🔖 REVIEW BLITZ 🔖 Striking by Bella Matthews

Striking by Bella Matthews

Release Date: July 17, 2025

Series: Red Lips & White Lies Book #7

Pages: 276

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

An accidental marriage, forbidden, billionaire romance, From USA Today and #1 Amazon Best Selling Author, Bella Matthews.

In my defense, I never planned on marrying my husband.

But after one wild night and one too many cocktails, I wake up tangled in silk sheets, with a diamond ring on my finger, a sinfully sexy prince next to me in bed, and palace guards banging on the door with devastating news.

The king is dead.
And apparently, my accidental husband is next in line for the throne.

Now I'm stuck navigating crowns, cameras, and a man I barely know but somehow can't keep my hands off—all while figuring out what to do with this mistake of a marriage. But Rhys Windsor doesn't look at me like a mistake. He looks at me like I'm his only truth.

They say a little white lie never hurt anyone... but this little lie could destroy a dynasty.

AVAILABLE NOW

My Review:

Not having read any other books by Matthews before, I didn’t know what to expect before reading Striking. Needless to say, I was hooked from beginning to end. This forbidden royal romance is heartwarming, steamy and about new beginnings.

For Bellamy Wilder having a calming place to vacation, while also having time to focus on her studying is all she wants before taking the biggest test of her nursing career. Little did she know that her life was about to change forever, the minute a handsome stranger shows up at the villa where she is staying. A storm brings them together and he introduces himself as Rhys Windsor, heir to the throne of Mornea. There is something about Bellamy that Rhys can’t ignore, her aura is magnetic and it’s evident that the two are very much attracted to each other. It’s refreshing to be away from his royal responsibilities back home and Rhys plans to take advantage of that by spending more time with Bellamy and her family.

Soon they realize just how much they have in common after going through life changing experiences in their lives. Inviting her home should have given a chance to show her a very important cause to him, but it’s after a night of too many drinks that they wake up married. Bellamy has worked really hard to get to where she is and she is not about to move to a different country on a whim. But Rhys has other ideas and gives her the chance to make a big difference in millions of lives as his queen. He just needs to convince her to give them a chance before it’s too late.

I throughly enjoyed reading Striking, the characters’ stories were relatable and is able to write about the heavy topic in the book really well. I would double check trigger warmings before reading the book. While the heavy topic in the book takes place, the characters also have to deal with their new reality of being married. Bellamy has to learn to navigate her new life and has to decide if she truly wants to leave everything behind. Rhys thought that he still had time to live his life before becoming king, yet he has to find the strength to figure out how to get his people to accept her while also trying to get Bellamy to see just how perfect they are together. All in all, this story was sweet and the ending was perfect for them. I cannot wait to read the previous books in the series! :)

***I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.***

My Rating: 4.5/5

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🔖 BLOG TOUR 🔖 Death by Michelle Heard {REVIEW}

Death by Michelle Heard

Release Date: June 30, 2025

Series: Mafia Empire #3

Pages: 281

Genres: Romance, Suspense

From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.

I walked out of my home and away from my loving sister to protect her. Either I left with him, the man who’s watched me from the shadows for months, or he would kill Grace.

It’s been nine months of living in pure agony and hell.
Nine months since I last saw Grace.
Nine months of him controlling every aspect of my life.

My mind has shattered, and I’m not sure I’ll ever escape him.

Until I do.
The only problem? Not even minutes after running for my life, I’m captured again by another man. This one is charming with his hot smiles and promises of safety, and he rules over his kingdom like a beloved god.

Is the brutality I see in his eyes just my imagination? Do I dare trust that he won’t hurt me?
I know what he wants.
Me.

I’m just not sure there’s anything left of me to give to him.

STANDALONE: A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
Each book in the Mafia Empire series is interconnected, but about a different couple who will all find their HEA.

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU

My Review:

As the third book in the Mafia Empire Series, Heard delivers her darkest book yet in Death. This mafia romance is full of secrets, suspense and an emotional rollercoaster that will pull at your heartstrings and never let go.

Nothing is ever easy in their world, especially after being promised to a man she doesn’t love. Alliances are everything and Ciara Devlin has no choice but to marry the man her dad has promised her to. But her biggest ally, her sister Grace, will do anything to save Ciara from the horrors that she suffered in her first marriage. So when Grace agrees to marry Dominik instead, it should have given Ciara a chance to not go through the same experience. Little did she know just her life would take a turn for the worse after being kidnapped and held away from her own family. It would take months of living in pain to slowly destroy all hopes of being rescued. Until Ciara finds herself running for her life, only to be taken by another man. A man that slowly finds a way into her heart, Santiago gives her the chance to start fresh. Yet, Ciara doesn’t know if she’ll ever be the same again. What she went through completely destroyed her.

Santiago Castro has build a life for himself full of wealth and power. Growing up his life was different, until everything changed the minute the cartel decided to turn to on his family. Losing everything made him more resilient all while vowing to protect all those that need him. Especially the woman that he is destined to be with, as he was once told that she would be like the rising sun. Only his instincts are telling him that she is in a grave danger and Santiago is ready to do anything in order to find her. It’s when he does that Santiago becomes her protector and vows to make those that hurt her pay the ultimate price for hurting the woman he loves. He knows that Ciara has been through so much and it’s heartbreaking to see her in pain. Yet, he is determine to be there for her no matter what, even if she decides that she might not be able to love him back.

I absolutely loved reading Death, the storyline was more complex and well-written when it came to the dark topics in the book. I would definitely recommend reading the trigger warmings at the beginning before reading the book. It’s clear from the beginning that Ciara goes through a severe trauma after she gets taken. It doesn’t take her long to gravitate towards Santiago, which she does’t understand as he is clearly a stranger. But it’s his honesty and kindness that wins her over. There is a mutual understanding between them as the two start to get to know each other more. They have a lot in common and she can see herself falling for Santiago. I loved seeing Santiago not being too pushy with Ciara, instead he is nothing but completely understanding her situation and takes his time with her. Seeing them interact with previous characters also made the book that much more enjoyable to read. The ending will literally melt your heart, it was sweet and perfect for the characters. I would highly recommend checking out this book as well as the rest of the series, you will not regret it! :)

***I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.***

My Rating:

About Michelle Heard:

Michelle Heard is a Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author who loves creating stories her readers can get lost in. She resides in South Africa with her son where she's always planning her next book to write, and trip to take.

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