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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I feel like only giving this book 5 stars is a complete insult. I loved everything about this book. There wasn't a single thing that I didn't love. I don't think I've ever loved a book more!
Knox is amazing and shockingly I feel the same way about Eden. Usually there is something I didn't care for in a book but not this time. I dont know if this is my favorite book I've ever read but it is damn close if it isn't. I'm kind of surprised it doesn't have more stars... The writing was awesome and the cover is sexy AF.
It really sucked me in from the very beginning. I felt what the characters were feeling and the sex scenes were phenomenal
Knox is amazing and shockingly I feel the same way about Eden. Usually there is something I didn't care for in a book but not this time. I dont know if this is my favorite book I've ever read but it is damn close if it isn't. I'm kind of surprised it doesn't have more stars... The writing was awesome and the cover is sexy AF.
It really sucked me in from the very beginning. I felt what the characters were feeling and the sex scenes were phenomenal
Everything I love about Naima Simone
This books is maybe perfect??? Chock full of angst, delicious taboo & steamy scenes. Just as excellent upon the reread!
This books is maybe perfect??? Chock full of angst, delicious taboo & steamy scenes. Just as excellent upon the reread!
Tattoo Artist & Ex- MMA fighter Knox Gordon is buried under the weight of his guilt. Guilt for inadvertently leading his brilliant younger brother away to the brutal world of MMA. Guilt for Connor’s death before a big match that Knox could’ve stopped. But mostly, Knox is wracked with guilt over his uncontrollable attraction to Connor’s widow, Eden. Who just so happens to be the manager at his tattoo parlor.
Eden’s life has been in stasis since her husband Connor died two years ago, and she’s tired of standing still. She’s been made manager of Hard Knox Ink, she’s finally moving out of Connor’s parents house, and when she asks Knox for her first tattoo, things get hot and heavy. Of course, she didn’t intend for her first sexual encounter after her husband’s death to be with his brother, but she’s been thinking abut Knox for months, and the chemistry between the two of them is undeniable.
This book is BONKERS DELICIOUS!!! Naima delivers on her signature wit, peppering the text with clever jokes & pop culture references. But what *really* does it for me in this book is how she ratchets up the taboo! I love me an agsty romance, and the TENSION these two feel is absolutely divine- they’re consumed by their desire for each other, but the guilt they feel for the very thing that consumes them is everything! Every page is practically dripping with the tension
Something that I always appreciate about Naima Simone’s books is that the prose is really beautiful, but not in a way that feels unwieldy. I feel like can be trickier to nail in contemporary, since the vocabulary in historical lends to to flowery, articulate language, and to be honest in many cases our words just aren’t as pretty in 2020. But Naima packs such a punch, in a way that feels raw and powerful. Like this (!!!!) :
“Christ. This woman is my Bathsheba, my Delilah, my Mary all rolled into one. My weakness, my damnation…my strength.”
TBH there’s no area in which this book falls short for me. Naima perfectly executes a taboo romance so hot your kindle is lowkey at risk of meting, but the character arc/emotional growth of both MC’s is equally satisfying. Knox and Eden are both really compelling protagonists, and watching them overcome their personal struggles to find their way to each other is just delightful.
Eden’s life has been in stasis since her husband Connor died two years ago, and she’s tired of standing still. She’s been made manager of Hard Knox Ink, she’s finally moving out of Connor’s parents house, and when she asks Knox for her first tattoo, things get hot and heavy. Of course, she didn’t intend for her first sexual encounter after her husband’s death to be with his brother, but she’s been thinking abut Knox for months, and the chemistry between the two of them is undeniable.
This book is BONKERS DELICIOUS!!! Naima delivers on her signature wit, peppering the text with clever jokes & pop culture references. But what *really* does it for me in this book is how she ratchets up the taboo! I love me an agsty romance, and the TENSION these two feel is absolutely divine- they’re consumed by their desire for each other, but the guilt they feel for the very thing that consumes them is everything! Every page is practically dripping with the tension
Something that I always appreciate about Naima Simone’s books is that the prose is really beautiful, but not in a way that feels unwieldy. I feel like can be trickier to nail in contemporary, since the vocabulary in historical lends to to flowery, articulate language, and to be honest in many cases our words just aren’t as pretty in 2020. But Naima packs such a punch, in a way that feels raw and powerful. Like this (!!!!) :
“Christ. This woman is my Bathsheba, my Delilah, my Mary all rolled into one. My weakness, my damnation…my strength.”
TBH there’s no area in which this book falls short for me. Naima perfectly executes a taboo romance so hot your kindle is lowkey at risk of meting, but the character arc/emotional growth of both MC’s is equally satisfying. Knox and Eden are both really compelling protagonists, and watching them overcome their personal struggles to find their way to each other is just delightful.
I really enjoyed this romance and the forbidden aspects of it. I also liked how it talked about grief.
This book was enjoyable to read as I liked reading about Eden and Knox but not much actually happened.
Near the middle of the book maybe, Knox decided to have one last match but you don’t really see any of his training sessions or anything else to prepare for the fight. Both of the main characters work at a tattoo shop and apart from two scenes, it’s not really shown.
I didn’t like the side characters. They weren’t really shown and I really wanted to see the main characters interacting with them. Knox’s brothers are only shown in short scenes; Knox’s family is shown only a couple of times but all those times made me angry; Knox says that Jake became like a father figure to him so I really wanted to see more of them interacting and Eden meeting Jake but he’s only mentioned in two scenes.
The biggest problem I had with this book was Knox’s mother and how no one said anything about her being a poor excuse of a human being. I get that she was grieving but she became obsessed with her dead son and ignored/mistreated her living family. She takes out most of grief on Knox, who doesn’t deserve it and yet no one says anything to her. When Knox comes to Sunday dinner (which was only shown once), she’s horrible to him and still no one says anything. Sure, I think one of the brothers tells her to stop but nothing else. They don’t tell her that she’s been a rubbish mother and that she’s turned into a stranger, they just let her blame Knox for everything. The one scene that Eden says something to her wasn’t enough.
I want to read the next book in this series as I want to read about the other brothers but I hope that there will be more scenes with side characters and that if Katherine is shown, that people will finally start showing her that how she was treating Knox was disgusting.
Near the middle of the book maybe, Knox decided to have one last match but you don’t really see any of his training sessions or anything else to prepare for the fight. Both of the main characters work at a tattoo shop and apart from two scenes, it’s not really shown.
I didn’t like the side characters. They weren’t really shown and I really wanted to see the main characters interacting with them. Knox’s brothers are only shown in short scenes; Knox’s family is shown only a couple of times but all those times made me angry; Knox says that Jake became like a father figure to him so I really wanted to see more of them interacting and Eden meeting Jake but he’s only mentioned in two scenes.
The biggest problem I had with this book was Knox’s mother and how no one said anything about her being a poor excuse of a human being. I get that she was grieving but she became obsessed with her dead son and ignored/mistreated her living family. She takes out most of grief on Knox, who doesn’t deserve it and yet no one says anything to her. When Knox comes to Sunday dinner (which was only shown once), she’s horrible to him and still no one says anything. Sure, I think one of the brothers tells her to stop but nothing else. They don’t tell her that she’s been a rubbish mother and that she’s turned into a stranger, they just let her blame Knox for everything. The one scene that Eden says something to her wasn’t enough.
I want to read the next book in this series as I want to read about the other brothers but I hope that there will be more scenes with side characters and that if Katherine is shown, that people will finally start showing her that how she was treating Knox was disgusting.
3.5/5
I was wondering were a lot of pieces went. Even though I love a pining hero, I wanted to see their relationship grow more than just the physical aspect of it. I also wanted to see him facing his mother, and also learn the brother's opinions on a lot of things. I almost dnf it at like 30% because I just didn't vibe with it. I was almost dreading coming back. Until the emotional connection and declarations happen, then it went okay.
I was wondering were a lot of pieces went. Even though I love a pining hero, I wanted to see their relationship grow more than just the physical aspect of it. I also wanted to see him facing his mother, and also learn the brother's opinions on a lot of things. I almost dnf it at like 30% because I just didn't vibe with it. I was almost dreading coming back. Until the emotional connection and declarations happen, then it went okay.
4 Stars / 5 Steam Fans
You have to finish this book to understand it fully! There were so many moments that I became annoyed with both Knox and Eden throughout this story. Eden is the widow of Knox's brother and they both feel guilt for their feelings after the unexpected death of the brother. Here lies my annoyance throughout the entire story the dead brother is continuously mentioned and I just wanted to yell at both characters to just MOVE ON! NOW - this is why the first sentence of this review states you should read the entire story to fully understand. There is a forbidden and taboo aspect to the story and the sexiness is ON FIRE!! This story is super-HOT and has an abundance of sex scenes from start to finish.
This specific video review will be included in the August 2019 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
You have to finish this book to understand it fully! There were so many moments that I became annoyed with both Knox and Eden throughout this story. Eden is the widow of Knox's brother and they both feel guilt for their feelings after the unexpected death of the brother. Here lies my annoyance throughout the entire story the dead brother is continuously mentioned and I just wanted to yell at both characters to just MOVE ON! NOW - this is why the first sentence of this review states you should read the entire story to fully understand. There is a forbidden and taboo aspect to the story and the sexiness is ON FIRE!! This story is super-HOT and has an abundance of sex scenes from start to finish.
This specific video review will be included in the August 2019 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
This is first in a new series for this author, and boy was it SUPER HOT!!! 4.5 Stars.
Knox Gordon is a former MMA champion, and a current tattoo artist, and owner of Hard Knox Ink. He loves his job, and his employees and clients. He especially loves his office manager, Eden Gordon. But he's been fighting that love for 5 years, all while she met, fell in love with, married, and was widowed by, his younger brother, Connor. Connor died 2 years ago from a burst brain aneurysm in the middle of an MMA fight. Knox blames himself for his brother following him into the sport, even though Connor was the smartest, and highest educated, of the 4 brothers. Knox's dad died suddenly when he was a teen, and he stepped into a fatherly role for his younger brothers. Which is just another reason why he has to stay away from Eden. Their family would never forgive either of them, and he promised his mother the night Connor died that he would never pursue her. But that promise is getting harder to keep...
Eden Gordon has been living with her in-laws since her husband died, but it's time for her to strike out on her own. She has been loving her job as the tattoo shop's manager, though she also has to manage her overwhelming attraction for her completely off-limits boss. How can she want her brother-in-law so fiercely? It feels so wrong, but so right at the same time. She loved her husband dearly, but he was her first love, and she has to try and find a way to move on. She has no real family of her own, and leaning on her in-laws since Connor's death has been a blessing, but she needs to move out and get her own life. She plans to go back to college to finish her degree in business management, to be of even more help to Knox and his shop. She just has to continue to fight this chemistry between them and everything will be fine. Right??
Knox and Eden's chemistry was explosively hot, and I loved the whole will they or won't they vibe, and the slow burn romance. Usually something so high on the angst-o-meter is not my jam, but with the situation they were in, most of that angst was perfectly understandable. Knox carries a huge burden of so much guilt. Guilt over Connor's death. Guilt over his feelings for Eden. Guilt from his mother's blame of him for everything. Eden is also feeling guilt over her feelings. She feels guilty about wanting to move on, and she especially feels guilty over her lust for Knox. They had a lot of things to overcome in order to have any hope of a chance together, and I loved watching them really fall for each other.
Knox's brothers and other employees at the shop were all great side characters, and I loved getting to know them all. I know his brother Jude is next, and I'm very much looking forward to that book, even though it appears there will be some major crazy ex-drama. So not my favorite, but I'm starting to think this author can make me like anything. There were a couple things in this book that I'm usually not a fan of, but she's so good at what she does that I was able to move right past them.
One of my biggest issues with the book was Knox's horrible mother. I've never lost a child, and I hope to God I never have to experience that pain. But the things she said to Knox after his brother's death, and the way she continued to make him feel afterward was totally unacceptable, in my opinion. I don't care about the circumstances, or her pain. The night of his death is maybe one thing, and I could accept that things are said in the horror of the moment. But 2 years later on?!? How could you ever lose one of your babies, and then alienate another one so much that he doesn't even like coming around anymore because he knows you blame him? She was a monster, and an emotional terrorist, as far as I'm concerned, and I was so glad to see Eden and Knox's brothers call her out on it. She needed to get over herself and realize that everyone else was still in pain too, but they weren't taking it out on each other. That whole situation, and Knox's feelings about it hurt me so much, and I wanted to let her have it. That is a well written character (and book) when it can make me feel so much.
I highly recommend this sexy romance, and I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
Knox Gordon is a former MMA champion, and a current tattoo artist, and owner of Hard Knox Ink. He loves his job, and his employees and clients. He especially loves his office manager, Eden Gordon. But he's been fighting that love for 5 years, all while she met, fell in love with, married, and was widowed by, his younger brother, Connor. Connor died 2 years ago from a burst brain aneurysm in the middle of an MMA fight. Knox blames himself for his brother following him into the sport, even though Connor was the smartest, and highest educated, of the 4 brothers. Knox's dad died suddenly when he was a teen, and he stepped into a fatherly role for his younger brothers. Which is just another reason why he has to stay away from Eden. Their family would never forgive either of them, and he promised his mother the night Connor died that he would never pursue her. But that promise is getting harder to keep...
Eden Gordon has been living with her in-laws since her husband died, but it's time for her to strike out on her own. She has been loving her job as the tattoo shop's manager, though she also has to manage her overwhelming attraction for her completely off-limits boss. How can she want her brother-in-law so fiercely? It feels so wrong, but so right at the same time. She loved her husband dearly, but he was her first love, and she has to try and find a way to move on. She has no real family of her own, and leaning on her in-laws since Connor's death has been a blessing, but she needs to move out and get her own life. She plans to go back to college to finish her degree in business management, to be of even more help to Knox and his shop. She just has to continue to fight this chemistry between them and everything will be fine. Right??
Knox and Eden's chemistry was explosively hot, and I loved the whole will they or won't they vibe, and the slow burn romance. Usually something so high on the angst-o-meter is not my jam, but with the situation they were in, most of that angst was perfectly understandable. Knox carries a huge burden of so much guilt. Guilt over Connor's death. Guilt over his feelings for Eden. Guilt from his mother's blame of him for everything. Eden is also feeling guilt over her feelings. She feels guilty about wanting to move on, and she especially feels guilty over her lust for Knox. They had a lot of things to overcome in order to have any hope of a chance together, and I loved watching them really fall for each other.
Knox's brothers and other employees at the shop were all great side characters, and I loved getting to know them all. I know his brother Jude is next, and I'm very much looking forward to that book, even though it appears there will be some major crazy ex-drama. So not my favorite, but I'm starting to think this author can make me like anything. There were a couple things in this book that I'm usually not a fan of, but she's so good at what she does that I was able to move right past them.
One of my biggest issues with the book was Knox's horrible mother. I've never lost a child, and I hope to God I never have to experience that pain. But the things she said to Knox after his brother's death, and the way she continued to make him feel afterward was totally unacceptable, in my opinion. I don't care about the circumstances, or her pain. The night of his death is maybe one thing, and I could accept that things are said in the horror of the moment. But 2 years later on?!? How could you ever lose one of your babies, and then alienate another one so much that he doesn't even like coming around anymore because he knows you blame him? She was a monster, and an emotional terrorist, as far as I'm concerned, and I was so glad to see Eden and Knox's brothers call her out on it. She needed to get over herself and realize that everyone else was still in pain too, but they weren't taking it out on each other. That whole situation, and Knox's feelings about it hurt me so much, and I wanted to let her have it. That is a well written character (and book) when it can make me feel so much.
I highly recommend this sexy romance, and I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club