Real Men Knit

By: Kwana Jackson

Narrated by: Keylor Leigh

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

"If you're looking for an easy charmer, this is the novel for you." (Shondaland)

When their foster-turned-adoptive mother suddenly dies, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of her beloved Harlem knitting shop.

Jesse Strong is known for two things: his devotion to his adoptive mom, Mama Joy, and his reputation for breaking hearts. When Mama Joy unexpectedly passes away, he and his brothers have different plans for what to do with Strong Knits, their neighborhood knitting store. Jesse wants to keep the store open. His brothers want to tie off loose ends and close shop....

Part-time shop employee Kerry Fuller has kept her crush on Jesse a secret. When she overhears his impassioned plea to his brothers to keep the knitting shop open, she volunteers to help. Unlike Jesse, Kerry knows the "knitty-gritty" of the business, and together they make plans to reinvent Strong Knits for a new generation.

But the more time they spend together, the stronger the chemistry builds between them. Kerry, knowing Jesse’s history, doesn’t believe their relationship can last longer than she can knit one, purl two. But Jesse is determined to prove to her that he can be the man for her forever and always. After all, real men knit.

©2020 Kwana Jackson (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A big-hearted, warm, funny story of community, family and unexpected romance, Real Men Knit is an absolute winner. Kwana Jackson never fails to give me exactly what I want in a book: a messy family, characters who fight for what they want, believable and delicious romance, and a setting that’s as much a part of the story as the people in it." (Kristan Higgins, New York Times best-selling author)

"Such a fantastic read, complete with an emotion-filled romance, and a cast of characters I’m so looking forward to seeing again." (Nalini Singh, New York Times best-selling author)

"I loved every word of Real Men Knit. It’s a sweet and satisfying slow-burn of a romance about what knits us together as family, friends, and lovers. I can’t wait for the next installment of the Old Knitting Gang!" (Lyssa Kay Adams)

Real Men or real women?

This story made me sad. I felt so bad for Jessee and he deserves so much more. People talk to him and treat him as no good or worthless, even his own family. And Carrie is so determined to be "more" that she almost destroys all of both her happiness and Jesse's. This story made some good points but it kinda also reminds me why I don't often read or listen to "mainstream" romance. I would have loved to have more from his point of view. And it pissed me off how everyone blames him for everything. I just wanted to hug him so bad. The narrator had a good voice for storytelling.

Satisfying

I love discovering a new to me author and the first book in a series that makes me want to read the rest.

This story has a fixer and a supposed mess, both of whom need to realize they need to let go of labels and preconceived ideas and embrace their strengths and dreams. This story has grief, love, yearning and healing. The “forbidden” attraction and Jesse’s track record with women are an initial obstacle. The brothers’ considering “Kerry-girl” their little sister and off limits is mixed up with their judgement of Jesse. Both Kerry and Jesse are afraid to share their feelings even though everyone around them can see this relationship is special.
I love the way Kwana Jackson expresses the yearning without dragging it out and that everyone gets to grow - whether it is learning to ask for what they want, stand up for themselves, let go, or have to realize their previous judgement of someone is wrong and admit it.
Ms. Jackson built my interest in secondary characters too. I can hardly wait to see which brother is next and I really want to know what the heck is going on with Damian.
The narration by Keylor Leigh is lively and expressive. She is not great with male voices but her expression is so engaging that the “fe-male” voices weren’t distracting to the story. I hope she reads the rest of the series.

Nice

What a nice easy read. I enjoyed these characters and storyline. Looking forward to reading something new from her.

Cute, but...

Cute story, but a bit boring at points which made it drag. It would've been great to have more of an explanation of the relationships between the brothers and their interest in Kerry. Also, the performance would've been great with a Black woman as the narrator. There were several colloquial phrases and opportunities to punch up the text that were missed because of the narrator. Overall I would recommend.

Quite Enjoyable, I hope the brothers get stories,

This was a really enjoyable story. Believable characters, lovely story arc. I really hope the brothers all get their own stories and HEA.

Love the narrator, hope this is a series!!

Narrator was awesome and I really want to hear the rest of these brothers fall in love. This is exactly the kind of diversity romance novels have been lacking and I can't wait to read more from this author and hear more from this narrator.

It was cute and light

Cute and light were the goals. This achieved that. I forgot this was a series. I intend to read the next one.

Happy Tears at the End

So good. Just what I needed. Loved the story and how knitting was woven in.

I was hooked from the first minute!

I loved this book! I’m a knitter so the title caught my attention. I loved the interaction between the brothers and the community.

Real Knitting, Real Lives

Wonderful story of real life issues and characters you can not only relate to but fall in love with. Would love additional books about the rest of the brothers, Val and Gabriel.