Rating: 3.5 Stars

When local legend, Mama Joy, passes away, the fate of Strong Knits hangs in the balance.

Overall, I thought this book was good. I liked it, but didn't love it the way I thought I would. I am just starting to believe, that super slow burn romances are not for me. I like them more in my face and front and center, and that was not what I got here. I think they finally kissed at about 75%, and then the romance part of the story had to be rushed through. Maybe it was a case of adjusting my expectations, but after reading my slow burn this month, I feel like I just am not a fan.

However, there were many aspects of this book, which I enjoyed.

The Brothers - I loved how this group of men became brothers, and found their dynamic interesting. There was tension, but a lot of love, and I liked how they came together when it counted most. Each of the Strong men had a story to tell, and I wouldn't mind reading those stories.

Jesse - I was very pleased with the way Jesse stepped up to the plate, and how he was finally able to shine in his own way. It was a sort of redemption for him in the eyes of his brother, and I liked that he surprised me as he worked to bring Strong Knits back to life.

Community - Strong Knits was an integral part of this Harlem community, and I really enjoyed the parts, where Jackson focused on the community and the denizens, who made it such a wonderful place.

History - I always appreciate when my hero and heroine have history, and these two have been part of each other's lives for a long, long time. It was fun and sweet reliving some of their childhood memories, and also finding comfort in each other as they mourned the loss of Mama Joy.

Overall, I loved the community and family aspects of this book, but wish the romance played a bigger role in the story.

This is tough, because had I been expecting more of a story about family with a splash of romance, this would be closer to 4 stars. However, as a romance, I didn't find this wholly satisfying. Some of this is that the male lead was an interesting character, but didn't work for me as a hero in a romance very well. He does learn/grow, but the grovel ultimately didn't match the crime for me. I did really enjoy the writing, and the characters were engaging, so I would try something else from the author

I was so excited for this book. It had everything I thought I would love. The premise of this book sounded like a complete win for me, but it never reached it potential.

So much of the book was telling not showing. Honestly, it was mostly too much telling, especially at the beginning. Literally nothing happens for the first half of the book. It could have been heavily edited to make it read more smoothly and keep the reader entertained. Sadly, even the dialogue didn’t have a natural feel to it.

The grief part of the story felt like it was all just on the surface. I never felt any deep emotions from any of the characters when it came to how they were feeling about loosing someone they loved so much. Honestly the characters as a whole fell flat for me.

Real Men Knit is a slow-burn romance between a woman who has always had a crush on him and a guy who has never had a serious relationship. They never really got along in the way that they can call each other friends, but when tragedy happens, these two will have to work together to take his knitting shop to another level.

Jesse's life has turned upside down. His mother has recently passed. The woman who has been there for him, through ups and downs. Always supporting him. She's now gone and she has left her knitting shop for the brothers. (Jesse has three brothers, he's the youngest!). They talk about what to do with the shop, to close it, to keep it open. Jesse has decided that he wants to renovate it and manage it. But he needs help and the one person who knows the shop better than any of the four brothers and who was always there with Mama Joy is Kerry, his childhood friend.

This book is definitely a slow-burn I'm warning you. If you are a romance reader who wants a kiss in the first half, don't expect that in this one. It takes a while, but Kwana Jackson really does a great job of making this relationship very real. I mean, they need to communicate, need to get to know each other, how the other one works and functions before they even think about being together. They haven't spent a lot of time together before the start of the novel even though they have known each other for so many years. Also Kerry knows (and everyone knows) that Jesse is a player and his relationships don't last long. So she's careful with her heart.

Kerry is a queen to be honest. She does so much and sometimes I think she doesn't get nearly enough of what she gives. And I relate to that because I like to give and give and it makes me happy to see people happy. And I don't expect to get anything in return but yet you kinda do expect something you know? And when you receive a little something from your big something, you are kinda let down but don't want to show it. But I love the evolution of Kerry and Jesse's relationship because while it might have started this way, it definitely evolves into something more and they stand on equal grounds.

I'm excited and anticipating the next books in this series! The brothers made me laugh and I seriously want to get to know them more and their stories. Who is going to take their hearts?

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020, but it fell flat for me and I unfortunately decided to DNF at 20%. I love the concept so much, but the part I read was too slow for my tastes. It may just be the mood I was in when I tried to read it. I may try to read it again later and see if I’m able to finish it.

Real men knit. And Strong men keep the yarn balls rolling and needles flying.

Everything changed the day Mama Joy Strong died, shaking the Harlem neighborhood, the knitting community, and her four adopted sons. Now, the four Strong men must decide what to do with Strong Knits, their mother's knitting store and one of the few remaining family-run businesses left in a rapidly gentrifying borough.

For the youngest Strong brother, Jesse, the path is clear: they must save Mama Joy's shop, continuing her legacy and making her proud. Unfortunately, he must battle his three older brothers to do so. It doesn't help that none of them believe he can save the shop. After all, he's Jesse. Never able to stay at one job for very long--or with one woman, either. The only one who sides with him is his childhood friend and Mama Joy's unofficial fifth child, Kerry.

Kerry Fuller is tired of being "Kerry Girl", known for being the same shy, bookish, nice girl the Strong brothers knew all throughout their lives with Mama Joy. She's tired of a lot of things, actually, namely everyone's expectations of her, thinking they know best for her, thinking they know her and what she actually wants. Right now, she is sure of one thing: she wants to save Strong Knits. And if she has to pair up with Jesse to do it, then so be it.

They both just wish that their attraction to each other would help them keep their heads in the game.

This fabulous novel is fun, sexy, and full of love, hope, and figuring out who you are and who you are meant to be--even when the world seems to think that they already have you pinned to a tee. I hope to return to Strong Knits and see more of the Strong brothers, Kerry, the OKG, and the community center friends.

2.5 rounded up to three because I loved the idea of a knitting shop in Harlem, run by cute guys.

Unfortunately, this book was a real slog to get through. It needed a hard rewrite--the first one hundred pages or so are all setup in "tell" mode with few scenes. A great deal of the data was repeated, as if the reader couldn't be trusted to get what was a very simple setup.

Once the story started, it was less about knitting and the knitting community and more about the romance and bedroom Olympics, rushing abruptly to the finish line. The romance was great, but the marketing made it seem like a different book.

It didn't help that it was full of grammar and spelling eras. I really hope at least those get fixed before release date. There needs to be more books like this one out there, but better executed.

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 and Kerry Fuller, his childhood friend who has had a crush on him her entire life, agrees to help him figure out how to run the business. Kerry will help him reinvent the store and show him how to run 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.

Although the ending was too abrupt, I really enjoyed the slow burn with real life issues. Jesse is still a work in progress, a player getting his act together. Kerry is the one woman who can help him do it, even if both are afraid to say it at the beginning. I look forward to books about the other Strong brothers.

I feel bad about my review for this one because it isn't a bad book, but not one I could get into right now. It also focused more on family than the slow burn romance, which was different from my expectations. I did like the brothers and challenge to traditional masculinity in their interest in knitting. Knitting isn't my thing but I enjoyed reading about men who enjoy this hobby you don't often see men participating in. Give me all the books about men with crafting hobbies because we could use way more of them. The pacing was slow but it was also low on the angst and overall a fun read.

DNF

My ebook was not formatted correctly.

My rating is directed to the publisher, not the author.

Kwana Jackson creates a vibrant world and characters in Real Men Knit. I would be happy to see more stories that follow to Strong brothers.

A strong book on a black woman who owns a knitting store, raised 4 handsome black men and a young girl who needed a mother role model. With a touch of Harlem history. The romance I new was coming and it could by age that I have read this story over and over again, but I think it will be sold in my store to a new generation of black woman. Good writing.

I got this arc thinking this was a new to me author but learned that I've read her before under a slightly different name K. M. Jackson. As a crocheter myself I was intrigued by the title and the idea of a romance hero who knits, which we know is typically seen as a female pastime. I'm glad I picked it up this book. I very much enjoyed reading Jesse and Kerry's love story. Real Men Knit is set in New York, where the mother of four adopted men has suddenly passed away leaving them responsible for a knitting shop she owned. Our main characters are, Jesse the youngest son and Kerry, who had been going to the yarn shop since she was a child and working there part time for years.

I loved Jesse's backstory with his family. The author was really great at getting you involved with the characters and letting you connect emotionally to them. Even though Mama Joy has passed away before this story began she was still a big part of what goes on and the author realy does a great job of having the characters express memories of her. I also really enjoyed the interactions between the Strong brothers. I have to say I'm a sucker for romance series that feature a different connected character in each. I'm looking forward to reading about Jesse's brother's finding love. I also really enjoyed Kerry's friend Val who played the sassy best friend to the T without it being corny or over the top. Val's character definitely provided comic relief throughout the book.

Right off the bat I loved Kerry's character. She seemed like a strong, caring, sensible person, but I wasn't so sure about Jesse at first. I knew the author was going to have to really convince me that he could charge his player ways and truly commit to a happily ever after. One thing I really love about a book, and something that I think is important is that characters grow and learn thoughtout. I think Kwana Jackson did a wonderful job with that. Jesse was just kind of at loose ends with his life, with no commitments of any kind, romantic or otherwise. Through out the book he really learned how to not only handle, but express his emotions and to face his own self doubt in his abilities. I really liked that when Jesse did admit the error in the way he treated women, he went on an "apology tour" and addressed the issues that stemmed back from his birth mother's death. It showed a real character progression and made his devotion to Kerry more believable as opposed to the boom magically he's a better man that happens in a lot of books.
Overall this was a very satisfying read and I truly enjoyed it. I'm always a big supporter of diversity in romance so I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by this author.

I enjoyed this! It was a nice quick cute binge and I really enjoyed the cast of characters. It felt like there wasn't a ton going on in terms of plot, but sometimes you just need a cute story like that. I'm looking forward to seeing more books featuring the Strong Boys, because oh man, they are delightful.

Kwana Jackson is one of my favorite writers and I will read everything she publishes. Once again she has given us reading gold with Real Men Knit. This author knows how to capture your attention from the first line to the last and she spins a tale with such eloquence that you cant help but be enchanted with the story. Her characters are relatable, engaging and the laugh out loud moments come just when you need them. Love, love, love this book and this author!

Review:  🧶🧶🧶🧶
Readers let me say the romance is there, but in my opinion, it was not the highlight. What I did enjoy were the many takeaways of overcoming the struggles, healing, maturing and adversities in keeping a small family business running in a world of corporations and franchising.

After being shifted from foster to family, Momma Joy nurtured these young men and they began to understand that blood is not necessarily an indicator for becoming a family unit.  After losing their rock, it looks like it’s time to throw in the towel.  It takes the unlikely brother, Jesse, the youngest of Momma Joy’s crew to fight for the importance of keeping the legacy of Strong Knits.

Real Men Knit, its unique family dynamic, along with the strong community bonds paint a picture of diversity at its best. It was refreshing to get a glimpse of men working in varied fields ranging from financial management to free spirit to admit to having specialties in the knitting game.

If you enjoy unique family dynamics and the strong bonds of communities try this one for your reading pleasure.

First let me just say that this cover is amazing. I loved this sweet romance. Perfect amount of steam and believability.

I love the fun trope of presenting the fact that knitting (and thus other activities and hobbies that are deemed more feminine) are not just for women. Jesse and Kerry were a cute couple, and Jesse and his relationship with his brothers is also something fun to read.

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. - Goodreads

I was very excited for this book. Focusing on a man who not only was adopted but is dealing with grief and knows how to knit, were topics that I was all for. But by the end of the book I was disappointed. I wasn't disappointed because of lack of writing skills or pace but more so this book felt like a foundation to a bigger novel. So many different topics were passed over. I wanted more details in Mama Joy's past, background information on the store, more character background and more character description.

I found it really hard to believe that Mama Joy did not teach or leave any information about how to run her business with her boys or even on paper. Kerry knew pretty much everything but it still baffled me how 'Mama Joy did not write anything down. So that was on my mind but also the fact that the reader knows nothing about the store itself. If the author took more time to give the store a story, I would have believed this story much more.

Also character development as well as character background is pretty much non-existent. The whole issue/conflict in the novel is lack of communication. Kerry stresses so much that she is a grown woman but acts like a middle schooner throughout the entire book. I don't understand why.

What did love about the book was the slow burn romance. I didn't think the conflict of the novel was going to be lack of communication and more so Jesse sleeping with most of the city, so it was interesting that the author highlighted that but didn't make that the issue. Like the author was very specific on who he slept with as well as their interactions with Kerry.

The breakout character for me was actually Jesse's brother Damian. I really was intrigued by his hard ass and anger. I would love to read his story next.

With that being said, this wasn't a bad book and I would recommend it as a introduction to this author. I just wish there was more added to it.

Overall,

2 Pickles

With a slow burn romance, family issues and the heartbreak of loss, REAL MEN KNIT by Kwana Jackson has all of the ingredients for a sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking tale of fresh starts, family healing and love where one least expects it.

Four adoptive brothers must learn to respect each other after the death of their single, adoptive mother as they struggle to keep her business alive in Harlem. Jesse has always been the manwhore, often irresponsible, but after his mother dies, he wants nothing more than to prove he can be someone she could finally be proud of by keeping her small shop open. The problem: he has no idea how to do that until part time employee, Kerry offers to help. What does Kerry see that his brothers do not?

Having had a crush on Jesse, she never expected anything to happen between him, she didn’t meet his “qualifications.” Together, they will find they have invested more than their sweat equity in keeping the shop alive, they have invested their hearts. But will it matter in the long run?

Nicely written, this is a good read, just not as fresh feeling as I would like. The characters seemed almost flat, like cut outs, but definitely cut outs I could like! A quick read to relax into and escape for a few hours.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review.