Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson

Real Men Knit, a hilarious new romantic comedy releases May 19th. Look at the adorable cover! Readers will delight in Jackson’s diverse, charming characters and the hometown, loving sense of community in the Harlem neighborhood where this book takes place. Real Men Knit is a debut fiction, perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Jasmine Guillory.

We begin the novel after the sudden loss of Mama Joy, owner of Strong Knits, a beloved Harlem neighborhood knitting shop. Mama Joy was a single mother of four adopted boys of different races and backgrounds. She used all she had and raised them up to be successful gentleman, living on the second floor above the shop. Jesse, the youngest, is a bit of a playboy, but he is also the best knitter of the group. Damian, the oldest is a financial analyst, and he is more concerned with his fancy clothing in his closet than knitting. Lucas and Noah share the same mother, but that is about all they have in common. Lucas is a firefighter and a big softie. Noah is an accomplished backup dancer and he travels for work quite frequently. Though they aren’t blood brothers, the Strong boys stick together through thick and thin. Losing Mama Joy not only left a hole in their family, but it also left a huge hole in the community and in the heart of longtime employee, Kerry Fuller. She grew up alongside Jesse and the other brothers, and was like a daughter to Mama Joy.

Unfortunately for the Strong brothers, they find out quickly that Strong Knits is under huge financial debt, and it looks like they will need to close the shop. Jesse, surprisingly offers to take the lead and keep the shop open. While his brothers give him a hard time about his lack of initiative in the employment area of his past, Kerry feels bad for him and offers to help. She doesn’t want to see the shop close, either. It’s a part of her childhood and she hopes it will be a part of her future, as well. Kerry has always had a huge crush on Jesse, even though he has different women on the string most of the time. She knows he would have no interest in her, seeing as though he treats her like his kid sister. Well, Kerry couldn’t be any more wrong when it comes to Jesse’s feelings for her. She has grown into a beautiful woman and he definitely noticed, finding himself unable to fight his ever growing feelings for her. How is he supposed to focus on keeping the knitting shop open with Kerry right next to him, tempting him all the time. How can he prove to her that he means to stick around and grow roots, both at Strong Knits and hopefully with Kerry, if she’ll have him.

This was a sweet (and spicy!) romantic comedy with family drama, hilarious banter, awkward dating scenes, and strong bonds of friendship. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the advanced review copy of this title.