Description
Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout Series) 9781945631832: Score, Lucy: Books
Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon.
Things We Never Got Over
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.
Things We Never Got Over
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.
Jessica Madden –
I bought this e-book version back when it was available to all (in fact, I’m pretty sure I pre-ordered it because I have fallen in love with Lucy’s writing!). Since then, Lucy has sold her UK rights and this version is no longer available to buy (I live in Aus, so I assume that is connected to those book rights). I’m now redirected to the UK publisher one. Why am I writing about this? Well, I also bought the audible version. And I don’t usually do this, but I ended up reading along with the narrators. So I noticed that the audible version has a bonus epilogue set about five years into the future that isn’t in my ebook. I don’t know if this is an audible extra, or an extra that was added at a later date, but I no longer have access to because I own the US copy which shows me it’s not for sale in my country. Either way, if you can get a hold of that epilogue, you need to. It was that amazing cherry on top of an already delicious cake.I don’t know why, but this story (at least at the beginning) really reminded me of the Kristen Ashley book, Sweet Dreams. The whole gruff, closed-off, rude alpha-male. The likable heroine who seems like a snob (but isn’t) that everyone falls in love with. The small town, the interactions which always go wrong, and yet you feel the chemistry jumping off the page. But where I can’t really go back and reread Sweet Dreams without wanting to bang my head against a wall (Tate is actually a red-flagged, gross hero when you look back with 2022 eyes), this one rights a lot of those wrongs. For one, Naomi is smart, she’s strong, she’s super funny, and after what happens toward the end of the book, she picks herself up and fights on. I liked that. Yes, she’s flawed, and she definitely makes some questionable choices, but I really liked her.I also really liked Knox. He had his stubborn moments which lead to acting like an idiot, but he was so lovable. He was protective, sweet, romantic in his own way, and he grew within the story.All of the secondary characters added warmth and humour to the world. I’m also super excited to read more about Nash and Lucien, as well as anyone else Lucy will give us. Is it too much to ask that Lucy give us an m/m romance about Stef? *pleading puppy dog eyes*If you love small-town romance which have plenty of humor, super hot sex, and a romance to make you swoon, then I highly recommend you buy Things We Never Got Over. And then if you love this one, definitely go check our Lucy’s Riley Thorn series. I got similar vibes with this story.Finally, the audible version was fantastic and I highly recommend it. Well worth the credit!
sherrejon –
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!
Justmyfantasyworld –
• ???? ?????? •?????: Things We Never Got Over??????: Knockemout #1??????: Lucy Score??????: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5One of those books that, in my opinion, deserves all the hype it has been getting. This just such a beautiful story. It captured my attention and I did not want to let go. I was a bit apprehensive because it was such a big book. There was not one single moment that I thought, pff I still have a lot of pages left. It was more like, I was almost at the ending and I did not want to let go of the story. The build-up and tension between the characters was slow, but steady. You could just feel the sparks flying. This books has lots of tropes and does them well. Hate/enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, hot boss/neighbor, small town and probably some others I forgot to mention. It not only had me addicted to the story and characters, it gave me a lot of feelings as well. I fell in love with some of the side characters, I loved how well developed they are. I wish there would have been more things that were cleared up or explained more extensively, however, that didn’t take away from the feeling I got from this book and how much I still loved it despite those things. Definitely a romance book you want to read for yourself.
King Scott –
Loved this book! Love how it began by explaining how November 9 was a hard day for Fallon because it’s the anniversary of the day a fire almost took her life. That fire left scars all over her body that took away her self confidence. On one November 9, Fallon meets up with her dad at a diner to eat, where she meets a guy named Ben. They immediately hit it off, as he is the first to make her truly feel beautiful, scars and all. However, Fallon is set to move to New York the next day, and her mother always told her that a woman finds herself between the ages of 18-23, so to basically not settle down during those ages. So, Fallon and Ben agree to meet up every November 9 for the next 5 years. They are to have no other contact throughout the year until this day. Well they meet up each year, and things happen in their lives that cause turmoil. One November 9, Fallon discovers Ben’s manuscript and starts reading it and reads that Ben was responsible for the fire that almost took her life. This was huge, because up until now, she thought her father was responsible for it. She ends up reading more of his manuscript and realizes he set the fire for pure reasons. Ben’s mom committed suicide when he was 16. He had no suspicions for her to do this, so he starts checking her phone and he blames it on Fallon’s father since they had been having frequent conversations. When he gets to Fallon’s fathers house, he’s cleaning his prized car, seemingly unfazed by the news that his lover has died. This pissed Ben off so he wants to burn what he loves the most, his car. However, it ends up catching the house on fire, where Fallon was unbeknownst to him. She ends up forgiving him though and they live happily ever after. Such a sweet story.
Kelsey Manndel (@bookish.kels) –
?rating: 5 stars?genre: contemporary romance#️⃣pages: 568✍?same author who wrote BY A THREAD and MAGGIE MOVES ON (pub date: 6/21/22)❤️small town romance, grumpy X sunshine, fake datingＭｙ ＴｈｏｕｇｈｔｓBEST READ OF 2022 ❤️ I’ve never loved a book so much before! I didn’t want it to ever end ? it absolutely deserves all the stars!Score painted a wonderful image of what Knox looks like in my head & holy hell is he one gorgeous Viking! ? tattoos, muscles, tall, outdoorsy = my kind of manThere’s just something about small town romcoms! Like I actually want to live in Knockemout now!I loved every single character even though there were times Knox was a little too grumpy!The witty banter had me laughing + giggling throughout. I don’t think I’ve ever had a book make me smile so much before!There’s a little bit of everything in this story from family drama to mystery to falling in love but Score ties it all together so impeccably well ?? *chefs kiss*If you’re looking for a 5 star read, I HIGHLY recommend this one!
Briana Bailon –
Grumpy man who is unable to stop thinking about woman, said woman’s life turning upside down after her twin sister stole her money, car, and then found out she had an eleven year old niece! Talk about a lot going on for Naomi Witt. This story had everything I could possibly want and more from the grumpiness of Knox, Naomi trying to figure out the whirlwind mess that became her life, and somehow in the mist of all the drama, love found a way, and there were some added heartfelt moments as well as funny moments too!Right from the start, Naomi had just come out of a big mess, but just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, her twin sister Tina, stole all of Naomi’s things, and left her to care for her niece, Waylay, who she didn’t even know existed. Add into the mix the ever so grumpy and tough Knox, who seemed to not only make Naomi angry, but frustrated both mentally and physically *wink, wink. Knox seemed annoyed yet somehow fascinated by Naomi from the way she carried herself to low key checking out her Facebook to see everything about her, to having some spicy dreams about Naomi that left him wanting her in ways he had never felt before. Not to mention, Knox downright telling Naomi to her face that she wasn’t his “type” haha very funny Knox because based off the way he acted towards her throughout the story would seem otherwise. So you could only imagine the tension that occurred between Naomi and Knox was both a pleasure and entertaining to watch unfold.I loved seeing Naomi adapt to the new changes in her life a.k.a. trying to care of Waylay and trying to be the best guardian she could be for her, especially since Tina (Waylay’s mom) never cared for her, and treated her badly. Naomi wasn’t the only one who cared for Waylay, but also Knox, Nash, Liza J, and Naomi’s parents, and the whole town of Knockemout. Having those people rally around Waylay and provide her with both love and support was so heartwarming to see. Plus you could tell that Waylay appreciated having that sense of true family around her since she never really had that to begin with. Naomi struggled in the beginning trying to grapple with ways to connect with Waylay, and provide her with all the necessities she could possibly need and want. Thankfully with the residential grumpy man that was Knox, he definitely went above and beyond to help Naomi with Waylay.Through the drama that came with Tina and trying to make sure Waylay was taken care of, Naomi had a lot on her plate, but somehow during all of it, she caught the eye of Knox. What I found so amusing with Knox was that he was aware that he was grumpy and *cough a bit rude to Naomi, but what also made me laugh was that he would sometimes complain about constantly thinking about Naomi or felt kind of annoyed having to pull her out of trouble. In all honesty though, Knox wanted to help out Naomi because he genuinely wanted to be there for her. If anything, Knox wasn’t use to the feelings that Naomi brought out in him, and therefore resorted to being his grumpy self and blamed his body’s reaction to only wanting Naomi in a purely physical way. Haha joke was on Knox because based off the chemistry he and Naomi had, their connection went beyond just physical. While I will say, the passion between those two was AMAZING (especially reading it!) the spice, the dirty talk, and pure wanting lust between was… WHOA! And of course we can’t forget how demanding and possessive Knox was over Naomi.In addition, I loved how Knox became sort of Naomi’s unofficial yet official caretaker, provider in a way. Naomi was so use to taking care of everyone from always cleaning up Tina’s messes to literally doing everything for Ex in her previous relationship, Naomi did it all! Knox saw that Naomi always put others needs before her own, and he wanted to be the one to take care of Naomi. Something in the pit of Knox’s gut just had this natural instinct of protection over Naomi, wanted to be her “hero”.This story was absolutely amazing! I loved that with each chapter, I was drawn in more by the characters, the plot, and the overall feeling I got while reading. I couldn’t put this book down, and if I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it constantly! I especially loved the tight knit community that was in Knockemout. How everyone helped one another, came together as a community, and the overall support everyone provided for Naomi and Waylay. This story captured my heart, Naomi and Knox definitely had some bumps in the road, but they ultimately had their “happy ending”. Just when I thought the story ended on a beautiful note, the epilogue& bonus epilogue had me weeping tears of joy. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Caroline Abreu –
In Steel Magnolias, Truvy says, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”Be prepared to do some snicker sobbing.I had been pining because I had not found a series after the interlaced ones from Penny Reid that was hitting the right spot. Hard to explain, but if you’ve read the Knitting books and the Winston Brothers books, you’ll understand. There’s another series that I connected with in audiobook, the Lexi Blake Butterfly Bayou books, they are awesome. But I was ready for a new place and people and didn’t know I’d find them in Knockemout. This is the first book, and the second is in preorder. If you like the small town ambiance and bigger than life characters, this will please you, too. Some angst, but nothing so heavy it doesn’t smooth out eventually. Until I get to read about the other Knockemout guys, Knox is my new book BF. Get your daisy crown and hankie ready.
Mileidy Pérez –
This is book was all over my reading recommendations. I have read many Bad Boy/Good Girl stories that reading another one was not really exciting; at first… I decided to finally start reading it after weeks of buying it and boy was I hooked! Yes, the first 15-20 chapters felt infinite and it took too long for the spice to start. I didn’t like that I had to read about a third of the large book to start getting the adrenaline rushes which is what I read for, but I believe it was worth the wait though. The buildup in their relationship and their personality developments made the story 10 times better than your usual romance novel. The Bad Boy/Good Girl part of it was not as cliché as I thought it’d be. It had it’s own spice and originality to it and I loved it. It was new for me to read a romance novel of a couple in their late 30s and early 40s but it made it so much more real and interesting to read. I was so into it I felt every single thing like I was in it. The love, the rage, the sadness, the joy. I even want to have kids now.Anyways definitely recommend if you’re a sucker for a hate to love romance, with lots of intense love making, and a good plot going on around them.
Tammy Manning –
Holy carp! Y’all, this book was just so freaking incredible! I went into this book blind after a friend that was reading it couldn’t stop raving about it, and after the first chapter I was completely invested in the characters and the story. This book was everything I didn’t even know I needed.Naomi reminds me a lot myself when I was younger, before I figured out that I would never be able to make everyone else happy, especially at the expense of my happiness. Not to mention her sarcasm speaks to my soul. I loved seeing her growth throughout the book and seeing her become who she may have been all along were it not for her twin sister. Part of that growth has to do with her friends, and I have to say that everyone should have a friend like Stef, he is absolutely fabulous. But we really get to see a spark come alive in Naomi when it comes to Knox, and we see it right from the beginning. The chemistry between these two is undeniable and watching them both fight it is incredibly entertaining and their banter is just *chef’s kiss*!Speaking of Knox, oh dear lord, that man is just HOOOOOOOT! I’ll start with the obvious, you know, the height, muscles, beard, and TATTOOS!! (In case it’s not obvious, tattoos are my weakness.) Now we’ll move on to the fact that he really is a big ole cinnamon role, especially when it comes to the women in his life. He comes off gruff and intimidating to most people, but he takes the time to make sure that the women who work for him are taken care of. And the way he takes care of not only Naomi but also her niece Waylay is just swoon worthy. Don’t get me wrong, the man has some demons in his past that he has to overcome and which ends up making him do something incredibly stupid. He does thankfully pull his head out of his a**, finally, but not before he p****s off basically the entire town.This was the first book that I’ve read by Lucy Score, and I can say with absolute certainty that it will not be the last. I swear I went through all of the emotions while reading this book, from literally laughing so loud I scared my dog to crying from heartbreak. I said it at the beginning of this review and I’ll say it again, this book was everything that I didn’t know I needed and Lucy Score now has a new dedicated reader. Also I’m so excited that she’s going to write more in this world and I cannot wait to read those books!
BigMac –
Really enjoyed this story. Naomi is a unique h, sometimes a bit maddening as she gives all to others and puts herself last. The difference is she is loved and appreciated for it while those around her try to convince her to ask for what she wants more. She’s not a doormat or weak, although why she lets her evil twin take advantage is a puzzle at times. Her strength is in helping and caring for others. She is left homeless, car less, and broke in a small town and saddled with an 11 yo niece she never knew about, courtesy of her bad twin. Knox is such a lovable but broken curmudgeon. He gives Naomi grief while also looking out for her in his own way. It takes some dangerous events before Knox realizes he can’t live without Naomi and her sassy niece. Waylay and even the dog Waylon add tons of humor and warmth to the story. Secondary characters in the small town make you want to live there. I don’t know if it was unintentional, but certain elements reminded me a lot of Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley. Knox reminded me of one of Ashley’s protective, possessive alphas and the scene where Naomi overhears Knox calling her uppity and needy feels like it was straight out of that book. I loved that book so I might be off base with my comments. There is a mystery running through the story and some elements of danger, but not enough to be considered romantic suspense imo. I found myself tearing up a few times and that’s the sign of a great story.