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196,797 ratings
Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon.
Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.
Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order.
Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.
There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.
At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.
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ISBN-10
194563183X
ISBN-13
978-1945631832
Print length
570 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Bloom Books
Publication date
January 11, 2022
Dimensions
5 x 1.43 x 8 inches
Item weight
1.35 pounds
There’s a difference between taking care of someone because you love them and taking care of someone because you want them to love you,
Highlighted by 43,211 Kindle readers
You’re the one who has to live your life. Don’t apologize to other people for the decisions you make for yourself.
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You get to decide how you show up in this world. No one else gets to dictate to you who you are,
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ASIN :
B09PNM8FFN
File size :
2901 KB
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Lucy Score is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She grew up in a literary family who insisted that the dinner table was for reading and earned a degree in journalism. She writes full-time from the Pennsylvania home she and Mr. Lucy share with their obnoxious cat, Cleo. When not spending hours crafting heartbreaker heroes and kick-ass heroines, Lucy can be found on the couch, in the kitchen, or at the gym. She hopes to someday write from a sailboat, oceanfront condo, or tropical island with reliable Wi-Fi.
ONE
WORST. DAY. EVER
Naomi
Iwasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into Cafe Rev, but it sure as hell wasn’t a picture of myself behind the register under the cheery headline “Do Not Serve.” A yellow frowny face magnet held the photo in place.
First of all, I’d never set foot in Knockemout, Virginia, let alone done anything to warrant a punishment as egregious as withholding caffeine. Secondly, just what did a person have to do in this dusty little town to have a mugshot hanging in the local cafe?
Ha. Mug shot. Because I was in a cafe. Gosh, I was funny when I was too tired to blink.
Anyway, thirdly, it was an incredibly unflattering picture. I looked like I’d had a long-term threesome with a tanning bed and cheap eyeliner.
Right about then, reality penetrated my exhausted, dazed, bobby-pinned-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life head.
Once again, Tina had managed to make my life just a little bit worse. And considering what had gone down in the last twenty-four hours, that was saying something.
“Can I help…” The man on the other side of the counter, the one who could give me my precious latte, took a step back and held up hands the size of dinner plates. “I don’t want any trouble.”
He was a burly guy with smooth, dark skin and a shaved, nicely shaped head. His neatly trimmed beard was snow white, and I spotted a couple of tattoos peeking out of the neck and sleeves of his coveralls. The name Justice was stitched on his curious uniform.
I tried my most winning smile, but thanks to an overnight road trip spent crying through fake eyelashes, it felt more like a grimace.
“That’s not me,” I said, pointing a finger with a wasted French-tip manicure at the photo. “I’m Naomi. Naomi Witt.”
The man peered at me with suspicion before producing a pair of spectacles from the front pocket of his coveralls and slipping them on.
He blinked then gave me a head-to-toe scan. I saw the realization begin to hit.
“Twins,” I explained.
“Well, shit,” he murmured, stroking one of those big hands through his beard.
Justice still looked a little skeptical. I couldn’t exactly blame him. After all, how many people actually had an evil twin?
“That’s Tina. My sister. I’m supposed to meet her here.” Though why my estranged twin asked me to meet her in an establishment where she clearly wasn’t welcome was another question I was too tired to ask.
Justice was still staring at me, and I realized his gaze was lingering on my hair. Reflexively, I patted my head, and a wilted daisy fluttered to the floor. Whoops. I probably should have looked in the mirror at the motel before I set foot in public looking like a disheveled, unhinged stranger on her way home from a role-playing festival.
“Here,” I said, reaching into the pocket of my yoga shorts and thrusting my driver’s license at the man. “See? I’m Naomi and I would really, really like a gigantic latte.”
Justice took my ID and studied it, then my face again. Finally, his stoic expression cracked, and he broke into a wide grin. “I’ll be damned. It’s nice to meet you, Naomi.”
“It’s really nice to meet you too, Justice. Especially if you’re going to make me that aforementioned caffeine.”
“I’ll make you a latte that’ll make your hair stand on end,” he promised.
A man who knew how to meet my immediate needs and did it with a smile? I couldn’t help but fall just a little bit in love with him right then and there.
While Justice got to work, I admired the cafe. It was decked out in what looked like manly garage style. Corrugated metal on the walls, shiny red shelves, stained concrete floor. All the drinks had names like Red Line Latte and Checkered Flag Cappuccino. It was downright charming.
There were a handful of early morning coffee drinkers seated at the small round tables scattered throughout the place. Every single person was looking at me like they were really not happy to see me.
“How do you feel about maple and bacon flavors, darlin’?” Justice called from the gleaming espresso machine.
“I feel great about them. Especially if they come in a cup the size of a bucket,” I assured him.
His laugh echoed through the place and seemed to relax the rest of the patrons who went back to ignoring me.
The front door opened, and I turned, expecting to see Tina.
But the man who stormed inside was definitely not my sister. He looked to be in more dire need of caffeine than I was.
Hot would be a decent way to describe him. Hot as hell would be even more accurate. He was tall enough that I could wear my highest pair of heels and still have to tilt my head up to make out with him—my official categorization of male height. His hair was in the dirty blond range and was cut short on the sides and swept back on top, which suggested he had good taste and reasonable grooming skills.
Both of those criteria landed high on my List of Reasons to be Attracted to a Man. The beard was a brand-new addition to the list. I’d never kissed a man with a beard and I had a sudden, irrational interest in experiencing that at some point.
Then I got to his eyes. They were a cool blue-gray that made me think of gun metal and glaciers.
He strode right on up to me and stepped into my personal space like he had a standing invitation. When he crossed tattooed forearms across a broad chest, I made a squeaky sound in the back of my throat.
Wow.
“Thought I made myself real clear,” he growled.
“Uh. Huh?”
I was confused. The man was glaring at me like I was the most hated character on a reality TV show, yet I still wanted to see what he looked like naked. I hadn’t exhibited such poor sexual judgment since I was in college.
I blamed my exhaustion and emotional scarring.
Behind the counter, Justice stopped mid-latte creation and waved both hands in the air. “Hold on now,” he began.
“It’s okay, Justice,” I assured him. “You just keep making that coffee, and I’ll take care of this…gentleman.”
Chairs pushed back from tables all around us, and I watched as every last customer beelined for the door, some with their mugs still in hand. None of them made any eye contact with me on their way out.
“Knox, it’s not what you think,” Justice tried again.
“I’m not playing any games today. Get the fuck out,” the Viking ordered. The blond god of sexy fury was rapidly plummeting lower on my sexy checklist.
I pointed at my chest. “Me?”
“I’ve had enough of your games. You got five seconds to walk out this door and never come back,” he said, stepping in even closer until the tips of his boots brushed my exposed toes in their flip-flops.
Damn. Up close, he looked like he’d just stormed off a marauding Viking vessel…or the set of a cologne commercial. One of those weird artsy ones that didn’t make any sense and had names like Ignorant Beast.
“Look, sir. I’m in the midst of a personal crisis and all I’m trying to do is get a cup of coffee.”
“I fucking told you, Tina. You are not to come in here and harass Justice or his customers again, or I’d personally escort your ass out of town.”
“Knox—”
The bad-tempered, sexy man-beast held up his finger in Justice’s direction. “One second, bud. Looks like I gotta take out the trash.”
“The trash?” I gasped. I thought Virginians were supposed to be friendly. Instead, I’d been in town barely half an hour and was now being rudely accosted by a Viking with the manners of a caveman.
“Darlin’, your coffee’s up,” Justice said, sliding a very large to-go cup onto the wooden counter.
My eyes darted toward the steamy, caffeinated goodness.
“You even think about picking up that cup, and we’re gonna have a problem,” the Viking said, his voice low and dangerous.
But Leif Erikson didn’t know who he was messing with today.
Every woman had her line. Mine, which was admittedly drawn too far back, had just been crossed.
“You take one step toward that beautiful latte that my friend Justice made especially for me, and I will make you regret the moment you met me.”
I was a nice person. According to my parents, I was a good girl. And according to that online quiz I took two weeks ago, I was a people pleaser. I wasn’t great at doling out threats. The man’s eyes narrowed, and I refused to notice the sexy crinkles at the corner.
“I already regret it, and so does this whole damn town. Just because you change your hair doesn’t mean I’m gonna forget about the trouble you’ve caused here. Now get your ass out the door and don’t come back.”
“He thinks you’re Tina,” Justice cut in.
I didn’t care if this ass thought I was a serial killing cannibal. He was standing between me and my caffeine.
The blond beast turned his head toward Justice. “What the hell are you saying?”
Before my nice friend with the coffee could explain, I drilled my finger into the Viking’s chest. It didn’t go very far, thanks to the obscene layer of muscle under the skin. But I made sure to lead with the nail.
“Now you listen to me,” I began. “I don’t care if you think I’m my sister or that weasel who jacked up the price of anti-malarial drugs. I am a human being having a really bad day after the worst one of her life. I do not have it in me to stuff down these emotions today. So you’d better get out of my way and leave me alone, Viking.”
He looked downright bemused for a hot second.
I took that to mean it was coffee time. Side-stepping him, I picked up the cup, took a delicate sniff, and then shoved my face into the steaming hot life force.
I drank deeply, willing the caffeine to perform its miracles as flavors exploded on my tongue. I was pretty sure the inappropriate moan I heard came from my own mouth but I was too tired to care. When I finally lowered the cup and swiped the back of my hand over my mouth, the Viking was still standing there, staring at me.
Turning my back on him, I flashed my hero Justice a smile and slid my emergency coffee twenty dollar bill across the counter. “You, sir, are an artist. What do I owe you for the best latte I’ve ever had in my life?”
“Considering the morning you’re having, darlin’, it’s on the house,” he said, handing my license and cash back to me.
“You, my friend, are a true gentleman. Unlike some others.” I cast a glare over my shoulder to where the Viking was standing, legs braced, arms crossed. Taking another dive into my drink, I tucked the twenty into the tip jar. “Thank you for being nice to me on the worst day of my life.”
“Thought that day was yesterday,” the scowling behemoth butted in.
My sigh was weary as I slowly turned to face him. “That was before I met you. So I can officially say that as bad as yesterday was, today beat it out by a slim margin.” Once again, I turned back to Justice. “I’m sorry this jerk scared away all your customers. But I’ll be back for another one of these real soon.”
“Looking forward to it, Naomi,” he said with a wink.
I turned to leave and smacked right into a mile of grumpy man chest.
“Naomi?” he said.
“Go away.” It felt almost good to be rude for once in my life. To take a stand.
“Your name’s Naomi,” the Viking stated.
I was too busy trying to incinerate him with a glare of righteous anger to respond.
“Not Tina?” he pressed.
“They’re twins, man,” Justice said, the smile evident in his voice.
“Fuck me.” The Viking shoved a hand through his hair.
“I worry about your friend’s vision,” I said to Justice, pointing at the mug shot of Tina.
Tina had gone bleach blonde at some point in the past decade-plus, making our otherwise subtle differences even more obvious.
“I left my contacts at home,” he said.
“Next to your manners?” I quipped. The caffeine was hitting my bloodstream, making me unusually feisty.
He didn’t respond with anything other than a heated glare.
I sighed. “Get out of my way, Leif Erikson.”
“The name is Knox. And why are you here?”
What the hell kind of name was that? Was it a hard Knox life? Did he tell a lot of Knox Knox jokes? Was it short for something? Knoxwell? Knoxathan?
“That’s none of your business, Knox. Nothing I do or don’t do is your business. In fact, my existence is none of your business. Now, kindly get out of my way.”
I felt like screaming as loud as I could for as long as I could. But I’d tried that a couple of times in the car on the long drive here, and it hadn’t helped.
Thankfully, the beautiful oaf heaved an annoyed sigh and did the decent, life-preserving thing by getting out of my way. I swept out of the café and into the summer swelter with as much dignity as I could muster.
If Tina wanted to meet up with me, she could find me at the motel. I didn’t need to wait around and be accosted by strangers with the personalities of cacti.
I’d head back to my dingy room, take every last pin out of my hair, and shower until the hot water ran out. Then I’d figure out what to do next.
It was a solid plan. It was only missing one thing.
My car.
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Lucy Score
Lucy Score is an instant #1 New York Times bestselling author. She grew up in a literary family who insisted that the dinner table was for reading and earned a degree in journalism.
She writes full-time from the Pennsylvania home she and Mr. Lucy share with their obnoxious cat, Cleo. When not spending hours crafting heartbreaker heroes and kick-ass heroines, Lucy can be found on the couch, in the kitchen, or at the gym.
She hopes to someday write from a sailboat, oceanfront condo, or tropical island with reliable Wi-Fi.
Sign up for her never annoying newsletter at https://www.lucyscore.net/subscribe-lucys-newsletter-website/.
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Customer reviews
4.5 out of 5
196,797 global ratings
Heather
5
Yes! Absolutely loved this.
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
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!
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5 people found this helpful
The_Big_P
5
Overall Rating [10/10] - Did not read, but BUY FOR GIRLFRIEND - she read 300 pages in one day ;)
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
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.
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Melissa Joseph (Book Addicts Reviews)
5
Amazing!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
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!!
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8 people found this helpful
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