Knox by Lane Hart

Lane Hart knows heart. And humor, and smexy, and sports romance. From her Playing Dirty series to her Cocky Cage Fighters, to her latest Out of the Cage series, we can always count on her to deliver an emotionally driven story with plenty of heat and a good dose of humor. Although her characters are often in their 20's, her storylines are so compelling that I'm completely drawn in and I rarely consider their age while reading.

Knox is young - like old enough to vote but not old enough to drink - and yet life has given him experience and wisdom far beyond his years. All three of the guys in this series have had a rough life, but I think Knox touched me the most.  You'll see why in my review of this five-star read.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I came into the world with a great big hole right smack dab in the center of my soul.” With the very first sentence of this book, Knox owned me, heart and soul. So tragically damaged from his parents abandoning him at his birth, he has never known love and truly believes he has no value. And just that quickly I want to wrap my arms around him and help him see what an amazing young man he’s created out of the nothing he’s been given. He may have a hole in his soul, but it’s his giant, overflowing heart that he has no idea what to do with that makes him so darn loveable.

Having read Cain and Ivan’s stories, some of which occurs concurrently with Knox's, I was eager to read an advance copy of Knox and get the blanks filled in from his and Jade's perspectives. Their being together was a curiosity that made no sense at all, with them seemingly on opposite sides of the law – him an MMA fighter for the mafia and her a police detective. Add in her being nearly ten years older, and it was puzzling to think their relationship could ever work.

There are so many ways this author impresses me so that I continue to devour her work. Ms. Hart adapts her voice to the personality of the character telling the story, which makes the reading authentic and so effortless the words practically read themselves. Mechanically, the final product is carefully crafted, beautifully edited and as perfectly proofed as I’ve ever seen which makes for a delightfully smooth read.  She knows just how much push and pull to employ in tugging the reader’s emotions around and then balances that impeccably with solid conclusions and resolution to leave the reader satisfied and content. And can we talk about the bad guy, Jade’s captain? All through the book, I was eagerly anticipating him getting what he deserved, and hot diggity, Ms. Hart delivered spectacularly!

Now I’ll admit, there were a couple of times where I was yelling at a character for something stupid they did. Knox and Jade certainly demonstrate that age is only a number and it's life experience that brings maturity. I wanted to shake Jade for reinforcing the fallacy Knox believed about his self-worth, but she made up for it on the back end with some closure for Knox that was poignantly beautiful, brought me to tears and made me want to wrap him up in my arms all over again.  Although that part of the story is concluded, I suspect it’s not finished, and I cannot wait to dig into the new motorcycle club series with Jade's step-brothers. Get cracking, Ms. Hart, I’m ready for it yesterday!

Knox and Jade's story stands alone, so you don’t have to read the others in order to easily follow this one. But they’re all equally heartfelt, steamy, humorous and sweetly endearing, so once you finish this book you won’t be ready to let these characters go and you’ll be eager for more. Knox is a phenomenal, uplifting read and definitely worth a 1-Click.

With so many authors churning out book after book and focusing on quantity rather than quality, Lane Hart is one author we can count on to deliver an exceptional reading experience every time. Check out her other work here.  Until next time, dear reader

Much love between the covers,

BookAddict

Check out my other reviews here.