The Wrong Bride by Catherina Maura is a contemporary marriage of convenience romance book. This is the first book of the author’s Windsors series. The story focuses on Ares and Raven. Ares is an elusive media mogul, and Raven is a fashion designer and a model. They have known each other for a long time, and Raven has feelings for Ares. But he is engaged to her older sister. When her sister doesn’t show up on their wedding day, Raven is asked to take her place and marry Ares.
Raven has known and liked Ares for a long time. Ares’s grandmother had chosen Raven to be his bride-to-be, but he chose to be with her sister, Hannah instead. Raven and Ares are friends, but her one-sided feelings for him make things difficult for her. She is best friends with Sierra, Ares’s sister, so it is not possible to completely ignore him. They have an easy-going friendship, and Ares does care about her. When Hannah pushes to postpone the wedding again for her career, Ares and his grandmother are both against it. His grandmother warns that the wedding will happen if Hannah doesn’t show up, and then he has to marry Raven. Although Raven is in love with Ares, she has witnessed the relationship between him and her sister; she knows he doesn’t have romantic feelings for her.
Ares and Raven end up being forced by their respective families. Though it was not what they wanted, they decided to try and make the best of it. Both of them set some rules and discussed how things between them would be, which I liked. Raven’s insecurities about her sister are natural, given the circumstances. The man she has been in love with for years always had eyes for her sister. They definitely have a good relationship because they were friends before they got married, so there is chemistry. Ares genuinely cares about Raven and is attracted to her. He feels conflicted about their marriage because of his past with Hannah. Slowly, Ares and Raven give in to this chemistry between them, and their insecurities linger.
There are a lot of things that I liked about Catherina Maura’s The Wrong Bride. The friends-to-lovers and marriage of convenience romance elements are done justice by the author. A part of Raven’s insecurities stemming from her parents’ preferential treatment towards Hannah, then Ares rejecting marrying her and choosing Hannah, naturally leaves a scar on her. The story flows nicely, but at times, it does move too quickly. Raven goes through a lot of pain and hurt because of her unrequited love. I feel that for Ares, it happens too quickly. His care and attraction morphs into love a touch too fast for my liking. It felt too easy. The part about Hannah coming back and trying to steal Ares back was too dramatic for me. I loved the romance and understanding between Raven and Ares; it was my favorite part.
The Wrong Bride by Catherina Maura is an engaging and romantic romance novel. I loved the majority of the characters and the world the author created in the book. It is a fun contemporary romance with satisfying character arcs and an interesting story. I liked reading it. This book intrigued me about the Windsor siblings series. I want to read all of the books now.
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