Caged by Bella Matthews

 

He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before and want things I didn’t think I ever would.

Caged, a must-read friends-to-lovers MMA romance full of heat from USA Today bestselling author Bella Matthews is available now!

Why are the cocky ones always the hardest to resist?

Because this man . . . this man is temptation personified.
He’s six feet, four inches of rock-solid, golden muscles that are inked to perfection and proudly displayed every time he steps into the cage. And I’m the idiot who agreed to stay with him for the next few days.

Hudson “The King” Kingston knew he had a fight coming up when he risked himself to save me. How could I say no when he needed a friend to help him out?
Because that’s exactly what we’ve always been—friends.

Friends who flirt.
Friends who tease.
Friends who never cross that line.
Ever.

The problem is the more time we spend together, the more things shift between us.
But no matter how much I wish he could be my first, he’s never been a relationship guy,
and I refuse to settle for anything less.

I know I can trust him with my life, but can I trust him with my heart?

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My review:

Caged is the first book in the Defiant Kings series but we met Hudson “The King” Kingston in the Restless Kin series.  The two series overlap so I have been reading the books as they are released.  The Kingston family has become one of my favorite families.  They are loud, boisterous, and co-dependent as pointed out several times.  I love how they get into each other’s business and have such a strong bond between them.  They might be full of fun, but they love hard.

“Why do you call me sunshine?” I counter.

“Because you are, baby. You’re sunshine and warmth.  Your smile, your eyes, your whole fucking being lights up every room you walk into, and you don’t even realize it.  I’ve always wanted to be near you.  Been drawn to you.  Always wanted just a piece of your attention, so I could feel your warmth.”

  Hudson is an MMA fighter and Maddie teaches yoga at the gym he trains at.  They had been friends for years, but neither was willing to explore the strong connection between them.  Until one night a strange man breaks into the gym and Hudson places himself between Maddie and the man.   Even though Hudson had a fight coming up soon, he still put himself at risk to save her. When he needs someone to stay with him after he hurt his knee, Maddie couldn’t tell him no.  Close proximity made it hard for them to ignore the sparking connection between them.

Maddie and Hudson both have baggage from their childhoods.  Hudson never did relationships, but he knew Maddie was the relationship type.  So, he stayed away until the lines get crossed and he realizes he actually wants a relationship with Maddie.  Maddie was quiet, kept to herself, and had trouble letting people in.  Once she started opening up to Hudson, he kept knocking down her walls until he made his way all the way in.  I loved how sweet, patient, and protective Hudson was.  He and Maddie made the perfect couple.  I loved watching her grow and become comfortable with Hudson’s family.  I can’t wait for the rest of the Kingston brothers’ stories.  I highly recommend the series.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

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Keep reading for a look inside Caged!

A creak in the hall a few minutes later has me watching a shadow that stops on the other side of the closed door. My heart races, wondering if Hudson’s going to knock. But after a minute, the shadow is gone, and the footsteps head further down the hall to the next room. Hudson’s bedroom.
I sit there, paralyzed and debating what to do for at least ten minutes as disappointment chokes me. Until I finally get up, positive this is insane but forcing myself to move until I’m standing in front of his closed door with my hand pressed against it.
“Maddie?” he calls from inside the room.
“Yeah,” I whisper back. He doesn’t say anything, but the door opens, and I swallow my tongue.
Steam is billowing in from the master bathroom, and wow . . .
This man is beautiful. Standing with one crutch under his arm, a towel wrapped around his hips, and his wet hair dripping down his face, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything sexier. I rake my eyes over all the beautiful, inked muscles on display and have to fight the sudden urge to reach out and trace every last line.
It’s a new urge, and I don’t hate it.
“Are you okay, Mads?” He adjusts his hold on the crutch, still favoring his sore knee and searching my face for an answer. “Maddie?”
I take a deep breath to settle my thoughts as they go into overdrive. “I’m fine. I just . . . God, why is it so hard?”
Hudson cocks his eyebrow, and I realize what I said. More importantly, what it sounded like. “Not you, you big goof.”
“I know, sunshine. I just wanted to see you smile. You never smiled tonight. Not your real smile anyway.”Hudson steps back. “Let me throw some pants on.”
“Okay.”
He moves into the walk-in closet, nearly out of view but not completely.
No . . . I can’t tear my eyes away, as the black towel hits the plush carpet, and am rewarded with an unobstructed view of one calf before it’s covered by a pair of dark jersey pajama pants. When he steps back into the room, he’s shirtless with just those pajama bottoms hanging from incredibly lean hips. Of course, this king has those damn dips that form a perfect V leading to . . . trouble. Yup. I bring my eyes back up to meet his and see a devilish spark staring back at me. Definitely leading to trouble.
Hudson ambles across the room and presses a button that closes the drapes, then sits on the bed with the TV remote in his hand. “Come on, Mads. I want to see what happens in the next Harry Potter. Watch it with me.”
And like a moth to a flame, I throw caution to the wind and walk into the room.

For more information on Bella Matthews’s books and where to contact her, visit her website: https://bit.ly/3gZykNi