ARC Review: Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan Published by Blue Box Press on 26th May 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 300
Format: eARC
Source: the Author
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK, Buy on Kobo, Buy on itunes, Buy on B&N, Buy on Amazon
The boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can't have…
Dig a little and you'll find photos of me in the bathtub with Ezra Stern.Get your mind out of the gutter. We were six months old.Pry and one of us might confess we saved our first kiss for each other. The most clumsy, wet, sloppy . . . spectacular thirty seconds of my adolescence.Get into our business and you'll see two families, closer than blood, torn apart in an instant.Twenty years later, my "awkward duckling" best friend from childhood, the boy no one noticed, is a man no one can ignore.
Finer. Fiercer. Smarter. Taken.
Tell me it's wrong. Tell me the boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can’t have. When we find each other again, everything stands in our way--secrets, lies, promises.But we didn't come this far to give up now. And I know just the move to make if I want to make him mine.
4- 4.5 stars
This is Kimba’s book, Who we’ve already met in her best friend and business partner Lennix’s books (All the King’s Men Duet) but Queen Move can be read as a standalone.
Kimba ‘Tru’ Allen, is a campaign manager and political adviser, that got their current president elected.
Ezra Stern founded and runs a private school for middle-to-low income/at risk students.
Kimba and Erza were best friends, got ‘married’ when they were six years old. They had been together since they were babies, had a great bond and knew each other like the back of your own hand. I mean they even share the same birthday. They were adorable as children and then teenagers. They were sweet and in the blushes of their first crush/love. Everything changes of course when their parents have a fight and suddenly Erza and his families gone. Now, its years later and Ezra and Kimba are back in each other’s orbit and their connection to each other is strong as ever along with their heightened attraction to each other.
“I’d discovered this beautiful butterfly when she was a caterpillar and she had been completely mine. Now the whole world marveled at the spread of her wings, basked in her vibrant color. Now everyone knew how fantastic she was and she’d never be just mine again.” ~Ezra Stern
Not gonna lie I was a bit worried about the blurb and because of it Ezra/Kimba but it was all good. He’s a good man, sweet, really loved Kimba with all his heart and was a great father to his son. Kimba is well Kimba, intelligent, badass, strong, beautiful, a touch vulnerable currently with whats going on. Easily understandable why any man would fall in love with her.
“You set me on fire inside, Ezra Stern.” ~Kimba Allen
I loved them together, there was just something so special about their relationship and connection. They click on every level, the addition of their explosive chemistry and unable to resist each otherness they exhibited, I was sold on them instantly.
I do know if soul mates are real, Kimba is mine. I believe that if people are “created”, we were made together. ~Ezra Stern, internal monologue.
Dear and rare and precious and mine. ~Kimba Allen, internal monologue.
This book is just very easy to get lost into, the intensity, how the writing and the story flows is captivating. It’s also sweet, romantic and funny along with some dramaaa and messiness.
Quibbles: Me when things were going a little too well, 
I knew something was gonna happen even then when it did, it felt like such kick to my heart. Honestly the Aiko thing to me felt unnecessary, the conflict could have easily been the even more of escalation of the family issues or the fact that Kimba had a campaign coming etc. The whole Aiko business felt cruel to me for Kimba. I guess its more of a reflection of because I really liked Kimba so it felt particularly hurtful, which made my enjoyment of the book go slightly down. It’s still a wonderful book! People who love angst/drama though would probably really love the twist.
Kennedy Ryan does a great job touching on different tough/very real-life subjects throughout the book, very different but all have a very big impact on individual’s life. Along with the addition of different cultures, religions and customs. It’s a very good representation of the world we live in and made it even more fantastic.
Overall, another great book by Kennedy Ryan with a second chance romance with childhood best friends trope done well and the signature beautiful writing, intriguing characters, angst and twists. Looking forward to MORE!!!
About Kennedy Ryan
A Top 30 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy Ryan writes about women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.
She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine and Frolic, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Atlanta Autism families, she has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for families living with autism.
