This book was a random KU pick I started without any expectations, just some hope for a fun time, and it took me completely by surprise. The characters were so well-written, Raven and Ares’s chemistry so incredible, that I was hooked by the end of chapter two. I can’t remember the last time that happened. I proceeded to devour the rest of the book in less than two days, my other current read and all other hobbies pushed aside because I needed to know what happened next. It was such an unbelievably fun time and one hell of a wild ride, and I loved it.

Raven gives me Stella vibes (from Ana Huang’s Twisted Lies), and Stella is one of my favorite romance leads, so I loved that. Her dynamic with Ares felt reminiscent of Stella’s with Christian in the best way, despite Ares essentially being Christian’s polar opposite. I want to say “maybe that’s why I loved them so much”, but I don’t think they needed any help. The thrill of watching them fall in love and eventually realize the full extent of their feelings was more than enough, no comparisons needed. I especially loved Ares’s side of the story, because he was so obviously smitten from the get-go and only grew to adore her more as time passed. Romance men simping for their woman is my favorite thing, and he absolutely delivered.

HE’S SO SWEET. And the two of them together are so adorable. Even after finishing the book, thinking of them puts the cheesiest grin on my face. 🧁🩷

Moving past my mushy feelings, one thing that seriously impressed me was how well these two communicated with one another. They talked through their issues, listened and empathized with one another, and handled everything maturely. Not once was an issue blown out of proportion or exploited for drama, and it was so refreshing.

The only thing that really bothered me was in the last third of the book, when one character went completely against the values they’d been preaching until that point.

Grandma insisted on taking Hannah in because she was pregnant with the first next-gen Windsor, because of the importance of family. But she knows how horrible Hannah and the Du Pont parents are to Raven, who she says she loves like one of her own and has for a long time, long before she married Ares. Now Raven is actually a Windsor, she’s actually a part of this family that’s supposed to prioritize each other above all else, and Grandma chooses Hannah instead? She has Hannah move in with Raven and Ares and tells them to “work through their issues”, as if it’s that simple? When she knows neither of them want it, and the situation will devastate Raven? What the hell??? This woman is the matriarch of the family, and it had been said more than once that she ruled it with an iron fist. It would’ve been so easy for her to tell Hannah no. To tell her that she gets nothing from them because she walked away from Ares. That she isn’t a Windsor, they don’t accept her or her child as a Windsor, the only children accepted as legitimate will be Raven’s, and she needs to leave and not come back. In my opinion, it’s what she should’ve done. I admit, seeing the siblings come together to support Raven in the aftermath was sweet, as was her reunion with Ares, and seeing him put Hannah in her place once and for all was immensely satisfying, but still. Grandma should’ve nipped this in the bud before it could get so horrible, and I’m disappointed she didn’t.

Other than that? 10/10. I remember thinking a couple of times that things with Hannah felt a bit formulaic—that every time Raven and Ares were happy, she would show up like clockwork to be a meddling asshole, Raven would start to doubt, and Ares would do whatever he could to reassure her. I remember wondering, each of those times, if I thought the book deserved five stars. Now, having finished it, having fallen so in love with the characters and had such a fun time reading, I’ve decided I don’t care. It made me feel a full range of emotions, it had me excited to read—something that’s only just coming back after far too long away—and that’s enough. That more than makes up for the rest.

I’m so glad I took a chance on this book, I really am. Catharina Maura is a damn good writer, and I can’t wait to read more from her. If the rest of the Windsor books are anywhere near as delightful, I can easily see her becoming a new favorite. I plan to marathon them here soon and find out. Fingers crossed!