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A review by kate4ez
The Secret Fiancée by Catharina Maura
3.0
Lex and Raya’s story is mostly sweet and full of heart and a nice addition to the Windsor saga until the 80% mark. Then something happens that is so over-the-top it blows all the rest out of the water.
The depth of Lex’s self-loathing and Raya’s indifference in the last fifth of the book, after his actions for the first 80% of the book indicated he was devoted to her, felt off. What he did was completely outrageous, but also a trauma response. If it’s a dealbreaker for her, then don’t drag it out. Just walk away. Lex can get the therapy he so clearly needs and they can both start over with someone else. Raya’s unforgiving stance and Lex’s abasement feels out of proportion when she was not only cool with but supportive of her dad’s outrageous level of control in her marriage. Forcing the couple to stay with her parents every weekend after the wedding, wanting to give them separate rooms, walking in on them unannounced, causing them to behave like teenagers caught in the act…why is that okay? She was holding her dad up as the standard she wanted from her husband, yet turns cold when she sees Lex also feels a need for control? And can we talk about how Lex was raised by the hella controlling Grandma Anne?
I get that sometimes love isn’t enough, but what else could Lex possibly do to make her happy? His self-loathing paired with his devotion for Raya after the incident bothered me. She acted indifferent to the depth of love she claimed she wanted from him. And for her to go to Adam when she leaves? Her only friend is a guy who clearly wants to be more than friends? Ick.
The depth of Lex’s self-loathing and Raya’s indifference in the last fifth of the book, after his actions for the first 80% of the book indicated he was devoted to her, felt off. What he did was completely outrageous, but also a trauma response. If it’s a dealbreaker for her, then don’t drag it out. Just walk away. Lex can get the therapy he so clearly needs and they can both start over with someone else. Raya’s unforgiving stance and Lex’s abasement feels out of proportion when she was not only cool with but supportive of her dad’s outrageous level of control in her marriage. Forcing the couple to stay with her parents every weekend after the wedding, wanting to give them separate rooms, walking in on them unannounced, causing them to behave like teenagers caught in the act…why is that okay? She was holding her dad up as the standard she wanted from her husband, yet turns cold when she sees Lex also feels a need for control? And can we talk about how Lex was raised by the hella controlling Grandma Anne?
I get that sometimes love isn’t enough, but what else could Lex possibly do to make her happy? His self-loathing paired with his devotion for Raya after the incident bothered me. She acted indifferent to the depth of love she claimed she wanted from him. And for her to go to Adam when she leaves? Her only friend is a guy who clearly wants to be more than friends? Ick.