Captivating Audiobook By Bella Matthews cover art

Captivating

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Captivating

By: Bella Matthews
Narrated by: Aiden Snow, Desiree Ketchum, Ava Erickson
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About this listen

From USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Bella Matthews comes an Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Sports Romance.

Killian St. James was the boy I loved. Now he’s the man I love to hate.

To the world, I’m America’s sweetheart. A brand built on fairy tales and love songs that sell millions. But the truth? I’m not sure I believe in happily ever afters . . . At least not for me.

Burned-out and desperate for a break, I return to my hometown, craving quiet and a tiny taste of freedom. But instead of peace, I find a stalker in the shadows, paparazzi on my heels, and a meddling family with their own ideas about my life.

Everyone insists I need protection, and having my new bodyguard pose as my fake boyfriend makes total sense . . . Not that they asked me. If that’s not enough, did I mention that Killian is all too happy to volunteer for the job?

This MMA champion is brooding, relentless, and inconveniently perfect at keeping me safe. He’s also unimaginably gorgeous, with a quiet confidence that’s even sexier than the ink tattooed on his golden skin.

But as lines blur and sparks fly, I’m left wondering if the boy I once loved could be the man I can trust with my life . . . and my heart.

©2025 Bella Matthews (P)2025 Bella Matthews
Contemporary Sports Heartfelt Stalker

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A Tension-Filled Second Chance

Bella Matthews delivers a steamy, high-stakes romance in Captivating, blending enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and forced proximity into an emotional and addictive listen.

💔 What’s the Story?
America’s sweetheart is exhausted by fame and desperate for a break. But when a stalker threatens her safety, she’s forced to accept protection—whether she likes it or not. Enter Killian St. James, the MMA fighter she once loved and now can’t stand. Pretending to be her boyfriend keeps her out of the paparazzi’s reach, but with danger lurking and old feelings resurfacing, their arrangement soon feels anything but fake. As the threats escalate, she must decide if she can truly trust Killian—with her life and her heart.

🔥 What Worked:
✔ Intense Chemistry – The tension between the leads is off the charts.
✔ Well-Developed Characters – Their emotional journeys feel raw and real.
✔ Perfect Mix of Romance & Suspense – The blend of danger and desire keeps you hooked.
✔ Great Narration – The voice actors bring the story to life with passion and emotion.

⏳ A Small Critique:
The slow build-up adds depth to the romance, but the stalker subplot could have used more focus. While the tension between the leads is gripping, the suspense element—arguably one of the most intriguing aspects—felt slightly underdeveloped. More emphasis on the looming threat could have heightened the stakes and made the resolution even more impactful.

💘 Tropes You’ll Love:
✔ Enemies-to-Lovers
✔ Fake Dating
✔ Bodyguard Romance
✔ Second Chance
✔ Forced Proximity

🎧 Final Thoughts:
If you love slow-burn romance with explosive chemistry, protective heroes, and just the right amount of danger, Captivating is a must-listen. Even if you haven’t read the previous books in the series, this interconnected standalone will leave you craving more.

🙏 A huge thank you to Bella’s content team for the opportunity to listen to this book!

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Fantastic

Been waiting for this one to come out. The story is perfect and the narration makes the story come alive. No multitasking for me when listening to this one even though i physically read the book I had to hear it all!

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Phenomenal

So, I will start this off by saying I cannot give you all the words I sent to Bella when I was done reading this book, but I will give you one PHENONMENAL!!! Killian St James is just OMG PURE SWOON!!!! If I could write my own book boyfriend, I think it would be Killian! I mean his father is Cade St James need I say more, but on top of it his mother is Scarlett Kingston St James, this woman will always be my hero! Let's talk about the book. Lilah returns home from her tour with her twin brother Noah after threats to her life, she begs for some alone time but her best friends can't stay away, Maddox, Maverick, Jamie and the man of her dreams Killian. From the moment these two interact on page, you know there is fire between them, but we have no clue just how combustible they are! Bella has not only brought us one of the best love stories imaginable, but she has also brought us back into the lives of some of our favorite characters, including Lilah's parent's Nattie & Brady and so many more but you will just have to read to see. You will not be disappointed, whether you are looking for hot couples, swoon worthy men, the strongest women/heroines or a group of friends unlike any others, this book has it all! The narrators did an incredible job bringing Lilah & Killian to life!!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Absolutely DEVOURED this audiobook!

This audiobook is narrated in dual narration by Desiree Ketchum and Aiden Snow with Ava Erickson reading the Kroydon Chronicles snipits. I absolutely love these narrators and this story so naturally I have completely ignored everyone so I could devour this audiobook this morning.

I loved Lyla and Killian’s book. I devoured this when I read it and now listening to the audiobook. I love how this second generation has been written. I had absolutely no clue what was coming in this book and there were so many surprises. New second generation characters we haven’t seen much of and this story that…

I went through a gamut of emotions in this book as Bella brought us another story that was on the angstier side. I loved how Killian treated Lilah through this whole book. Her best interests were at the forefront of his mind and it just made you adore this big, bad MMA fighter getting to see his softer side. And Lilah is such a strong character, sometimes almost to her own detriment but she has such a great support system that help her through everything.

I couldn’t get enough of this book. I absolutely love the world Bella Matthews has made in Kroydon Hills and how I cannot get enough of these characters.



🎤 Bodyguard
❤️ Enemies to Lovers
🎤 MMA Hero
❤️ Pop Star Heroine
🎤 Fake Dating
❤️ Touch Her and Die

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I have a new BBF

Every single book has me saying I have another top BBF & Killian St James is no different! I adored how much Lilah & Killian belonged together, their love is amazing. They had to grow up and work things out which was both amusing and the best kind of stubborn I’ve read in some time. However there are definitely some twists & out of the blue what’s that pop up that make you see red, but once everything works out? Perfection! The narration was absolutely amazing and brought everything to life!

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Loved it🩷🩷

I absolutely adored this book when I read it but hearing it come to life with these narrators was amazing.
Lilah & Killian are just *chefs kiss* 💋
Highly recommend.

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Loved it

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
🩷second chance
💋touch her and die
🩷 fake dating
💋enemies to lovers
🩷MMA champion hero
💋pop star princess
🩷dual pov

Captivating is book 4 in Bella Matthews second generation, Red Lips and White Lies series. This gives is the story of Killian and Lilah and i absolutely adored this story.

Killian, our MMC, steps in as her bodyguard, pretending to be her boyfriend when she is in need of extra security. He always knew Lilah was going to be his but when the truth comes out it was completely not what I was expecting. Killian is very protective, smoldering, brooding but he also loves Lilah, despite her constantly keeping him at arms length to protect her heart.

Lilah, is our sassy heroine. Shes a very sweet and strong character. She's returned home to take a break from her tour, she's burned out and needs a break. But she also has a situation with someone who is stalking her and no one knows who this could be.

This book had a lot of tension, which created a lot of hot chemistry between Killian and Lilah. But this book also dealt with some emotional baggage as well especially with Lilahs character. The book had a balance of suspense, spice and emotion which made for a well balanced and great read.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧
This audiobook is narrated in dual narration. It is performed by Desiree Ketchum and Aiden Snow along with Ava Erickson.

For the most part, I absolutely loved these narrators.The story was short and it flowed smoothly. Since I previously read the book and loved this story so to see it come to life was just swoony.

The only issue is in a few places I thought it felt a bit monotone and could have used a tad more emotion but these were rare instances and I still loved it and enjoyed it.

I finished the audio in one day.

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Blushing

This audiobook had me blushing from the first chapter. The characters story is so heartwarming and sweet. I love the fight they have.

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