Real Men Knit had the potential to be a really good romance, but it stumbled quite a bit. Though the book is covered in a dark cloud of Jesse's mother's recent death, Jackson manages to make this bittersweet moment and reveals the important role the shop plays in the community—especially for one boy who's being bullied—and elaborates on the value of handcrafts. I liked the character of Kerry and I thought she was a believable character who is stuck professionally and emotionally. It is clear that the store holds a lot of significance to Kerry which is why she sticks around to make sure it flourishes and not closes. Unfortunately, I thought her relationship with Jesse happened too quickly. There is lots of one one-sided pining, but I would have liked to have this relationship develop organically rather than out of convenience. There's not much chemistry between the leads even though the reader is told how much they pine for each other separately. When the book does pick up the pacing and moves the plot forward, the story is over. Kerry and Jessie's romance is rushed and left me unsatisfied. I was hoping for a stronger romance.

Mama Joy owned and operated Strong Knits, a small business in Harlem. She was the foster mother of Jesse, Noah, and Damian, and the mother-figure to Kerry, who is now an adult. When she dies, Jesse and Kerry try to keep the store running as a tribute to her. We both felt that we wanted to give this book a try, especially since it’s about a yarn store that makes us want to curl up with a few cute boys and their knitting. Kerry is tired of being the secret employee that everyone knows about her boss son. It’s time to move on. She’s also ready to start a new job at Strong Knits.

Although I’m not a knitter, I loved this concept. It’s a real place where people can come and discuss their concerns with other knitters. I love how Real Men Knit celebrated the culture of knitting. I especially loved the way Jesse and Kerry talked about how their relationship had affected them both, and how knitting had made them feel good. Although I loved the setting, it took me a while to get into this book. It’s also a character-driven read, so I wish I could have spent more time with the main characters.
Kerry is a woman who works at a community center. There were some of my favorite moments at the center, including the time when Val and her co-workers pretended to be sex starved. I felt like both Kerry and Jesse were too immature to have a real relationship. Their inability to communicate was the main reason why they were never truly happy in their relationship. Jesse is convinced that he cannot amount to anything, that he can never decide what he wants, and that he second guesses his thoughts constantly.

Jesse was a tough hero to like initially. He was insecure and had a hard time seeing himself as worthy of a relationship with Kerry. He eventually started to appreciate being in a class with other kids. One of his brothers thinks that Jesse is a bad person because he doesn't commit to any relationships. Also, Kerry and Jesse treat one of Jesse's casual partners with disdain after her expresses an interest in a more significant relationship. He was so focused on casual sex that he could barely remember the names of his sex partners.

The brothers' relationship with Kerry was also highlighted, showing how a family can support us in ways that can be damaging. I’m looking forward to the next books, because I found the other brothers more believable romantic partners. Lucas, Noah, and Jesse were all more lighthearted and fun to watch. Damian has a high-powered job and living with his roommate. I’m hoping that he gets into a passionate relationship where he knits socks for his lover. The setting was cozy and welcoming, and the characters were strong. Unfortunately, the main characters are not enough to make this a good read. Thank you, Berkley, for the gifted copy via net galley

I DNF'd this book about 40% in. I tried reading it and just couldn't connect with what was happening and with both main characters.

This book didn't live up to its expectations. I expected a cute romance, maybe even some rolling around in the yarn, but all I got was a mainstream romance, with mainstream characters. Entertaining, but nothing special.

I received an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book, so much it inspired me to begin yarn art projects again. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I made it 30% in and couldn't connect with the characters or the plot. It felt like it was moving too slowly. I'll definitely give this author another chance in the future, but this book didn't work for me.

Kwana Jackson write quite a fun tension filled romp with Real Men Knit! I fell for all four Knights of Harlem and cannot wait to see what happens with these brothers. One of the most important parts of this book was the importance of found family and I am here for it! The beautiful black/black love story drew me in and I fell into their world entirely. I recommend this for any romance fans, it was pure fun!

I really wanted to love this book, having spent many hours in a local knitting shop. Instead I needed to DNF at about 60%. There was so much character development and so little chemistry that I was unsure what this book was trying to accomplish. Was it meant to be a super slow burn romance? A family drama? A set up for a series, front loading the character knowledge. I never did find out.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

I started this book, but never felt the urge to go back to it. Since I saw some reviews that were not that positive from people I trust (have similar taste to me) I thus decided to DNF the title.

I do hope to read more from this author and maybe pick it up at a later date, but right now I do not see myself picking it up and time soon.

3.5 stars, I think. A little slow at times but overall quite enjoyable.

Advanced copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

The first week in February was super busy, and the first book I finished was Real Men Knit. I got a copy last year from @NetGalley, but I didn’t read it right away. Anyways, I just listened to it, and I liked it. I did, but I just wasn’t crazy about it.

After Mama Joy passes away, her four adopted sons have to make a decision about Strong Knits (Mama Joy’s neighborhood knitting shop). Kerry has grown up working at Strong Knits, and she has a lifelong crush on one of the brothers, Jesse. When Jesse (the black sheep of the family) takes over the shop, Kerry volunteers to help him.

I didn’t really like Jesse’s character although he did grow on me, and I felt like Kerry did this 180 (from super timid to super bold) in the middle of the book with no real explanation. I will definitely read the next Real Men Knit book - because I am curious to see how the other Strong brothers and Val fall in love.

Interview on Love's Sweet Arrow's YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0I2SH3_bwY&t=7s

Exclusive Excerpt featured on Fresh Fiction: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=10650


It was then that Kerry walked by the back kitchen opening, and she paused at the doorway. “Errol! What are you doing here?” she said, stepping into the main lounge.

The boy brightened at the sight of Kerry, his entire face opening up and his demeanor changing as he smiled at her. But then, as if remembering his mission, he quickly sobered. “Hi, Miss Kerry. I just wanted to come by to say how sorry I am about Ms. Joy.”

Kerry stepped forward and took the boy into her arms in a hug. “Oh, Errol. Thank you so much. That is so kind of you.”

Errol pulled back and unclenched his fists from the bag he was holding. He looked up at Kerry with a sad longing in his eyes and Jesse could see he was debating a question. “Will the shop be open again for us kids to come in for a lesson?”

Kerry looked around at Jesse and his brothers, then back at Errol. “Errol, I’m not sure. The family has to do some figuring out about that.”

Errol let out a breath and looked at Jesse. The boy nodded soberly as if he fully understood, despite his young age. Once again, he clenched the brown paper bag tightly.

As if she knew he wanted something more, Kerry questioned him. “What you got there, Errol? Is it anything I can help you with?”

Once again, Errol looked at all the brothers, and it was then that Jesse could see the embarrassment as it bloomed across his features. He looked at Kerry and put his shoulders back before reaching into his bag and pulling out a small set of circular knitting needles and what appeared to be the beginning of a hat cast on, though Jesse could see he had gotten himself into a tangled mass of dropped stitches. “I think I’ve made some mistakes here and could use some help, so I was hoping there would be another class,” Errol said.

Kerry’s smile was warm and nonjudgmental as she gently rubbed the top of his head. “Yes, it looks like you do have a little bit of a mess here...”

I was a little disappointed by this book. The plot and characters didn't really grab me and the focus was more on family fiction than on romance, which is what I was expecting more of. There is definitely an audience for the book and the characters were very relatable, but its not me. There wasn't much happening to drive the story forward and I was left with a "meh" feeling at the end.

I don't know... this review is hard, because I don't have anything about this book that I hated, but there's also nothing I absolutely adored about it?

I liked Kerry, I really liked how she took matters into her own hands. She never let the brother push her around and when she decided she'd had enough of waiting on Jesse she went for it. I really enjoyed her as a character.

I liked the brothers. I think they have a long way to go with their relationship, but I liked what we got from them and I'm definitely interested in seeing what the other brothers get up to.

I even really liked Jesse. He's kinda seen as the screw up kid by everyone, as well as himself. But, Kerry believes in him. He's committed to making the yarn shop work and I really liked seeing his commitment for it.

I think what was really lacking for me is the romance. I don't think I'd even consider it a slow burn, because I believe a slow burn needs to build, it needs to have that tension. While we know both Kerry and Jesse have feelings for each other, they're kinda just floating around each other, not even considering doing anything about it for over half of this book. And, even then... I don't know, I just wanted more. I liked them, but for me it just fell short of something that would make me feel all the feels.

As readers we have all been in a situation where we have been really anticipating a book, then, when we finally crack it open and jump in it isn’t all that we hoped it would be. This is my experience of Real Men Knit. I originally picked it up because I loved the cover and then, when I looked into it more, I loved the concept. A man running a knitting shop? Friends to lovers? Slow burn? Sign me right up.

But, I got to about 60% before I decided to stop reading, I realised that this wasn’t going to get above a 2 star rating, so I decided to move on and read something else. For me, this book seemed to slowly meander but not really go anywhere. There was a little bit of sexual tension between the hero and the heroine but there was no real movement forward, they just seemed to fancy each other. I got to 60% and there had been no deepening of the relationship; they weren’t even really friends.

There was also too much inner monologuing going on. They think a lot (and fairly repetitively) about their feelings but never express anything. This served not only to really slow the pace of the book, but it made the relationships appear shallow. A central focus of this story was the difficult bonds between the hero and his brothers and their shared grief over their mother’s death. But, I didn’t really fell that. Instead it felt like a group of judgmental strangers were in the room; I didn’t get the complex mixture of love and frustration that accompanies siblinghood.

This book didn’t really work for me, it was a great idea, but I felt like it really fell short on execution.

I loved the cover. But that's as much as I loved about the book. I really struggled to get through the story. Skipping several pages. I liked Kerry. She is a wonderful girl. The guy she falls for is a total douche bag, womanizing jerk. And his three brothers aren't much better to Kerry. The star of the book is Kerry.

Went into this title thinking it was a romance and it...wasn't? I honestly had a really hard time getting into, and finishing this novel. It had some pretty heavy themes but I found it boring and repetitive, The two love interests didn't have the chemistry I'd hoped for and the rest of the characters were fairly forgettable.

I really enjoyed this book, thank you for the ARC! I would read other books by this author. I picked this book because Jasmine Guillory recommended it.

With every turn of the page my fingers welcomed the heat from the story, the skilled words that flowed effortlessly from chapter to chapter. Anyone can knit, it's relaxing, fun, and sexy. Grab a scan of yarn, a pair of needles and discover a new world. Defy norms and see why anyone can knit. Kwana delivered a novel about family, the power of faith, the ability to achieve greatness and defy gender norms and above all, follow your heart.

I can't wait to read more from Kwana.