Guilty Smile (Manga) Vol. 1

by Kou Unazuki, Miri Hanaoka (contributor), Clione (illustrator)

A spicy romance about a princess whose fate lies in the hands of a man seeking vengeance against her family. Part of Seven Seas' imprint dedicated to sexy romance for Steamship!When Princess Lailah's kingdom falls, she has one final to act as a body double for her twin sister and face death at the hands of rebel leader Prince Khalifa--who just happens to be her first love. Princess Lailah's ruse to deceive the prince by impersonating her sister works, but it turns out he has other plans for her. Seeking revenge on the princess who imprisoned and tormented him, Khalifa puts a curse on Lailah that forces her to submit to his every whim. Can she endure the grudge of a man she once loved in order to protect her sister? Or will she accept her role as a doll that lives only to serve him?

Genres: Manga, Josei, Fantasy, Romance, Comics

184 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t see the parental advisory until after I finished it. Didn’t do much for me. The interesting twist was to see the evil twin sister might have actually loved her sweet twin and was sincerely upset at what had befallen her.

I am slightly curious to see how this ends, but the gratuitousness was a tad much for me to want to get the next volume.

2, meh and ick, stars.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW: rape Rather too much for my taste.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not going to pretend this is anything more than the melodramatic mess that it is, but it definitely kept me engaged throughout. The art was stunning, and innocence of the first time Lailah and Khalifa met was very sweet. And then it gets very messy, and it won't be for everyone. But I'm looking forward to all the groveling that's sure to come in volume two.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like the rating has been brought down by people who are rating this without having read it simply because it contains kinks they do not like, so I am rating it 5 stars. My actual rating would be closer to 3.

This is not a book for everyone, the same way a bloody, gorey movie will not be for everyone.

If you're looking for a story where every single scene is hot, steamy rape written *for the female gaze* then this will be the book for you. I find this a lot in licensed BL, unfortunately I'm not interested in M/M fiction. This is a very rare new-gen "toxic josei" licensed manga, and for that I am grateful Steamship is finally catering to this niche. The art is phenomenal, probably the best of all Steamship releases so far.

Cast is surprisingly diverse. ML has dark skin, and there is an important side character who wears a hijab. Both characters fit seamlessly into the setting and don't feel like tokenism.

Not much to say about the FL, she is the stereotypical "villainess" who is actually a goody two shoes, while the "heroine" is the actual antagonist - this is typical of villainess manga.

The plot is laughably unbelievable, but who cares. Come for the sex.

[Lexyloowoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, I’d like to say wow because the artwork in this book is phenomenal. I felt like the story is very direct, which makes me happy and they drove me crazy when the main character cannot they hold her secret. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat. Personally, I felt like maybe a little less of the flashbacks would make me happier. But I’m thinking because it’s such a short series. There will not be any more flashbacks going forward. Although I am curious about a couple things, finish it off this volume.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐ I knew going in that this was going to be on the 'Enemies to Lovers' scale as well as quite spicy, but I wasn't expecting the immediacy of the darker element - literally first page. Heavy caution for trigger warnings but if you are okay with those then I say go for it. The story is very dramatic but does have an interesting plot (and yes, it continues to be very spicy).

[blue.iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

So there were actually some good plot points, and I was genuinely surprised by where the story started. I also thought the censoring part was interesting, as I have never seen it done that way, and I think it says a lot about what is culturally acceptable and how people might handle certain situations. Hopefully Lailah can find confidence and strength after her difficult time.

[Felix The Pirate Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dramatisch, spannend und herzzerreißend.

Allerdings auch sehr brutal. Ich mag es nicht, wie der männliche Protagonist die weibliche Protagonistin behandelt. Das ist wirklich sehr grausam. Da hätte ich mir mehr... Menschlichkeit gewünscht.

Wird bestimmt noch dramatischer werden...

[genrejourneys · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous and that’s the only positive thing I have to say. There was some real potential (switched identities, manipulation, curses) but it’s all so flat to me even without all of the legitimately unpleasant content.

[Shadowzzz3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good plot, interesting characters, good writing, short, sweet, dramatic without being soppy or ridiculous and filled with beautiful illustrations of characters and scenery. And best of all it is a completed manga in only three books.

[Megan Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duplicitous twins!

The plot twist towards the end has me wondering how our MCs are going to move forward and save Lailah's life.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Savannah Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous. The story itself leaves a lot to be desired.

[Sheneal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was jarring, but it's a good start, I am curious what he is going to delay or break the curse on his beloved. Also, the sister is a b**th i hate to the core

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be good or really bad. Let's see how the next volume goes.