Reinhardt Lincke, once a noble and the crown princess, faced tragedy when crown prince Michel Allanketh became responsible for her father’s demise. Severing their engagement to pursue his affair, Reinhardt was left isolated in a distant duchy, far from the imperial palace. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself transported fifteen years back, to the day of her father’s funeral.

Realizing she’s reliving her past, Reinhardt seizes the opportunity to steer her destiny differently. She exacts revenge on the crown prince by stabbing his leg, though her aim is imperfect. Consequently, she is banished to her mother’s icy county in the North, a harsh and unforgiving place where survival is uncertain. Amidst a brutal snowstorm, a young boy intervenes to save her, and Reinhardt discovers he is Will Cohlonna, once known as the crown prince’s fierce “mad dog” in her previous life. Known for unwavering loyalty to Michel, Will’s victories were attributed to the prince’s prowess, elevating Michel’s status through every conquest.

Now, having crossed paths with Will, Reinhardt is determined to ensure he doesn’t become her former fiancé’s asset. Aware of Will’s hidden lineage as the emperor’s illegitimate offspring, she strives to shape him into a powerful ally. Though the 16-year-old boy is nameless and struggles with communication, Reinhardt names him Wilhelm and nurtures him as her own. Her plans face a challenge when her childhood friend Dietrich arrives. Once a soldier in her father’s battalion, Dietrich was also her first love, stirring conflict within Wilhelm, who has grown attached to Reinhardt. Despite his reluctance, Wilhelm endures Dietrich’s rigorous swordsmanship training, motivated by his desire to grow stronger.

I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog might seem at a first glance to be a romance, but the story is darker than I originally expected. The artists don’t shy away from violence, abuse and even sexual assault (nothing happens but the intention is there). There is more than meets the eye going on with Reinhardt and Wilhelm, and the protagonists aren’t the usual heroes. Reinhardt is planning revenge for the death of her father, and she’s not above using a child to achieve it. Wilhelm might be considered the poor boy who will be taken advantage of by Reinhardt, but he’s not as meek and naïve as it seems. He doesn’t like Dietrich and he’s not afraid to go against him nor even shed blood when it’s time to take part in his first hunting competition. The only ‘nice guy’ so far is Dietrich, who left his post to join Reinhardt in the North. He gives the vibe that he has feelings for her, but that might be too early to tell.

The illustrations are pretty detailed, and the artist uses a dark colour palette to show the macabre and dreadful setting of the story. Bruises and stab wounds are shown with no censorship. The narration flows fluently and there is no need of translation notes. The main characters are introduced at the beginning of the volume with a short bio, so the readers get into the story already knowing who is who. It’s a short volume, but there is a lot to unpack for readers, provoking questions which will hopefully be answered in the upcoming volumes. The one thing though that I wished was clarified straight away was the ‘ex-husband’ part in the series title. It seemed that Michel broke off the engagement with Reinhardt in both timelines, so that would mean they were not married. So where does the ex-husband part come from?

I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog is written by Jkyum, illustrated by Jagae and adapted by CMJM. It started as a web novel before being serialised as a digital comic on TappyToon. The print edition is published by Ize Press with TappyToon’s translation. Volume 2 is already out.

Our review copy was supplied by Ize Press.