My favorite out of the three books. Suit daddy was everything I hoped he would be but damn this book was long.

Lucian and Sloane ignite in Things We Left Behind. As the 3rd and final book in the Knockemout series. I know I am not the only one who has been anticipating their story. We finally find the why of their relationship with a renewed focus on a new chapter for them. The love story is electric. Their nicknames, the banter and the steam makes this book one you cannot put down.

Suit Daddy Lucian has a vague backstory and the people of Knockemout regard him as a loyal friend to the Morgan brothers and ruthless businessman that has deep pockets. Sloane, the local librarian, is short, fair and awesome. She is also a loyal friend that cannot stand Lucian. When they are at the same events, which is often, their verbal sparring exhausts everyone around them. Situations arise that will force them to their emotional breaking points, we see if that hate can morph into something more. Strong emotions lead to heightened experiences. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the spice. This novel was blushworthy and perfectly spicy. Don’t let the flowers fool you, be a good reader and dive in.

Things We Left Behind is hands down the best book Lucy Score has ever written. I LOVED IT. I really enjoy Lucy’s books, so to have this easily be the best means you need to run out and grab this book now. I laughed so hard I cried, I cried, I highlighted so much. I’m off to the store to pick up my copy now.

My review is my honest opinion and wasn’t influenced by me receiving an advanced copy from Rick, Lucy or Bloom Books.

🔥 wheeewwwwwwww Sloane + Lucian’s story did not disappoint. SO. DAMN. GOOD. The way they heal each other. The snark. The 🌶️. Personally, my favorite of the 3. The epilogue is beautiful, as they always are, but the bonus epilogue. Be ready. Sobbing. 4.5 ⭐️


Thank you so much Bloom Books, and NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.

I am so sad to see these characters go but I was so pleased with how Lucy Score rounded out this universe! When a series is ending and the book is so hyped up I get nervous that it won't live up to my expectations, but I can confidently say that this book was everything I wanted and more!

I was so excited to get to know both Sloane and Lucian's characters more as they have been teased so much in the previous 2 books. I loved the flashbacks to them as teenagers as it gave the reader a fully rounded picture of their relationship and their conflicts with each other. Both of them have hearts of gold and are loyal to those they love, I think although they portrayed as opposites they have a lot more in common than first meets the eyes.

This book delves into the complex, intertwined lives of Lucian and Sloane, childhood neighbors who grew incredibly close during their teenage years. However, their strong connection led to decisions meant to protect each other, decisions that left both wounded. Sloane held onto her hurt, while Lucian erected walls of anger and kept his trauma hidden. Despite his efforts to avoid her, he maintained ties with her family. But a devastating loss forces them back into each other's lives, and the looming threat from the previous books that still shadows the Knockemout gang keeps them in close proximity.

Tension is the name of the game for this book, simmering and building until it finally erupts. And let me tell you, the wait for Lucian was absolutely worth it. The intensity, the scorching attraction, and his profound desire to protect those he cares about are nothing short of remarkable. But what took me by surprise was the humor in his internal musings—it had me laughing far more than I anticipated.

Sloane, on the other hand, is a force to be reckoned with. While Naomi and Lina are no slouches in the goodness department, Sloane is a fierce protector. The jokes about her being intimidating finally come to life in her emotional fortitude and her approach to protecting her people and her town. As the sole native Knockemout FMC, her love for her roots and her dedication to serving her community are commendable. She's a get-things-done kind of woman. While a significant part of the book sees her broken and hurting, we also witness her healing and unapologetically demanding what she wants without compromise.

The overarching mystery that has threaded through the series finds its resolution in this installment. While I had some predictions, there was a twist at the end that blindsided me and had me anxiously awaiting how it would all conclude.

What sets this series apart is the perfect blend of profound emotions and genuine laughter. "Knockemout" is a place you'll always want to revisit, but this book, in particular, holds a special place. It's a story of two people who make sense to everyone but each other, discovering that a little vulnerability can lead to immense gain.

I cried, I laughed and I said goodbye to this wonderful characters and this hilarious and relatable world that Lucy Score has created for us, this book will not disappoint!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
Adult • Romance
592 pages

📚friends to enemies to lovers
📚small town romance
📚romantic suspense
📚neighbor romance
📚morally gray MMC
📚titled chapters

Happy PUB DAY 🥳
And happy tears-trailing-down-Jess’s-face day 😭

In all honesty, the tears started with the dedication. How could it not?👇🏼

“To 12-year-old, 17-year-old, 21-year-old, and 30-year-old me. You were never the disaster you thought you were. It’s all going to work out.”

Then I laughed. I swooned. I raged. I smiled. And then I was crying all over again. Specially reading the letter to the reader. Lucy Score grabbed my damned heart and squeezed it hard. Things We Never got Over changed me. Things We Hide From the Light held me. Things We Left Behind kept me.

“Sometimes in order to build things back up, you gotta tear them down to the studs.”

Lucian and Sloane were fire. Burning in a beautiful fireplace to keep us warm; blazing to lead the way. And I was there for all of it. The dual timeline was also the stuff from dreams and the cure for every broken heart out there.

“There are some things we never get over. Some things we hide from the light”

And the romantic suspense… finally having closure for all the mysteries that have been haunting Knockemout since TWNGO was brilliant 🤌🏼 absolutely brilliant 🤌🏼

This is one of my forever favorite series.
This is one of my forever favorite casts.
This is one of my forever favorite HEAs.

Wow, wow, wow. This was fantastic. And hot - the characters were literally burning off the pages, but in a very classy way. This was a great story that managed to put an original spin on the plot, and the dialogue was sizzling. The hero and heroine were both very likable (always a plus) and the romance, even though hot, was also quite sweet. Altogether this was a VERY enjoyable read and one that I will read again and again. Thank you Netgalley and publisher!!

The book we’ve been waiting for!! The third and final installment in the Knockemount trilogy is the story of Lucian & Sloane. Childhood neighbors/friends to enemies to lovers who have a complicated history but now are trying to co-exist in their small town where everyone knows everything, and they’re in the same friend group. Lucian is grumpy mogul, and Sloane is the sunshine-y but headstrong town librarian.

This book is almost double the length of a typical romance, but Lucy has this gift of immersing you in the world of Knockemout, and making her books absolutely fly by. I read this one in only a few sittings! I love how she uses a dual POV and dual timelines to move between past and present, so we get a better understanding for how Lucian and Sloane grew up, why they are who they are, and we also learn why Lucian and Sloane have such a strained relationship. There are also some subplots woven in that continue from the previous books. I love the cast of side supporting characters that we got to know in depth from previous books. I also loved the themes in this book around found family, self discovery, and healing.

I couldn’t put this down. The only reason I deducted a star, was because I personally wasn’t that interested in the subplots, and I felt like the climax needed a bit more drama.

If you love a steamy grumpy/sunshine open door romance, with lots of witty banter/bickering this was made for you!

Happy publication day to @scorelucy !! If you loved Things We Never Got Over and Things We Hide from the Light as much as I did, you will definitely want to pick up Things We Left Behind!
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Everyone in Knockemout knows that Lucian and Sloane hate each other, but no one really knows why they went from friendly childhood neighbors to mutual disdain. Even so, they seem to know each other—and how to push the other’s buttons—better than anyone else. What happens when the fiery bickering starts to seem a little more like something else?
…………………………..
I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of this one, and when I tell you that I devoured it, I mean that I DEVOURED it. I legitimately stayed up all night reading it.

I loved seeing all of my favorite Knockemout characters from the previous books and the way that they’ve meshed their families of origin with their found families. I thought the alternating past/present timeline was so well done and really helped bring a level of depth to both Lucian and Sloane. I laughed. I almost cried. I almost started the series over again as soon as I finished. I thought it was delightful, and could not be more thrilled with the way this book wrapped up the Knockemout series.

Readers should know that this is an open-door romance, which means that the sex/intimacy is described on the page, and it is 🔥. Readers should also know that this book includes tough themes including death and abuse, but ends with a happily ever after.

Thank you to @netgalley, @read_bloom, and @scorelucy for the ARC of this delightful book! 🩵🩷💜

Sometimes the feelings we resist the most are the ones that have the most to teach us

I loved Lucian and Sloane’s grump-sunshine, enemies to lovers, second chance, benefits only, “we have a secret feud that we won’t talk about” romance. The book has a perfect blend of hilarity, sweet moments, difficult real life issues, danger, and steam. There was a lot of facing ugly truths and past pain with plenty of snort worthy laughs thrown in. This love story is not a twenty something’s flowers, mood lighting, tweeting birds and traditional romantic gestures insta-love story. This is the gritty, messy kind of love with dark painful places in between the light joyful ones. Sloane is the head librarian in small town Knockemout. At the beginning of the story, her dad just died of cancer and she realizes she put the needs of her career ahead of having a husband and children. She is determined to do that now. Lucian grew up next door to Sloane but had a very different childhood. Hers was loving and nurturing and his was full of violence. Sloane and Lucian had a long ago past though only they know what it was or what happened. They only interact when mutual friends force them together at social events. To get to their HEA will require the perfect storm of events, examination of long suppressed feelings, embracing their fears, healing, and of course trying to bring down a mob boss. Lucian and Sloane are portrayed as real, relatable people who have flaws and loads of baggage, but are really just trying to do their best as messy fallible humans. I have a soft spot for the people who are a bit uncomfortable in their skin because they don’t feel like they fit in or are worthy, like Lucian. So I love when they finally see their truth and they get swoon worthy HEAs because they really deserve them. This is not an enemies to lovers story that tips into meanness or abuse. The MCs are clearly just emotionally wounded ones. At the beginning of the book, they have been “on a never-ending roller coaster of insults, sexual awareness, bitterness, and flirtation.” The character growth and development journey was done beautifully for both of them. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline and will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, and cheering with sweet moments, steamy scenes, laughs, supportive friends, messy families, painful pasts, danger, and all the heart squeezing love. This was a great book to end this phenomenal series.

This. Book. Is. So. Good. In a similar style to the first two in the series, this one had me crying, laughing, and overheating. It’s a slow burn of a romance made complicated by the history of the two main characters, Sloan and Lucian. I enjoyed this story immensely, and I’m sad to have finished it. Spice levels are high in this one! Trigger warning of domestic violence. Thank you netgalley and Lucy score for allowing me the opportunity to read this one before its release!

Great conclusion to Lucy Score's Knockemount trilogy. Although, I do wish she had done one novel for Jer and Stef. And possibly Maeve and Kurt even though they were side characters.

Things We Left Behind
By Lucy Score

This book just about knocked me out!

Things We Left Behind rounds out the Knockemout, VA series with Lucian and Sloane. Childhood friends who lost their special connection following a life-changing event. They’ve been adversaries for the last twenty years and enough is enough!  One chance meeting in a hotel bar and bad decisions were made, leading to even worse decisions and an incredible story of forgiveness and redemption. Not only for others but for themselves as well. 

Lucy Score enthralls you with her stories. She captivates you from the beginning and when the last page comes around, she’ll leave you wanting more and more. She has an easy style with fabulous lines “I wasn’t a good guy worried about being a bad guy. I was a self-aware villain. There’s a difference” and spectacular words of wisdom: “You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat others when things aren’t going well.” Her writing made this lengthy book a quick-paced and easy read. I enjoyed these characters, their witty repartee, the colorful personalities, the suspense elements, and of course the all-powerful love with found family. Oh, my heart! This book was amazing!! I love Knockemout, VA and I’m sorry to see this series end. It’s definitely one I’ll reread time and again. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

5 out of 5 stars!

Wow, I absolutely loved this book and I am super sad that this series is over. I could not wait to read the final book in this series so I was very excited that I was able to get this ARC. It did not disappoint! This is an epic love story and I think this has been my favorite book I have read this year so far. With that being said, this book was bittersweet for me because I am not ready to say goodbye to the characters in the series. Things We Left Behind has a little bit of everything, a love story, a mystery, and a great ending. Everything was tied up beautifully and I was really happy to see how far everyone in the series has come.

Things we Left Behind is Sloane and Lucian's story. They knew each other growing up and ended up becoming enemies for a long time. Throughout the book we discover what happened when they were younger and saw both characters really blossom. They banter back and forth but deep down do they love each other? We also get to read about Naomi, Knox, Lina, and Nash, all out favorite characters from the series.

Overall this book was fantastic and I highly recommend reading it. Lucy Score really knocked this out of the park and I am excited to see what she comes up with next.

A big thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this book was bittersweet and hit all the tight places!

Sloane is going through the grieving process after losing her father. The last thing she needs is enemy and ex childhood friend Lucian in her life. She's determined to take charge of her personal life and find a partner willing to start a family. Lucian ticks none of those boxes. Their animosity is infamous, as is the tension that flies between them. Lucian is just as connected to her present as he is Sloane's past. As their chemistry turns physical, they finally have to face the feelings they've been smothering for decades.

This book had danger, steam, and unforgettable characters that bring the laughter and tears. Sloane is strong-willed and passionate, which infuriates and enchants Lucian all at one. While Suit Daddy is grumpy and closed off, Sloane is the only person who makes him react. Their history and story was so emotional and beautifully written with care. I felt for young Lucian as well as a scared Sloane. No one deserved a happy ending more than these two. We also got plenty of face time with the supporting characters we fell in love with in the rest of the series. I was so excited for this book, and it didn't let me down! I'll miss Knockemout deeply, and the extended epilogue was so sweet it filled my heart with joy.

Lucy Score has given us a beautifully written love story that gives us a emotional connection to Lucien and Sloan while they fight for their future by letting go of the past and reaching for the brass ring with a quirky strong emotional group of friends you will experience laughter lust heartbreak and finally joy Ms. Score tastefully addresses some pretty horrific social issues while giving her characters the strength to overcome and prevail I predict a best seller tag within a 24 hour time frame.
I received a advanced readers copy of this book and I am voluntary leaving this review.

LUCY, my love, why have you done this to me? (This is both @ Lucy and & Lucien, obvi)

I got approved for this on Friday night at 11pm when I had a weekend during which I quite literally could not read. So naturally, the moment I was able to on Monday I read the entire thing in one sitting despite my exhaustion. Once I started I couldn’t stop. How is it that Luce ended up being the sweetest of them all? I loved how fiery Sloane became (which is saying something because she’s always been fiery) and how perfectly they matched each others energy. I am not ready to say goodbye to the Knockemout family and even though we got the ultimate closure with this book, I could read about them forever.

BRB, putting ice on my eyes so I look presentable tomorrow.

Tropes: Small town, second chance, enemies to lovers, he falls first

So I have been looking forward to Lucian and Sloan’s book since I read TWNGO and let me tell you, it did not disappoint at all! This book was everything I needed and more.

I loved getting to see the characters from the previous books and see the closeness they still have.The found family in this series is amazing and it really shows that family is not always blood. I enjoyed the tension between these two and the history that Sloan and Lucian had, how they were friends and then enemies.

Lucy Score has a way of writing a story that just sucks you in and you never want to put the book down. This one is long but every page just sucks you in more. But it also means you are one page closer to finishing the series.

I am so sad to see the series end but the journey was amazing, I wish there would be more but I will say, the epilogue will just make you smile and it all just ends perfectly.

one of my most anticipated reads of the year and while i missed this special small town and its people, lucian and sloane's story fell just a little flat for my liking. it follows lucy's typical formula for the series, but somehow the build up to them actually getting together got lost and there wasn't that longing that i was looking for.

i did really enjoy getting the context to their past and seeing them become friends as teens. lucian's childhood was tough and all sloane wanted then was to be there for him. there were a lot of small details to their relationship then that bled into their present that was sweet to read about. when its revealed why they fell apart all those years ago, it was a bit of a "what?" moment. they both realize the mistake they made by the end, but it makes me sad that that's what kept them apart all these years.

spice was great. it started as an enemies with benefits situation which added to the tension, but it did end up feeling lackluster when it came to the actual romance. the found family is larger than ever and is still one of the best parts of this series. its never boring when we have the morgan brothers + lina and naomi around.

on top of the suspense plot, a big part of this book surrounds sloane trying to find a husband so she can start a family, which is fine and played into why lucian got involved every now and then (yay for jealousy scenes), but it also felt not needed? same with the third act conflict.

maybe i had too high of expectations going into this, but i really thought that this would be my favorite out of the series and surprisingly, it wasn't. epilogue was sweet and wrapped things up well. overall a solid read, but not a favorite.

Reading Lucian and Sloane’s story made me really think about how small actions can really change a persons perception. I love that underneath all of the bad boy exterior Lucian portrayed to be he just wanted to be loved. I love how Sloane was written, she really took on in my opinion, what most mid-30s women go through.

I love the entire series, but this one will have a real special place in my heart. I love the character development, the foundation that was laid out, it was magical to say the least. I really enjoyed the flashbacks that really gave depth to everything that was going on. It was so beautiful and it felt like a real relationship. You got to see the hard parts and I think that’s important.

There were a few quotes that will probably stick with me for a very long time after reading this book. Just knowing that the word thank you means so much to all the characters.

I laughed. I teared up at times, it was a ride, but one that I was so happy to be on with them. I really felt that this one knocked the entire series out of the park for me.

I really loved how some of those characters stood up for others.


I would recommend this to anyone it’s very realistic. Yes, there is drama and flair in it but overall, the conversation in the character development is what most of us go through in our lives but it’s still enjoyable because you start to analyze little things in your life as well that maybe miscommunication did happen , I will recommend this to any of my customers looking for romance, but with a real story.

I am excited for any of Lucy‘s future books.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

This is the third book in the Knockemout Series. Usually I fall head over heels for the first book and all others pale in comparison. BUT.... the series just got better and better! While I loved Knox and Naomi and Nash and Lina, I uber love Lucian and Sloane. Lucian and Sloane were once the best of friends. Her parents loved him like their own. But Sloane broke a promise that put the nail in the coffin of their friendship. It became hate-hate between them, which made it easy to keep their distance from each other. Until Sloane's dad Simon passes away.

“I trusted you, Sloane. And you broke that trust. You did more damage than he ever could.”

Ouch! That changed the course of both their lives. But we all know that there is a fine line between love and hate. And deep down inside, the connection between Sloane and Lucian was never fully severed. Wherever Sloane finds trouble, Lucian is there to save her, even if she doesn't want or need it. And then the inevitable happens. Who knew that Lucian and Sloane could make fireworks together. All the sneaking around, the banter, the insults and barbs. I laughed until I cried and then I cried some more. The small town messiness of meddling neighbors and friends, the found family and closeness of the friend group, the acceptance of a broken boy turned man.

"Keeping secrets in Knockemout is like training an army of cats to do your bidding. It’s just not possible."

Except maybe one secret stayed secret....

And then there was Simon Walton who championed Lucian from the first time he climbed up the cherry tree into Sloane's bedroom.

"If I could have chosen a son in this lifetime, it would have been you. Take care of my girls."

Cue more tears that kept flowing all through the epilogue.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.