The Temporary Wife by C. A. Maura

A Marriage of Convenience That Was Never Supposed to Become Real

The Temporary Wife by Catharina Maura is the second book in the bestselling Windsors series, an interconnected collection of billionaire romances centred around the powerful Windsor family.

This novel follows Luca Windsor and Valentina Diaz.

Luca is convinced that his highly capable executive secretary is the last woman he should become emotionally involved with.

Valentina is professional, composed and always one step ahead of him.

She understands his schedule.

She anticipates his needs.

And, despite Luca’s insistence that he finds her infuriating, he quickly discovers just how impossible his life would be without her.

The tension between them grows until family pressure and a personal crisis push them toward an arrangement neither originally planned:

marriage.

Bloom Books describes the novel as a workplace romance combining slow-burn attraction, billionaire romance, and a marriage of convenience between Luca and Valentina.

Luca Windsor

Luca is a member of the wealthy and influential Windsor family.

He is disciplined, controlling and accustomed to keeping his emotions carefully contained.

He also knows his family expects him to enter an arranged marriage.

Romance is therefore something Luca believes can be managed logically.

Valentina makes that increasingly difficult.

Despite telling himself that she is simply his secretary, Luca becomes noticeably possessive when the possibility of her dating someone else appears.

His attempts to create emotional distance only make the attraction between them more obvious.

Valentina Diaz

Valentina is intelligent, efficient and fiercely professional.

She works closely with Luca and understands him better than most people around him.

She is not easily intimidated by his position or personality.

That makes their relationship different from a conventional boss-and-employee dynamic.

Their constant professional proximity creates tension, but Valentina also has her own concerns and responsibilities outside the office.

When she experiences a personal crisis, Luca offers help—but asks for something extraordinary in return.

Her hand in marriage.

Marriage of Convenience

The central trope of The Temporary Wife is marriage of convenience.

Their arrangement is meant to be practical.

Temporary.

Controlled.

The original terms include keeping the marriage quiet at work and maintaining clear boundaries.

But sharing a life becomes much more complicated than either expected.

The more time Luca and Valentina spend together, the harder it becomes to separate convenience from genuine emotion.

Office Romance

This is also a strong workplace romance.

Luca and Valentina already know one another extremely well before the marriage arrangement begins.

Their professional relationship has been built through years of:

• Meetings
• Deadlines
• Business travel
• Arguments
• Shared responsibilities
• Constant proximity

This gives the romance a different dynamic from characters who meet for the first time at the beginning of a novel.

Their attraction develops out of an existing working relationship filled with irritation, trust and dependence.

Billionaire Romance

The Windsor family’s wealth and influence shape much of the series.

Luca operates within a world of corporate power, family expectations and high social status.

However, his wealth does not make his personal relationships simple.

Much of the emotional conflict comes from balancing family obligation with individual choice.

Arranged Marriage Expectations

The Windsor family has strong expectations regarding marriage.

Luca has always assumed that his grandmother will eventually decide whom he should marry.

Valentina does not believe she fits into those plans.

That assumption becomes one of the major sources of tension between them.

The novel therefore blends:

• Marriage of convenience
• Arranged marriage pressure
• Workplace romance
• Billionaire romance
• Forced proximity
• Secret relationship elements

Slow-Burn Attraction

Although Luca and Valentina already know each other well, both spend a long time denying what is happening between them.

Their attraction develops through:

• Arguments
• Jealousy
• Professional tension
• Shared routines
• Emotional vulnerability
• Physical proximity

That makes the romantic progression feel closely connected to the years of history they already share.

The Windsor Family

The Temporary Wife is part of the interconnected Windsors series.

Each major book focuses on a different member of the Windsor family while recurring characters continue appearing throughout the series.

The publisher’s reading order is:

1. The Wrong Bride
2. The Temporary Wife
3. The Unwanted Marriage
4. The Broken Vows
5. The Secret Fiancée
6. The Devious Husband

Easons and Penguin Random House India both confirm this sequence.

Can The Temporary Wife Be Read as a Standalone?

The central Luca-and-Valentina romance has its own main storyline.

However, because the Windsor family and supporting characters recur across the series, readers will get more context by starting with The Wrong Bride.

For your store, I recommend merchandising it as:

The Windsors #2

rather than simply calling it a standalone.

Themes

The novel explores themes including:

• Love versus obligation
• Family expectations
• Trust
• Vulnerability
• Commitment
• Workplace boundaries
• Jealousy
• Emotional dependence
• Marriage
• Family loyalty
• Choosing your own future

Mature Romance

The Temporary Wife is an adult contemporary romance.

Publisher descriptions specifically position it as a steamy/spicy romance.

It should therefore be listed under adult romance rather than Young Adult.

Who May Enjoy This Book

This book may particularly appeal to readers who enjoy:

• Marriage of convenience
• Office romance
• Billionaire romance
• Forced proximity
• Arranged marriage
• Boss/secretary romance
• Slow-burn tension
• Possessive heroes
• Interconnected family series
• Angsty contemporary romance

Readers who enjoy Ana Huang, Lauren Asher and similar contemporary billionaire-romance series may also find the Windsors appealing.

About Catharina Maura

Catharina Maura is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling romance author known for emotionally intense, fast-paced contemporary romance.

Publisher biographies note that she lives in Hong Kong and writes stories that combine angst, family drama and hard-won romantic endings.

For readers who enjoy marriage-of-convenience romances, workplace tension and powerful interconnected families, The Temporary Wife is one of the core books in the Windsors series.