If you just read the first chapter you can tell whether this is for you or not (it's for EVERYBODY) lmao xD

The first setting/chapter is the not-yet couple meeting at a ball where they are both marriage hunting. It isn't "fluffy" or "cute" at all more like "funny" and "impressive". The characters have good vibes and there's already good character development from chapter 1. There's nothing 2D about the male MC or the female.

I'm Finnish and it quite nice to see Finnish things in a a japanese novel like this.

When I saw cinnamon roll (Korvapuusti) being named as "slap on the ear" I seriously broke down laughing for better part of an hour.

I really wanted to down-vote because I was jealous of the MC...

This is really heartwarming stuff and I'll recommend this to other people...

Hokuou tells a heartwarming story sets in a nearly self-subsistent society. In the beginning, the two protagonists who came from drastically different backgrounds was brought together by their respective circumstances. However, reading about both of them together afterward, we could see that they were somehow suit each other, like jigsaw pieces that nicely fell into place.

What I like the most about this novel is the author's narrative that made the environment where the story took place became alive before our eyes. The interaction between characters were very charming without being... more>> too wordy. The romantic nuances were there without being excessive. So far, it could be said as a perfectly satisfying novel of slice-of-life genre. Very nice read for those of you who like these kinds of theme; but if you like your novel to have more tumultuous plot, then there are other novels that will suit you better. <<less

It was quite a nice read. The lack of drama and slice of life is nice, the novel periodically skips time so it doesn't end up getting stale. My major complaint is the author doesn't know when to stop, even after the story gets over. Rather than letting us come up with our own ways of how they lived the rest of their lives he continues on for far too long (if the constant things that felt like author notes in the middle of the main chapters weren't enough) enforcing... more>> his ideas down on us. As I kept reading on with the so-called extras (amounting the same number as main chapters) my enjoyment dwindled. I wanted to rate this 3 stars or so, eventually I just stopped.

But, I did like the novel till the end (main end). Most of my problems came after the end. So, this novel gets a recommendation from me, but proceed after the end at your own peril. I advise you to stop when it ends and move on cause the novel had the appropriate ending, anything after was pointless and diminished the overall quality. <<less

Wonderful slice of life and cute romance, where the protagonists fall deeper in love with each other over time. Although the Feminine Male Lead tag is used, the only really feminine thing about him is his appearance. I feel it's sexist to consider his empathy and consideration towards others "feminine" since these traits are obviously not gender-specific, and are usually aspects of good leaders. The female lead is a natural seducer, which makes her uncomfortable since she is an upright and caring person that takes her relationship with the male... more>> lead seriously. Wish the male lead was more confident and acted on his impulses, since the female lead is especially cute when she finds herself treated as a woman. But that's just my inner fan-girl talking. I ship them so much!

The side characters are also well developed, and their romances are pretty cute too. The author has this amazing ability to make every character, even mob characters, seem like real people with their own motivations and personalities. Probably because the world building, especially the cultures, are described so well.

Also educational about how to survive, and even thrive, in the arctic. The best slice of life romance I've ever read! <<less

Reading this kind of remind me of otoyomegatari, although with more fluff. The premise is more to slice of life, with hint of romance. Nothing too cheesy or dramatic. Don't like those too sweet romance story? You might be able to read and enjoy this one. Loving those sweet romance story? It's still cute enough ^^

The illustration are nice too, so a plus for that

Translation quality is decent, but this is a very very frustrating novel.

The two main characters are both emotionally stunted. There will be lines like "My wife smiled slightly, I looked away to not embarrass her". What ? Are you insane ? How does this make sense ? Or "I was glad to spend time with her, but I couldn't tell her or she might run away"... I just. They are a married couple... even if it is a trial period. This is after spending each day together for months...

The male... more>> lead also has the self esteem of an earthworm for no apparent reason considering he is ostensibly the lord, is competent in most things and is very good looking.

The wife's emotional maturity is similar even though she is even more competent and is extremely popular. Neither of them feels like an actual person.

Many things don't make sense about the story. MC is a lord with no authority, responsibly, power or revenue stream. Why make him a lord then ? The FL is the daughter of a great noble family, but was sent to the military at 13... what ? Why ? Honestly, this story would have made more sense if neither were a noble. They spend all their time doing manual labour anyway.

Pace wise, after half a year of living together and getting along swimmingly, the sum total of their physical contact is holding hands twice and two kisses on the cheek... <<less

A great departure from transmigrated heroines face slapping the world or miserable cinderella heroine and their entanglements with the handsome CEO with autism and/or borderline/multiple personality disorder. This is a relaxed story about how 2 people who come together because each one offers something the other needs and slowly transform their relationship from business partners to friends, to lovers. This is real slice of life- lukewarm and calming with drama the average person might face in lieu of car chases and kidnappings.

However, despite my high rating, this isn't for everyone.... more>> It's a long slice of life so if you're the type who likes action, you probably won't be able to get far. Even I skipped a chapter here or there only to go back and reread them after I finished. If you like it but can't digest it in such a large chunk, do what I did and read it in between the more... bombastic stories to settle your hear rate a bit (I read the narrative in larger chunks and saved all of the extras for in between stories/a breather when another story got too dramatic for me). However you want to do it, just try to enjoy it for its "realness"' <<less

This is a nice story and all, but the main point of why I'm giving 3 stars is that at least 1/3 of the novel talk about recipes, the ingredients and the steps. Seriously, if I want to read a cooking book I'd look elsewhere for sure. Building the world and giving it a setting is okay, but I would have preferred much more if the author built more story and far less recipes.

Light-hearted. Very easy to read.

Nice to read during winter with a warm soup or autumn underneath a shade.. At least that's the atmosphere I got when I read this. It's impossible for me as someone from a tropical country?.

There's barely any drama but with a slice of life. Suitable for people that wants to take a break from all the drama irl and the crazy adventures in the virtual. Makes one wants to live like this in the future?

A warning though, be sure to have some snack ready when you... more>> read this. It will make you hungry, that's a guarantee!? <<less

It's a quaint story about a cute couple and their domestic life, starting as strangers and becoming a loving couple. With a slow and cyclical feeling, it's a satisfying read if you're into this genre. Unfortunately, the main story only makes up half of the releases, while the other half is filled with epilogues and extras containing glimpses of their daily life.... which is what the series is about anyway and I just lost interest a few chapters in since the stories just jumped all over the place.

Overall it's... more>> a nice story but they could've integrated the chapters better. After their story ended I wasn't left wanting more so I didn't read much further, but the extras didn't really add much value. <<less

This is a heartwarming, romantic, slice of life read that never fails to heal your soul. Reading this always filled me with a warm, happy feeling that I enjoyed immensely. The Author obviously also spent a lot of time researching the history of the peoples of Lapland in real life as well, for the sheer detail in the novel is brilliant. The characters are all entertaining as well, but none of them feel too cliche or overbearing. The novel is primarily written from the male MC's perspective, but the female... more>> MC gets a good amount of chapter time too. There are also plenty of side stories from other various characters views, which help expand the world and add more depth to the story. The novel is episodic in nature, so one can pick up from a place left off at without difficulty. The translation is exquisite as well; the translator Kudarajin did an outstanding job, as the grammar was good and the vocabulary used was diverse. This was a pleasure in the extreme to read, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys this sort of fluffy goodness! <<less

Its beautiful and well done. But its a combination of shoujo-josei. Mature characters that went through hardships during their early life get together to finally find happiness. I have nothing against it. The only problem is with the pace and the action. Everything becomes sluggish. Its like moving through a desert. Its amazing yet.. Devoid of life.

TL;DR: Pretty good read up to the end of the second arc/volume

This is a nice slice-of-life novel. It seems like the author has good writing skills (not just simple phrases like quite a few Japanese light novels), and knows how to balance descriptions/explanations with narration, to prevent the cases of half a chapter of boring explanation of something that barely affects the story, while still giving enough details to let the reader's imagination fill the blanks (the few illustrations also help consolidating it).

The translation is also at a good level,... more>> with barely a few mistaken words here and there. It really feels like a proper work of translation, giving us the meaning rather than just the words, so much so that it almost feels like something written in English in the first place.

Story-wise, no self-congratulation of Japanese culture, no reincarnation, just a reinterpretation of a renaissance era Germany and northern countries. You mostly follow the main character, a slightly weak-looking village guy (that happens to be the lord, but without any of the high nobility thing), and his tentative wife in a land like northern Europe (perpetual night during winter and perpetual day during summer).

It's not overly sweet, nor is it overly serious. If I was to nitpick, I'd say that the emotions are a bit weakened by the overall tone of the narration, but for me it actually helped making it a novel that stands on its own.

The massive amount of side stories after the second arc is a bit laborious to read, as it feels like the main story is already mostly over and the stories are placed a bit everywhere in the time line, so I'd suggest to stop reading after the second arc is over, unless you want to have a lot of short stories (with a few being from other point of views) that flesh the universe and characters, but are mostly detached. <<less

Great story! I have to admit that I thought the male protagonist was a player at first (you'll see, some of what he says/thinks can be misleading) but wow, has he got troubles. It makes it all the more adorable when he meets the female protagonist and they have their meet-cute. I really like the female MC too, because she's a strong woman with her own principles and her own unique character. Can't wait to see what their life together is like! :D

Admittedly I haven't actually read the actual novel (lol), but I feel like not leaving a review would be a waste considering how much I loved the manga adaptation of this. In essence, the story depicts the life of a lord in the North and a retired female soldier in Lapland, through a temporary marriage contract. Commenters who complain about the lack of action and progression aren't wrong; the pacing is definitely very slow plot-wise. There is little development in romance, which acts as an embellishment rather than a central... more>> theme. However, in regards to a slice of life and overall heartwarming series, it is exceedingly accomplished. The author is very detailed in their work describing the cultural processes of hunting, cooking, and craftsmanship, and while slight inaccuracies may occur from time to time, the amount of research that went into producing this story is evident. That being said, this means that a significant content of the story will be dedicated to learning about different plant species, recipes, etc. Personally, I was really impressed and entertained by all of the info dump but I can see how it may not appeal to everyone.

Tldr; An amazing slice of life story. Give it a try, and if it's not your cup of tea, may as well to drop it as it will continue to progress in a similar manner from here on out. Otherwise, congrats! One of the few stories that have caught my attention after quite a while :) <<less

All I can say is this novel is simply glorious. No bullsh*t problems created just to move (or delay) the plot but a true depiction of regular people learning to live and eventually love each other. I don't think there is a romance novel more vanilla than this, and by vanilla I don't mean some fairy tail/cinderella-esque romance but a very realistic depiction of a healthy and well built romance. Mad props to the author for the research done to write this novel cause unless you were born and lived... more>> in said region the story takes place it would be impossible to have all the tiny details depicted the way the author has. <<less

This was such a good read, imo slice of life + romance makes a damn good combination. Coming back to the novel there's not much about the story it's mostly daily life of our MC in his homeland with his wife (for most of the part) there's no unnecessary drama or rather no drama at all, well that's how slice of life works. The interactions between Ritzs and Seig are so cuuute, also the novel is quite slow paced but there's a lot of character development throughout the series which... more>> is quite satisfying to read. Overall a very good novel. <<less

This is a very light hearted romance story in a slice of life wrapper. It's a nice read without any overly complicated obstacles or plot lines; but that doesn't mean that the story isn't interesting. The development of the main character's relationship is steady and heartwarming. Additionally, the side characters are developed enough to keep the story from becoming stale. It should be noted that a significant portion of the novel is dedicated to cooking and recipes make their way to the majority of the chapters. It's not ALL cooking... more>> ALL the time but it's a recurring theme that might bore or annoy some reader. I personally enjoyed that aspect of it since it gave the novel a unique flair that set it apart from other similar slice of life stories. Overall it's a feel good slice of life story with a cooking theme that comes highly recommended to those who enjoy that type of story. It has a nice charm and enough substance to keep you reading through it. <<less

Two words: read it!

Simple, lovely, heartwarming, no unnecessary misunderstandings, lots of respect+admiration+love between the the characters...

Seriously, realistic couple goals we should learn from and strive to reach ourselves.

Plus, the quality of the translation is impecable, seriously a great job.

Can't believe this hasn't more readers...