Real Men Knit By Kwana Jackson

‘Real Men Knit’ is the latest book by Kwana Jackson.

Kerry Fuller has worked at Joy Strong’s knitting shop – Strong Knits – for years. And she’s had a secret crush on Joy’s son, heartbreaker Jesse Strong, for even longer. When Joy unexpectedly passes away, Jesse vows that he will keep the shop open, no matter what. And with no idea of where to start, he reaches out to Kerry for help. Soon Kerry is teaching Jesse all the knitty-gritty parts of the business – all the while trying to keep her heart from getting broken. The longer they spend together, the closer they become. But Kerry doesn’t believe their relationship can last longer than she can knit one, purl one. It’s up to Jesse to prove her wrong.

This was the perfect book to curl up with this morning, a story of love and friendship set in New York.

The story is seen through the narrative of Becky and Jesse, as they deal with the aftermath of losing their foster mother, Mama Joy. A huge spirit who helped many children including Jesse’s other brothers Damian, Lucas and Noah find a stable and loving home. With her passing, the brothers and Becky are determined that her knitting shop will continue.

Jesse and Becky are great characters. Jesse is a bit of a womaniser who leaves a string of broken hearts in his path and is adamant that Mama Joy’s knitting shop will be a success with him in charge and determined to prove his brothers wrong. He’s always had a bit of a soft spot for Becky but she’s completely oblivious whereas Jesse always had a piece of her heart. But when she has to move in with him when her apartment is being renovated, it’s interesting to see the dynamics between the pair of them. Becky witnesses the women coming and going and Jesse has to deal with new feelings with Becky as well as process his own grief over Mama Joy. I loved Becky’s spirit and her passion and she made for entertaining reading. The dual perspectives are also a great addition to the story as they interacted with each other and misinterpreted actions and words.

Although not blood brothers, Jesse and his brothers are always there for each other. Sweetly written with great characters, ‘Real Men Knit’ is a great story, that no matter the gender, everyone can knit and and it’s a powerful message that you don’t need to be connected by blood to be family.

You can buy ‘Real Men Knit’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.