcel smokes his cigar outside on the balcony, even when it’s freezing cold, because he thinks Inés doesn’t like the smell. She doesn’t mind the smell though. — This man was over the moon every time he found out that she was worried about him.
"What else happened? What other adorable things did Inés do because she was so worried about me?"
"She even checked to see if you were breathing and lifted your eyelids," he added. "That's adorable," Cárcel commented. "She also fumed when we told her you were merely sleeping," Raúl continued. "So precious..." "[…], she insisted on staying to watch over you." "She couldn't keep her eyes off of me," Cárcel muttered"
— Just every moment when Cárcel was completely smitten with her.
"He shoved a piece of bread in her mouth before she could argue back. She chewed the food first, and he watched her like the most adorable sight in the world. "You're so cute when you chew. I wish you could see how adorable you look-" […] "I'm not cute," mumbled Inés. Even despite her sleepiness, her firm voice sounded annoyed. Cárcel chuckled and pulled her closer to him, duvet and all. "Your cuteness will be the death of me,"
"I don't want to leave because you are too adorable," said Cárcel."
[image]
"When she hung her head low, Cárcel continued to kiss her hair. "I like it when you call me your husband, Inés... My heart melts every time I hear you say that."
[image]
"All he talks about is you. In the morning, his orders are about you. When he gets home, he asks about you. Before bed, he also..."
"If he confessed his emotions and she turned her back on him, he would wish for nothing but to drop dead. Without her, none of this would matter. He wouldn't feel this way if not for her. Indeed, he loved her."
[image]
"It doesn't matter if you don't care about her betrayal. I don't care whether you care for me or not," Cárcel added, turning to face her with his back to the sunset. "What matter is that I love you."
[image]
"Cárcel continued to ramble on like a madman. "I might die of a heart attack induced by her sheer adorableness. Incredibly endearing." Raúl grew genuinely concerned for Cárcel. At this rate, if he discovered Inés had indeed spied on him for a while, he might suffer a heart attack from overexcitement."
"Damn it, your mistress is too adorable," muttered Cárcel. "She really knows how to throw me off my feet." […] "So adorable...I want to chew her up from head to toe." […]please keep this a secret from her." "A secret. How adorable."
THIS MAN. THIS MAN.
"He could hardly imagine how heavenly it would be to be loved by his wife. The thought alone was enough to make Cárcel feel like he was walking on air."
"But just looking at you brings me joy," Cárcel muttered despondently"
[image]
"I can't dictate what you say," she pointed out. "Why not? Go ahead," Cárcel urged. Inés raised her slightly reddened face and grimaced, stating firmly, "No. I refuse." She looked endearing even when she was showing such blatant aversion to his words. "I find it stimulating when you order me around," Cárcel confessed. "So it's solely for your benefit," she said with a huff. "I won't indulge." "Please, Inés, command me."
[image]
"Kiss me, Inés." She looked at him with a hint of irritation and leaned in to kiss him. The whole universe was telling him one thing: this had to be love"
I wasn't planning to write another long review again.. but I just need to mention some of my favorite moments from this book so I don’t forget them. Let's get to those now then. — Chapters 126 and 127 were so damn hot. Like, seriously. — Inés getting revenge on the two officers who spoke badly about Cárcel at the banquet. — Cárcel throwing Iglesias' jacket off the balcony because he was jealous. — The carriage scene when Inés kissed Cárcel for the first time on her own and when they had that talk. I'm so sad it wasn’t in the manhwa. — Maybe not my favorite moment, but I was literally crying reading chapters 159 and 160. I absolutely despise Oscar. I wish him the most painful death. — The moment Inés realized Cárcel loved her in their second life—or, as far as she knows, their first life. I was crying so hard.
Again.
"At last, the truth dawned on her: he had been in love with Inés Valeztena. Always."
— When Inés asked Raul to check on Cárcel because she was afraid she got him sick. — The kiss Inés initiated when Cárcel was sick. — The study scene where she was reading, and Cárcel just looked at her like she was his whole world.
"For a while now, he had been sitting with his chín resting on his hands and his clear blue eyes fixed intently on his wife's face, smiling from ear to ear. "Inés," he called out, seeking her attention. She ignored him, her focus on the pages before her. "Look over here, Inés." "Why?" she asked. "Just because," he replied, a playful lilt in his voice." […] Cárcel's bright smile didn't wane even as her gaze shifted away from him. Look at my dear Inés, dedicated to her reading when she's already so brilliant, Cárcel mused inwardly."
He is so cute and in love that I just wanna
�� [image]
— The scene where Cárcel was worried about Inés hurting her hands, even though she was the one who slapped him while he was unconscious. Get yourself a man who doesn’t care that you slapped him, but only worries about whether you hurt your hand doing it. — The chapter where they were together watching the fountain, and Cárcel’s thoughts about Inés then. The whole chapter was just absolutely gorgeous.
"Perhaps the mermaid reminded him of her because he loved her just the way the soldier loved the mermaid. He didn't mind drowning to spend the rest of his life with her. He forgot to breathe sometimes when he was with her. He was so foolishly in love with her. But-she didn't have feelings for him, just as the mermaid did not love the soldier back."
I'm so close to catching up with the manhwa, so I'm really really excited to read the next book. It's also the last book that's fully translated so far on Tappytoon, so I'll probably have to take a short break from this series, but I can't wait to devour it regardless....more
Obsessed with the story, obsessed with the heroine, obsessed with the hero—Ethan is the standard, obsessed with the side 4.25/5
[manhwa cr chapter: 83]
Obsessed with the story, obsessed with the heroine, obsessed with the hero—Ethan is the standard, obsessed with the side characters and just obsessed....more
The second book was a tad slower, I would say, but I still very much enjoyed it. I think 4/5
[novel chapters: 65-113/601]
The review contains spoilers!
The second book was a tad slower, I would say, but I still very much enjoyed it. I think I could read about those two just staring at the wall and still be entertained. It’s not that nothing interesting happened—there were plenty of new revelations, and important new characters were introduced, such as Raul and Arondra, who will play significant roles later on. The relationship between Inés and Cárcel also started to develop into something deeper, especially on Cárcel’s side. However, this book primarily focuses on their daily life in Caltzea.
Once again, I have to say that I’m so happy I decided to read the novel alongside the manhwa, as the novel shows just so much more. There were a few scenes that were cut from the manhwa, and I’m so sad they weren’t included, as they make the story much deeper and reveal more of the main characters' feelings and thoughts, helping me understand them better. There was also one spicy scene that I would have loved to see in the manhwa, but sadly it wasn’t included. Yes, I’m talking about the carriage scene.
One of the best things about this volume was the development in Cárcel's character. I love how he went from the six-year-old boy who cried at the thought of marriage, to a teenage boy who wanted to spend time with Inez but, due to her plan, ended up doing things he now strongly regrets, and now to a man for whom Inés is the only right woman he is completely obsessed with. The way he wanted to have breakfast with her in bed, even though it wasn’t something Ortegans typically did, the way he loved her lazy side, they way he was upset when Raul took Inés to town before he could because he wanted to take her there on a romantic date, the way she was the first person he wanted to run to greet when he came home from work, they way he always smiled and blushed when he saw her, the way he did everything with her in mind, and they way he was utterly starved for her—seriously, starved. He was turned on by literally everything she did.
“Give her whatever she asks for.” Then, Cárcel’s face lit up as soon as he spotted Inés entering the sitting room. He knew his muscles acted on instinct, but he tried to persuade himself that he had consciously chosen to smile to be polite."
[image]
"For the past few weeks, the first thing Cárcel did upon arrival was ask, “Where’s Inés?” His routine was so predictable that the maids even mimicked the movement of his lips, secretly echoing his words."
He is such a golden retriever husband. I love it.
"Cárcel scoffed at himself for acting like he still didn’t love her. The truth was that he was already besotted with her. When he heard her breathing stop and thought she would never open her eyes again, his world fell apart, and he could no longer deny his feelings."
[image]
"his hand pulled her back into his embrace. “You are much prettier. The most beautiful. Perhaps the only truly beautiful woman.” […] "In fact, I didn’t see any woman prettier than you today. I didn’t see a single one. Not just today, but every day.” […] “Even if she were prettier than you, it still wouldn’t matter. Of course, such a woman would never exist . . .” Cárcel stopped mid-ramble and asked her impatiently, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
[image]
"Cárcel Escalante stood in front of the mirror, smiling like a fool. Only a day ago, his wife decided he could not be a fool, but he was proving her wrong right now. His mind was too occupied with Inés’s voice saying, “I’ll never leave you first.” As blunt as ever, all she had said was that she would not leave him if he became less attractive than he is now. But Cárcel’s brain rewrote the narrative to interpret her words as a promise that she would never leave him."
[image]
We can also see a slight change in Inés' feelings, especially towards the end of the book. She is still intent on making her plan for Cárcel to cheat on her come true, but she has yet to realize that it will never happen, as he sees her as his one and only. We already learn a significant part of Inés' past in the first book—a past that is, unfortunately, deeply sad and painful—and in this volume, we uncover even more heartbreaking events she endured in this life and her previous ones. Inés truly is one of the strongest heroines out there. I literally cried at times while reading her story. I’m just so happy that in this life, she is married to Cárcel, with whom she might have had a rough start, but now he treats her like the queen she is. Like, seriously. If she asked him to bring her the moon, he would somehow find a way to give it to her.
But anyway, I can’t wait to catch up to where the manhwa currently is....more
The novel really turned out to be much better than the manhwa. Starting The Broken Ring, I didn’t think I’d become so en4/5
[novel chapters: 1-65/601]
The novel really turned out to be much better than the manhwa. Starting The Broken Ring, I didn’t think I’d become so engrossed in the story that after the latest manhwa chapter, I’d be running to read the books it was based on, but that’s exactly what happened. I was pretty much desperate to read all the books, but it was nearly impossible to find them all available in English online. Only the first two books were translated and available to buy on Amazon—so I got those—but the rest were nowhere to be found. The whole series consists of ten books, with the last two being side stories. The only source for the third and the rest of the books was Tappytoon, which is translating three chapters a week, so that's where I'll continue reading the third book and the rest in the future when they translate them. I've heard that the translation isn't the best, and that the Tappytoon version even adds sentences that weren’t in the original book, but I was so eager to read it that I honestly didn’t mind. I'm actually really glad I read the novel too, since the manhwa left out some scenes, dialogues, and character thoughts that I think were pretty important to the story.
The rest of my review contains spoilers!
If you plan to read this story, I think it’s important to know that it’s the kind of story where you definitely need to trust the process. It starts off in a way that might make people dislike the book and stop reading, which I completely understand—I would have done the same if I hadn’t read the spoilers, but thankfully, I saw them, and I continued, which it’s something I’ll never regret as The Broken Ring turned out to be one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read. Two people, four timelines, the love they shared in each of them, and the countless challenges they faced along the way, which certainly didn’t make their love story an easy one.
I think the biggest issue people have with The Broken Ring—the one I mentioned in my last paragraph—is the fact that Cárcel slept with a lot of women before he and Inés were married. Listen, I absolutely despise cheaters and men who are manwhores. Seriously, I wish them well. In hell. And I’m not trying to justify Cárcel’s cheating at the beginning of their story—I hate it. I hate that he was sleeping around so much. But this isn’t your typical "cheating case". This book definitely doesn’t normalize cheating either, as people, Inés’ family, and especially her father shame him for it and weren’t happy that he was marrying her. But, as I said, it’s not your usual "cheating in books" situation.
The heroine—Inés, a woman from a very important noble family, after surviving, as far as she knows, two previous lives, wasn't strong enough to enter another relationship. So, in her fourth life, she made a plan at the age of six to marry Cárcel, knowing that he would eventually cheat and sleep with many other women. He was the most angelic and handsome boy in the entire kingdom, and every woman wanted him, so he was the perfect candidate for her plan. Since she was six, she had been basically "manipulating" him to cheat and lose interest in her completely, so eventually she could divorce him and be left alone. I know it sounds pretty insane, but she had her reasons. In her second life, she committed suicide because Oscar—the future emperor/prince, who married her—was raping her and constantly cheating, which led to her miscarrying four times. He blamed her for the miscarriages, rather than his own venereal diseases. On top of that, his family treated her horribly. In her third life, she ran away with a painter to escape her second life's marriage to the prince. At first, things seemed fine—she married the painter and had a baby with him—but it didn't last long. In the end, her brother killed the painter, and the royal family planned to murder her baby. Desperate, she took her own life and her child's to escape the horrors they were about to face. Her past lives were absolutely awful, so I'm not surprised at how she acted in her fourth life, or why she pushed Cárcel to be with other women. She knew that once he did, she would be able to file for divorce and ultimately be left alone, and eventually die of old age rather than by suicide. So yes, Cárcel cheated on her, and I will always hate him for that, but there's more to the story. What's crucial to understand is that Cárcel loved her in all four of their lives, even when they weren't together in two of them. He never married anyone else in any of his lives because he always loved only Inés. He even helped her husband—the painter she had a child with—and had to watch her being married to Oscar, who basically tortured her. So yes, yes, yes, I know he cheated at the beginning when they were still engaged in their fourth life, but his love for her, and the fact that she was his one and only true love across all his lives, is enough for me to overlook the cheating.
But finally moving to the main characters, specifically Inés Valeztena de Pérez. I absolutely loved her. She invented the definition of a strong heroine. Despite enduring hell in almost all of her lives, she still had the power to keep going. She was extremely smart, intelligent, and sarcastic (which I love about her), funny, and just everything I love about female main characters.
"Some women would daydream about a wedding after a simple exchange of smiles. As for Inés, she was the type to daydream about the divorce and the custody discussions after the wedding."
"Whenever these governesses started their lessons by teaching her how to obey her future husband, she inevitably fired the governess. Therefore, she never had a governess for more than four days."
Cárcel Escalante de Esposa—our hero who I hated at the beginning but grew to love with every chapter. I know what he did while they were still engaged was unacceptable, and I hate him for it. However, just before their marriage and after their wedding, he became the most faithful man ever, completely obsessed with his wife. Even when Inés tried to surround him with beautiful women to fulfill her plan to make him cheat on her, he never did—all he saw was Inés. He even bought her a house he heard had saved someone's marriage, so they could be together. He would unexpectedly smile at work while thinking about her, and people were amazed at the sight. He was STARVED for her—seriously, STARVED—but still respected her boundaries, which later in the story made her more open and brave in her sexual life. And that's just a glimpse, as he did so much more in the next books.
"He could tolerate just about anything to have Inés Escalante share his name and bedroom for the rest of his life."
“At this rate, you’ll be carrying me around the house by tomorrow morning,” Inés muttered. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I would happily—” “I do mind,” Inés said firmly. “I guessed as much,” Cárcel replied."
"Inés clearly didn’t care for his opinion, and Cárcel liked that about her."
"Everything about Inés was driving him insane."
Me at this information:
[image]
And, he definitely was a boob man.
I also saw on Twitter that each volume's cover has a meaning, and the first book features a sample of ceremonial uniform from Cárcel's wedding attire—I love it.
But anyway, I just love this story so much, despite it not being something I usually enjoy, because of the manwhore hero. I just can’t wait to read the next books to find out how Inés and Cárcel’s story ends. The day they announce that this series will be published in paperback, I will definitely be the first in line to buy it....more
I'm so damn invested in this story. There's like no way I can handle this cliffhanger, so I fear I’ll definitely end up continu4.25/5
[cr chapter: 159]
I'm so damn invested in this story. There's like no way I can handle this cliffhanger, so I fear I’ll definitely end up continuing with the novel—probably tomorrow because I just need to know what happened....more
Not gonna lie, chapters with Prince Callisto made me blush and giggle like a teenage girl (which I still am. I'm definitely not turning 21 next 4.25/5
Not gonna lie, chapters with Prince Callisto made me blush and giggle like a teenage girl (which I still am. I'm definitely not turning 21 next month)....more
aleksandra
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