Real Men Knit is based around a family of four Africa/American/Korean brothers who were all adopted by "Mama Joy".
The story begins after Mama Joys funeral, when the brothers start to discuss what will happen to the yarn shop, called "Strong Knits" that she ran in Harlem, Upper Manhattan.
The four brothers- Jesse, Lucus, Noah and Damian, have differing ideas as to what they think should happen too the shop. But with the help of Kerry who has always worked at the shop and has grown up around the brothers, Jesse persuades them to keep the shop open.

The book is basically about the inevitable love story of Jesse and Kerry and their fight to keep both their love life and the shop going.

There are some cute little charters in this novel including the OKG- the Old Knitting Gang, at one point being called the "neighbourhood spy network", which were endearing.
All said and done it's a quick and easy to read romance

Thanks to Netgallery for.giving me a copy of this book for a full, Frank and honest review..

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 had hoped so much I would enjoy this book, but it fell flat on a few occasions.

I found it quite difficult to get into at the beginning, and if I' not gripped within the first 10-15 per cent it can be hard to claw me back in.

There's quite a few instances where gender roles are in play here, and I didn't think it was always portrayed positively.

The book is also very heavily leaning to "tell don't show" which could have been improved on.

A sweet story, but badly paced.

Loved it. Cute and smoochy and full of emotion, running alongside strong sexy men. And all of this with a love story, caring for the community and the kids and knitting. A lovely story which isn’t run of the mill and makes you want more from Kwana Jackson - what happens to all those sexy brothers?

Real men knit!
I love knitting, have been knitting since I was 6 years old. My mum taught me and it’s something I will always treasure. This book is great! 4 adopted boys. Mamma joy adopted them and taught them all how to knit in her shop. A shop filled with love and wool. A community coming together because of one woman and shop. When she passes her sons pull together to keep her and the shop alive

3.5 stars

This was a cute little read. Real Men Knit tells the story of four adoptive brothers who are struggling to keep their family knitting shop open in the wake of their mother's death.

The romance between Jesse and Kerry was a slow burner, which I'm not usually a fan of, but in this case it worked for this couple as there wasn't an explosive amount of chemistry between them. The secondary characters were also well suited to the book.

I did find the pacing to be a little slow at times, but I liked the world the author built and also how the family dynamics were . Overall, this was a sweet read and I'm definitely interested in picking up more books by this author.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A sweet and lonely read, perfect for those looking for a lighthearted read. The characters are intriguing and engaging as well mysterious enough to develop further in following books. The writing is good, with plenty of sweet moments.
There could have been more exploration of masculinity in this story and further development of their MC's relationship.
On the whole, a good read.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

Warnings: Grief over the loss of a family member/close friend

This was a nice and easy read. I liked all of the characters and I hope that this could lead to further books that involve Val as well as the three other brothers as I feel like they have great potential for their own books. The romance was nice but I feel like it could have been developed just a little bit more- perhaps a little more yearning on both sides but that is just my opinion on the romance.

I can't wait to see what else Kwana Jackson comes up with.

Rating: 3.5⭐

Would I Read It Again? Yes

Would I Recommend it? Yes

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK for a copy to review.

This was a title ‘buy’! Because seriously how could I not read it when it was challenging traditional masculinity from the get go!

Real Men Knit, follows the lives of Jesse and Kerry as they try to save Jesse’s mothers knitting shop after her unexpected death. This requires teaching Jesse how to knit and how to run a knitting/yarn business. Naturally tensions rise and romance sizzles and Kerry is stuck trying to make sure she doesn’t get her heartbroken.

The characters were just so alive in this book. I loved everyone mentioned and even Joy who dies before the first chapter is someone I dearly wish I could have met.

The writing flowed really well and the story was excellently paced. It’s lighthearted and one of those easy reads that you need to help your figure out what you want to read next.

It made for an excellent palette cleanser after all the raw emotional books I’ve been reading lately!

Definitely adding the author to my tbr for any future works!

This was a cute and sweet story. I must confess that the title bought me.
Thanks yo Netgalley for this read, but I already read this book.
This was good book, but it didn't wow me, like I thought...
3.5 stars.

Really, really slow, and doesn’t really go anywhere that you couldn’t guess from the start. I chose to read this because of the title: Real Men Knit, thinking it might try and break down some stereotypes, but it really doesn’t. Yes, the men knit, but they are also firefighters whose muscles ripple and are eyed as little more than sex symbols. I found the whole book entirely cringeworthy.

Book donated by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A nice easy read for a bit of escapism. An unusual story line, but it seemed to work well enough.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

In Black History month in the U.K. and with the recent happenings in the USA, this is a very apposite book. It is exceptional writing from a black perspective, and includes some very different characters. A girl who has been helped by a knitting shop, with an indomitable female owner, and 3 young men, who she originally fostered but then adopted, to save them from totally disasterous lives.
The eldest is a lawyer, the second is a fireman, and the third is a bit of an enigma, who seems to be wasting his life, and annoying his brothers, and his adoptive mother. After the mother dies, of old age, and worn down with debt, and worries about the future, their first thought is to sell the shop.
However, the young girl, who is employed as a craft teacher, at a local community centre, is desparate to keep the shop going, and to continue to help the other people who meet there, and become friends and not just customers. This is set in Harlem, where there is a lot of poverty, and a lot of need.
To give the denouement of this book, would ruin the reading of it, but because of the plot, the characterization, and the reality in this novel. I can heartily recommend it, to anyone who fancies something different, and i thabnk the publishers, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read, and review this book.

DNF at 23%.

Mama Joy ran a knitting shop in Harlem, famed just as much for giving a home to four wayward boys as for its knitting classes and community gathering place. Now she's died and her part-time employee Kerry is facing the fact that Mama Joy's adopted sons will probably sell the shop, and with it a piece of Harlem's history.

Damien, the eldest, overcame his inauspicious beginnings to become a high flying financial adviser, Lucas is a fireman, Noah is a dancer and Jesse, the youngest, is a bit of a playboy and a drifter. But when the boys sit down to discuss the future it's Jesse who steps up and insists they keep the shop open, even if its only for another six months.

Jesse and Kerry grew up together, the two of them silently hiding away in the back of the shop, for their own reasons. But now they are both grown up, and following different paths, can their relationship change? Will the playboy and the wallflower ever be a thing?

I was intrigued by the blurb, four hot men who knit, but 23% into the book and frankly I've seen very little knitting. There's a lot of the characters 'telling' the reader their every thought and recounting their childhood and not a lot of showing. The four adoptive brothers are just too different, as a reader I can see the sequel books featuring each of the brothers being set up and it grates.

Overall, when I start to promise myself I will continue reading to 25% I know it's time to give up gracefully.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a lovely read, I found the storyline based around four brothers and a knitting shop unique and interesting. I enjoyed reading about the range of different characters from children to the elderly and the relationships they all had with each other was heartwarming to read about.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kwana Jackson for an advanced copy of this book.

I am relatively new to the romance genre, not really having explored it very much and I felt that this had the potential to be a cute and easy read. While it did deliver on the easy read, I didn't feel engaged with the characters, and it failed to draw me into the story in the way that I had hoped it would... I struggle with slow burn books and I felt that it just took forever to get to the crux of the plot.

I can definitely see potential in the writing and I would definitely consider picking up another of Jackson's books in the future!

Warm Hearted Romance.....
Warm hearted romance. A strong and likeable protagonist in Jesse who fights tooth and nail to keep knitting shop, ‘Strong Knits’ afloat despite all odds. Can a relationship with Kerry work alongside? It’s a slow burn and somewhat predictable but it is nicely written escapism

A lovely story of how when there mother unexpectedly dies the four brothers have to decide what to do with their mothers legacy her yarn shop. Put into the mix regrets, rivalry and a women who has history with them all. Enjoyed the fact that all the brothers could knit and are described as having model looks so very easy on the eye

I do enjoy a good light hearted feel good book. This book was lovely written and I felt really invested in Kerry & Jessie, I felt the author really captured their personalities well. And this in some good old knitting, I can do the basics, more of a crocheter myself but I loved the base story of this book being all wool, bliss.

This story was every type of cutesy you could want, with a slow-faced but burning romance between the two leading characters. It was a lovely read all about family, community and all the rollercoaster moments that come attached to those. Kwana wrote the characters and storyline so beautifully, I would highly recommend. I would also love to see stories on the other brothers as well!