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The Windsors #5
The Secret Fiancée
The fifth arranged-marriage billionaire romance in the #1 Amazon Kindle and USA Today bestselling Windsors series. With one-night stands, secrets, angst, and high heat, this is contemporary romance at its best.
When Lex finds Raya Lewis's name hidden behind countless security measures on his own family's servers, he knows it can only mean one thing.
Determined to take control of the situation, he sets out to find her -- only for Raya to spill her drink all over him within seconds of meeting.
Much to her surprise, the notoriously unattainable tech billionaire asks for only one thing as compensation: six rounds of Truth or Dare.
An evening filled with laughter leads to Raya sneaking out of his bed in the morning, not expecting to ever see him again...
...until he shows up as her professor, offering her class the opportunity of a lifetime: an internship at Windsor Motors.
What Raya doesn't realize is that their meeting wasn't coincidental -- and she's the sole reason he took up a teaching position at all.
After all, Lex knows something she doesn't: the two of them are arranged to be married.
When Lex finds Raya Lewis's name hidden behind countless security measures on his own family's servers, he knows it can only mean one thing.
Determined to take control of the situation, he sets out to find her -- only for Raya to spill her drink all over him within seconds of meeting.
Much to her surprise, the notoriously unattainable tech billionaire asks for only one thing as compensation: six rounds of Truth or Dare.
An evening filled with laughter leads to Raya sneaking out of his bed in the morning, not expecting to ever see him again...
...until he shows up as her professor, offering her class the opportunity of a lifetime: an internship at Windsor Motors.
What Raya doesn't realize is that their meeting wasn't coincidental -- and she's the sole reason he took up a teaching position at all.
After all, Lex knows something she doesn't: the two of them are arranged to be married.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2024
7381 people are currently reading
26636 people want to read
About the author
Catharina Maura
32 books16.5k followersCatharina Maura is a USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author. She writes angsty, fast-paced contemporary romance novels that break your heart before they lead you to a hard-won happily ever after.
Cat lives in Hong Kong with her husband and a dozen houseplants that all have names. When she isn't daydreaming about future characters, she's exploring the world and seeking out new adventures.
You can find Cat's socials and latest updates here: https://hi.catharinamaura.com/bio
Cat lives in Hong Kong with her husband and a dozen houseplants that all have names. When she isn't daydreaming about future characters, she's exploring the world and seeking out new adventures.
You can find Cat's socials and latest updates here: https://hi.catharinamaura.com/bio
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,085 reviews
February 28, 2024
I'm not sure how to feel about this book. Also, long review ahead. ✌️
============================
Background:
Like with all the books in this series, this is an arranged marriage planned by the Windsor's matriarch.
Lex is strict, obsessed with control, and has a great deal of trust issues. So in order to put his mind at ease, he went to his file to find out who his betrothed was. After finding out Raya's name, he orchestrated a meetup to get to know and observe her. He wanted to know if she's one of the good ones or is like his college ex who betrayed him.
Raya thought it was fate to meet Lex, and they had fun talking that night. They went to his apartment, but nothing more happened aside from their conversations and truth or dare games. Raya believed in true love, like the one great love that her parents share. And when Lex told her he doesn't do relationships or even love, she decided that this night would be it for them, as he's not the man for her.
But Lex was intrigued by her, so he asked for a favor to be a temporary professor in one of Raya's classes to find out more about her.
And the truth about their engagement finally came out, and Raya was hurt and felt deceived by what Lex did. But she needed this merger to help her father, and they got married.
============================
Raya, I have never felt conflicted over a character more than I had with this woman. I love her but am also pissed at times. She was so freaking nice, genuine, loving, understanding, patient, and forgiving. I'm aware that these are all admirable qualities, but fuck if she gave Lex numerous chances because of them as well. She doesn't have a mean bone and is one of the purest souls I've ever read. I want to hug her for the never-ending patience and understanding she exhibits, but I also want to shake her for always accommodating Lex. She's so freaking kind, and honestly, imo, Lex doesn't deserve her. But this is their story, and I can't do anything about that. I guess I'll just have to be fine with it. 🤷♀️
Lexington, I'm also conflicted with his character, which leans towards the negative side. I have to start by saying that he needs to seek help, and therapy probably would've helped him a lot. I finally understand why he behaves the way he does after opening up at around 60% of the story. Gosh, I'm not that patient, but I'm interested, so I waited. What his ex did was freaking awful, and he didn't deserve that; no one does. I get that it traumatized him, but letting this betrayal lead him even years later was so unhealthy.
It was so toxic that he never let his wall down with Raya, and he constantly monitored and controlled her without her consent. He said he would try to be the man that she deserved, but he never really did. Sure, he did sweet and swoony things for her, ngl, but the more I think about it, these efforts were more like done to appease her and gave her the false notion that he's changing for her.
He never fully trusted her and had always held back from falling for her because of his trust issues. It was so unfair because Raya trusted him even after he lied to her the first time they met, but he wouldn't do the same for her.
Then the freaking conflict happened, and Lex jumped to the worst conclusion and pointed his gun at Raya without even looking at the whole scenario or asking for an explanation. She never, not once, gave him any reason to doubt her. But it turned out he had no problem using a gun on her and calling her a "fucking bitch." Was it excusable? Maybe, but it always comes back to his trauma and trust issues. He made Raya pay for someone else's mistake, and she didn't deserve that kind of treatment.
Of course, he felt sorry and guilty over what he had done. He asked for an apology and a one month timeframe to show her that he's willing to change and be the man she truly deserves. Then again, because she's so goddamn understanding, Raya agreed to it.
Was it satisfying? I'm not sure; appreciation for a "grovel" is always subjective. And in my case, it was okay, but I think it should've been longer. Aside from his stupidity in the gun-pointing scene, he's also asking for forgiveness for his unsanctioned monitoring throughout their marriage. That was months of invading Raya's privacy without her permission. So a month of "grovel" isn't enough, but he showed changes that I could admit. And it was also said that when Raya finally forgave him (again) Lex didn't stop proving himself, so I guess that could be considered an extended grovel. 🤷♀️
Overall, I don't know how to feel about this book. Because even in the first half, I wasn't amazed because Lex kept being closed off and Raya was the only one that made the story bearable. Then the second half happened, where he slowly opened up, only to be ruined by his stupidity and impulsiveness. Yes, he apologized; it was an okay grovel but could've been better. And Raya, once again, proved what an amazing person she is. That's why I'm not sure how to rate it. I want to give 5 ⭐ for Raya but 2⭐ for Lex.
PS. I don't know how to feel about the side plot with Adam. Because if the roles were reversed and the H kept hanging out with a best friend who's attracted to him, I would be pissed. Granted, no one knows about their marriage. But Adam being clingy AF to Raya is making my blood boil. I know she sees him as a friend, but him constantly touching her is grating my nerves. I wouldn't want this with the H, so why should it be different for the h? But at least he had become a reasonable friend at the end and made Raya see how much Lex was different with her. So I guess he's not that bad at all. I still didn't like it, but I've come around to tolerate it.
Book info:
- Arrange marriage
- No cheating
- Virgin h, celibate H (years)
- OMD (not encouraged, men always talk to Raya)
- Semi-breakup (she left to have some space, but they're married and can't be apart for more than 3 days)
- Kidnapping (past)
- Violence (a bit)
- Student-professor
- Workplace romance (h interning for the H)
- Grovel
- HEA (3 years later)
============================
Background:
Like with all the books in this series, this is an arranged marriage planned by the Windsor's matriarch.
Lex is strict, obsessed with control, and has a great deal of trust issues. So in order to put his mind at ease, he went to his file to find out who his betrothed was. After finding out Raya's name, he orchestrated a meetup to get to know and observe her. He wanted to know if she's one of the good ones or is like his college ex who betrayed him.
Raya thought it was fate to meet Lex, and they had fun talking that night. They went to his apartment, but nothing more happened aside from their conversations and truth or dare games. Raya believed in true love, like the one great love that her parents share. And when Lex told her he doesn't do relationships or even love, she decided that this night would be it for them, as he's not the man for her.
But Lex was intrigued by her, so he asked for a favor to be a temporary professor in one of Raya's classes to find out more about her.
And the truth about their engagement finally came out, and Raya was hurt and felt deceived by what Lex did. But she needed this merger to help her father, and they got married.
============================
Raya, I have never felt conflicted over a character more than I had with this woman. I love her but am also pissed at times. She was so freaking nice, genuine, loving, understanding, patient, and forgiving. I'm aware that these are all admirable qualities, but fuck if she gave Lex numerous chances because of them as well. She doesn't have a mean bone and is one of the purest souls I've ever read. I want to hug her for the never-ending patience and understanding she exhibits, but I also want to shake her for always accommodating Lex. She's so freaking kind, and honestly, imo, Lex doesn't deserve her. But this is their story, and I can't do anything about that. I guess I'll just have to be fine with it. 🤷♀️
Lexington, I'm also conflicted with his character, which leans towards the negative side. I have to start by saying that he needs to seek help, and therapy probably would've helped him a lot. I finally understand why he behaves the way he does after opening up at around 60% of the story. Gosh, I'm not that patient, but I'm interested, so I waited. What his ex did was freaking awful, and he didn't deserve that; no one does. I get that it traumatized him, but letting this betrayal lead him even years later was so unhealthy.
It was so toxic that he never let his wall down with Raya, and he constantly monitored and controlled her without her consent. He said he would try to be the man that she deserved, but he never really did. Sure, he did sweet and swoony things for her, ngl, but the more I think about it, these efforts were more like done to appease her and gave her the false notion that he's changing for her.
He never fully trusted her and had always held back from falling for her because of his trust issues. It was so unfair because Raya trusted him even after he lied to her the first time they met, but he wouldn't do the same for her.
Then the freaking conflict happened, and Lex jumped to the worst conclusion and pointed his gun at Raya without even looking at the whole scenario or asking for an explanation. She never, not once, gave him any reason to doubt her. But it turned out he had no problem using a gun on her and calling her a "fucking bitch." Was it excusable? Maybe, but it always comes back to his trauma and trust issues. He made Raya pay for someone else's mistake, and she didn't deserve that kind of treatment.
Of course, he felt sorry and guilty over what he had done. He asked for an apology and a one month timeframe to show her that he's willing to change and be the man she truly deserves. Then again, because she's so goddamn understanding, Raya agreed to it.
Was it satisfying? I'm not sure; appreciation for a "grovel" is always subjective. And in my case, it was okay, but I think it should've been longer. Aside from his stupidity in the gun-pointing scene, he's also asking for forgiveness for his unsanctioned monitoring throughout their marriage. That was months of invading Raya's privacy without her permission. So a month of "grovel" isn't enough, but he showed changes that I could admit. And it was also said that when Raya finally forgave him (again) Lex didn't stop proving himself, so I guess that could be considered an extended grovel. 🤷♀️
Overall, I don't know how to feel about this book. Because even in the first half, I wasn't amazed because Lex kept being closed off and Raya was the only one that made the story bearable. Then the second half happened, where he slowly opened up, only to be ruined by his stupidity and impulsiveness. Yes, he apologized; it was an okay grovel but could've been better. And Raya, once again, proved what an amazing person she is. That's why I'm not sure how to rate it. I want to give 5 ⭐ for Raya but 2⭐ for Lex.
PS. I don't know how to feel about the side plot with Adam. Because if the roles were reversed and the H kept hanging out with a best friend who's attracted to him, I would be pissed. Granted, no one knows about their marriage. But Adam being clingy AF to Raya is making my blood boil. I know she sees him as a friend, but him constantly touching her is grating my nerves. I wouldn't want this with the H, so why should it be different for the h? But at least he had become a reasonable friend at the end and made Raya see how much Lex was different with her. So I guess he's not that bad at all. I still didn't like it, but I've come around to tolerate it.
Book info:
- Arrange marriage
- No cheating
- Virgin h, celibate H (years)
- OMD (not encouraged, men always talk to Raya)
- Semi-breakup (she left to have some space, but they're married and can't be apart for more than 3 days)
- Kidnapping (past)
- Violence (a bit)
- Student-professor
- Workplace romance (h interning for the H)
- Grovel
- HEA (3 years later)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ don’t get me wrong, I was still entertained the whole book and read it in almost one sitting, but lex was my least fav one of them all
February 23, 2024
lex i will always love u. im sorry this turned out to be ur story. condolences.
xaviersierra i have been ready since twb release😭
xaviersierra i have been ready since twb release😭
dnf
February 24, 2024How do you ever coming back from calling your wife a bitch while pointing a g*n to her head so hard it leaves a bruise…….
February 24, 2024
HE DID WHAT?!
divorce babes divorce
divorce babes divorce
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2024
Catharina Maura books are my guilty pleasures. But I just can’t with this one, he put a fucking gun to her head? Amm.. and all the groveling wasn’t even groveling. Man had to suffer, cry, vomit and she had to give him cold shoulder every time he tried to even look at her. Not smile or look at him longingly.
I know trauma and all, but fuck, what about her trauma? Being held at gunpoint? And he had to learn to trust her? What about her trust?
I know trauma and all, but fuck, what about her trauma? Being held at gunpoint? And he had to learn to trust her? What about her trust?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2024
HEAR ME OUT!! I’VE READ ALL THE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES AND I HAVE SO MUCH TO RANT ABOUT!!
Honestly, the storyline of this particular book sounds so forced and somewhat stale/recycled!! The so called “love” between the main leads seems soo soo forced!
SOME GENERAL COMMENTS REGARDING ALL THE BOOKS OF THIS SERIES:
I HATE THE GRANDMA! Her character is so irritating and controlling. Like let your grandkids live their lives in peace old lady!
I hate the “l will get you a wife of my choice and she’ll fix everything” attitude that the grandma has towards her grandsons. (Tbh Windsor men don’t need wives, they need therapists to resolve their past trauma!!)
Also all the male leads from this series give the stupidest excuses/reasons for their shitty behaviour towards their wives!
The only book that I enjoyed from this entire series was Dion and Faye’s book (except for the disturbing age gap everything else was good)
No hate to the author though. I really enjoy her monthly newsletter emails but her books are not my vibe :))
Honestly, the storyline of this particular book sounds so forced and somewhat stale/recycled!! The so called “love” between the main leads seems soo soo forced!
SOME GENERAL COMMENTS REGARDING ALL THE BOOKS OF THIS SERIES:
I HATE THE GRANDMA! Her character is so irritating and controlling. Like let your grandkids live their lives in peace old lady!
I hate the “l will get you a wife of my choice and she’ll fix everything” attitude that the grandma has towards her grandsons. (Tbh Windsor men don’t need wives, they need therapists to resolve their past trauma!!)
Also all the male leads from this series give the stupidest excuses/reasons for their shitty behaviour towards their wives!
The only book that I enjoyed from this entire series was Dion and Faye’s book (except for the disturbing age gap everything else was good)
No hate to the author though. I really enjoy her monthly newsletter emails but her books are not my vibe :))
March 23, 2024
Si quieren leer una serie de Matrimonios arreglados, ESTA ES SU SERIE.
Lex Windsor es el hermano menor y sabe que es su turno de casarse, pero no quiere que su abuela lo tome desprevenido y quiere tener el control de la situación por lo que hackea los archivos de su abuela y da con el nombre de su futura prometida.
Lo que parecía un encuentro casual en una noche de bar con un sexy extraño que resultó ser Lexingtong Windsor el hombre al que Raya ha admirado y es una inpiracion en su carrera, pero muy aparte de eso, es el hombre del que ella se puede enamorar, pasan una noche inolvidable pero ella quiere amor y Lex le dejó claro que él no se enamora pero nunca imaginó que sería su futuro esposo.
La cosa no acaba ahí porque Lex en su manía de tener todo controlado, solicita el puesto de profesor en una de las clases de Raya, por lo que un conflicto de intereses y tienen que mantener en secreto su compromiso.
La historia de Lex y Raya es la más dulce, es que los hombres Windsor cuando se comprometen son de una sola mujer y dan TODO, Lex no es la excepción, tenía gestos tan lindos con Raya que aunque ella quería cuidar su corazón, no pudo evitar enamorarse de Lex.
Me gustó mucho el libro pero le faltó drama y es que el libro anterior dejo la vara muy alta pensé que habría un mayor arrastre.
Ahora sí a la espera del libro más esperado el de SIERRA Y XAVIER, yo necesito saber todo de ellos.
Lex Windsor es el hermano menor y sabe que es su turno de casarse, pero no quiere que su abuela lo tome desprevenido y quiere tener el control de la situación por lo que hackea los archivos de su abuela y da con el nombre de su futura prometida.
Lo que parecía un encuentro casual en una noche de bar con un sexy extraño que resultó ser Lexingtong Windsor el hombre al que Raya ha admirado y es una inpiracion en su carrera, pero muy aparte de eso, es el hombre del que ella se puede enamorar, pasan una noche inolvidable pero ella quiere amor y Lex le dejó claro que él no se enamora pero nunca imaginó que sería su futuro esposo.
La cosa no acaba ahí porque Lex en su manía de tener todo controlado, solicita el puesto de profesor en una de las clases de Raya, por lo que un conflicto de intereses y tienen que mantener en secreto su compromiso.
La historia de Lex y Raya es la más dulce, es que los hombres Windsor cuando se comprometen son de una sola mujer y dan TODO, Lex no es la excepción, tenía gestos tan lindos con Raya que aunque ella quería cuidar su corazón, no pudo evitar enamorarse de Lex.
Me gustó mucho el libro pero le faltó drama y es que el libro anterior dejo la vara muy alta pensé que habría un mayor arrastre.
Ahora sí a la espera del libro más esperado el de SIERRA Y XAVIER, yo necesito saber todo de ellos.
August 21, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
ANOTHER OF MY FAVORITES (🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰). AHHH (🥹🥹) it was such a PERFECT BOOK. I loved the side characters and their banter. ALSO THE PROTECTIVE SCENE OF THEM OVER RAYA. It bought tears into my eyes (😭😭😭😭😭). And the INDIAN REFERENCES WERE JUST *chef’s kiss*.
I LOVED LEX EVEN THOUGH HE WASN’T PERFECT BUT HE CHANGED FOR HER AND IT WAS JUST PERFECTION SEEING HIM FIGHT FOR HER (😭😩😩😩🥹😭😭🥹🥹🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️).
Also, not spoilers but leave if you don’t want to read ahead…
I AM SO FUCKING SAD THAT GRANDMA WINDSOR IS DYING (😭😭😭😭😭). She pissed me off in all of the books but i liked having her around.
ALSO, I AM SOOO FUCKING EXCITED TO READ SIERRA AND XAVIER’s STORY (😩😩😩). Their banter, their “love” for each other and the other glimpses that we got in this book IS MAKING ME SO FUCKING EXCITED TO READ THEIR BOOK.
*also not me thinking that theirs is the last book in this series* imma go cry myself a river (😭😭😭😭😭).
ANOTHER OF MY FAVORITES (🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰). AHHH (🥹🥹) it was such a PERFECT BOOK. I loved the side characters and their banter. ALSO THE PROTECTIVE SCENE OF THEM OVER RAYA. It bought tears into my eyes (😭😭😭😭😭). And the INDIAN REFERENCES WERE JUST *chef’s kiss*.
I LOVED LEX EVEN THOUGH HE WASN’T PERFECT BUT HE CHANGED FOR HER AND IT WAS JUST PERFECTION SEEING HIM FIGHT FOR HER (😭😩😩😩🥹😭😭🥹🥹🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️).
Also, not spoilers but leave if you don’t want to read ahead…
I AM SO FUCKING SAD THAT GRANDMA WINDSOR IS DYING (😭😭😭😭😭). She pissed me off in all of the books but i liked having her around.
ALSO, I AM SOOO FUCKING EXCITED TO READ SIERRA AND XAVIER’s STORY (😩😩😩). Their banter, their “love” for each other and the other glimpses that we got in this book IS MAKING ME SO FUCKING EXCITED TO READ THEIR BOOK.
*also not me thinking that theirs is the last book in this series* imma go cry myself a river (😭😭😭😭😭).
February 24, 2024
FINISH A FUCKING SCENE I FUCKING DARE YOU TO WRITE A COMPLETE SCENE FROM START TO FINISH AND NOT CUT IT OFF OH MY GOD GODDAMMIT
August 3, 2024
in the words of katniss everdeen on that one episode of hot wings “what do you mean? what do you- WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”
raya girlie, i need you to start standing on business. wdym you went back to him after he put a goddamn gun to your head???? wdym you got over the tracking and spying and distrust in less than a week???
my babies sienna and xavier fs carried this book on their poor back.
raya girlie, i need you to start standing on business. wdym you went back to him after he put a goddamn gun to your head???? wdym you got over the tracking and spying and distrust in less than a week???
my babies sienna and xavier fs carried this book on their poor back.
November 23, 2024
It was good up until that point of conflict to create a drama.
If a man pointed a gun on my forehead, I will kick him in the nuts so hard he wished he’d kill himself then shove that said gun in his mouth and make him blow it.
I never thought I could love a character only to hate them in the last part 😭 That’s definitely a first.
What he did was based on unresolved trauma, and unresolved trauma I get but that doesn’t excuse anyone to be horrible, say mean shit, point a gun to another person who’s nothing but kind and loving.
Raya was so pathetic she put Raven to shame: I swear to all that is holy what is up with this author and her constant pathetically doormat FMCs 🤨
If a man pointed a gun on my forehead, I will kick him in the nuts so hard he wished he’d kill himself then shove that said gun in his mouth and make him blow it.
I never thought I could love a character only to hate them in the last part 😭 That’s definitely a first.
What he did was based on unresolved trauma, and unresolved trauma I get but that doesn’t excuse anyone to be horrible, say mean shit, point a gun to another person who’s nothing but kind and loving.
Raya was so pathetic she put Raven to shame: I swear to all that is holy what is up with this author and her constant pathetically doormat FMCs 🤨
March 2, 2024
This reminded me so much of the ‘Professor Astor’ book from Off-Limits series of Maura. Lex’s character was disappointing. This book just made him sound exactly like Zane. This book’s saving grace was Raya’s relationship with her dad. Also, reading the snippets of Celeste. I am a firm believer Celeste is too good for this family. Was anyone surprised that Grandma Anne is dying? Good riddance ✌🏽
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2024
I can't believe I went from 5 stars to 1 in one single chapter.
Chapter 57 is, indeed, the worst part. Lex was my favourite character and he was totally ruined. I'll pretend this book doesn't exist so I can still think he is the best Windsor brother.
Chapter 57 is, indeed, the worst part. Lex was my favourite character and he was totally ruined. I'll pretend this book doesn't exist so I can still think he is the best Windsor brother.
July 25, 2025
This was a 4 star book until chapter 57 just ruined everything. Oh and the nickname he had for her.
November 9, 2025
Боже мій, це було прекрасно 😻😻😻
Я повністю зачарована Лексом і Раєю навіть не знаю кого я люблю більше їх чи Луку з Вел.
Я дуже довго її відкладала якщо чесно боялась читати я була під негативним враженням від книги Зейна, думала що авторка вже нічого хорошого не напише, але я помилялася і дуже рада цьому.
Я так скучила за їхньою сімейкою і це був однозначно ковток повітря, тепер не знаю як дочекатись 30 серпня😭
Я повністю зачарована Лексом і Раєю навіть не знаю кого я люблю більше їх чи Луку з Вел.
Я дуже довго її відкладала якщо чесно боялась читати я була під негативним враженням від книги Зейна, думала що авторка вже нічого хорошого не напише, але я помилялася і дуже рада цьому.
Я так скучила за їхньою сімейкою і це був однозначно ковток повітря, тепер не знаю як дочекатись 30 серпня😭
September 6, 2024
4.5/5
I swear, Catharina Maura has superpowers. How can she make me cry each time I read one of her books ?
I swear, Catharina Maura has superpowers. How can she make me cry each time I read one of her books ?
February 24, 2024
- Thank you for the ARC 💛
[ review contains SPOILERS ]
I enjoyed this book BUT... I’ll tell you the BUT at the end. Let’s start with what I enjoyed first. The book itself wasn’t long and was an easy and enjoyable read. Lex and Raya were such a cute couple and I just loved the first meeting 🙈 I loved Raya, she was such a sunshine character. A sweet, lovely, and very smart girl (she’s 22 with a Master’s degree so when I say smart I mean smart). I loved how she was with her parents, their relationship was everything, and I also loved her relationship with Lex’s siblings and wives. From the way she was with Lex, I would say she was a very understanding, forgiving, and patient character. Lex was the definition of actions speak louder than words. He was intrigued by Raya from their first meeting and even tho he said he couldn’t love her, his actions said otherwise. He was very possessive and jealous from the start too. The era where he worked as her professor was really good. And I normally never really talk about smut in my reviews but I’m gonna have to say that the library and his office 👀 This era was also good because they had their secret marriage, it was fun seeing them pretending not to know each other and him getting jealous everytime anyone would flirt with her or anyone she’d even smile at 😂 I loved how we got to see all of the Windsor siblings and their wifes and OH MY GOD the Xavier and Sierra moments here got me even more excited for their book ❤️ I loved the things Lex did for her~ Like the way he was acting when she got her period, how he got her her favourite milkshake so she would feel better and how he found out what the “tongue twister” was that her favourite actor said and he learned how to say it for her~ I don’t want to spoil a lot so I will say I loved the milkshake chain he did for her, the yellow flowers bouquets he got for her everyday, which he personally picked and made from Zanes observatory 😩 The helicopter ride, the car, the hot balloon and flower field, the resort getaway, the diamond ring and her dream proposal/wedding! And I want to give an extra mention for Lex’s robots because they were very cute 😂 The end after everything was cute, the dates, proposal and wedding, also the epilogue.
[ review contains SPOILERS ]
Now we’ve arrived to the BUT section… halfway or more into the book the pacing started getting a little off, but I think it was because a lot of events took place right after one another. The fact that they had the talk about his ex and what horrible things happened because of her and why is Lex the way he is right now, we found out that her father (btw I love her father, one of the best characters) is not her biological father and the man her mom told her about, the abusive ex-husband, is Raya’s biological father 😭 That such a big thing to find out about your parents and your life, and then on top of that to see your biological father and he turns out to be a nasty person. He not only badmouthed her parents but also blackmailed Lex to get money, but Raya stopped him. The same day she saw the news about her biological father saying nasty things about her and her parents, someone got into the Windsor estate and the alarm went off and everyone came to Lex’s place but Sierra was nowhere to be seen. I think so much happened in one go that Raya didn’t have nearly enough (if any) time to process what was happening in her life and on top of that she found out that her husband didn’t trust her as he never told her about the secret door, tunnels in their house or the fact he was controlling and tracking pretty much her every movement 😭 After Lex couldn’t find Sierra he started panicking, thinking what happened to him before happened to Sierra as well. And I 100% got why he acted like that. He was traumatized and for a long time couldn’t trust anyone of fear that they would do what his ex did too. BUT the fact that he started suspecting Raya right away and when she said looking through Sierra’s private message was wrong, he got mad and asked why she didn’t want him to find Sierra and if she had a part in it 💀 IDK what mafia book this became all of the sudden but Sierra and Xavier kidnapped her biological father to beat him up and make him apologize to Raya and take back all the bad things he told to the media… Raya got a message from Xavier’s brother and she and Silas went there and find out what went down. BUT If you think this was the crazy part? You thought wrong. Lex had planted a tracker in Raya’s ring and when his house system informed him that she left the house, he followed her and went to where Raya was. The moment he saw Sierra in the chair and Raya standing in front of her he lost his mind, pulled out a loaded gun, with the safety off and put it right on her forehead (so hard that it bruised her within seconds of him removing it) BUT not only that… he also called her a “fucking bitch” and told her he should of never “played house” with her and should of never “pretended to be devoted husband” and how “fucking dare she touch his family” 💀ALL WHILE HAVING A LOADED GUN POINTED AT HER HEAD AND HAVING HER SHAKING AND CRYING! I was speechless… and the stuff he did after yes where cute, and sweet, he went to therapy and did everything to change, but this still was too crazy for me 😭 There was also not a single trigger warning at the start of the book, which is wild to me. Especially for a book that’s marketed as a contemporary romance.
Book Tropes 📝
— age gap
— STEM heroine
— student x teacher
— arranged marriage
— billionaire romance
— workplace romance
[ review contains SPOILERS ]
I enjoyed this book BUT... I’ll tell you the BUT at the end. Let’s start with what I enjoyed first. The book itself wasn’t long and was an easy and enjoyable read. Lex and Raya were such a cute couple and I just loved the first meeting 🙈 I loved Raya, she was such a sunshine character. A sweet, lovely, and very smart girl (she’s 22 with a Master’s degree so when I say smart I mean smart). I loved how she was with her parents, their relationship was everything, and I also loved her relationship with Lex’s siblings and wives. From the way she was with Lex, I would say she was a very understanding, forgiving, and patient character. Lex was the definition of actions speak louder than words. He was intrigued by Raya from their first meeting and even tho he said he couldn’t love her, his actions said otherwise. He was very possessive and jealous from the start too. The era where he worked as her professor was really good. And I normally never really talk about smut in my reviews but I’m gonna have to say that the library and his office 👀 This era was also good because they had their secret marriage, it was fun seeing them pretending not to know each other and him getting jealous everytime anyone would flirt with her or anyone she’d even smile at 😂 I loved how we got to see all of the Windsor siblings and their wifes and OH MY GOD the Xavier and Sierra moments here got me even more excited for their book ❤️ I loved the things Lex did for her~ Like the way he was acting when she got her period, how he got her her favourite milkshake so she would feel better and how he found out what the “tongue twister” was that her favourite actor said and he learned how to say it for her~ I don’t want to spoil a lot so I will say I loved the milkshake chain he did for her, the yellow flowers bouquets he got for her everyday, which he personally picked and made from Zanes observatory 😩 The helicopter ride, the car, the hot balloon and flower field, the resort getaway, the diamond ring and her dream proposal/wedding! And I want to give an extra mention for Lex’s robots because they were very cute 😂 The end after everything was cute, the dates, proposal and wedding, also the epilogue.
[ review contains SPOILERS ]
Now we’ve arrived to the BUT section… halfway or more into the book the pacing started getting a little off, but I think it was because a lot of events took place right after one another. The fact that they had the talk about his ex and what horrible things happened because of her and why is Lex the way he is right now, we found out that her father (btw I love her father, one of the best characters) is not her biological father and the man her mom told her about, the abusive ex-husband, is Raya’s biological father 😭 That such a big thing to find out about your parents and your life, and then on top of that to see your biological father and he turns out to be a nasty person. He not only badmouthed her parents but also blackmailed Lex to get money, but Raya stopped him. The same day she saw the news about her biological father saying nasty things about her and her parents, someone got into the Windsor estate and the alarm went off and everyone came to Lex’s place but Sierra was nowhere to be seen. I think so much happened in one go that Raya didn’t have nearly enough (if any) time to process what was happening in her life and on top of that she found out that her husband didn’t trust her as he never told her about the secret door, tunnels in their house or the fact he was controlling and tracking pretty much her every movement 😭 After Lex couldn’t find Sierra he started panicking, thinking what happened to him before happened to Sierra as well. And I 100% got why he acted like that. He was traumatized and for a long time couldn’t trust anyone of fear that they would do what his ex did too. BUT the fact that he started suspecting Raya right away and when she said looking through Sierra’s private message was wrong, he got mad and asked why she didn’t want him to find Sierra and if she had a part in it 💀 IDK what mafia book this became all of the sudden but Sierra and Xavier kidnapped her biological father to beat him up and make him apologize to Raya and take back all the bad things he told to the media… Raya got a message from Xavier’s brother and she and Silas went there and find out what went down. BUT If you think this was the crazy part? You thought wrong. Lex had planted a tracker in Raya’s ring and when his house system informed him that she left the house, he followed her and went to where Raya was. The moment he saw Sierra in the chair and Raya standing in front of her he lost his mind, pulled out a loaded gun, with the safety off and put it right on her forehead (so hard that it bruised her within seconds of him removing it) BUT not only that… he also called her a “fucking bitch” and told her he should of never “played house” with her and should of never “pretended to be devoted husband” and how “fucking dare she touch his family” 💀ALL WHILE HAVING A LOADED GUN POINTED AT HER HEAD AND HAVING HER SHAKING AND CRYING! I was speechless… and the stuff he did after yes where cute, and sweet, he went to therapy and did everything to change, but this still was too crazy for me 😭 There was also not a single trigger warning at the start of the book, which is wild to me. Especially for a book that’s marketed as a contemporary romance.
Book Tropes 📝
— age gap
— STEM heroine
— student x teacher
— arranged marriage
— billionaire romance
— workplace romance
February 24, 2024
This was... bad.
I've really enjoyed the series (especially Dion and Faye's book), so I was excited about this one. I was expecting to love it at best, or to simply enjoy it (flaws and all) at worst. Unfortunately, this ended up being the weakest book in the series, and now I'm nervous about Sierra and Xavier's story.
I'm not sure if the writer struggled with this one, but the characters and storyline fell flat. So many things were rushed in the second half, and the characters were experiencing emotional turmoil almost on every page, and getting over it just as fast. There was no chemistry between the leads. Compared to the previous couples, I never got the sense that they actually belonged together. If anything, without the arranged marriage, I don't think they would have lasted for more than a month - or rather, I don't think they would have looked at each other twice. Whatever Lex felt for Raya did not seem genuine - almost as if he was forcing himself to love her for the sake of their marriage. His treatment of her near the end was abusive plain and simple - he actually left bruises on her, and he was verbally abusive towards her - and the groveling did not seem genuine after that. Lex needed therapy, not a wife.
It was easier for me to buy Raya's attraction towards him, but I struggled to connect to her character. She was not fleshed out enough outside her relationship with Lex, and I wish the author would have spent more time on the characters as individuals before rushing them down the altar. The only thing I liked was her relationship with her father.
All in all, a very disappointing book. The author should have taken more time to plot this one out, or made it longer - or start from scratch with a more believable partner and storyline for Lex. His character was unfortunately ruined for me.
I'll still read the next one because I've been dying for Sierra's story since TWB, but I'll temper my expectations for that one.
I've really enjoyed the series (especially Dion and Faye's book), so I was excited about this one. I was expecting to love it at best, or to simply enjoy it (flaws and all) at worst. Unfortunately, this ended up being the weakest book in the series, and now I'm nervous about Sierra and Xavier's story.
I'm not sure if the writer struggled with this one, but the characters and storyline fell flat. So many things were rushed in the second half, and the characters were experiencing emotional turmoil almost on every page, and getting over it just as fast. There was no chemistry between the leads. Compared to the previous couples, I never got the sense that they actually belonged together. If anything, without the arranged marriage, I don't think they would have lasted for more than a month - or rather, I don't think they would have looked at each other twice. Whatever Lex felt for Raya did not seem genuine - almost as if he was forcing himself to love her for the sake of their marriage. His treatment of her near the end was abusive plain and simple - he actually left bruises on her, and he was verbally abusive towards her - and the groveling did not seem genuine after that. Lex needed therapy, not a wife.
It was easier for me to buy Raya's attraction towards him, but I struggled to connect to her character. She was not fleshed out enough outside her relationship with Lex, and I wish the author would have spent more time on the characters as individuals before rushing them down the altar. The only thing I liked was her relationship with her father.
All in all, a very disappointing book. The author should have taken more time to plot this one out, or made it longer - or start from scratch with a more believable partner and storyline for Lex. His character was unfortunately ruined for me.
I'll still read the next one because I've been dying for Sierra's story since TWB, but I'll temper my expectations for that one.
May 15, 2024
This book was such a disappointment....
Fuck you Lexington Windsor. MY GIRL DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER THAN A MAN WHO HOLDS A GUN TO HER HEAD AND CALL HER A BITCH AFTER LOVING HIM UNCONDITIONALLY.
2 STARS FOR MY GIRL.
Fuck you Lexington Windsor. MY GIRL DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER THAN A MAN WHO HOLDS A GUN TO HER HEAD AND CALL HER A BITCH AFTER LOVING HIM UNCONDITIONALLY.
2 STARS FOR MY GIRL.
February 26, 2024
THE SECRET FIANCÉE
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
💓𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲: 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆🧚
💛𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
🌼𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎
💛𝙰𝚐𝚎 𝙶𝚊𝚙
🌼𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚛 𝚡 𝚂𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝
💛𝙶𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘
🌼𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝, 𝙷𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛
𝘓𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪����𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦. 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘢𝘺𝘢 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘙𝘢𝘺𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳…
⁀➷"𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙍𝙖𝙮𝙖 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙤𝙧."
Lex is the typical Windsor man, he followed his brother’s footsteps as the last member of “My Wife” Club. He’s possessive, he worships the ground Raya walks on, and will literally do anything to make her happy. But we soon learn that some of his actions were done out of his obligation to be a good husband, and he’s yet to open his heart fully and trust her without a doubt. Raya is probably my favorite Windsor lady, not only she’s a South Asian rep, she’s also extremely smart (works in STEM) and she has a backbone!
⁀➷"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙗𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙍𝙖𝙮𝙖. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡."
I went through such an emotional roller coaster with this book, that last 20% really made me question everything until the end. The book started really sweet, it made me giddy, and it’s full of swoon-worthy moments. I was cozy and happy but dreading the signature angst from Ms. Maura, and it still didnt show up until 70% mark, and I knew I was in for a punch in the gut. Lo and behold, when it happened I was livid and almost threw my iPad across the room (I didn’t but I did take a short break to have a moment of silence). But I have faith in in the author, and I know she will make it right, and she did!
⁀➷"𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙇𝙚𝙭. 𝙄'𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬? 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚."
I love that Raya stood up to Lex and didn’t let him get away with his actions and let him grovel. Could he grovel more? Definitely! I was adamant at first that what he did was unforgivable, but from what Lex experienced in the past, I kinda see how his trauma played a large part that led him to behave that way. Not that I’m excusing it, as I said, I think it was uncalled for, but he’s done a good enough groveling in my eyes. And that ending and epilogue, AMAZING! Love that we see a glimpse of Sierra and Xavier’s story, I mean we already know they were endgame way back then, but I’m not ready for that last book with Grannie Anne.
Lastly, I think this was another great entry to this series, I have been a fan of Catharina Maura's work since I read Forever After All. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves this trope!
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of the ARC!
⚠️𝗖𝗪/𝗧𝗪/𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀⚠️
- Mention of Domestic Abuse (side character)
- Mention of past kidnapping
𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔:
𝟣. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒰𝓃𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝒶𝑔𝑒 •°⁀➷ 5.0⭐️
𝟤. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒯𝑒𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝒲𝒾𝒻𝑒 •°⁀➷ 5.0⭐️
𝟥. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐵𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝒱𝑜𝓌𝓈 •°⁀➷5.0⭐️
𝟦. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝑒𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓉 𝐹𝒾𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒𝑒 •°⁀➷ 4.5⭐️
𝟧. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑒 •°⁀➷ 1.0⭐️
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
💓𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲: 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆🧚
💛𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
🌼𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎
💛𝙰𝚐𝚎 𝙶𝚊𝚙
🌼𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚛 𝚡 𝚂𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝
💛𝙶𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘
🌼𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝, 𝙷𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛
𝘓𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪����𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦. 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘢𝘺𝘢 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘙𝘢𝘺𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳…
⁀➷"𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙍𝙖𝙮𝙖 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙤𝙧."
Lex is the typical Windsor man, he followed his brother’s footsteps as the last member of “My Wife” Club. He’s possessive, he worships the ground Raya walks on, and will literally do anything to make her happy. But we soon learn that some of his actions were done out of his obligation to be a good husband, and he’s yet to open his heart fully and trust her without a doubt. Raya is probably my favorite Windsor lady, not only she’s a South Asian rep, she’s also extremely smart (works in STEM) and she has a backbone!
⁀➷"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙗𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙍𝙖𝙮𝙖. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡."
I went through such an emotional roller coaster with this book, that last 20% really made me question everything until the end. The book started really sweet, it made me giddy, and it’s full of swoon-worthy moments. I was cozy and happy but dreading the signature angst from Ms. Maura, and it still didnt show up until 70% mark, and I knew I was in for a punch in the gut. Lo and behold, when it happened I was livid and almost threw my iPad across the room (I didn’t but I did take a short break to have a moment of silence). But I have faith in in the author, and I know she will make it right, and she did!
⁀➷"𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙇𝙚𝙭. 𝙄'𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬? 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚."
I love that Raya stood up to Lex and didn’t let him get away with his actions and let him grovel. Could he grovel more? Definitely! I was adamant at first that what he did was unforgivable, but from what Lex experienced in the past, I kinda see how his trauma played a large part that led him to behave that way. Not that I’m excusing it, as I said, I think it was uncalled for, but he’s done a good enough groveling in my eyes. And that ending and epilogue, AMAZING! Love that we see a glimpse of Sierra and Xavier’s story, I mean we already know they were endgame way back then, but I’m not ready for that last book with Grannie Anne.
Lastly, I think this was another great entry to this series, I have been a fan of Catharina Maura's work since I read Forever After All. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves this trope!
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of the ARC!
⚠️𝗖𝗪/𝗧𝗪/𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀⚠️
- Mention of Domestic Abuse (side character)
- Mention of past kidnapping
𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔:
𝟣. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒰𝓃𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝒶𝑔𝑒 •°⁀➷ 5.0⭐️
𝟤. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒯𝑒𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝒲𝒾𝒻𝑒 •°⁀➷ 5.0⭐️
𝟥. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐵𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝒱𝑜𝓌𝓈 •°⁀➷5.0⭐️
𝟦. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝑒𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓉 𝐹𝒾𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒𝑒 •°⁀➷ 4.5⭐️
𝟧. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑒 •°⁀➷ 1.0⭐️
April 12, 2025
Tinha as expectativas demasiado altas tendo em conta o último livro desta série, não foi horrível, o primeiro desta série é muito pior, mas sinto que voltamos a ter demasiado smut para pouca história e demasiado drama.
Mas tou muito animada para o sexto e espero gostar mais.
Mas tou muito animada para o sexto e espero gostar mais.
September 16, 2024
The Secret Fiancé Book Spoiler Review
I’ve been waiting MONTHS for this book to come out and sadly Mrs. Maura did not come through for me!!
Here’s a small recap of the beginning before I share my thoughts.
Another Windsor son is next in line for an arranged marriage planned by his grandmother. However, Lexington is three steps ahead. He’s hacked into his grandmother's computer to find the name of the woman that he is set to marry. Raya Lewis, a robotics major at Astor College and daughter of Bob Lewis owner of Lewis Motors company.
Because of Lex’s untrustworthy past, he takes it on himself to meet Raya beforehand to seek out what kind of person she is and he gets all the information he wants from her in the drunkenly form of Truth or Dare.
I made a pro’s and con’s list to weed out the smallest tiniest small things that I could think of while reading Lex & Ray’s story. As you can see most of the pros are about Raya while the cons are about Lex…
Pros
* I loved the begging/praising throughout the book …
* The sex scenes were great however, it speaks volumes when even THEY can’t save how crappy this story sorta was. (maybe this is a con then)
* Raya not asking Lex to change himself but to accept their relationship was a gold star for me
* The Windsor's accepting Raya into the family so quickly was super cute
* I enjoyed the slow burn of Lex & bob’s son/father relationship
* The continuous of the truth & dare game was my favorite thing ever
* Raya’s overall character was refreshing. She is just so kind and caring but also NOT a pushover!
Cons
* HE PULLED A GUN ON HER !?!??!?! (He should of read the room first)
* Communication is key and Lexington has none of it
* He was tracking her via wedding ring??
* I wish we got more of the Windsor kids interactions with Lex like how we did in the previous stories (but that’s only a hot take because I miss them 🙁)
* Raya kept their relationship from Adam (She kept assuring Lex that Adam was just a friend and Raya even explains in the beginning that they are childhood friends. So I’m not fully understanding why she couldn’t just tell him “Hey I’m dating our hot stand in professor”. Or just have him sign an nda if she was that worried.)
* Adam … as a character was not my favorite. I’m glad she had a shoulder to cry on but… I’m sorry, I just didn’t care for him? I have no clue if that was the point that the author wanted us to not really care too much about the side characters in this story. But I had no emotional connection to him when he got angry at Raya for not telling him about her relationship with Lex.
* Lexington’s quick character switch near the end…
But also don’t keep friends around that you can’t trust to keep your personal business private.
Overall Overview
Lexington’s Background
I’m not going to mention any of the triggering parts of Lex’s background mainly because it was upsetting to read considering before reading this book, Lex was my favorite brother. It’s not actions that he did that affects his character, it just shows that you never know how truly damaged someone can be unless they let you in. I hope that makes sense. I know a lot of people might think what happened to him wasn’t that deep. But the effects it caused him makes it way deeper. I’m more shocked that the author didn’t vocalize in the story that maybe he should seek help from a therapist. Only because of how he reacted to Raya when Sierra went missing was kind of wild.
Raya’s Background
I was glad that we got a deeper insight into what happened when Raya's parents vocalized their dislike of the idea of their daughter in an arranged marriage. It gave clarity into understanding more on why they kept her in the dark for so long.
Lexington’s & Raya’s Character
I wanted to like Lexington overall because I’ve liked him so much as a side character in the previous stories. The only downfall was his distrust towards Raya. I think the plot towards the end ruined it for me. And I get that most of his actions were trauma related but good lord THE GUN!!?!??!
Raya girl you are pure sunshine and fairytales and a sweet strawberry cake on a spring day! I love her so much!! It’s hard for me to find the negatives in Raya because her positives shine so much.
Now was this review just me blabbering away? Yes … And is there any reason for this review to be this long? No … But if you read all of this then you deserve a beso!!!
RR
Rereading this series is the best decision I've made all year!!! My reading slump is cured!!
I’ve been waiting MONTHS for this book to come out and sadly Mrs. Maura did not come through for me!!
Here’s a small recap of the beginning before I share my thoughts.
Another Windsor son is next in line for an arranged marriage planned by his grandmother. However, Lexington is three steps ahead. He’s hacked into his grandmother's computer to find the name of the woman that he is set to marry. Raya Lewis, a robotics major at Astor College and daughter of Bob Lewis owner of Lewis Motors company.
Because of Lex’s untrustworthy past, he takes it on himself to meet Raya beforehand to seek out what kind of person she is and he gets all the information he wants from her in the drunkenly form of Truth or Dare.
I made a pro’s and con’s list to weed out the smallest tiniest small things that I could think of while reading Lex & Ray’s story. As you can see most of the pros are about Raya while the cons are about Lex…
Pros
* I loved the begging/praising throughout the book …
* The sex scenes were great however, it speaks volumes when even THEY can’t save how crappy this story sorta was. (maybe this is a con then)
* Raya not asking Lex to change himself but to accept their relationship was a gold star for me
* The Windsor's accepting Raya into the family so quickly was super cute
* I enjoyed the slow burn of Lex & bob’s son/father relationship
* The continuous of the truth & dare game was my favorite thing ever
* Raya’s overall character was refreshing. She is just so kind and caring but also NOT a pushover!
Cons
* HE PULLED A GUN ON HER !?!??!?! (He should of read the room first)
* Communication is key and Lexington has none of it
* He was tracking her via wedding ring??
* I wish we got more of the Windsor kids interactions with Lex like how we did in the previous stories (but that’s only a hot take because I miss them 🙁)
* Raya kept their relationship from Adam (She kept assuring Lex that Adam was just a friend and Raya even explains in the beginning that they are childhood friends. So I’m not fully understanding why she couldn’t just tell him “Hey I’m dating our hot stand in professor”. Or just have him sign an nda if she was that worried.)
* Adam … as a character was not my favorite. I’m glad she had a shoulder to cry on but… I’m sorry, I just didn’t care for him? I have no clue if that was the point that the author wanted us to not really care too much about the side characters in this story. But I had no emotional connection to him when he got angry at Raya for not telling him about her relationship with Lex.
* Lexington’s quick character switch near the end…
But also don’t keep friends around that you can’t trust to keep your personal business private.
Overall Overview
Lexington’s Background
I’m not going to mention any of the triggering parts of Lex’s background mainly because it was upsetting to read considering before reading this book, Lex was my favorite brother. It’s not actions that he did that affects his character, it just shows that you never know how truly damaged someone can be unless they let you in. I hope that makes sense. I know a lot of people might think what happened to him wasn’t that deep. But the effects it caused him makes it way deeper. I’m more shocked that the author didn’t vocalize in the story that maybe he should seek help from a therapist. Only because of how he reacted to Raya when Sierra went missing was kind of wild.
Raya’s Background
I was glad that we got a deeper insight into what happened when Raya's parents vocalized their dislike of the idea of their daughter in an arranged marriage. It gave clarity into understanding more on why they kept her in the dark for so long.
Lexington’s & Raya’s Character
I wanted to like Lexington overall because I’ve liked him so much as a side character in the previous stories. The only downfall was his distrust towards Raya. I think the plot towards the end ruined it for me. And I get that most of his actions were trauma related but good lord THE GUN!!?!??!
Raya girl you are pure sunshine and fairytales and a sweet strawberry cake on a spring day! I love her so much!! It’s hard for me to find the negatives in Raya because her positives shine so much.
Now was this review just me blabbering away? Yes … And is there any reason for this review to be this long? No … But if you read all of this then you deserve a beso!!!
RR
Rereading this series is the best decision I've made all year!!! My reading slump is cured!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2024
Okay so possibly an unpopular opinion, I thought this book was okay.
The series has been a family whose grandmother has organised arranged marriages for each of them, 1 per book.
This is Lex and Raya.
Lex has some trust issues, things are hinted at from his past but not revealed for some time, he finds out who his arranged is by hacking into his grandmother's files so he can observe her to see if she is a genuine person. To protect his family.
I'm not sure if it's because tutor and student is not my favourite troupe or if it's the technology, bots that's predominantly part of the story but I wasn't keen.
There was a lot of sex, I mean a lot.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
Spoilers
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Several occasions women flirt with the Hero but he turns all down.
Raya is best friends with Adam, he is in love with Raya, she confides in him and they are close. She doesn't tell Adam about the marriage, part of terms of the agreement.
At one point the Hero and heroine fall out in a big way and she goes to stay with Adam. He defends the Hero but if the roles where reversed I'm not sure readers would have been happy with the Hero running to a woman who is in love with him to console him, even if he is unaware of the feelings.
Lex issues stem from a previous relationship where he fell for the girl and they were kidnapped, it was orchestrated by the girl and her family for money from Lex's family for ransom.
An issue arises at around 75% the Hero is triggered so ends up saying hurtful stuff to the heroine undoing any trust and holds a loaded gun to her head, leaving a red mark.
Because this happens so late in the book the grovel is faster than I'd have liked.
I didn't get drawn into the angst like I did in the previous books.
Hints dropped for next couple.
HEA.
Epilogue.
The series has been a family whose grandmother has organised arranged marriages for each of them, 1 per book.
This is Lex and Raya.
Lex has some trust issues, things are hinted at from his past but not revealed for some time, he finds out who his arranged is by hacking into his grandmother's files so he can observe her to see if she is a genuine person. To protect his family.
I'm not sure if it's because tutor and student is not my favourite troupe or if it's the technology, bots that's predominantly part of the story but I wasn't keen.
There was a lot of sex, I mean a lot.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
Spoilers
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Several occasions women flirt with the Hero but he turns all down.
Raya is best friends with Adam, he is in love with Raya, she confides in him and they are close. She doesn't tell Adam about the marriage, part of terms of the agreement.
At one point the Hero and heroine fall out in a big way and she goes to stay with Adam. He defends the Hero but if the roles where reversed I'm not sure readers would have been happy with the Hero running to a woman who is in love with him to console him, even if he is unaware of the feelings.
Lex issues stem from a previous relationship where he fell for the girl and they were kidnapped, it was orchestrated by the girl and her family for money from Lex's family for ransom.
An issue arises at around 75% the Hero is triggered so ends up saying hurtful stuff to the heroine undoing any trust and holds a loaded gun to her head, leaving a red mark.
Because this happens so late in the book the grovel is faster than I'd have liked.
I didn't get drawn into the angst like I did in the previous books.
Hints dropped for next couple.
HEA.
Epilogue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
never-gonna-read
February 23, 2024Not gonna lie…out of all of these books this seemed like the most promising. The first chapter seemed sweet and I was looking forward to actually having a decent Hero from this family, apparently I was wrong.
I had to search through the reviews and I found only ONE that disclosed that Lex held a loaded gun, with the safety off, to the heroines head while yelling at her and not letting her explain anything. He jumped to the absolute worst conclusion and did what he did. On NO level is that behavior forgivable. Plus, apparently it’s also questionable if Lex will ever be able to love her because of his past trauma??! What the actual hell is this. THIS is our hero? THIS is who I’m suppose to root for?? Absolutely not.
This series is full of shitty Hero’s who behave abhorrently and weak ass heroines who think it’s love. Plus a psychotic grandmother who is worse than all of them combined.
No thank you!
I had to search through the reviews and I found only ONE that disclosed that Lex held a loaded gun, with the safety off, to the heroines head while yelling at her and not letting her explain anything. He jumped to the absolute worst conclusion and did what he did. On NO level is that behavior forgivable. Plus, apparently it’s also questionable if Lex will ever be able to love her because of his past trauma??! What the actual hell is this. THIS is our hero? THIS is who I’m suppose to root for?? Absolutely not.
This series is full of shitty Hero’s who behave abhorrently and weak ass heroines who think it’s love. Plus a psychotic grandmother who is worse than all of them combined.
No thank you!
December 13, 2023
Just finished The Broken Vow....and Lexington's reaction to his engagement was so him!!!!
January 26th can't come fast enough
January 26th can't come fast enough
January 11, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ The book is full of drama, passion, and emotional moments. While some parts feel a bit unrealistic, the strong connection between the characters makes it an enjoyable read.
June 25, 2025
4 stars!⭐️
Loved them and their chemistry !! Raya was such a beautiful character and Lex was a complex but cute
Loved them and their chemistry !! Raya was such a beautiful character and Lex was a complex but cute
February 22, 2024
2.5 stars
just terrible and directionless. needed so much editing.
.............I'm actually so disappointed. I thought it couldn't be worse than tbv but it was on par definitely! i have a headache bye.
just terrible and directionless. needed so much editing.
.............I'm actually so disappointed. I thought it couldn't be worse than tbv but it was on par definitely! i have a headache bye.
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