Regina v Bride: City/Cape Union: Book 2
In the idyllic coastal town of Cape Bougainvillea, where sprawling mansions grip the cliff's edge and the ocean whispers secrets, the formidable Regina Ferrous has built an empire on meticulous order and ruthless pragmatism. Her life is a fortress, designed to keep out the chaos that claimed her sister, Delores-a woman who dared to choose a life of passion and art over a predictable, secure path. When Regina's beloved stepson, Ashwin, announces his engagement to the vibrant, fiercely independent animator, Drew, the foundations of Regina's carefully constructed world are shaken to their core.
Drew is everything Regina fears: a free-spirited artist, estranged from her own family after a painful rejection, who has forged a new life with a chosen family of fellow creatives. To Regina, Drew's unconventional career and disregard for tradition don't just signal instability; they are a terrifying echo of Delores's tragic choices. Thrown into a grief-stricken panic, Regina sees not a future daughter-in-law, but the ghost of her sister's mistakes poised to derail Ashwin's future. What follows is a gripping, high-stakes emotional war, where a mother's fear-driven protection clashes with the powerful, authentic love of the next generation. Old wounds are weaponized, secrets are unearthed, and the very definition of family is thrown into question.
For Regina, this is more than a matter of approval; it's a desperate, suffocating fight to prevent history from repeating itself, a battle to save her son from a fate she believes is inevitable. For Ashwin, a compassionate man caught between worlds, it's an impossible choice between the loyalties he owes the woman who raised him and the all-consuming love he has for the woman who sees his soul. And for Drew, who has already fought for her own identity and survived the ultimate rejection, it's a soul-crushing confrontation with a new matriarch who views her not as family, but as a contagion.
"You were afraid, Reggie," a voice in the storm tells her. "...It was never just about pragmatism; it was about fear."
Regina v Bride is a searing, unforgettable exploration of the intricate and often painful dynamics that define us. It delves into the destructive nature of fear-based control and the courageous, difficult journey toward accepting our loved ones for who they are, not who we wish them to be. It is a raw and honest portrayal of how past trauma can warp the present, leading to patterns of behaviour that risk recreating the very tragedies we seek to avoid. It poses powerful questions about what we owe our past and what we have the right to claim for our future.
If you crave the complex family politics and psychological depth of HBO's Succession, the simmering secrets of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere, or the explosive emotional reckonings of August: Osage County, you will be captivated by this stunning novel from P. K. Wilcox.
Can love win a war against fear? Can a family haunted by the past ever truly heal? Or will one woman's terror of repeating history ultimately destroy the future for everyone she holds dear?
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