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Love & Legacy #6
Sweet Redemption
From #1 Amazon and USA Today Bestselling Author Bella Matthews comes a single dad, dual athlete, second chance, hockey romance.
Hendrix Sinclair is everything I've ever wanted and nothing I could ever have.
He's hockey's hottest single dad, with a sinfully sexy smile and a deliciously dirty mouth. One I've loved for nearly half my life. Not that anyone but the two of us have ever known that fun little fact . . .
We spent a decade in two different cities.
Chasing two different dreams.
And were supposed to be falling in love with two different people.
Only I never did.
He was busy becoming the NHL's newest superstar, while I was fighting to become one of the biggest names in professional soccer.
Now, after years spent convincing myself we could never work, it only takes one look, one searing kiss, and one forbidden night to unravel everything I thought I knew.
It also only takes one day to shatter it all.
Hendrix Sinclair is everything I've ever wanted and nothing I could ever have.
He's hockey's hottest single dad, with a sinfully sexy smile and a deliciously dirty mouth. One I've loved for nearly half my life. Not that anyone but the two of us have ever known that fun little fact . . .
We spent a decade in two different cities.
Chasing two different dreams.
And were supposed to be falling in love with two different people.
Only I never did.
He was busy becoming the NHL's newest superstar, while I was fighting to become one of the biggest names in professional soccer.
Now, after years spent convincing myself we could never work, it only takes one look, one searing kiss, and one forbidden night to unravel everything I thought I knew.
It also only takes one day to shatter it all.
288 pages, Paperback
Published August 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 862 reviews
September 2, 2026
So he marries someone else (for reasons that make you want to roll your eyes outta your head) all because she said no?
Yeah let’s normalise that shit and blame her for his decisions.
If only the author would have let her move on. But we can’t have that, can we?
And don’t even get me started with that bullshit letter at the end…
🙄
Yeah let’s normalise that shit and blame her for his decisions.
If only the author would have let her move on. But we can’t have that, can we?
And don’t even get me started with that bullshit letter at the end…
🙄
September 3, 2026
1 star - and that’s generous. The type of friendship Hendrix started with Britt while in a relationship with Serena, secret or not was completely unacceptable, in my opinion. To tell Britt his secrets and all the ups and downs of his relationship with Serena over 5 years and calling Britt his best friend the whole time, unacceptable. Serena should be his best friend, not Britt. To be in a long distance relationship and allow Britt to move to a new city with him, unacceptable. To break up with Serena after she miscarries his baby because she declines his proposal, unacceptable. To then 6 months later go marry this “best friend” and claim her child from some other man and straight up lie to Serena, unacceptable. THEN to just expect her to take him back because he’s ready for that?!? Absolute trash.
August 30, 2026
2.5 ⭐️
TW; pregnancy loss/miscarriage & spoilers.
Let me just start by saying that I am a huge fan of Bella Matthews. I’ve read all of her books and have loved them all.
I’m so sad that this one did not do it for me, but that’s ok, because reading is subjective and everyone has differing opinions. 🩷
“And then everything hurt, and I was scared and alone and in a cold hospital room losing our baby. And your answer was marrying you.” 😣
With that being said, the miscarriage part derailed it for me. As someone who has suffered MULTIPLE miscarriages, I cannot get over him not being there for her and basically being a man child bc she didn’t agree that marrying him would fix their problems. Because what do you mean he didn’t immediately fly out to Seattle to be with her?!? I get he was young.. but the answer is not being upset that she said no and then marrying someone else(your female best friend) 🙄 and fathering HER kid.. a few months later. I don’t care about WHY you did it, there’s no redemption for me. I would’ve never forgiven him. You didn’t talk for years after that.. she LOST your baby and had EVERY right to deny your proposal.
I’m pretty sure I read a different book then everyone else because I hated him.. He was toxic 😭
My husband was my rock through that period in my life and he ALSO grieved. I did not get that from Hendrix at all.
*Advanced reader copy review. As always, I am still a Bella universe girlie, I am ready for a brand new series.
TW; pregnancy loss/miscarriage & spoilers.
Let me just start by saying that I am a huge fan of Bella Matthews. I’ve read all of her books and have loved them all.
I’m so sad that this one did not do it for me, but that’s ok, because reading is subjective and everyone has differing opinions. 🩷
“And then everything hurt, and I was scared and alone and in a cold hospital room losing our baby. And your answer was marrying you.” 😣
With that being said, the miscarriage part derailed it for me. As someone who has suffered MULTIPLE miscarriages, I cannot get over him not being there for her and basically being a man child bc she didn’t agree that marrying him would fix their problems. Because what do you mean he didn’t immediately fly out to Seattle to be with her?!? I get he was young.. but the answer is not being upset that she said no and then marrying someone else(your female best friend) 🙄 and fathering HER kid.. a few months later. I don’t care about WHY you did it, there’s no redemption for me. I would’ve never forgiven him. You didn’t talk for years after that.. she LOST your baby and had EVERY right to deny your proposal.
I’m pretty sure I read a different book then everyone else because I hated him.. He was toxic 😭
My husband was my rock through that period in my life and he ALSO grieved. I did not get that from Hendrix at all.
*Advanced reader copy review. As always, I am still a Bella universe girlie, I am ready for a brand new series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Bella is one of my favorite authors and I adore this world she has created, however this book felt like something completely different. I almost DNF’d it a few times, but knowing how much I love her other books I pushed through in hopes it’d get better.
There are spoilers included, please only keep reading if you’re okay with that.
PLEASE PLEASE check the content warnings. I did not have content warnings when I first read it, however they are listed now. Serena does suffer a miscarriage, and this leads to their break up.
“We lost our baby, and while I bled out at the hospital in Seattle you decided the way to fix it was to marry me and move my life to Chicago.”
HE WASN’T EVEN THERE WITH HER. Then she doesn’t want to give up her dreams and marry him, so he married someone else and claimed that child as his own.. Then doesn’t talk to Serena for years… I’m sorry but there is no coming back from this. This man constantly was using the excuse of ‘You said no’ and sounded so toxic. He said it to her TEN TIMES. And he admits he never even asked her why she said no. The gaslighting was out of control. There really were no redeeming qualities for him. The romantic aspect between them was severely lacking. And he’s a single dad, yet we got one scene of Bodhi with Serena before the epilogue.
Furthermore in the prologue, Hendrix says to Serena about Britt “And, yeah, she’s going to be the mother of my kid, but it should have been you.” And for someone to say this to a woman he supposedly loves after she miscarried his child is GROSS. Absolutely disgusting. You cannot convince me that there is anything good about this man or this relationship.
Aside from all that, there were too many plot holes and inconsistencies. Too many instances that left me hanging with questions. Like what did Liv know? The scene between Liv and Hendrix is never addressed again.
I’m sorry I really try to keep it positive, but I also try to keep it real, and readers should have the ability to know what they’re getting here.
10/7 editing to add -
This book came out about a month ago now and I’ve been wanting to update my review since then however I haven’t been able to adequately express how I feel… I no longer support this author after how I was treated and how she handled that release week. For her to say that she gets on Goodreads on arc weekend to specifically read arc reviews and that she knows our names.. It just felt a little bit of manipulation… review manipulation. Multiple people said they were holding off on reviewing after that… and not only did she go seeking out my review, but then she further commented about my review in her Patreon and allowed nasty comments to be posted about my lack of trigger warnings and then went on to unfollow me on Instagram when I never posted anything negative about this book on my Instagram. One book that I rated low on Goodreads out of the 30 some books that were all rated four or five stars. She was my favorite author and I had multiple copies of all of her books. I was a big supporter.. sadly not anymore.
My biggest takeaway… POST TRIGGER WARNINGS IN YOUR BOOK. A READER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SEARCH FOR THEM. THEY SHOULD BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. We as a community should not be attacking any reader for the author’s lack of trigger warning.
Oh and sensitivity readers exist for a reason. Just because you experienced something doesn’t mean that you can’t still use a sensitivity reader when dealing with such a fragile topic.. especially if you’re going to write it in such a callous way.. just a thought.
There are spoilers included, please only keep reading if you’re okay with that.
PLEASE PLEASE check the content warnings. I did not have content warnings when I first read it, however they are listed now. Serena does suffer a miscarriage, and this leads to their break up.
“We lost our baby, and while I bled out at the hospital in Seattle you decided the way to fix it was to marry me and move my life to Chicago.”
HE WASN’T EVEN THERE WITH HER. Then she doesn’t want to give up her dreams and marry him, so he married someone else and claimed that child as his own.. Then doesn’t talk to Serena for years… I’m sorry but there is no coming back from this. This man constantly was using the excuse of ‘You said no’ and sounded so toxic. He said it to her TEN TIMES. And he admits he never even asked her why she said no. The gaslighting was out of control. There really were no redeeming qualities for him. The romantic aspect between them was severely lacking. And he’s a single dad, yet we got one scene of Bodhi with Serena before the epilogue.
Furthermore in the prologue, Hendrix says to Serena about Britt “And, yeah, she’s going to be the mother of my kid, but it should have been you.” And for someone to say this to a woman he supposedly loves after she miscarried his child is GROSS. Absolutely disgusting. You cannot convince me that there is anything good about this man or this relationship.
Aside from all that, there were too many plot holes and inconsistencies. Too many instances that left me hanging with questions. Like what did Liv know? The scene between Liv and Hendrix is never addressed again.
I’m sorry I really try to keep it positive, but I also try to keep it real, and readers should have the ability to know what they’re getting here.
10/7 editing to add -
This book came out about a month ago now and I’ve been wanting to update my review since then however I haven’t been able to adequately express how I feel… I no longer support this author after how I was treated and how she handled that release week. For her to say that she gets on Goodreads on arc weekend to specifically read arc reviews and that she knows our names.. It just felt a little bit of manipulation… review manipulation. Multiple people said they were holding off on reviewing after that… and not only did she go seeking out my review, but then she further commented about my review in her Patreon and allowed nasty comments to be posted about my lack of trigger warnings and then went on to unfollow me on Instagram when I never posted anything negative about this book on my Instagram. One book that I rated low on Goodreads out of the 30 some books that were all rated four or five stars. She was my favorite author and I had multiple copies of all of her books. I was a big supporter.. sadly not anymore.
My biggest takeaway… POST TRIGGER WARNINGS IN YOUR BOOK. A READER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SEARCH FOR THEM. THEY SHOULD BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. We as a community should not be attacking any reader for the author’s lack of trigger warning.
Oh and sensitivity readers exist for a reason. Just because you experienced something doesn’t mean that you can’t still use a sensitivity reader when dealing with such a fragile topic.. especially if you’re going to write it in such a callous way.. just a thought.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Did Not Finish
September 16, 2026Note for myself so I don’t accidentally read this mess. I’ve seen this one all over social media.
From reviews- FMC has a miscarriage and MMC doesn’t even come. Instead he proposes to her (to make her feel better) and she said no.
MMC has a BFF, OW, and it seems like he cares more about her than FMC. He tells OW everything. OW has a ONS with a random guy, then finds out she’s pregnant AND that she’s dying. MMC marries her so she can have insurance
MMC doesn’t tell the FMC any of this; instead he tells her he’s marrying OW and that the baby is his. 😱 What a man, right? Tell the “love of your life” who just miscarried YOUR baby that you’re gonna marry another woman and she’s pregnant with YOUR baby. MAN OF THE YEAR 🔪🔪
3 years later, OW is ☠️ and now you decide to go back and win over FMC. Ohhhh yeah, you’re bringing your kid along with you. Kid needs a new mama.
Every single POV from the MMC sounds like he loved OW more than the FMC.
Then the topper- OW left a bunch of disgusting letters for the FMC. It seems every negative reviewer mentions this OW was awful.
This is gonna be a BIG no for me.
Here’s two reviews I read
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
From reviews- FMC has a miscarriage and MMC doesn’t even come. Instead he proposes to her (to make her feel better) and she said no.
MMC has a BFF, OW, and it seems like he cares more about her than FMC. He tells OW everything. OW has a ONS with a random guy, then finds out she’s pregnant AND that she’s dying. MMC marries her so she can have insurance
MMC doesn’t tell the FMC any of this; instead he tells her he’s marrying OW and that the baby is his. 😱 What a man, right? Tell the “love of your life” who just miscarried YOUR baby that you’re gonna marry another woman and she’s pregnant with YOUR baby. MAN OF THE YEAR 🔪🔪
3 years later, OW is ☠️ and now you decide to go back and win over FMC. Ohhhh yeah, you’re bringing your kid along with you. Kid needs a new mama.
Every single POV from the MMC sounds like he loved OW more than the FMC.
Then the topper- OW left a bunch of disgusting letters for the FMC. It seems every negative reviewer mentions this OW was awful.
This is gonna be a BIG no for me.
Here’s two reviews I read
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 3, 2026
don't believe arc reviews. mmc was disgusting, what mmc did to fmc was unforgivable. don't waste your time
Edit:
unreal author, if she doesn't like your comment, she deletes it. shame
Edit:
unreal author, if she doesn't like your comment, she deletes it. shame
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was a Bella fan going into this book and was really excited. Unfortunately, after a complete read of the story, my honest opinion is that it missed the mark and fell flat.
Hendrix’s character really let me down and I felt there were a lot of unanswered questions, plot holes, inconsistencies, and felt very rushed. There’s no way any man could come back from what he did in my eyes and I really wanted Serena to be with anyone else. I wish the character and premise had been something else because I was sooo looking forward to this one but it was lacking.
We didn’t see many characters from earlier in the series, everyone was Kingston related, which is fine but it felt disjointed/like the start of a new series. There also was not a lot of Declan and Annabelle which I was looking forward to. Max’s character fell a bit flat as well.
Serena really got the short end of the stick and, quite frankly, deserves better than Hendrix. It was all extremely rushed, I think there easily could have been 50-100 more pages added. There was no relationship development between Serena and Hendrix nor Serena and his son, Bodhi. I would have liked to see more of their relationship over the years prior to the break up. Also, I don’t think the book really aligns with the blurb, I was a bit confused.
My other problems/frustrations with the story would be considered spoilers but just know if someone did to me what Hendrix did to Serena, they would not exist in my life anymore. He kept saying she said no to his proposal but it was an EXTREMELY VALID reason (you’ll know when you get there) and based on what is in the book, I don’t think the proposal was in person.
I would have liked to know what Liv knew and experience Serena’s side of the traumatic ending in Sweet Salvation since she was very much involved in that.
I was happy that she did not make Serena the nanny.
I feel like I read a different book than others did.
I was an ARC reader for this book.
Hendrix’s character really let me down and I felt there were a lot of unanswered questions, plot holes, inconsistencies, and felt very rushed. There’s no way any man could come back from what he did in my eyes and I really wanted Serena to be with anyone else. I wish the character and premise had been something else because I was sooo looking forward to this one but it was lacking.
We didn’t see many characters from earlier in the series, everyone was Kingston related, which is fine but it felt disjointed/like the start of a new series. There also was not a lot of Declan and Annabelle which I was looking forward to. Max’s character fell a bit flat as well.
Serena really got the short end of the stick and, quite frankly, deserves better than Hendrix. It was all extremely rushed, I think there easily could have been 50-100 more pages added. There was no relationship development between Serena and Hendrix nor Serena and his son, Bodhi. I would have liked to see more of their relationship over the years prior to the break up. Also, I don’t think the book really aligns with the blurb, I was a bit confused.
My other problems/frustrations with the story would be considered spoilers but just know if someone did to me what Hendrix did to Serena, they would not exist in my life anymore. He kept saying she said no to his proposal but it was an EXTREMELY VALID reason (you’ll know when you get there) and based on what is in the book, I don’t think the proposal was in person.
I would have liked to know what Liv knew and experience Serena’s side of the traumatic ending in Sweet Salvation since she was very much involved in that.
I was happy that she did not make Serena the nanny.
I feel like I read a different book than others did.
I was an ARC reader for this book.
August 31, 2026
No notes. I don't have a single freaking note for this book. No scratch that, I don't have a single note for this whole entire series. I say this with each release but I seriously don't know how Bella does it. Just when I think she can't top a book, she delivers me another emotional story filled with yearning and tender moments.
Sweet Redemption was just a beautiful love story between two flawed individuals. Their relationship has had their ups and downs. The good times mixed with the bad. They may not have always chosen the right way to communicate, but I feel like that only added to the push and pull. Bella has this way of writing that allows you to feel the emotions that are written on the page. And when I tell you, this book is emotional for many reasons. And with that I am going to ask that you PLEASE check you content/trigger warnings before you proceed with this book because there may be triggering topics. But if those are topics that you are ok with, please enjoy these flawed characters as they embark on a journey back to one another.
Also, Bella can we make a truce. I would really like to not cry with the next book please. As beautiful as this story was... the letters that Hendrix's late wife wrote for him still have me in tears. But in all seriousness, Bella, you truly outdid yourself with this one, yet again. And for that I say thank you 😘
Sweet Redemption was just a beautiful love story between two flawed individuals. Their relationship has had their ups and downs. The good times mixed with the bad. They may not have always chosen the right way to communicate, but I feel like that only added to the push and pull. Bella has this way of writing that allows you to feel the emotions that are written on the page. And when I tell you, this book is emotional for many reasons. And with that I am going to ask that you PLEASE check you content/trigger warnings before you proceed with this book because there may be triggering topics. But if those are topics that you are ok with, please enjoy these flawed characters as they embark on a journey back to one another.
Also, Bella can we make a truce. I would really like to not cry with the next book please. As beautiful as this story was... the letters that Hendrix's late wife wrote for him still have me in tears. But in all seriousness, Bella, you truly outdid yourself with this one, yet again. And for that I say thank you 😘
September 3, 2026
eh.
I feel like this book fell flat for me. I hated Hendrix, and I feel like Serena deserved better. I wish she moved on. I feel like Hendrix could have been a background character if anything. There were many plot holes in this book. TONS, like why did liv know but then he says she’s the only one who knows what really happened. Why did he need to play captain save a h03 for Britt? I hated her and him. They caused Serena a lot of pain for what? Ppl have a ONS and don’t know who the father is all the time but that’s not a reason he chose to marry her. This book just fell really flat for me. I usually love her characters, but I feel like they were apart more than they were together, the end was rushed. Two chapters of them together and then the epilogue is two years later? Britt’s letters PMO too because of what henny said was true she made it seem like she loved him. And she told him no once and he asked her again instead of making it work with Serena? No thanks. The bar was on the floor with this one. I can understand taking on bodhi, but the way he went about it? It just felt rushed. I would I have loved to see Hendrix suffer more than he did, she should have made him grovel more.
I feel like this book fell flat for me. I hated Hendrix, and I feel like Serena deserved better. I wish she moved on. I feel like Hendrix could have been a background character if anything. There were many plot holes in this book. TONS, like why did liv know but then he says she’s the only one who knows what really happened. Why did he need to play captain save a h03 for Britt? I hated her and him. They caused Serena a lot of pain for what? Ppl have a ONS and don’t know who the father is all the time but that’s not a reason he chose to marry her. This book just fell really flat for me. I usually love her characters, but I feel like they were apart more than they were together, the end was rushed. Two chapters of them together and then the epilogue is two years later? Britt’s letters PMO too because of what henny said was true she made it seem like she loved him. And she told him no once and he asked her again instead of making it work with Serena? No thanks. The bar was on the floor with this one. I can understand taking on bodhi, but the way he went about it? It just felt rushed. I would I have loved to see Hendrix suffer more than he did, she should have made him grovel more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2026
I feel like I'm being gaslighted by the 4/5 stars reviews.
This man do NOT love the fmc. If that is love, may this never find me.
This man do NOT love the fmc. If that is love, may this never find me.
September 4, 2026
⭐️⭐️
⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️
Well, what can I say? I was VERY excited for this book, and somehow Bella Matthews managed to hand me absolute garbage.
Sweet Redemption was one of those releases I had been anticipating for a while because Bella Matthews is one of my favorite authors. I have never rated one of her books below three stars, and even three stars has been rare.
So imagine my disappointment when this book turned out to be such a chaotic mess that I genuinely didn't know where to start.
Let's start with Hendrix, because WHAT THE HELL.
Hendrix and Serena were supposedly in love. He proposed. She said no. We don't find out why until around 70% into the book, so naturally I assumed he moved on.
Except... NO.
Six months after Serena rejects him, Hendrix marries his supposedly platonic best friend, Brittany, after discovering she's pregnant. Then Brittany dies, and Hendrix comes back home declaring that Serena is his second chance and he wants to win her back.
Except he's also grieving Brittany throughout the book.
And I'm sorry, but Hendrix had more chemistry with Brittany through her letters after her death than he ever had with Serena while she was actually alive.
We're constantly told Serena is the love of his life, but on the page he mostly comes across as a man who got rejected, married someone else, and then decided he still wanted the woman who said no.
That is not romantic. That's confusing.
Then there's Serena, who is understandably struggling after an ACL injury ends her soccer career. But instead of getting to watch her rebuild herself, we get a woman who hates Hendrix one minute, wants him the next, and spends way too much time wishing the universe would put them back together.
Around 50%, she finally finds something that gives her purpose again: buying the soccer club she once played for.
THIS should have been her moment.
She's building something for herself, taking control of her future, and trying to figure out who she is outside of soccer.
Instead, she's more excited about her first date with Hendrix, the same man who has spent years breaking her heart.
Girl. PLEASE GET A GRIP.
And then, because apparently buying a soccer club wasn't enough, we discover she's basically the Kingston heiress and will eventually inherit the family empire and become chairman.
I'm sorry, but... Serena?
Olivia and Tegan deserved that job more.
Then we finally get the explanation for Hendrix's marriage to Brittany.
Brittany had cancer. She was pregnant from a one-night stand. Hendrix wasn't the father. He married her because she needed help with insurance and because he wanted to support her and the baby.
Let's remember one tiny detail:
THE SINCLAIRS ARE RICH.
This man could have paid for her medical care.
Instead, he chose to marry her and then spend THREE YEARS letting Serena believe he had chosen somebody else.
And he doesn't tell Serena the truth because Brittany asked him not to.
I'm sorry, but there were approximately seventeen better ways to handle that situation.
And then Brittany's letters made things even worse.
She writes to Serena about how she should hate her because Serena gets to have Hendrix and raise his baby while Brittany is dead.
Girl, he was NEVER your husband in the way you seem to think he was.
You knew he loved Serena. You knew she was the only woman he'd ever loved. You were his best friend, and he married you because you were dying.
So where is all this possessiveness coming from?
Then we have Max, Serena's father, who is presented as this terrifying, controlling obstacle because he won't let his eighteen-year-old daughter date Hendrix.
The entire setup felt exaggerated purely to create drama.
And THEN we finally learn why Serena rejected Hendrix's proposal.
Serena was pregnant.
She lost the baby.
She's in the hospital grieving the death of their child, and Hendrix's grand solution is to propose marriage and tell her to give up soccer.
WHAT DID YOU THINK SHE WAS GOING TO SAY?
Your girlfriend has just lost your child, and your response is basically, “Marry me and quit the one thing you love.”
Of course she said no.
Honestly, that was probably the most sensible decision she made in the entire book.
And frankly, Hendrix deserved to lose her.
There are messy relationships worth fighting for, and then there are relationships where you look at everything that's happened and think:
JUST LET EACH OTHER GO.
And I also have to talk about one of the book's supposed main tropes: single father.
Except Bodhi felt like a prop.
Serena doesn't even meet him until around 60%, and they barely get one meaningful scene together before the epilogue suddenly has this child calling her “Mama.”
EXCUSE ME... WHERE DID THAT BOND COME FROM?
Where was the bonding? Where were the scenes of Serena actually getting to know him, caring for him, becoming part of his life?
They weren't there.
And honestly, that sums up this entire book for me: it tells us everything and shows us almost nothing.
This should have been such a good second-chance romance: childhood love, lost dreams, years apart, heartbreak, and rebuilding.
Instead, we got secret marriages, dead-wife letters, billionaire-family nonsense, hidden pregnancies, cancer, a fake-for-insurance marriage, a barely developed single-father trope, and two people who apparently couldn't have one normal conversation.
Sweet Redemption?
More like Sweet Chaos.
Bella Matthews, I really hate saying this because I adore your books, but this one was an absolute miss for me.
The potential was there.
The execution was not.
⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️
Well, what can I say? I was VERY excited for this book, and somehow Bella Matthews managed to hand me absolute garbage.
Sweet Redemption was one of those releases I had been anticipating for a while because Bella Matthews is one of my favorite authors. I have never rated one of her books below three stars, and even three stars has been rare.
So imagine my disappointment when this book turned out to be such a chaotic mess that I genuinely didn't know where to start.
Let's start with Hendrix, because WHAT THE HELL.
Hendrix and Serena were supposedly in love. He proposed. She said no. We don't find out why until around 70% into the book, so naturally I assumed he moved on.
Except... NO.
Six months after Serena rejects him, Hendrix marries his supposedly platonic best friend, Brittany, after discovering she's pregnant. Then Brittany dies, and Hendrix comes back home declaring that Serena is his second chance and he wants to win her back.
Except he's also grieving Brittany throughout the book.
And I'm sorry, but Hendrix had more chemistry with Brittany through her letters after her death than he ever had with Serena while she was actually alive.
We're constantly told Serena is the love of his life, but on the page he mostly comes across as a man who got rejected, married someone else, and then decided he still wanted the woman who said no.
That is not romantic. That's confusing.
Then there's Serena, who is understandably struggling after an ACL injury ends her soccer career. But instead of getting to watch her rebuild herself, we get a woman who hates Hendrix one minute, wants him the next, and spends way too much time wishing the universe would put them back together.
Around 50%, she finally finds something that gives her purpose again: buying the soccer club she once played for.
THIS should have been her moment.
She's building something for herself, taking control of her future, and trying to figure out who she is outside of soccer.
Instead, she's more excited about her first date with Hendrix, the same man who has spent years breaking her heart.
Girl. PLEASE GET A GRIP.
And then, because apparently buying a soccer club wasn't enough, we discover she's basically the Kingston heiress and will eventually inherit the family empire and become chairman.
I'm sorry, but... Serena?
Olivia and Tegan deserved that job more.
Then we finally get the explanation for Hendrix's marriage to Brittany.
Brittany had cancer. She was pregnant from a one-night stand. Hendrix wasn't the father. He married her because she needed help with insurance and because he wanted to support her and the baby.
Let's remember one tiny detail:
THE SINCLAIRS ARE RICH.
This man could have paid for her medical care.
Instead, he chose to marry her and then spend THREE YEARS letting Serena believe he had chosen somebody else.
And he doesn't tell Serena the truth because Brittany asked him not to.
I'm sorry, but there were approximately seventeen better ways to handle that situation.
And then Brittany's letters made things even worse.
She writes to Serena about how she should hate her because Serena gets to have Hendrix and raise his baby while Brittany is dead.
Girl, he was NEVER your husband in the way you seem to think he was.
You knew he loved Serena. You knew she was the only woman he'd ever loved. You were his best friend, and he married you because you were dying.
So where is all this possessiveness coming from?
Then we have Max, Serena's father, who is presented as this terrifying, controlling obstacle because he won't let his eighteen-year-old daughter date Hendrix.
The entire setup felt exaggerated purely to create drama.
And THEN we finally learn why Serena rejected Hendrix's proposal.
Serena was pregnant.
She lost the baby.
She's in the hospital grieving the death of their child, and Hendrix's grand solution is to propose marriage and tell her to give up soccer.
WHAT DID YOU THINK SHE WAS GOING TO SAY?
Your girlfriend has just lost your child, and your response is basically, “Marry me and quit the one thing you love.”
Of course she said no.
Honestly, that was probably the most sensible decision she made in the entire book.
And frankly, Hendrix deserved to lose her.
There are messy relationships worth fighting for, and then there are relationships where you look at everything that's happened and think:
JUST LET EACH OTHER GO.
And I also have to talk about one of the book's supposed main tropes: single father.
Except Bodhi felt like a prop.
Serena doesn't even meet him until around 60%, and they barely get one meaningful scene together before the epilogue suddenly has this child calling her “Mama.”
EXCUSE ME... WHERE DID THAT BOND COME FROM?
Where was the bonding? Where were the scenes of Serena actually getting to know him, caring for him, becoming part of his life?
They weren't there.
And honestly, that sums up this entire book for me: it tells us everything and shows us almost nothing.
This should have been such a good second-chance romance: childhood love, lost dreams, years apart, heartbreak, and rebuilding.
Instead, we got secret marriages, dead-wife letters, billionaire-family nonsense, hidden pregnancies, cancer, a fake-for-insurance marriage, a barely developed single-father trope, and two people who apparently couldn't have one normal conversation.
Sweet Redemption?
More like Sweet Chaos.
Bella Matthews, I really hate saying this because I adore your books, but this one was an absolute miss for me.
The potential was there.
The execution was not.
September 4, 2026
I Couldn’t Forgive Hendrix for This
⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD
I really struggled with this book. And honestly, Hendrix was the biggest reason why. I was so disappointed by Hendrix’s choices, and I couldn’t support them at all.
These two have HISTORY. Serena gets pregnant, they lose the baby, and Hendrix lives another city because of his hockey. Serena wanted him to actually deal with the emotional loss and everything they had been through. She wanted him emotionally, not for him to think that marriage would somehow fix this. Serena didn’t want Hendrix to marry her just because they had lost their baby or because he thought marriage would make everything better. She wanted him to WANT her. She wanted him to choose her because he loved her and genuinely wanted to spend his life with her. Worst is end of the book Serena tell Hendrix if he chose word differently she would say yes!!!
And what does Hendrix do?
He marries his best friend.
Six months after everything with Serena. 😩
And Serena is supposed to be his everything!
Now, I understand to a point why Hendrix wanted to help his best friend. She has cancer and needs good insurance, and she doesn’t know who Bodhi’s biological father is, so Hendrix wants to make sure Bodhi has a dad.
But here’s the thing: this wasn’t just a marriage on paper.
Bodhi’s mom left letters for Serena, her mother, and Hendrix, where she talked about how much she loved Hendrix. Hendrix himself says early in the book that he loves her, and you can clearly see how deeply affected he is by losing his wife.
And yes, they never had sex, but let’s not pretend they didn’t live as a married couple. They shared a life. They were there for each other. They were husband and wife in every way except sexually.
That made Hendrix’s decision even harder for me to accept.
He wasn’t simply helping a friend. He chose to build a life with her.
Meanwhile, Serena is the woman he supposedly loves with his whole heart. The woman he says has always been it for him. The woman he claims he has always loved.
Yet when it came down to it, he chose his best friend instead of fighting for Serena.
I’m sorry, but that’s not love to me.
I can understand helping someone you love who is sick. I can understand wanting to make sure Bodhi is taken care of. But sacrificing the woman you supposedly love and then telling her afterward that she has always been your everything? I just couldn’t get behind that.
And the letters definitely made things even more complicated for me. They supposedly never had a romantic relationship, but there are letters talking about how much she love him and how jealous she was of His love to Serena.. Hendrix says he loves her. They live together as a married couple. He is devastated when she dies.
COME ON. 😂
Maybe this is just me, but I don’t tell my friends I love them like THAT. And I definitely don’t think you can cross all those lines and then expect me to see it as a completely clean friendship.
This is probably why the book hit a little too close to home for me. I hated the choice Hendrix made, and I just couldn’t understand how he could claim Serena was the love of his life while choosing someone else.
I also wanted SO much more of Hendrix and Serena. They hardly spend enough real time together. It felt like they were either fighting or in the bedroom. I wanted more emotional connection, more moments where they actually built their relationship, and especially more scenes with Serena and Bodhi.
I wanted to FEEL their connection, and unfortunately, I didn’t.
The brothers, though? ❤️ I really enjoyed them from the little we got and honestly. And let’s not forget the cover because that cover is gorgeous! 😍
But Hendrix…
You ruined it for me, and not in a good way.
This isn’t my fav book, and it’s definitely not one I’ll reread. I didn’t even bother reading the extended epilogue.
⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD
I really struggled with this book. And honestly, Hendrix was the biggest reason why. I was so disappointed by Hendrix’s choices, and I couldn’t support them at all.
These two have HISTORY. Serena gets pregnant, they lose the baby, and Hendrix lives another city because of his hockey. Serena wanted him to actually deal with the emotional loss and everything they had been through. She wanted him emotionally, not for him to think that marriage would somehow fix this. Serena didn’t want Hendrix to marry her just because they had lost their baby or because he thought marriage would make everything better. She wanted him to WANT her. She wanted him to choose her because he loved her and genuinely wanted to spend his life with her. Worst is end of the book Serena tell Hendrix if he chose word differently she would say yes!!!
And what does Hendrix do?
He marries his best friend.
Six months after everything with Serena. 😩
And Serena is supposed to be his everything!
Now, I understand to a point why Hendrix wanted to help his best friend. She has cancer and needs good insurance, and she doesn’t know who Bodhi’s biological father is, so Hendrix wants to make sure Bodhi has a dad.
But here’s the thing: this wasn’t just a marriage on paper.
Bodhi’s mom left letters for Serena, her mother, and Hendrix, where she talked about how much she loved Hendrix. Hendrix himself says early in the book that he loves her, and you can clearly see how deeply affected he is by losing his wife.
And yes, they never had sex, but let’s not pretend they didn’t live as a married couple. They shared a life. They were there for each other. They were husband and wife in every way except sexually.
That made Hendrix’s decision even harder for me to accept.
He wasn’t simply helping a friend. He chose to build a life with her.
Meanwhile, Serena is the woman he supposedly loves with his whole heart. The woman he says has always been it for him. The woman he claims he has always loved.
Yet when it came down to it, he chose his best friend instead of fighting for Serena.
I’m sorry, but that’s not love to me.
I can understand helping someone you love who is sick. I can understand wanting to make sure Bodhi is taken care of. But sacrificing the woman you supposedly love and then telling her afterward that she has always been your everything? I just couldn’t get behind that.
And the letters definitely made things even more complicated for me. They supposedly never had a romantic relationship, but there are letters talking about how much she love him and how jealous she was of His love to Serena.. Hendrix says he loves her. They live together as a married couple. He is devastated when she dies.
COME ON. 😂
Maybe this is just me, but I don’t tell my friends I love them like THAT. And I definitely don’t think you can cross all those lines and then expect me to see it as a completely clean friendship.
This is probably why the book hit a little too close to home for me. I hated the choice Hendrix made, and I just couldn’t understand how he could claim Serena was the love of his life while choosing someone else.
I also wanted SO much more of Hendrix and Serena. They hardly spend enough real time together. It felt like they were either fighting or in the bedroom. I wanted more emotional connection, more moments where they actually built their relationship, and especially more scenes with Serena and Bodhi.
I wanted to FEEL their connection, and unfortunately, I didn’t.
The brothers, though? ❤️ I really enjoyed them from the little we got and honestly. And let’s not forget the cover because that cover is gorgeous! 😍
But Hendrix…
You ruined it for me, and not in a good way.
This isn’t my fav book, and it’s definitely not one I’ll reread. I didn’t even bother reading the extended epilogue.
September 11, 2026
4🌟 | 3🌶️
Some romances hurt in all the right places, and this one definitely put me through it.
The second-chance setup, years of history, and emotional baggage between Hendrix and Serena made their connection feel so deeply rooted. I also appreciated how the angst came from their actual circumstances rather than unnecessary drama, which kept me invested even through the heavier moments.
Hendrix had plenty to work through, but seeing him finally show up for Serena and fight for their relationship made his journey rewarding. Serena also really stood out to me, especially watching her choose her own path and grow more confident in what she wanted. Their chemistry and history carried the romance beautifully, though I would have happily taken more time with them together once they found their way back to each other.
The family dynamics, group chats, Bodhi, and all the familiar faces added so much warmth around an otherwise emotional story. There was grief and trauma here, but it was balanced with tenderness, humor, and that comforting sense of found family this series does so well.
Emotional, angsty, and ultimately satisfying, this was another solid addition to a world I’m always happy to return to.
~~~~
A sincere thank you to Bella Matthews and Valentine PR for the ARC! 🥰📚
I’m so grateful for the early read. As always, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own. ✨
Some romances hurt in all the right places, and this one definitely put me through it.
The second-chance setup, years of history, and emotional baggage between Hendrix and Serena made their connection feel so deeply rooted. I also appreciated how the angst came from their actual circumstances rather than unnecessary drama, which kept me invested even through the heavier moments.
Hendrix had plenty to work through, but seeing him finally show up for Serena and fight for their relationship made his journey rewarding. Serena also really stood out to me, especially watching her choose her own path and grow more confident in what she wanted. Their chemistry and history carried the romance beautifully, though I would have happily taken more time with them together once they found their way back to each other.
The family dynamics, group chats, Bodhi, and all the familiar faces added so much warmth around an otherwise emotional story. There was grief and trauma here, but it was balanced with tenderness, humor, and that comforting sense of found family this series does so well.
Emotional, angsty, and ultimately satisfying, this was another solid addition to a world I’m always happy to return to.
~~~~
A sincere thank you to Bella Matthews and Valentine PR for the ARC! 🥰📚
I’m so grateful for the early read. As always, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own. ✨
September 14, 2026
Holy fuck on a crack, this was more sudsy than any soap opera out there.
Every single one of those characters was unhinged in the most unrealistic way. Even Serena. I wanted to feel bad for her, because she deserved better, but clearly she didn’t care, so why should I.
Let’s start with Britt. Her level of selfishness left me speechless.
(MINOR SPOILER)
She had a one-night-stand with a random guy, got pregnant and right at her first appointment, she found out she was dying. Soon, too. Instead of getting an abortion, like a responsible fucking person, she purposefully not only chose to bring into the world a child she was never gonna raise but orphan almost immediately but then also roped her best friend into it, knowing she was screwing up with his future and his love life, leaving him responsible for her selfish choices. Sure, it worked out in the end, but she couldn’t have known that and still, her choices caused a lot of unnecessary emotional damage. That’s just cruel.
(END OF SPOILER)
As for Hendrix, his words didn’t match his actions. Serena was the supposed love of his life, his most important person. Yet, the only person he actually didn’t have secrets from, was Brittany. He easily broke Serena’s heart for the benefit of his actual best friend.
Learning why Serena said no to his proposal didn’t help his case either. It further showed that he didn’t actually know her that well if he thought she was gonna go with his plan. May this kind of love never find me.
As for Serena… if that chick has gotten proper therapy, she would have realized all that and have never gotten back with him. Alas, she did. It wasn’t even love, it was some sick obsession. She had an actual panic attack upon seeing him. Are we for real?!
This book wasn’t romantic and the author would benefit from unpacking her internalized patriarchal conditioning.
Every single one of those characters was unhinged in the most unrealistic way. Even Serena. I wanted to feel bad for her, because she deserved better, but clearly she didn’t care, so why should I.
Let’s start with Britt. Her level of selfishness left me speechless.
(MINOR SPOILER)
She had a one-night-stand with a random guy, got pregnant and right at her first appointment, she found out she was dying. Soon, too. Instead of getting an abortion, like a responsible fucking person, she purposefully not only chose to bring into the world a child she was never gonna raise but orphan almost immediately but then also roped her best friend into it, knowing she was screwing up with his future and his love life, leaving him responsible for her selfish choices. Sure, it worked out in the end, but she couldn’t have known that and still, her choices caused a lot of unnecessary emotional damage. That’s just cruel.
(END OF SPOILER)
As for Hendrix, his words didn’t match his actions. Serena was the supposed love of his life, his most important person. Yet, the only person he actually didn’t have secrets from, was Brittany. He easily broke Serena’s heart for the benefit of his actual best friend.
Learning why Serena said no to his proposal didn’t help his case either. It further showed that he didn’t actually know her that well if he thought she was gonna go with his plan. May this kind of love never find me.
As for Serena… if that chick has gotten proper therapy, she would have realized all that and have never gotten back with him. Alas, she did. It wasn’t even love, it was some sick obsession. She had an actual panic attack upon seeing him. Are we for real?!
This book wasn’t romantic and the author would benefit from unpacking her internalized patriarchal conditioning.
September 1, 2026
I love Bella Matthews, and this one left me torn. I was so excited to read Sweet Redemption, but Hendrix didn't just let me down, he cut a vein and watched me bleed.
Oh. My. God. The anguish I felt. The tears that fell. My heart ripped apart, again and again and again. It was all unnecessary and left me broken and angry.
It looks like most readers loved this one, so I'm in the minority. Maybe chalk it up to personal past trauma and having more black and white boundaries around my heart. I just couldn't move past Hendrix's previous words and actions. For me, there's no coming back from the choices he made, the bald face lie he told while he watched her break apart. Everything could have been avoided if his actions had been different, if he'd made better choices, because there were better ones available, and the worst for me was THAT lie. If you really love someone with your whole heart, you don't hurt them like that. I. Was. Gutted. The kicker was how many times he defended his words and actions with, "You said no." What a weak, lame-a$$ excuse. Seriously, I felt betrayed on Serena's behalf, irrationally angry to the point of tears, and I wanted to throw my Kindle several times. If I were in Serena's shoes, there'd be no coming back. Forgiveness, yes; reconciliation, heck no!
As you can see, Sweet Redemption left a lasting impression on me. Every time I think of what happened, I have a visceral trauma response. While I hated the avenue the story took, I felt the writing was phenomenal. I'll definitely continue reading Bella's books, and I look forward to the next one!
Oh. My. God. The anguish I felt. The tears that fell. My heart ripped apart, again and again and again. It was all unnecessary and left me broken and angry.
It looks like most readers loved this one, so I'm in the minority. Maybe chalk it up to personal past trauma and having more black and white boundaries around my heart. I just couldn't move past Hendrix's previous words and actions. For me, there's no coming back from the choices he made, the bald face lie he told while he watched her break apart. Everything could have been avoided if his actions had been different, if he'd made better choices, because there were better ones available, and the worst for me was THAT lie. If you really love someone with your whole heart, you don't hurt them like that. I. Was. Gutted. The kicker was how many times he defended his words and actions with, "You said no." What a weak, lame-a$$ excuse. Seriously, I felt betrayed on Serena's behalf, irrationally angry to the point of tears, and I wanted to throw my Kindle several times. If I were in Serena's shoes, there'd be no coming back. Forgiveness, yes; reconciliation, heck no!
As you can see, Sweet Redemption left a lasting impression on me. Every time I think of what happened, I have a visceral trauma response. While I hated the avenue the story took, I felt the writing was phenomenal. I'll definitely continue reading Bella's books, and I look forward to the next one!
September 3, 2026
Disappointing and disjointed - too much tell, not enough show
I really wanted to love this book, but the structure to preserve The Twist made for some uneven character development that affected my enjoyment. Specifically, almost the first 30% of the book has Serena and Hendrix separated, building a character that is so traumatized she goes into panic attacks when she sees Henny. Yet her panic attacks and trauma just disappear after one conversation? And Hendrix loves Serena so much he stays in Chicago an extra year to keep Bodhi settled? And where was Bodhi during this story? Serena and Bodhi time was really missing especially considering Hendrix supposedly changed his “destiny” for Bodhi and Britt’s sake at Serena’s expense yet doesn’t integrate Serena into their life. Very odd choice.
I wanted to love Hendrix, but he just didn’t show he would sacrifice for Serena. He threw it away once, and I wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t throw it away again if things were hard. If Britt had miraculously recovered would he have just continued to let Serena go? Worst MMC from a Bella Matthew’s book ever. Likewise, Serena just let The Twist take over her justified distrust, and after sleeping with Henny just starts to let things go? If all it took was shaking the sheets, we could have had a different plot.
Also, I hated Britt. Not because she married Henny and had Bodhi, but because she knew about Serena and was okay being selfish. The whole theme of living life because life is short seems to conveniently overlook that for Serena. Instead, Britt and Henny got to make themselves feel good about their choices despite knowing it was hurtful to Serena because .. reasons … while Serena just has to accept that Britt’s selfishness was justified? WTH.
I’m so disappointed. There needed to be groveling, and Serena’s family needed to be disappointed in Hendrix choosing Britt. Why was Britt both a regular part of his life, and yet no one tried to discuss with Henny his marrying Britt so suddenly?
It feels like The Twist is supposed to do all the heavy emotional lifting in this book at the expense of the relationships that are such a highlight of this series. Watching all the established characters just lament that they thought something was going on between Serena and Henny but no one doubted he chose Britt? There was no conversations between him and his family about things. Serena had no one completely on her side - even Olivia is chill with Henny.
Not Bella’s best.
I really wanted to love this book, but the structure to preserve The Twist made for some uneven character development that affected my enjoyment. Specifically, almost the first 30% of the book has Serena and Hendrix separated, building a character that is so traumatized she goes into panic attacks when she sees Henny. Yet her panic attacks and trauma just disappear after one conversation? And Hendrix loves Serena so much he stays in Chicago an extra year to keep Bodhi settled? And where was Bodhi during this story? Serena and Bodhi time was really missing especially considering Hendrix supposedly changed his “destiny” for Bodhi and Britt’s sake at Serena’s expense yet doesn’t integrate Serena into their life. Very odd choice.
I wanted to love Hendrix, but he just didn’t show he would sacrifice for Serena. He threw it away once, and I wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t throw it away again if things were hard. If Britt had miraculously recovered would he have just continued to let Serena go? Worst MMC from a Bella Matthew’s book ever. Likewise, Serena just let The Twist take over her justified distrust, and after sleeping with Henny just starts to let things go? If all it took was shaking the sheets, we could have had a different plot.
Also, I hated Britt. Not because she married Henny and had Bodhi, but because she knew about Serena and was okay being selfish. The whole theme of living life because life is short seems to conveniently overlook that for Serena. Instead, Britt and Henny got to make themselves feel good about their choices despite knowing it was hurtful to Serena because .. reasons … while Serena just has to accept that Britt’s selfishness was justified? WTH.
I’m so disappointed. There needed to be groveling, and Serena’s family needed to be disappointed in Hendrix choosing Britt. Why was Britt both a regular part of his life, and yet no one tried to discuss with Henny his marrying Britt so suddenly?
It feels like The Twist is supposed to do all the heavy emotional lifting in this book at the expense of the relationships that are such a highlight of this series. Watching all the established characters just lament that they thought something was going on between Serena and Henny but no one doubted he chose Britt? There was no conversations between him and his family about things. Serena had no one completely on her side - even Olivia is chill with Henny.
Not Bella’s best.
September 1, 2026
Almost thought Bella Matthews was trying to kill me with this one.
I mean dear lord.
Emotional damage.
Hendrix & Serena
Extreme second chance
Single dad
NHL player x soccer player
Family ties
Grief. Trauma.
He was green flags all day tho.
I think the thing I’ve loved about this series.
Is you know there’s gonna be trauma but it’s never unnecessary BS. It’s angsty yes, but I’ve never wanted to bang my head against a wall.
BM just writes books so well.
Her very daunting backlist is still on my TBR to work through. I want to read them all.
Arc review ✨
I mean dear lord.
Emotional damage.
Hendrix & Serena
Extreme second chance
Single dad
NHL player x soccer player
Family ties
Grief. Trauma.
He was green flags all day tho.
I think the thing I’ve loved about this series.
Is you know there’s gonna be trauma but it’s never unnecessary BS. It’s angsty yes, but I’ve never wanted to bang my head against a wall.
BM just writes books so well.
Her very daunting backlist is still on my TBR to work through. I want to read them all.
Arc review ✨
September 3, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5/5
I went into this book so excited. I absolutely love Bella Matthews and the world she’s created, and she gave me one of my all-time book boyfriends in this series, Ryker Beneventi. 🥹 So, believe me when I say this review is coming from a place of genuinely loving her books.
I know reading is subjective, and sometimes a story simply doesn’t resonate with you the way you hoped it would. That’s exactly how I feel about this one. I’m so conflicted because there were things I absolutely loved, but there were also things that just didn’t work for me.
First of all… SERENA. ❤️🔥
I LOVED her. Her strength, her personality, her confidence she was everything I want in an FMC. She was a true boss babe, and I loved watching her stand her ground. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics and friendships throughout the book. The group chats were hilarious 😂, and getting to see Ryker and Olivia again was definitely one of my highlights. 🥹
But then we get to the romance… and unfortunately, this is where things started to fall apart for me.
I just didn’t feel the chemistry between Hendrix and Serena. I wanted that pull, that undeniable connection, that feeling that these two people were meant to be together, and I never quite got there.
I also really wish we’d gotten more of Serena and Brody. I wanted to see more of their relationship develop and feel that connection between them because I think that could have added so much more emotional depth to the story.
And Hendrix…
Yeah. 😬 I’m just not a Hendrix girl.
The letters from Britt absolutely broke my heart, but I also really struggled with some of what they implied. Especially the one where she said “I feel like I should hate you. You’re the woman who’s going to get to love my husband and son. But I don’t. I think you’re actually the person I’m most grateful for.” That really bothered me.
They were never intimate, Hendrix had always loved Serena, and Britt knew Serena was the love of his life. So referring to Hendrix as her husband made it feel like there were genuine romantic feelings there, and I really didn’t like that dynamic. It just didn’t sit right with me.
I also struggled with Hendrix’s actions after the loss of the baby. Instead of feeling like his heartbreak was primarily about losing their child, I felt like so much of his pain became focused on Serena rejecting his marriage proposal. Then, six months later, he married his best friend and lied to Serena when she asked him about it.
I just couldn’t get behind some of those choices, and unfortunately, they made it really difficult for me to connect with Hendrix as a character or root for the romance.
And honestly… for the first time ever, I found myself wishing the FMC would end up with someone else. 😭
Which brings me to…
Rafe. 👀
Rafe, I was looking at you. Because I genuinely found myself wishing they would end up together. 😂
Despite all of this, I still absolutely adore Bella Matthews and will happily continue reading her books. ❤️ I think that’s why this one left me feeling so conflicted. There were characters, relationships, and moments that I genuinely loved, and those are ultimately what kept my rating from being lower.
So, for me, this lands at 3.5⭐️ a very conflicted rating for a book that gave me characters and moments I adored, while ultimately leaving me questioning the central romance.
Sometimes a book can have so many things you love and still not quite work for you as a whole. And I think that’s exactly where I landed with this one. 💕
I went into this book so excited. I absolutely love Bella Matthews and the world she’s created, and she gave me one of my all-time book boyfriends in this series, Ryker Beneventi. 🥹 So, believe me when I say this review is coming from a place of genuinely loving her books.
I know reading is subjective, and sometimes a story simply doesn’t resonate with you the way you hoped it would. That’s exactly how I feel about this one. I’m so conflicted because there were things I absolutely loved, but there were also things that just didn’t work for me.
First of all… SERENA. ❤️🔥
I LOVED her. Her strength, her personality, her confidence she was everything I want in an FMC. She was a true boss babe, and I loved watching her stand her ground. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics and friendships throughout the book. The group chats were hilarious 😂, and getting to see Ryker and Olivia again was definitely one of my highlights. 🥹
But then we get to the romance… and unfortunately, this is where things started to fall apart for me.
I just didn’t feel the chemistry between Hendrix and Serena. I wanted that pull, that undeniable connection, that feeling that these two people were meant to be together, and I never quite got there.
I also really wish we’d gotten more of Serena and Brody. I wanted to see more of their relationship develop and feel that connection between them because I think that could have added so much more emotional depth to the story.
And Hendrix…
Yeah. 😬 I’m just not a Hendrix girl.
The letters from Britt absolutely broke my heart, but I also really struggled with some of what they implied. Especially the one where she said “I feel like I should hate you. You’re the woman who’s going to get to love my husband and son. But I don’t. I think you’re actually the person I’m most grateful for.” That really bothered me.
They were never intimate, Hendrix had always loved Serena, and Britt knew Serena was the love of his life. So referring to Hendrix as her husband made it feel like there were genuine romantic feelings there, and I really didn’t like that dynamic. It just didn’t sit right with me.
I also struggled with Hendrix’s actions after the loss of the baby. Instead of feeling like his heartbreak was primarily about losing their child, I felt like so much of his pain became focused on Serena rejecting his marriage proposal. Then, six months later, he married his best friend and lied to Serena when she asked him about it.
I just couldn’t get behind some of those choices, and unfortunately, they made it really difficult for me to connect with Hendrix as a character or root for the romance.
And honestly… for the first time ever, I found myself wishing the FMC would end up with someone else. 😭
Which brings me to…
Rafe. 👀
Rafe, I was looking at you. Because I genuinely found myself wishing they would end up together. 😂
Despite all of this, I still absolutely adore Bella Matthews and will happily continue reading her books. ❤️ I think that’s why this one left me feeling so conflicted. There were characters, relationships, and moments that I genuinely loved, and those are ultimately what kept my rating from being lower.
So, for me, this lands at 3.5⭐️ a very conflicted rating for a book that gave me characters and moments I adored, while ultimately leaving me questioning the central romance.
Sometimes a book can have so many things you love and still not quite work for you as a whole. And I think that’s exactly where I landed with this one. 💕
September 8, 2026
second chance with soul mate
3.5⭐️
Hendrix and Serena have been in love since high school. But never gave it a shot till college. After a horrible event they split up.
This is what aggregated me about this story. The whole way the break up went down. And what was done on both sides. It was understandable on the FMC side but the mmc made dumb decisions. That whole thing just made me annoyed. 😑
Regardless I like the love story besides that.
3.5⭐️
Hendrix and Serena have been in love since high school. But never gave it a shot till college. After a horrible event they split up.
This is what aggregated me about this story. The whole way the break up went down. And what was done on both sides. It was understandable on the FMC side but the mmc made dumb decisions. That whole thing just made me annoyed. 😑
Regardless I like the love story besides that.
August 31, 2026
I absolutely LOVED this one! Hendrix and Serena are absolute end game. This book brought me on one wild ride that I was never expecting. From the very beginning, Bella gives us angst and I am here for it!
💜Sports romance
💜Second Chance
💜Single dad
💜It has always been you
Hendrix and Serena had a secret relationship where they went through the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. And then they completely went no contact.
Now three years later, Hendrix has moved back to his hometown. And the man is back with a man. He wants to right the wrongs and get his girl. But Serena is so broken and doesn’t make it easy.
Going into this book, we saw Serena’s side of things, but never knew why she was the way she was. But now it ALL MAKES SENSE.
This book was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. There were parts that had me tearing up, while other parts had me smiling so big that they were finally getting the happiness they deserved.
What a great book to end this series on!
💜Sports romance
💜Second Chance
💜Single dad
💜It has always been you
Hendrix and Serena had a secret relationship where they went through the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. And then they completely went no contact.
Now three years later, Hendrix has moved back to his hometown. And the man is back with a man. He wants to right the wrongs and get his girl. But Serena is so broken and doesn’t make it easy.
Going into this book, we saw Serena’s side of things, but never knew why she was the way she was. But now it ALL MAKES SENSE.
This book was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. There were parts that had me tearing up, while other parts had me smiling so big that they were finally getting the happiness they deserved.
What a great book to end this series on!
August 30, 2026
We’re back home in Kroydon Hills baby & it’s my favorite fictional place to be! Hendrix & Serena have a history that they kept a secret….and when Hendrix gets traded back home to the Revolution, they are forced back into each other’s orbit. I love me a good second chance story and this one was full of memories, pain, secrets, and love despite everything that has happened. I devoured this and loved how much emotion we see from both of these characters and their chemistry and tension was perfect! I also loved seeing Bodhi and some of his lines cracked me up. Another five star banger from Bella and I will always love the world she’s created for us!
This audio = FANTASTIC!! I literally could feel how much emotion was coming through from Megan Wicks and Sebastian York. It’s performed in duet and I HIGHLY recommend listening to this one if you enjoy audios.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
💜single dad
☘️second chance
💜secret romance
☘️friends to enemies to lovers
💜it’s always been you
This audio = FANTASTIC!! I literally could feel how much emotion was coming through from Megan Wicks and Sebastian York. It’s performed in duet and I HIGHLY recommend listening to this one if you enjoy audios.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
💜single dad
☘️second chance
💜secret romance
☘️friends to enemies to lovers
💜it’s always been you
September 14, 2026
Um..... did I read the same book as everyone else? Because this was absolutely not it for me. What Hendrix did to Serena was, IMO, honestly pretty much unforgiveable. I'm sorry Bella but what in the actual f**k?
There are so, so many other things I could go on about, like a crazy number of plot holes, Bodhi basically not even being part of this book when the trope is single dad, to the just downright gross behavior by Hendrix and other people in Serena's life. Honestly I wanted her to find someone else that actually deserved her and just lol at how much Hendrix regrets his choices.
I normally really enjoy Bella's books so this was definitely not what I was expecting. Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review but this one unfortunately missed the mark by miles.
There are so, so many other things I could go on about, like a crazy number of plot holes, Bodhi basically not even being part of this book when the trope is single dad, to the just downright gross behavior by Hendrix and other people in Serena's life. Honestly I wanted her to find someone else that actually deserved her and just lol at how much Hendrix regrets his choices.
I normally really enjoy Bella's books so this was definitely not what I was expecting. Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review but this one unfortunately missed the mark by miles.
September 13, 2026
Disappointed to say the least. The betrayal was unforgivable and I wish she would have ended up with Rafe. Don’t get me started on those fuck ass letters, the lies, or Bodhi’s parentage. The relationship with the best friend was inappropriate, the timeline was inappropriate and everything about this book was upsetting. Serena deserved better
September 5, 2026
I am going to preface this by saying; I am a huge Bella fan and have read every single one of her books. I feel such a connection to every character in Kroydon Hills land and that will never change.
That said, Bella's last few releases have felt different to her earlier work. It feels like we aren't getting much of a story anymore. We're getting a lot of filler with the text message threads and how quickly we're jumping from chapter to chapter and then jumping very quickly into epilogues that don't really flow from the last chapter.
I feel like there are so many characters to keep track of now and Bella doesn't want to ruin any of their future stories that we are missing so much from the current character's stories because she's treading carefully but, just in my opinion, that's ruining connections the reader can make with the characters they're actually reading about right then.
I rated Sweet Redemption four stars to begin with but then I went away and thought about it and I realised, I wasn't rating it because I loved it, I was rating it because I loved what it could have been. I loved Henny and Serena. I loved being back in Kroydon Hills but these last few releases have felt very rushed, very lacking in proper story lines and outcomes and just like something is missing compared to the original crew we got to meet in Bella's earlier books.
I don't know that it would keep me reading any more books in this world if they weren't part of my KU subscription because it almost feels like it's doing the original characters an injustice, rushing through their children's stories.
It felt underwhelming, unfinished and rushed and that honestly makes me so sad to say but the last few books have all been heading in that same direction of "quick, introduce these characters, give them a complicated story but leave so much out and skip to the epilogue years later". I'm sorry, Bella. Truly. I love your work, I love getting to lose myself in Kroydon Hills but please don't lose sight of the characters you're telling a story about right now in a rush to fit all the future characters in too. I say that with the upmost respect and also, gratitude, for giving so many of us an escape from reality in those early days of the Beneventi men and Declan and Callan and Ares and all those wonderful first round characters but please do this next generation that same justice and beautiful story telling despite the chaos of now having so many character to track and so many people patiently waiting for new books to be released.
That said, Bella's last few releases have felt different to her earlier work. It feels like we aren't getting much of a story anymore. We're getting a lot of filler with the text message threads and how quickly we're jumping from chapter to chapter and then jumping very quickly into epilogues that don't really flow from the last chapter.
I feel like there are so many characters to keep track of now and Bella doesn't want to ruin any of their future stories that we are missing so much from the current character's stories because she's treading carefully but, just in my opinion, that's ruining connections the reader can make with the characters they're actually reading about right then.
I rated Sweet Redemption four stars to begin with but then I went away and thought about it and I realised, I wasn't rating it because I loved it, I was rating it because I loved what it could have been. I loved Henny and Serena. I loved being back in Kroydon Hills but these last few releases have felt very rushed, very lacking in proper story lines and outcomes and just like something is missing compared to the original crew we got to meet in Bella's earlier books.
I don't know that it would keep me reading any more books in this world if they weren't part of my KU subscription because it almost feels like it's doing the original characters an injustice, rushing through their children's stories.
It felt underwhelming, unfinished and rushed and that honestly makes me so sad to say but the last few books have all been heading in that same direction of "quick, introduce these characters, give them a complicated story but leave so much out and skip to the epilogue years later". I'm sorry, Bella. Truly. I love your work, I love getting to lose myself in Kroydon Hills but please don't lose sight of the characters you're telling a story about right now in a rush to fit all the future characters in too. I say that with the upmost respect and also, gratitude, for giving so many of us an escape from reality in those early days of the Beneventi men and Declan and Callan and Ares and all those wonderful first round characters but please do this next generation that same justice and beautiful story telling despite the chaos of now having so many character to track and so many people patiently waiting for new books to be released.
September 5, 2026
what a jerk.
Married his best friend to spite the woman he “loved” because she said no to marrying him when she miscarried and wanted to fix things that way and it was for good reasons my she said no! Then comes back around three years later after his wife dies claiming “it’s always been you.” Bullshit, you don’t hurt the person you love. And don’t get me started on the dead wife/best friend, what a bitch to do what she did. The letters pissed me the fuck off, she had no right. Despite having cancer and being pregnant, she was selfish and took advantage of the situation to the max. If Hendrix cared about and loved Serena so much despite her pushing him away after she miscarried he would’ve told her the truth about Britt but he didn’t, so f.u.c.k him. And also him saying he would he have claimed Bodhi as his but still married Serena if she said yes? That’s totally messed up and if Serena went along with it, she be an idiot.
Married his best friend to spite the woman he “loved” because she said no to marrying him when she miscarried and wanted to fix things that way and it was for good reasons my she said no! Then comes back around three years later after his wife dies claiming “it’s always been you.” Bullshit, you don’t hurt the person you love. And don’t get me started on the dead wife/best friend, what a bitch to do what she did. The letters pissed me the fuck off, she had no right. Despite having cancer and being pregnant, she was selfish and took advantage of the situation to the max. If Hendrix cared about and loved Serena so much despite her pushing him away after she miscarried he would’ve told her the truth about Britt but he didn’t, so f.u.c.k him. And also him saying he would he have claimed Bodhi as his but still married Serena if she said yes? That’s totally messed up and if Serena went along with it, she be an idiot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2026
I Don't Know
The story was fine. I was hoping foe a little more angst , but what was offered will do. I don't know how I feel about Hendrix. He's a liar. If he'd lie to the woman he supposedly loves, what else is he capable of? To marry his "best friend" knowing how it would affect Serena was disgusting. This is the first time I've wished the couple didn't end up together. I just don't think Hendrix can be trusted.
The story was fine. I was hoping foe a little more angst , but what was offered will do. I don't know how I feel about Hendrix. He's a liar. If he'd lie to the woman he supposedly loves, what else is he capable of? To marry his "best friend" knowing how it would affect Serena was disgusting. This is the first time I've wished the couple didn't end up together. I just don't think Hendrix can be trusted.
Review of advance copy
**Audiobook review**
Megan Wicks gave an absolutely amazing performance. She knew how to deliver an emotional experience. She did a great job as Serena. Overall the narration for this story was great. I still stand by my original review, Hendrix is unlikeable, and unredeemable and he really missed the mark.
Bella is one of my favorite authors, and I have absolutely fallen in love with her books and her world, but this book sadly fell flat.
While characters aren’t always meant to be likable from the beginning, there’s usually character development that shows this flawed character changing and growing, and that’s just not something we got from Hendrix. He was unlikable from the beginning, and what’s worse is that he had the same childish answer every time a fight came up “you said no”. He never even thought to ask why Serena said no.
Serena was one of the messiest characters I’ve ever read. I understand after everything she went through, but the crying meltdowns she’s constantly had was so off putting. She certainly didn’t act like any Kingston I’ve ever read about.
There were plot holes that went unanswered, like the fact that Olivia and Hendrix seemed to have some sort of secret and Olivia encouraged Hendrix to tell Serena, but we never find out what it is. It seemed like a big enough point that there was an underlying threat of “tell her or I will” what did Olivia know? Why did Saylor (or maybe it was Aurora) have the phone number for Serena to call? How would either one of them have any idea what was going on? Why did Serena and Liv buy the winery?
This didn’t feel like the same universe that we’ve been in before, these characters seemed off and very different. Max was nothing like I would have hoped he would be and his book was one of my favorites from the first generation.
The Sinclair clan also felt different. We barely got anything with Belle and Declan.
I will say the last 10% of the book did finally feel familiar to me and like a Bella book, but overall it wasn’t what I’ve come to anticipate.
Megan Wicks gave an absolutely amazing performance. She knew how to deliver an emotional experience. She did a great job as Serena. Overall the narration for this story was great. I still stand by my original review, Hendrix is unlikeable, and unredeemable and he really missed the mark.
Bella is one of my favorite authors, and I have absolutely fallen in love with her books and her world, but this book sadly fell flat.
While characters aren’t always meant to be likable from the beginning, there’s usually character development that shows this flawed character changing and growing, and that’s just not something we got from Hendrix. He was unlikable from the beginning, and what’s worse is that he had the same childish answer every time a fight came up “you said no”. He never even thought to ask why Serena said no.
Serena was one of the messiest characters I’ve ever read. I understand after everything she went through, but the crying meltdowns she’s constantly had was so off putting. She certainly didn’t act like any Kingston I’ve ever read about.
There were plot holes that went unanswered, like the fact that Olivia and Hendrix seemed to have some sort of secret and Olivia encouraged Hendrix to tell Serena, but we never find out what it is. It seemed like a big enough point that there was an underlying threat of “tell her or I will” what did Olivia know? Why did Saylor (or maybe it was Aurora) have the phone number for Serena to call? How would either one of them have any idea what was going on? Why did Serena and Liv buy the winery?
This didn’t feel like the same universe that we’ve been in before, these characters seemed off and very different. Max was nothing like I would have hoped he would be and his book was one of my favorites from the first generation.
The Sinclair clan also felt different. We barely got anything with Belle and Declan.
I will say the last 10% of the book did finally feel familiar to me and like a Bella book, but overall it wasn’t what I’ve come to anticipate.
September 4, 2026
She forgave him FAR to easily…he was honestly terrible. she should have ended up with rafe…
September 8, 2026
I don’t say this often but this MMC was absolutely irredeemable. Just….all the nope.
September 2, 2026
What to expect
🏒Hockey romance
⚽️Second chance
🏒Dual athletes
⚽️Secret romance
🏒Single dad
⚽️Angsty
Bella Matthews really said, let me wreck you all over again.
And somehow… I let her. Happily. Willingly. Repeatedly.
I SOBBED my way through this entire book. Every time a letter from Britt was mentioned? Sobbed. Every time Rafe appeared (IYKYK) I sobbed even harder. And then Delaney’s whole incident happened all over again and I was simply DONE.
The way Bella tied every single book in this series together within this story was pure emotional wreckage, but in the absolute BEST way. I loved how seamlessly everything aligned with the previous books and how all those little pieces came together. It made the entire series feel so intentional and interconnected, and I was EATING. IT. UP.
And the “it’s always been you” trope?! HELLO?! Inject it straight into my veins. The angst. The yearning. The history. The what could have been. I was completely invested from the very beginning.
Then finding out what really transpired between them and getting those Hendrix revelations?! I was SWOONING. The payoff was everything.
This book made me feel EVERYTHING. I laughed, I swooned, I hurt, and honestly, I probably lost several years off my life from the emotional damage.
I truly don’t know how Bella Matthews does it because every single time I read one of her books, I say, “THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE.”
And every single time, I mean it.
These books have officially earned a spot on my will absolutely reread and emotionally destroy myself again shelf because they are THAT GOOD.
🏒Hockey romance
⚽️Second chance
🏒Dual athletes
⚽️Secret romance
🏒Single dad
⚽️Angsty
Bella Matthews really said, let me wreck you all over again.
And somehow… I let her. Happily. Willingly. Repeatedly.
I SOBBED my way through this entire book. Every time a letter from Britt was mentioned? Sobbed. Every time Rafe appeared (IYKYK) I sobbed even harder. And then Delaney’s whole incident happened all over again and I was simply DONE.
The way Bella tied every single book in this series together within this story was pure emotional wreckage, but in the absolute BEST way. I loved how seamlessly everything aligned with the previous books and how all those little pieces came together. It made the entire series feel so intentional and interconnected, and I was EATING. IT. UP.
And the “it’s always been you” trope?! HELLO?! Inject it straight into my veins. The angst. The yearning. The history. The what could have been. I was completely invested from the very beginning.
Then finding out what really transpired between them and getting those Hendrix revelations?! I was SWOONING. The payoff was everything.
This book made me feel EVERYTHING. I laughed, I swooned, I hurt, and honestly, I probably lost several years off my life from the emotional damage.
I truly don’t know how Bella Matthews does it because every single time I read one of her books, I say, “THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE.”
And every single time, I mean it.
These books have officially earned a spot on my will absolutely reread and emotionally destroy myself again shelf because they are THAT GOOD.
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