Book review: THE UNWANTED MARRIAGE, by Catharina Maura

The Windsors #3

Dion & Faye

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Catharina Maura has this incredible talent to bring us into her world and feel so much!  As we read her fiction stories, we’re made to feel anger, laughter, compassion, desire for revenge, heart wrenching sadness, all the feels!

I didn’t know what to expect of this story, but I was so surprised.  Not at Dion, I pretty knew how his story would unfold: first ignore the fiancee, then hesitate and try to postpone the inevitable, then suddenly fall into lust and appreciation when he gets closer to his intended bride.  And in the end, turn into a besotted husband, like his brothers Ares and Luca!

What surprised me the most was Faye, her family circumstances and her reaction to Dion’s indifference towards her.  In being rebellious because he was living the high life and she was not, she made him notice her and awakened all the usual Windsor men’s typical attitude: protectiveness and possessiveness.

And our rollercoaster began!  

Since Dion ignored Faye for all the years they’ve been engaged, only attending her when social demands forced him, she’s been feeding a huge resentment against him.  And she decided on a little act of retribution: she got a boyfriend.  When he caught them at his hotel, his previous indifferent stand did a one-eight turn and then he was determined to marry her.

Faye is almost always a placid, expressionless and amiable female.  But during those short moments when Dion confronted her, she showed a fire he’d never seen, and now it’s his goal to make her blush, get angry, smile and laugh.  

Similar to Ares and Raven’s story, these two wanted to make their marriage work, but they both had secrets.  What made them bind well was that their mothers were best friends, they were both pianists, even if Dion stopped playing. As their secrets come out, they have to face many obstacles to make their marriage work, and of course, there are outside influences that work against them.

I loved that Raven and Sierra embraced their new sister in law in friendship, something Faye had not enjoyed until now.  Similarly, Dion’s brothers welcomed her as a new sister.  Faye had a crappy home life, so now she feels like she belongs somewhere.  I loved that even Grandmother Anne is sweet with her and very understanding with Dion.  He still has issues with the loss of his parents and all his siblings surround him with love on important dates.  There’s an otherworldly touch in this story, related to Dion’s mother that adds such a wonderful dimension to this story!

As with all the author’s books, the plot is convoluted and takes turns and twists the reader can’t anticipate.  There are very emotional moments that made me cry, same as cheesy moments that made me smile.  I loved this couple and how much they worked to be together, compromised to make it work, loved hard and with a lot of passion (and sexy times!), and in the end, played piano together, elevating their love to sublime.  It was long and wonderful and completely romantic!

Purchase links:

https://hi.catharinamaura.com/dion

About the author:

 Catharina 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

Publisher's Note: Each book in the Windsors series features a different Windsor sibling, and as such, each book can be read as a standalone. The Unwanted Marriage contains a guaranteed happily-ever-after and no cheating.