Sweet Rein, Vol. 1

Who wants to spend Christmas alone? Kurumi is used to it, but not because she wants to. Without a mom and a dad who works too much, Kurumi’s luck is about to change, if luck is what you want to call it. After an odd run-in with a guy while out walking, he informs her he is a reindeer and she is his Santa, destiny bringing them together with a simple binding of a rein. Doubting his story, he shows his animal form to Kurumi and results in an instant connection between the two.

This is a traditional Japanese manga that reads right to left. This story is a wonderful blend of A Christmas Story meets serendipity. It is loving, heartfelt, and shows compassion, especially when the pair decide to help others. There is also a shorter story at the end called Sweet Bite Mark about a Vampire who finds out he has a young daughter. There are some mature topics throughout the book, but nothing too intense. I would still recommend this book for older teens and adults as well as all of Sakura Tsukuba’s book!