When you love historical romance Manhwa, there’s A LOT of content to dive into. Unfortunately for us readers, many cookie-cutter, cliché stories are flooding the platforms. More often than not, you start reading a story that begins strong but gets worse over time.
In this article, I want to share the ones that missed the mark for me. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all entertaining, and I’m definitely not here to judge. You should read whatever makes you happy! But if you’re adding these to your reading list just because of their high view counts, maybe consider the points I mention here first.
A Tender Heart: The Story of How I Became a Duke’s Maid
Official summary on Tappytoon: “Liandro was stricken with a hideous curse at a young age, shunned by his family and rejected by the only people he ever loved. As the supporting character in a novel, he’s doomed to a role of misery and loneliness. That is, until a sympathetic reader is suddenly transported into this fictional world as his lowly maid, determined to change his fate! Can Evelina break Liandro free of his wretched destiny and help him find true love after all? Based on the hit novel.“
Views: 4.1 Million
I liked the start but the female lead is way too hung up on the original story. She’s not the brightest bulb and keeps insisting he must meet the original heroine, even though she already changed everything from the beginning. It got so frustrating that I couldn’t take it anymore.
When she finally comes around, we get the very annoying crown prince, who falls for her for absolutely no reason other than bad writing. There are so many better options out there.
Better alternatives: If you like the maid–duke dynamic where the male lead is shunned by his peers, check out Duchess in Ruins and I Became the Tyrant’s Chambermaid.
What it TakesTo Be A Villainess
Official Summary on Tappytoon: “With a broken heart, Hwayoung falls headfirst into the river by accident but wakes up as infamous villainess Satiana Altisee Kaylon. Coming to terms with her new life as sole daughter of House Kaylon, Satiana is soon chosen as a candidate for the next empress! In the palace full of schemers and liars, she must become a cold-blooded villainess to win her royal seat by the crown prince – or her new family will face grave danger! Will being perfectly evil really be enough?“
Views: 8 Million
This one is a fun read; It just wasn’t for me. At some point, I found myself skimming through chapters. The male lead starts off with an awful personality, and even when his behavior is explained, it doesn’t feel convincing. He eventually softens, but their chemistry falls flat. The emotions don’t feel genuine. They aren’t written to be felt, they are written to be shown. You know what I mean? The Manhwa is entertaining but overall feels shallow.
Better Alternatives: If you want a true scheming villainess, try Villainess Turns the Hourglass. Or for a more serious plot with less romance, check out The Villainess Lives Twice.
Daisy: How to become the Duke’s Fiancé
Official summary on Tappytoon: “Sweet, timid Daisy meets a tragic end after being betrayed by the man she loves. When she is given a second chance at life, she vows not to repeat the same mistakes of the past! The only problem is that she must pay off her father’s gambling debt to Kilian, an aristocrat with a terrifying reputation. One option will take her 60 years, and the other, just three… but it involves a contract marriage to Kilian, who must be three years married in order to inherit the title of duke. While Daisy has sworn off men, the conditions of the offer are too good to pass up. She will be paid a generous amount of money at the end of the contract and also be guaranteed a swift divorce. Is she making a mistake by putting her trust in another man? Or will this deal give her the wings she needs to fly?”
Views: 4.6 Million
Daisy is a great female lead and this Comic starts pretty fun – cliché, but fun. I just found that the pacing is a bit off. There are about 5 chapters dedicated to her convincing the duke to marry her and then a bit later we get about 15 chapters focusing on a designer that the fl wants to recruit, which feels like a side story. I couldn’t finish the story because of it.
Better Alternative: If you want the “contract marriage with a definite ending”-trope you should read My in-laws are obsessed with me or, if you want a more lighthearted read: Raising My Fiancé with Money.
This Villainess Wants a Divorce
Official summary on Tapas: “We all hate the greedy villains hell-bent on sabotage. Enter Carnelia Easter, the awful secondary villainess of the romance I’m reading, who trapped the prince in marriage at the behest of the evil empress. I didn’t shed a tear when her head’s lopped off, but now I’m Carnelia! I gotta play this smart and convince him to divorce me instead! Still, between the prince, the empress, the heroine, the second prince, my terrible health… this story’s getting unpredictable. Will I survive after all?“
Views: 9.5 Million
This one’s controversial because it’s a fan favorite—and yes, it’s entertaining—but I think the writing could be much better. The female lead is frustrating, constantly forcing herself not to feel anything, and as a reader, it’s hard to understand her reasoning. The “I can’t change the story” trope works only if you understand the character’s logic. Here, it just hurts the story. The plot twists are also inconsistent. It improves later on, but the middle part is rough to get through.
A better alternative where the FL stands up for herself, but has to put on a show is Villainess Maker and A Villainess for the Tyrant.
The Abandoned Empress – not a historical Romance I would recommend
Official summary on Tappytoon: “As proud daughter of House Monique, Aristia was raised to become the next empress of the Castina Empire. But with the appearance of a mysterious new girl, everything has fallen apart: the Emperor has turned his back, and Aristia’s miserable life as a lower queen is cut short by death. However a second chance to change her fate sees her reborn -to 7 years earlier!”
Views: 7.8 Million
I’m sad about this one. The Abandoned Empress had a lot of potential, and I didn’t even care which love interest she ended up with because the story itself was engaging. But after intense fan backlash (some even went as far as sending threats to the author) and a dispute between the author and artist, the ending felt rushed and completely lacked heart. I can’t recommend this story to anyone if you don’t want to get really disappointed at the end.
Better alternative: If you’re okay with the “female lead ends up with her abuser” trope, try How to Hide the Emperor’s Child.
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp is a very overrated historical Romance Manhwa
Official summary on Webtoon: “Dedicated to making up for the sins of her past life, Song Jihyun devotes herself to mastering the art of surgery. Despite her efforts to atone, she dies in an unexpected plane crash. Or does she…? Waking up in her old body, that of the emperor’s consort, Elise De Clarence, she resolves herself to not squander this life like she did before.”
Views: 3.2 Million (Webtoon), 5.1 Million (Tappytoon)
This one has a big Fanbase, it even got an Anime Adaptation. Would I recommend reading it, though? Definitely not. Can it be an entertaining read? Absolutely. In Doctor Elise you will get an FL who can do anything to the point it’s not believable, many panels about medicine and a tsundere ML. I just couldn’t finish it because the story wasn’t engaging enough.
Better alternatives: For historical Romance and medical content, try I’m a Villainess with a Handsome Husband (though it’s not amazing either). If you want a nurse FL, check out Redemption of Earl Nottingham, an underrated gem.
Just leave me be
Official summary on Tapas: “Adele was a helpless orphan until a duke gave her a choice: live as a substitute for his dead daughter, or die on the streets. Despite playing this role to the best of her ability, an order for her assassination was given shortly after he married her off. Miraculously, she is sent back in time and decides to make up for the years wasted living a lie. As ancient ruins call to her, can she use her past knowledge and unexpected help from the Black Knight to defeat the dangers ahead and change fate?”
Views: 7.5 Million
Just Leave Me Be started out so strong. I was hooked by the premise: both the FL and ML are abused by their families and try to change their fate togetherThe FL is smart and has a special ability and the ML is very caring. But after about 60 chapters, they start introducing more annoying antagonists, that are only bad for the sake of being bad and the story completely lost its touch. Even the main characters didn’t feel like themselves anymore. I couldn’t finish it.
Better Alternative: If you’re into the “female lead has a special ability to help the male lead” dynamic, go read Turning the Mad Dog into a Genteel Lord ASAP. It’s one of the best romance-comedy manhwas out there.
