The Temporary Wife by Catharina Maura Summary

The Temporary Wife is a contemporary billionaire romance about Luca Windsor, who secretly marries his secretary Valentina Diaz to escape an unwanted arranged engagement. Their marriage of convenience comes with three rules: don't fall in love, keep it secret at work, and share a bed every night. As they navigate their fake marriage after eight years of working together, the professional boundaries blur and deeper emotions emerge, challenging their agreement and forcing both to confront past trauma and trust issues.

Catharina Maura is a USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author known for writing angsty, fast-paced contemporary romance novels. Originally from the Netherlands with Caribbean-Indian descent, she holds degrees in Psychology and Accounting but transitioned to full-time writing during the pandemic. She currently lives in Hong Kong with her husband and has published over 25 books. Her stories focus on emotional depth, broken characters finding love, and hard-won happily ever afters with billionaire and workplace romance themes.

The Temporary Wife is perfect for readers who love marriage of convenience tropes, workplace romance, and enemies-to-lovers dynamics with emotional depth. Fans of billionaire romance with angsty storylines, forced proximity, and slow-burn tension will enjoy this book. It appeals to those who appreciate character-driven stories exploring past trauma, trust issues, and emotional healing. Since each book in The Windsors series is standalone with guaranteed happily ever afters, new readers can start here without reading previous books.

The Temporary Wife delivers a satisfying contemporary romance with strong character development and emotional complexity. Catharina Maura skillfully balances steamy romance with deeper themes of childhood trauma, self-worth, and vulnerability. The eight-year professional history between Luca and Valentina creates authentic chemistry and tension that makes their transition from colleagues to lovers believable. Readers praise the patient, attentive portrayal of Luca and Valentina's relatable journey of overcoming past wounds, making it a compelling read for romance enthusiasts seeking emotional depth alongside passion.

The marriage of convenience in The Temporary Wife occurs when Luca Windsor proposes a fake marriage to Valentina to escape his family's arranged engagement to Natalia Ivanov while solving Valentina's financial struggles with her grandmother's healthcare needs. The arrangement promises mutual benefits: Luca gains freedom from unwanted matchmaking, and Valentina receives financial security and career advancement. However, their strategic alliance becomes complicated as underlying emotions surface, blurring the lines between contract and genuine connection, ultimately transforming their temporary arrangement into real love.

The Temporary Wife explores how childhood trauma shapes adult relationships, particularly through Valentina's experiences with her parents' tumultuous relationship and abandonment. The novel examines trust, vulnerability, and the courage required to believe one deserves love despite past wounds. Power dynamics in workplace relationships and family expectations versus personal desires drive the narrative. Other key themes include emotional healing through patience and understanding, self-worth beyond professional achievement, and the transformation from guarded independence to genuine partnership built on mutual respect and unconditional love.

Yes, Luca Windsor and Valentina Diaz end up together with a guaranteed happily ever after, as The Temporary Wife contains no cheating. Their fake marriage evolves into genuine love after both confront their emotional barriers and past trauma. The novel concludes with a vow renewal symbolizing their real commitment, not contractual obligation. The epilogue fast-forwards ten years, showing them still deeply in love as parents and co-leaders of Windsor Finance. What began as a temporary strategic arrangement transforms into an enduring partnership rooted in trust, passion, and equality.

The Temporary Wife is the second book in The Windsors series by Catharina Maura, featuring different Windsor siblings in each installment. However, each book functions as a complete standalone with its own romance arc and happily ever after. Luca and Valentina were introduced in the first book, The Wrong Bride, which sparked reader curiosity about their story. Readers can start with The Temporary Wife without prior series knowledge, though reading in order provides deeper context about the Windsor family dynamics and Grandma Anne's influence.

Luca Windsor and Valentina Diaz worked together for eight years in a demanding boss-secretary relationship before their marriage. Luca initially accepted Valentina reluctantly because his grandmother insisted on hiring her, creating underlying tension despite her proven competence. Their professional dynamic involved verbal sparring, simmering attraction, and mutual respect masked by formality. Known within the company as demanding yet fair, Luca relied heavily on Valentina's brilliance, while she maintained emotional distance. This foundation of close proximity and repressed desire made their transition to marriage both complicated and inevitable.

Valentina's past profoundly shapes her inability to trust and belief that she's unworthy of love, stemming from her father's abandonment, disabled mother's struggles, and warnings about men's betrayal. These childhood scars cause her to push people away and doubt Luca's genuine feelings throughout their marriage. Luca demonstrates patience and understanding when Valentina shuts him out emotionally, recognizing her wounds need gentle handling. The novel emphasizes that healing requires confronting these traumas directly—Valentina's breakthrough comes through facing her mother and accepting she deserves love despite her painful history.

The three rules governing Luca and Valentina's contract marriage are: don't fall in love, keep their marriage a secret at work, and share a bed every night. These boundaries were meant to maintain their straightforward, mutually beneficial arrangement while protecting their professional reputations and emotional safety. However, each rule becomes increasingly difficult to follow as proximity intensifies their attraction and deeper feelings emerge. The shared bed rule particularly challenges their resolve to stay emotionally detached, ultimately proving that contractual terms cannot contain genuine connection and evolving love.

The Temporary Wife stands out among billionaire romances through its emphasis on emotional depth and character trauma rather than just wealth and passion. Unlike typical billionaire stories focusing primarily on luxury and power dynamics, Catharina Maura prioritizes the psychological journey of healing and self-worth. The eight-year professional foundation between Luca and Valentina creates more authentic chemistry than instant attraction common in the genre. The novel balances steamy romance with substantive exploration of childhood wounds, making it appeal to readers seeking both emotional satisfaction and heat in their contemporary romance reads.