REVIEW: The Secret Fiancée by Catharina Maura

In The Secret Fiancée by Catharina Maura, Billionaire Lexington “Lex” Windsor knows that he, just like all of his five siblings, will have an arranged marriage to contend with in the near future. However, his siblings lucked out. They all fell madly in love with their spouses. Lex, though…he’s not so sure he has it in him to love and fully trust someone again. Then he discovers the name of his fiancée while doing some snooping. And when he sees Raya Lewis for the first time, he knows he’s in big, big trouble because she’s exactly who he would have chosen if able to do so. Beautiful, highly intelligent, and sweet as can be, Lex has a feeling Raya will have him wrapped around her finger before the ink is dry on their marriage certificate. Something that should terrify him way more than it does.

‘I always thought I’d hate being forced into an arranged marriage, that I’d resent my wife.
Until I met Raya Lewis.’

Raya had no idea arranged marriages were still a thing. Especially here in America. And even though she’s rather perturbed with Lex for not being upfront with her that he knew about the arrangement when they first met, even Raya can appreciate *all* that Lex has going for him. Because he’s not just a world-wide name in the tech industry with gobs of money. He’s funny, charming, so sexy it should be illegal, and a genuinely nice guy. Someone she could all too easily lose her heart to. But Lex was clear with Raya–he doesn’t think he’s capable of giving her the kind of hearts and flowers romance she dreams of. And she’s not sure she wants to give her all to a marriage that will likely be one sided.

‘He made it clear he didn’t want to be in a relationship, but his actions aren’t in line with that of a notorious bachelor. He seems committed to me, and I’m not sure what to make of that.’

THE SECRET FIANCEE completely captivated me from page one with Catharina Maura’s smart writing and the achingly tender, complex romance she created. The plot twists, heat level, and angst only made this story even more remarkable–one I won’t soon forget.

“Love isn’t always communicated verbally, but that doesn’t make it any less real.”

I need a moment after finishing THE SECRET FIANCEE. A moment to stop swooning over our hero Lex. A moment to wipe away the happy tears. And definitely a few moments to look back over the events Lex and Raya endured to finally get to their sweet and oh so romantic HEA. Catharina Maura wrote their story convincingly and with such a keen eye to detail that I was totally swept away and fully immersed in it. And even though I’m not the biggest fan of modern arranged marriages, this one worked. Very well.

I will note that although this book can be read as a standalone, I think it will have more of an impact if you check out the previous novels first. Because the Windsor family has a fair number of people in it, but more than that, the dynamics are absolutely intriguing. They’re not your typical billionaires. Instead of backbiting and animosity between them, the Windsor siblings are a tight-knit group who look out for each other. Something that came in handy during pivotal moments when Raya or Lex ran into issues, together or individually. And I loved seeing that loyalty between the siblings and their spouses as well as how they supported our lovebirds.

Raya and Lex were such a fun couple. Playful and sexy was the baseline in their relationship. But when it came to the tougher subjects, (for the most part) they handled things with maturity and endeavored to communicate as openly as possible. That’s not to say they didn’t act out of character at times. Lex especially. From the trust issues caused by events in his past to bombshell secrets changing Raya’s views of her family, Maura carefully showed how the couple worked their way through it all to end up exactly where they belonged: in each other’s arms.

QOTD: Lex calls Raya “Little Fairy” based on a costume she was wearing when they met. Do you have a nickname or favorite term of endearment someone has called you?

Book Info:

Publication: February 23rd, 2024 | Catharina Maura | The Windsors #5

From the author of The Wrong Bride and The Temporary Wife comes another steamy and angsty billionaire arranged marriage romance.

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.