Indie Author Spotlight Saturday: Bella Matthews

Author: Bella Matthews Title: The Keeper Date Published: 12/06/2023

Read Dates: 10/16/2026- 10/17/2026
Rating:⭐⭐⭐💫

The Keeper is a dual POV, friends-to-lovers romance. Lindy, a retired figure skater, is celebrating her 23rd birthday in Vegas with friends and family, including her best friend, Easton, a hockey player who lives there. When she wakes up the next morning with a ring on her finger, she’s shocked and immediately asks for an annulment, but Easton convinces her to hold off and plans to make the most of the extra time to convince her to stay married. He accepts a trade that will put them in the same city, and the two begin to navigate their new relationship while dealing with meddling friends and angry family. Now he just has to convince her that they’re meant to be!

I loved the idea of this one but struggled with it. Most of that could be on me, though. I deliberately picked a book that was number one in a series, but maybe should have done more research, bc it was number one in a second generation series and I felt lost so many times with a huge cast of characters that the book assumes the reader is already familiar with. There were tropes I loved (friends-to-lovers, found family, man obsessed!) and tropes I didn’t care for (virgin heroine and hero who sleeps around but swears it’s always been her for him). No other partner drama once they were together, though. I enjoyed the author and I’ll have to look over her backlist to figure out a good entry point for reading future books so I don’t feel like I’m missing so much.

Easton Hayes has been my knight in shining hockey skates since he saved my life.

This devastatingly handsome grump may be everyone’s favorite goalie, but to me, he’s my strength when demons haunt my dreams. And okay—so maybe he’s also the only man I’ve ever loved. But he doesn’t need to know that.

We’re friends.

It works for us.

At least, it did. Until I wake up with his ring on my finger and the hangover from hell. But what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas when he refuses to give me an annulment and follows me across the country instead.

Now our families are furious.

Our friends are playing matchmaker.

I’m getting goosebumps each time I hear the words “my wife.”

And I think my husband might be in love with me.