The Billionaire Prince's Secret Engagement by Lina Brighthart

 

Rating: ⭐⭐

The Trope Lacks Substance

This narrative attempts a unique spin on a classic fairytale dynamic, though the execution misses the mark on character development.

Rose is written with a constant sense of vulnerability, spending most of the book with her eyes wide like a scared rabbit waiting to run—an action she eventually takes. This defensive posture makes it difficult to see her agency in the relationship. Lucas presents a different contradiction; despite his claims that he doesn't want Rose in his world, his actions suggest otherwise. Rather than shielding her, it feels as though he uses her presence to reclaim his identity apart from the paparazzi stories, which undermines his character's integrity.

The story relies heavily on the "fake it till you make it" trope, but it struggles with transparency. The revelation that the engagement was never truly fake feels less like a twist and more like a manipulation of the premise, leaving the romance overshadowed..