I might be biased, but first off, that art is pretty awesome and pretty. Don't tell me you didn't like the art, cause I sure did and I'm pretty picky when it comes to art when reading manga.
And about Hokuto slapping Chiwa... Well, what Enjouji Maki is trying to portray here is reality. You can't have Chiwa just slap Hokuto and him not be able to. I mean, just because this is shoujo doesn't mean she can't make Hokuto do that. She's trying to tell a story here and well, stories are based off of life so there. I was actually surprised when Hokuto first slapped Chiwa (LOL too much slapping here jk. I think Hokuto slaps her two times...) but then, I'm not mad. I mean, it just goes to show that a guy can hit a girl. It happens in real life, we can't ignore that.
Next off... It was dramatic with all the mystery with Hokuto's family background, but hey, it's not like orphans don't exist. But I hate his family, nuff said. So annoying, and I was expecting him to be the head of the company by the end of the manga but hey, Enjouji-sensei gave us a middle ground. He left the company but he decided to make his own company and have his wife work with him.
Then the sex fits into the story. That's what I like about Enjouji Maki's works. It's not like other smut manga I've read where they just slap on the sex wherever they decide to and not every chapter has sex in it.
And the humor in the story kinda cancels out the drama. It's a perfect balance, from how I see it.
I've actually read all her works in one night and it was all awesome. Any work from Enjouji Maki, I'd recommend to those who kinda like cliches but not really cliches... The ones where the overview of the story is a cliche but how she gets you there isn't.