The Secret Fiancée by Catharina Maura is the fifth book of the Windsors Series. This book follows the story of Lexington, a.k.a Lex Windsor, and Raya Lewis. The book is a contemporary romance with the trope of marriage of convenience. I enjoyed reading the previous books of the series, especially The Broken Vows.
Lex is a tech billionaire. He is smart and driven, but also emotionally scarred. He hacks into his own family’s system to see who the girl is that his grandmother has picked as his wife. Lex does not want to jump into anything without meeting the girl. He arranges a scenario where he can meet her. When Raya and Lex meet at a party, they hit it off. There is chemistry between them. Later, when Raya learns that Lex is her professor and her fiancée. She is shocked and betrayed by Lex for hiding this information from her. With the wedding confirmed, Lex and Raya start to learn about each other.
I loved the development and romance between Lex and Raya. Their chemistry seems so genuine from the moment they meet. Lex is dealing with trauma from his past. There is a reason he is guarded and so focused on safety. His overprotectiveness leads to plenty of jealousy and possessiveness in his relationship with Raya. In comparison, Raya is level-headed and smart. She understandably feels betrayed when she finds out that Lex knew about the arranged marriage when he met her. Raya and Lex’s relationship needs a lot of forgiving and healing for Lex to find a way forward.
I am not sure exactly what I disliked about the story. There were emotional stakes, but it did not pay off towards the end. The marriage of convenience trope and the romance part are done well. There were some inconsistencies in the character arcs that I could not overlook. The relationship between Lex and Raya was engaging, and I enjoyed reading their moments together. The romance between them felt organic in some instances and at times seemed forced. I think the last book was so emotionally intense that I felt this one lacked it. Although I enjoyed it, it’s the weakest book of the series so far.
The Secret Fiancée by Catharina Maura is the second-to-last book of the series. I liked the marriage of convenience romance. I had slight issues with the pacing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story of Raya and Lex. I am excited to read the next book.
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