Always a Catch! 05: How I Punched My Way into Marrying a Prince

by Mayo Momoyo, Itsuki Mito, Kaki Nagato

A zany romantic comedy starring a duke’s daughter, who’s more of a fighter than a lady, and a prince who happens to be into that!

Maria and Prince Renato's engagement party went off without a hitch—well, besides the part where there was an attack orchestrated by Lord Ireneo's paramour! But that's all taken care of, and now Maria is officially acknowledged as the future princess of Rubini.

With that behind her, there's only one hurdle left... Taking Prince Renato home to meet her father! She's dreading how things may go, but it seems Renato has a plan in mind! What will happen when he meets the crazy Annovazzi family for the first time?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, 21st Century, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2025

Reviews

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

With two of my kiddos having the stomach flu right now, this manga absolutely blessed my heart and provided such a joyful reprieve! In fact, I laughed so much that my stomach hurt by the end of the volume!

I was so appreciative of the "romance" being back on page as much as it was before volume four! I LOVED seeing our leads go to Mimi's house so Renato could meet her family and all the wonderful shenanigans her family brought! It was hilarious and so much fun!! I enjoyed seeing them readily welcome Renato in and how much they joked about him being so "stiff"! If I ever thought he was easygoing, I guess he's not THAT easygoing compared to Mimi's family! LOL!

But oh my goodness, how many volumes will it take for our leads to finally get ONE little kiss in?! Bahahahaha! I thought they would because Renato's right-hand man was nowhere to be found, but alas, it was STILL not to be! LOL!!

I'm excited for the beginning of this new arc that was hinted at! It sounds like it could be pretty dangerous, but knowing we're about to meet yet another character who is the complete opposite of one of our leads, it has me ready to see what fun things will be in store next!

[Mariána K · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I'm completely honest this volume was almost a deal breaker for me. It basically recycles one of the small arcs from the previous volume. Starts off by resolving the last climax cliffhanger and then immediately turns into a return road trip back to her family to meet the parents. She just got back from visiting her family, why is the author wasting time with this redundancy? And then doesn't even spend a significant amount of time doing it!

Now all of a sudden there are new characters being introduced out of nowhere for the sole purpose of putting friction between the engaged couple. The first one is just a jerk, can't really say anything else than that, and the other one is a foreigner who's bringing along a potential triangle addition. For cliffhanger's that was kind of a disappointment.

I'm mostly enjoying this series but honestly I can see myself completely forgetting about it before the next book comes out and then being disinterested in picking up the next volume. It feels more like a time filler kind of series not one that's going to motivate you and make you lament time waiting.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prince Renato finally gets to meet Mimi's family, though it's unclear if anything could truly prepare him for this encounter. Fortunately, Renato is nearly as popular with Mimi's family as she is with his, though likewise, it's not something they'll believe themselves to start with. This Gabriele on the other hand, may not be like all of the others. Hopefully, things won't go too awry with the visit from the Sandelz empire, though we leave the story with a bit of a bombshell from Prince Renato of all the characters to have some added shock value.

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still continues to be lighthearted and kooky in the best way. I can't say this has me by the throat, but it's so left field that I enjoy reading the series.

Recap: Lunch with the queen who is trying not to fangirl the whole time. Renato visits her home and meets the family. Teo is adorbs, father is stern and an enigma, ultimately they accept him, ALMOST kiss, meet the prince's guard who doesn't like her, learn about another woman who proposed to Renato in the past.

[Jourdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love them so much they’re such a good match!!! I can’t wait for their wedding

[Jennica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Leanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I decided to push through after volume 4 because this installment was marginally better than the last 2. It was super cute and fun! I definitely will continue after this interesting ending!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

delightful as always~

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The long-awaited meeting between Prince Renato and Maria's father! Will anyone emerge unscathed?