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About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Define the Relationship.
Content Warning: There may be references to sexism, slut-shaming, BDSM, anorgasmia, social gap, power imbalance, classism, sex work, invasion of privacy, strained familial relationships, forced medicine, mental illness, mentions of kidnapping, death, disordered eating, insomnia, self-deprecation, arranged marriage (not between the main couple), manipulation, perceived cheating (not between the main couple), terrorism, child neglect, child abandonment, and mentions of male pregnancy, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Karlyle is the first son of the noble Frost family. Unfortunately, unlike his younger brother, he wasn’t born a dominant alpha. However, due to some traumatic events in the past, Kyle, Karlyle’s brother, can no longer be the heir to the Frost family. So, even as a subpar alpha, Karlyle feels compelled to fall in line and take over Kyle’s mantle. Unfortunately, this means neverending ruts with strange omegas so he doesn’t fall in love with subpar omegas, a future arranged marriage, and children, whether he wants them or not. The stress and pressure are debilitating, leading to an unfortunate condition where Karlyle is unable to finish with his sexual partners.
This inevitably gets back to his grandfather, the family patriarch, who sends Karlyle to the family doctor. Any illness is considered a weakness, something unacceptable in the Frost noble family. So Karlyle is willing to do anything to fix the issue. But when his doctor suggests having sex with a partner that doesn’t feel like a duty, Karlyle is stunned. That means not having sex with omegas and being the receptive partner with an alpha instead. Karlyle can’t imagine how such a thing would help, but then he meets the suggested partner. His name is Ash Jones, and this actually isn’t the first encounter Karlyle has had with him.
It was New Year’s night, and when the countdown began, Karlyle and Ash shared a kiss as total strangers, never to meet each other again. Ash doesn’t seem to recognize Karlyle, which might be for the best. While Karlyle and Ash will be sharing many intimate days together, their contract will inevitably end, and Karlyle can’t afford to fall in love. But can Karlyle keep from falling in love when Ash is such a romantic gentleman?
Review:
This is beautiful. The art is very clean and expressive, partly because their eyes are ginormous. They say eyes are the windows to the soul, and I’d say that is a bit deceptive in this series. Karlyle has uniquely diamond-shaped pupils. I’m sure it is simply because of his bloodline, but it gives him a reptilian or feline look, which I think is fitting for his cold and aloof exterior. He appears untouchable and uncaring when, deep down, he probably cares more than anyone else. I love the dichotomy his design creates between who he is perceived to be and who he is inside.
This isn’t limited to Karlyle, as Ash’s pupils are also somewhat deceptive. I think this is why Ash seems so creepy to me in some panels. He’s supposed to be this charismatic and extroverted character, but I never did trust him. Despite having these big open eyes with rounder pupils, he comes off as much more manipulative than the open person he’s perceived to be. While the eyes may typically be the windows to the soul, here, they act more like shades, hiding the true selves behind them. As a quick side note, of the two, Karlyle is much sexier than Ash, but maybe you already guessed that from my prior comments on Ash and his creepiness. Still, both of them are hot men, so it’s hard to complain about either of them when they’re tumbling in bed.
I also adore bulky, beefy men in my BL, and thankfully, as with most omegaverse titles, alphas are built very broad and muscular. That is no different here. So, we end up with lots of muscles and big… eggplants all over the place, which is very satisfying. This has some of the hottest and most desperate sex scenes out there, and it’s a joy to see them. With such a clean and expressive art style, this smut is top-tier. Karlyle is surprisingly sweet and whiny in bed, and he’s very innocent, thanks in part to how serious and gullible he is. It’s very cute. Then there’s Ash, who is a beast, and his rut scene is probably one of my favorite smut scenes of all time. The art and smut are some of the best out there and worth seeing, for sure.
However, story-wise, I feel this is rather lacking. It’s based on a novel, so I presume a lot of the issues I’m about to mention are rectified in that format. Still, as far as the manhwa is concerned, many situations and backgrounds are mentioned but not explored to a satisfying degree. For example, I wish we had more information about Karlyle’s brother and what happened there. It is hinted at and mentioned numerous times that something traumatic happened to him, but then he met his partner, who became an omega, leading to a pregnancy. We get very vague hints and suggestions about this but never get anything concrete. It almost feels like this manhwa is a sequel to their story, and I’m missing out on key info. I did some cursory research, but I don’t see any indication that there is a prequel or sequel with information on the brother and his husband. Yet, it seems to play such a key role in who Karlyle becomes that it’s strange that we don’t see more of their story somewhere. I really hope this is a sign we may get a sequel of some kind with their story because I think I might love their story more than this (mainly because I’m a sucker for mpreg), and it would help round out this title.
Results:
This is very pretty and equally titillating. I adore omegaverse, and though this doesn’t have some of my favorite elements like omegas and mpreg, it’s always a fun time in this universe. The story is very superficial, which is disappointing, and though Ash is portrayed as a fluffy, romantic, green flag, there is something about him that just creeps me out. But I adore Karlyle and his character. If you love omegaverse, I’d say this is worth a read, but you might feel wanting by the end. Thankfully, there’s plenty of sexy smut to satisfy you in other ways.
Have you read Define the Relationship? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!