Close Knit by Kels & Denise Stone (Sept. 18, 2024) Last month I fell down the Hastings family rabbit hole when I read On Guard, a fencing romance that I couldn’t stop thinking about because the cover is stunning. Then I realized it was the second book in the series and back tracked to read Close Knit, the first.
When Cameron Hastings—third-born in a wealthy family of six famous athletes—flees the paparazzi, he ends up in a hotel bar where a gorgeous, lavender-haired woman is knitting. Daphne Quinn, on her self-declared “year of yes,” jokes that he must be a secret agent, blissfully unaware he’s actually a grumpy Premier League keeper splashed across the tabloids after a bad break with his former team. A one night stand with a hot stranger right before she moves to London would be a new YES. She never anticipated seeing him again. She never even got his name. So, when it turns out that her apartment is the only non-football one in the building, she’s even more surprised to see her one night stand is now her neighbor and who’s decidedly less charming this time around. As she befriends his teammates and teaches them to knit, Cameron continues to isolate himself but when Daphne begins to discover what’s behind his attitude, what started as something physical becomes a friendship unlike what either has had before – and it could become something more.
This romance is delightfully Ted Lasso–coded, with Cameron as a broody Roy Kent to Daphne’s radiant sunshine. Like On Guard, it’s a fun, very spicy sports romance packed with charming moments, but it also has real depth and tenderness. The Hastings family is messy, fiercely loving, and wholly unforgettable—giving me the closest emotional fix I’ve had since reading Chloe Liese’s Bergman series. Cameron and Daphne’s individual growth, paired with their journey toward each other, makes this one you’ll want to savor. Also: you’ll never think about knitting quite the same way again. I’m all in for every book in this series.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Book Smart Kate 