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5 stars!
This is a hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance that is fun and laugh-out-loud funny, yet emotional, with a fantastically snarky, banter-filled love story that is full of chemistry and so freaking steamy. From start to finish, I loved this book so much!
This is the third and final book in the Knockemout series, and though you could read this as a standalone, you would miss a lot of context. I recommend reading each of these books in order and enjoying these fabulous characters from the very beginning.
Sloane and Lucien grew up as neighbors in the small town of Knockemout. They formed an unlikely friendship and Lucien was semi-adopted into the family as he tried so desperately to avoid his own violent home. But then something happened to end their friendship, and they have spent the last 20 years as enemies.
We have seen Sloane and Lucien in the earlier books of the series. They hate each other fiercely, and in this book we get to see their bickering and snark up close, and OMG, it’s so freaking funny. I laughed out loud so many times at their constant arguing and insults, and their friends getting involved to try and keep the fighting under control makes it even funnier.
Now that their friends have all hooked up with each other, there’s no way they can avoid each other, so they get it into their heads that they have built-up sexual tension between them, and they need a night together to burn it off so that they can move on. Hence we get one of the hottest, steamiest, and most entertaining hate-sex scenes I’ve read. OMG, even while getting hot and heavy, they’re still insulting and squabbling, and their dynamic is so hilarious.
Of course once they cross the line, they can’t get enough of each other, so we get this frenemies-with-benefits situation that just gets better and better. And with them finally in each other’s lives without biting each other’s heads off, they actually start to talk, they unravel their complex past and finally move on from their anger and bitterness. Even with all of the hate, there’s always been a connection between them, but now we get to see real feelings, and it’s clear that there is so much between these two, and I loved watching them come to realise just what they mean to each other.
“You remembered,” she said softly.
“I remember every second of us.”
As funny as they are as enemies, together they are even better. They still snark and banter, and they butt heads constantly, but they care so deeply and have this wild passion for each other, and it’s all awesome. I could feel the chemistry and the emotion, and they are SO damn hot together. But while Sloane is ready for marriage and kids, Lucien is busy running his empire, and has no intention of ever settling down and having a family. But now that they’ve finally found their way to each other, will they be able to walk away?
“You love me, you idiot. You’ve loved me since we were kids. You loved me even when I broke your trust. You loved me after I fixed it. You still love me.”
I love these characters so much. Lucien is such a strong and stoic badass, and he completely owns it, and though he is outwardly emotionless and unapologetic, he cares deeply for the people he allows into his life. Sloane is his one weakness which makes for some very entertaining clashes against his equally strong and feisty heroine. Sloane is stubborn and honest, she knows what she wants and she’s willing to fight for it. There is some drama in this one, but it’s mostly related to the past. The angst is minimal, realistic and short-lived, and the romance is absolutely beautiful. Sloane and Lucien love each other fiercely, and they’re a fabulous couple, and I loved their story so much.
“Loving you has been a touchstone for more than half my life. But being loved by you? That’s a fucking miracle. You … are my fucking miracle.”
Like the previous books in the series, there’s a mystery/suspense element that adds intensity to the situation – providing Lucien with the opportunity to go all badass hero to protect his girl. It also closes off storylines from the previous books, and when combined with the fabulous epilogue, the series ends beautifully, bringing closure and a super satisfying ending for each of the couples in the series.
This is such a fun read. I laughed and swooned, I adored Sloane and Lucien together, and I finished this book with a huge smile on my face. It’s a wonderful ending to the Knockemout series, and a fave for 2023.
5 stars!
Knockemout
Things We Never Got Over (#1) (Knox & Naomi)
Review
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Things We Hide From the Light (#2) (Nash & Lina)
Review
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Things We Left Behind (#3) (Lucien & Sloane)
Review
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About the Author
Lucy Score is a Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Small town contemporary rom-coms are her lady jam and she enjoys delivering the feels with a huge side of happily ever after.
Her books have been translated into several languages, making readers around the world snort laugh, swoon, and sob. Lucy lives in Pennsylvania with the devastatingly handsome Mr. Lucy and their horrible cat.
In her spare time she enjoys sleeping, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and reading all the romance novels in the universe.
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