Title: Real Men Knit
Author: Kwana Jackson
Publication: May 19, 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pages: 336
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
When their foster-turned-adoptive mother suddenly dies, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of her beloved Harlem knitting shop, while dealing with life and love in Harlem.
Jesse Strong is known for two things: his devotion to his adoptive mom, Mama Joy, and his reputation for breaking hearts in Harlem. When Mama Joy unexpectedly passes away, he and his brothers have different plans on what to do with Strong Knits, their neighborhood knitting store: Jesse wants to keep the store open; his brothers want to shut it down.
Jesse makes an impassioned plea to Kerry Fuller, his childhood friend who has had a crush on him her entire life, to help him figure out how to run the business. Kerry agrees to help him reinvent the store and show him the knitty-gritty of the business, but the more time they spend together, the more the chemistry builds. Kerry, knowing Jesse’s history, doesn’t believe this relationship will exist longer than one can knit one, purl one. But Jesse is determined to prove to her that he can be the man for her—after all, real men knit.
REVIEW:
Over the summer I found this book at my favorite local hometown indie bookstore. Real Men Knit??!!! Color me intrigued. Of course it gets relegated to my TBR list that I swear never seems to shrink but grow. However, once again Audible to my rescue. I used my free monthly credit to get this as a audiobook that I can read since my reading time has been a bit messed up with my work schedule, this way I could listen on my way to work each day. I was excited to read it.
The Strong boys are beside themselves, the only person who has ever been a mother to them and adopted them has died suddenly. Leaving them wondering what to do with her yarn store. Kerry is also beside herself, their mother’s store was a safe harbor for her for as long as she can remember. Kerry tells Jesse that she will help him get the store back to where it should be. What they don’t expect is for things to heat up between them. I really liked this book. The only reason I gave it a 4-star review was because it was a serious slow burn and it ended suddenly. When I say a slow burn I mean it took roughly 25 out of 28 chapters for things to finally heat up between the two main characters. I loved the whole knitting idea. It almost made me want to take up knitting…..and I mean almost. I am all thumbs when it comes to that. I can barely crochet. As long as it is a straight thing like a scarf, I am your gal.
I loved the way the author wrote the banter between Kerry and Jesse. It showed that they were comfortable with each other. They kind of fall in the friends-to-lovers category, even if Kerry didn’t think highly of Jesse’s playboy-type lifestyle. I loved how the knitting store was a hub for those in the neighborhood and how they supported the store even after Mama Joy passed away. They wanted to help them stay afloat and pay off the massive debt that the brothers knew nothing about. I love how they interacted with the local schools and gave knitting classes to them. This book is fairly clean for those who want a cleaner romance. The author does mention his ready manhood and licking nipples but that is about the extent of it. Nothing goes into great detail. This book is part of a series and I think I may need to read the rest, because I have to know if the rest of Jesse’s brothers get their own stories, as once you read this book you will fall in love with the brothers as well. I know that I will be adding them to my TBR list as well.
