Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout)

Title: Thing We Never Got Over Author: Lucy Score Format: ebook Genre: Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense, Small Town, Bad Boy, Enemies to Lovers, Fake Relationships, Single Mom Standalone: yes Part of a Series Book 1 of Knockenout POV: Naomi, Knox Steam Level: slow burn to hot 5/5

Wow. Just wow. This book is sweet, steamy, funny and so poignant. The themes of being good enough, of love/loss/grief, of friends and family. But these don’t hit you over the head.

I loved the push and pull between Knox and Naomi. They’re opposites in every way but fit together so well. I loved the town and all the characters. I can’t wait to visit this town again.

An enjoyable book with some steamy, suspenseful, and funny scenes. The book was over 500 pages so it was a bit intimidating to pick up; however, you fly through the pages and I found it hard to put down. I ended up reading the entire book in just a few days. The writing is thoughtful and descriptive enough without being overly verbose. I have read another book by the same author that was just as good, "Maggie Moves On." I would recommend both books for your summer reading!

So I got this book for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. She likes these long romance novels, so I did some digging and found this one, recommended by a few reviewers and friends. I gave it to her on Valentine's Day, but she hadn't had the time to read it until summer, and I got a call from her today saying that she had started reading it. I asked how far in she was, and she said, " I've read 300 pages." I was shocked at how much she had read in a day, so I asked about its plot. I was faced with silence as I waited for a response, but her breathing was getting heavy over the phone, so I asked, "What are you doing?" She hissed back, "I'm reading! They're having crazy sex. Stop talking for a minute." 0_o ... huh? She then sent me a picture of the last two pages of the chapter, and with my jaw weighed to the floor, I read some of the wildest collections of words ever to be written. Anyway, it's a great book by her standards, and if you're a guy, get this for your girl if you need an afternoon off. They go crazy for this stuff sometimes.

It’s been too long since I’ve read a Lucy Score book. I laughed, I giggled, I swooned, I cried… all the feels in this book (yeah, yeah, the ending was “predictable,” but I don’t even care lol. I still enjoyed myself 🤷🏻‍♀️).

Runaway bride Naomi gets called by her twin sister, Tina, Who needs her help. All her life, Naomi has been helping her sister get out of tough situations, and this is no different. She goes to the town she’s been living in and is greeted by harsh words, horrible whispers, and bad hospitality. She’s quick to defend herself and clarify that she’s not her twin sister, but the grumpiest, hottest of them all basically kicks her out. Too bad she finds him hot- his manners are the worst of the bunch.

Knox’s quick to try to rectify his mistake- by becoming protective of Naomi. Even though he aids Naomi when she needs it, he’s still a grump. Hiding behind his icy exterior is a man that’s been hurt by life, and a man that is possessive and jealous of any other man that gets near Naomi 😅. He wants her, but he doesn’t want a commitment. Naomi isn’t looking for a relationship- she literally just left her ex-fiancé the day of her wedding, but she can’t help but swoon at all the attentiveness Knox gives her.

The push/pull between them was delicious. I loved how j/p Knox got whenever anyone with testosterone got near Naomi, especially when his handsome brother becomes a little too nice to Naomi 😈. If Knox could’ve marked his territory, he would’ve. Naomi has an 11 year-old niece to take care of, and a grumpy, tall 43 year-old man that can’t stop showing her how much he wants her.

The smexxy times were scrumptious. Since the opening chapter, there was electricity and a raw, visceral connection between Knox and Naomi. Once we get to 43%, all bets off all… as well as any clothing 🔥🥵. Knox does not shy away from getting what he wants… and he takes every opportunity to claim his property 😉😅. That first scene when he gets home from the hospital was 🔥🔥🔥 (even though I felt second-hand embarrassment the next morning lol). And when he defends her and takes her back to his office to show her how important she is? Swooooon but also 🥵.

Yeah, the ending was on the predictable side, but you know what? I don’t even care lol. I was glued to the pages, trying to see what was going to happen next.

And the side characters were all amazing!! I need all of their books. I KNOW we need to get one with Sloane and Lucian 👀 because their chemistry was 🔥. And I also was side eyeing Lina… with maybe Knox’s brother Nash 👀lol. Shoot- I’ll even take one with Stef (Naomi’s bff), maybe with Jeremiah 👀.

The town was supportive and dreamy. Gah. I love how much they back up Naomi when Knox messed up 😅😂😈. She might be new in town, but they all showed her love.

I loved it! I can’t wait to read more from this series!

This is a little spicy so if that’s not your cup of tea, just know that. I loved this book. Such a good read. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m tackling some really hard things in my life right now (aren’t we all honestly), but this book just hit the vibe I needed. I really wish there were people like this in real life too.. the good ones anyway. The author does a great job in describing characters without over detailing. You can tell Knox was never really a jerk just disguised by pain. I love that it’s a happy ending as well.. we need more of those. The authors note at the end is very touching, and that mixed with the ending brought me to tears. I was not expecting that when I picked up this book.. my heart also goes out to the author. Great read!

This is the first book of the “Knockemout” series and can be read as a stand alone. Though I am jumping straight to book two after this one.

Omg I love Knox and Naomi!!! Knox is so damn yummy. Even when I wanted to knee him in the balls I still loved him. His actions spoke so much louder than his words. Naomi was dealt some pretty crappy cards but this girl is a fighter. I am so proud of her. I would like to middle finger salute her sister!! Don’t get me wrong these two stole the show but the side characters were fantastic! I can’t wait to read Nash’s story (I didn’t miss the “wife” part at the end). I love Stef, Jeremiah, Fi, Sloan, Lucian, Amanda, Lou, and so many more!!

The book was not short by any means but I never felt like it drug on. I heard bad reviews so I was worried but I am not sure how people didn’t like this book. It was sexy, sweet, heartfelt, sad, with some mystery/suspense built in. I was so invested in this book. This is a GREAT read!!

After seeing the cover on my Kindle Unlimited page for months, I decided to give this a shot. Reader: I could not put this book down. The writing isn't the best, and I can't say I know many people who I could recommend this book to, but it gave me everything I asked for and more in a fun summer book. I almost worried I would finish it too fast and burn myself out, but I found myself gripped until the very end. I can't in good conscience give this a perfect score, but I loved the world of Knockemout and I can't wait to start Book 2.

This small-town romance was a great read. The twin mistake, the grumpy neighbour and the sunshine newcomer drew me.

While the story initially unfolded at a leisurely pace, the depth of character development was truly engaging. Knox's emotional vulnerability, his struggle to resist his feelings for Naomi, and the introduction of her niece Waylon, all contributed to a heartwarming narrative that was hard to resist.

I am excited to read the other two books in the series.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:

Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Funny, Happily Ever After, Twisted, Wonderful characters

3.75/5 ⭐️

Age Rating: 18+

Pros: Loveable characters Comforting Read Great escape (I would so live in this town if I could) It made me really want to read the other books in the series Had me feeling all the emotions!

Cons: Very unrealistic (I don't think that's too much of a bad thing, though...) The ending felt slightly rushed Sometimes cringey dialogue

This book was honestly such a good romance! I loved how unrealistic and cheesy it was at times and it proved to be such a fun escape. I don't think it's peak quality but I can't doubt or complain about how much I enjoyed reading it. I try to base reviews off of how the book made me feel while also being realistic about how good of quality the book objectively is.

Make sure that going into it, you know that this is supposed to be an unrealistic, feel-good book. Now there are some emotional and intense scenes in it but that just makes it all the more intriguing! I honestly was on the edge of my seat with how invested I was in these characters. A couple of them felt like cliche characters but Lucy Score still managed to make them interesting and enjoyable. The situations she came up with just made me laugh and they did a good job of showing off the characters and how they behave.

One thing I did find annoying, however, was how back and forth Knox was with things. And I know that's the point of things... man says he doesn't care or want to help and yet still does anyway even though he wants not commitment. But I felt it was slightly too constant and obvious. That didn't stop it from making me slightly giddy every time though...

Honestly, if you know the purpose behind the book and what you're signing up for, this is an amazing storyline. I'm super excited to read the rest of the Knockemout books because I'm WAY too invested in this small town!

OVERVIEW

This book isn't terribly written, it's just really not for me. If you are looking for a turn-off-your-brain-middle-aged-overly-aggressive-alpha-man-prince-charming-saves-damsel (with some southern charm) romance, I think you will like it. We've all got our romance book kinks. ;-) It is also just, like, only Siracha level spicy. I think if the heat were turned up to something like habanero, it might have been more readable.

It is a fantasy in which a perfect man shows up to take care of you, and your new teen, when you are going through a hard time (which the author admittedly was when she wrote this. Really tragic if you read the dedication at the back, so she gets a lot of slack from me on this one.) But I need to warn that at points I could not even believe a modern female writer had written this. It seems like a story ghost written by a man with some REAL personal problems in 1992.

Despite the issues, I made it though to the end of the book. I really enjoyed the family story and some of the sub plots, especially the community building. The mystery involving the twin sister was built in decently well. (The characters the next books are based on seem way less problematic than Knox, so those might be better.)

******REVIEW: ******

Very slight spoilers below:

Most of my complaints can be summarized with just one word: Knox.

This story is supposed to be a women exchanging a toxic relationship for a healthy one, but there is NOTHING healthy about the mid-forties, man-baby-lead. As just a taste of some of this nonsense: Knox is constantly physically dragging her around, humiliates her in front of the whole town, ignores her express wishes, and makes decisions on her behalf without even talking to her. He continues this behavior even after HE breaks up with her.

It seems to almost be from another time period. The man hates tears (a totally normal part of being a human, let alone a women) and demands the lead not cry, or stop crying, constantly. The way Knox's mind genuinely justifies this: Naomi (female lead) is not allowed to show healthy and VERY justified emotions in front of him because his trauma is far bigger and more important that hers.

The book also does the thing I HATE where the narrator (Knox) thinks to himself, over and over again, that he REALLY respects women. BUT then avoids them like the plague and makes nasty jokes in his head when they are on their period. Like, how old are you? Some women have made it through menopause by your age you absolute weirdo. He also talks to Naomi like she is an infant A LOT. And not in a sexy way. He acts as if every small piece of stress will break this women, despite her handling chaos quite well, time and time again.

He gives really decent, heartfelt advice to the child Waylay, but then is, in every way, the type of man he tells her to avoid.

And let me be clear, this is not a lesson he learns, this is his personality and is treated as just a quirk of Knox. The townsfolk explain this to Naomi OVER AND OVER again, instead of just having this man correct his behavior. There really are no consequences for a rich white man and this remains true even in our fantasy novels, I guess.

WRITING STYLE & STRUCTURE

There are also just some issues with the writing: ----Ex. Characters repeat the same already cliche phrases A LOT, including characters that were not even present for the conversation the first time around. ----No one really acts 40, but all of the characters seem to be (or at least very close to this age). The author makes it seem like Tina had this baby as an irresponsible teenager, but she had to be at least 24, based on the math. A totally normal age to have one, lol. ----All of the secondary characters, except the child, are solely cliche archetypes (Gay best friend) ----The character of Knox just really needs to be reined in; he has way too much going on: Knox has the personality of a biker, but has a heart of gold, but is rich, but is a hair artist, but is a bar owner, but is a landlord, but volunteers, but has all the time in the world to f*** around and not do any of his jobs, but helps the town too much, but is abusive to everyone in his life, but it's okay because he only had a loving-if-not-sad grandma and good friends to support him (which apparently makes it okay to just be an a** for the rest of eternity). ----Author wastes a lot of time on things that could be condensed or skipped and totally forgets to wrap up others. ----Quite a bit of the resolution is completely skipped over (story line with Knox's dad, story line with Naomi's sister/parents, story line with ex-fiancé). Though, to be fair, some of these might be covered in the consecutive books.

If you made it to the end of this, thank you! I do not recommend this book.