From Wall Street Journal, USA Today Bestselling and RITA® Award-winning Author Kennedy Ryan, comes a captivating second chance romance like only she can deliver…..Book Riot Pick – Best Romances of 2020O Magazine – Best Romances of 2020All About Romance – Best Romance of 2020 (Reader Selection)The boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can’t have…Dig a little and you’ll find photos of … 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.
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An absolute QUEEN MOVE!! (see what I did there?)
Every time you grab a Kennedy Ryan’s book, you know you’re in for a journey and for a lesson.
You get lost between the pages while she delivers stories that not many people dare to speak about. I’ll never stop being amazed on the amount of research she does with every topic she decides to talk about. And most of all, the impeccable class she does it with.
“Be strong. Be very strong and we will strengthen each other”
Ezra & Kimba’s story is one about childhood friendship/second chance romance. The depth and layers of the characters will leave you in awe because Ryan doesn’t write about only that but she shows you the good and the ugly and the struggles….she takes it way beyond the romance thing. Always on point. Always so perfectly done.
Ezra had a difficult childhood. He was bullied. He felt he never fitted anywhere because of his skin color and ethnicity….but he always felt he belonged with Kimba. Their connection is so strong that will knock you off your feet.
And once again Kennedy gives us in Kimba, one of the most fierce,powerful ,ultimte girl –power heroines. You will absolutely love her and the determination she has.
They’re perfect for each other. Trough thick and thin.
Be prepared for this book.
You’ll not only get an epic and emotional love story filled with chemistry,depth and romance, but this book also will leave an imprint on you.
Inspiring. Powerful. Definitely a TOP READ for 2020.
I want to start off with how much I love Kennedy’s books and her writing but, yes there’s a but, this one just didn’t do to me what others have. Did I enjoy it? Yes, I did but I enjoyed the first half way more than the last one. Ezra and Kimba as kids I absolutely loved and even though I loved Kimba when I met her before, she just wasn’t my favorite grown up in this read. I love strong females and that she is but I would’ve loved to see her softer side come out more.
Now Ezra is sex on a stick the whole nerd grown up into a sexy beast and he’s a father too. Yeah, I loved him. I still highly recommend it, just wasn’t my favorite from this author.
*Review by Michelle
This is a story that spans years, with a love that’s weaved through relationships, careers, families, and secrets.
A smartly written romance that shows us the behind the scenes side of politics and introduces us to a beautiful, strong, determined heroine who strives to have it all! And then there’s the hero who might be the strong silent type, but knows just what to say, when to say it and make you swoon!
Kimba and Ezra were childhood friends who are reunited 20 years later after having lost touch. They spent their childhoods playing side by side, have loved each other forever and now discover that that love had just been paused…”as soon as I saw her again, my heart just remembered.”
Definitely not without some obstacles in the way of their happily ever after, but when love is meant to be, there’s no stopping it if you know the right moves to make.
Kennedy Ryan hits it right out of the park with Queen Move. Oh my goodness, this story is just amazing. This story embedded itself in my bones, the words were flowing through my veins, weaving me a story I was so captivated with that I could not put it down at all, not for anything, or anyone. My family had to fend for themselves because I was in a world that made me feel so much my heart was close to bursting!
The story line was real. I love how real it was. I felt so connected to Kimba because of a few things that came up is exactly what I have been thinking is up with me lately. We are almost the same age and it made me stop and think. I have been going through this for years, but it just made this story even more close to me. Ezra is so freaking sweet!! He was a breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed. His heart was so big and I fell right at his feet, swooning from his words, his caring. And his son, such a sweetheart too, just like his dad.
I felt the connection between Kimba and Ezra instantly. It was bouncing off the pages and hitting me square in the heart. They were FIRE! Kimba was so fierce. I love how strong she is, how she doesn’t let anyone walk all over her. I have a serious girl crush on this beautiful woman!
I could seriously talk to you about this book all day. It made me laugh, cry, it broke my heart, but it also mended it back together with all the love I could feel. I am in awe of this book, of the writing, of everything. Queen Move is one of my top reads for 2020 without a doubt!
Ooh I love a good second chance romance and Kennedy Ryan delivers so hard. Childhood best friends reunite + single dad hotness. It’s all the best parts of romance rolled into one. I loved it!
The excitement of starting a new Kennedy Ryan book, the unknown she delivers each and every time despite reading the blurbs brings me butterflies.
Also let me highlight, this is Not a cheating storyline! It’s just complicated, read it and you will understand!
Kennedy amazes me with every story, not only is she an incredible writer but to me she’s also an influential one. The passion she shows in every one, always writing so much more than a romance story, not only does she deliver a very different storyline each time but also a different meaning. Subjects covered are well researched and to me widen the readers knowledge. It’s like she takes risk and gives us stories no one else does. To me, she is very much like and has traits of each one of heroines! I’m forever learning new backgrounds and feel like she’s showing me insights to all these things I know nothing about.
As a romance reader, we all thrive for the hero, now don’t get me wrong Kennedy produces some of the very finest we’ve met but, she gives us heroines and empowered women like no other!
Kimba is everything, another girl crush, another admirational character. She is courageous and strong, loyal and determined, driven for success, an unselfish beautiful fierce woman inside and out.
Ezra is a gentleman. He’s sweet and loving, He’s hot and steamy, the full package.
Together these two are everything, their love is deep and meaningful.
” , . ‘ ”
The story blew me away, it’s raw and powerful, delicate, it’s heart shattering and I think I read the last 25% balling my eyes out. A pure emotional journey that’s worth every tear because in the end, love and the Queen Move wins!
The multiracial story mine brings attention to some difficulties growing up in them circumstances, and again so much in depth your learning new religion backgrounds and have more understanding.
I could go into more detail but I want you to experience the emotion and feelings I did when getting to them unexpected parts. I don’t want that spoiling for you.
I’m not best with words, but the bottom line is , Queen Move is a 5 star must read of the year !
This read is pure magic that took my heart on the most amazing roller coaster ride. Kimba and Ezra’s story starts when they are babies and demonstrates a true love that won’t be denied time or distance. Kennedy Ryan did such an amazing job with this story and providing the perfect descriptors to bring this story to life and jamming in so many feels and highs and lows and little twists.
Truly amazing
I really wish I could choose more than five of those golden stars because I would choose 10!!!! Kennedy Ryan never fails to fill my heart, feed my soul and refresh my love for the written word!
I LOVED EVERY WORD IN THIS STORY…I felt them, cradled them in my heart and then reread so many parts just to experience them again!
These characters are incredible! The depth that the author writes into her heroine and hero is incredible. I felt like it was a privilege to get to know Kimba and Ezra…their strengths, desires, motivation, friendship, intelligence, chemistry, loyalty and their love.
The support and devotion Ezra and Kimba have for each other moved me throughout the story. What an incredible gift it would be to have that type of devotion and support!
Queen Move is easily one of my favorite books of the year! At the end of every book by this author, I feel like I’ve experienced the journey, grown and experienced the story on an intimate level…reading this book, you’ll just know it was “always meant to be.”
Highly recommend!
Queen Move is a truly beautiful and epic book. This book brings us the story of Kimba and Ezra. Two people friends from babyhood, torn apart as teens and then finding each other again as adults. This second chance romance holds so much more with family secrets that totally surprised me and ones that will break your heart. Kimba is strong woman who goes after what she wants and with all she goes through in this book I loved her more and more. Ezra is perfect for her and he handles all that comes there way as he should by letting her direct their path. This book is a must read!!
Kennedy Ryan has done it again. She delivered another powerful, hit you in your feels read with Queen Move. She has a way with her words and always seems to take these heroines and make them so strong and independent. Each time I read a book written by this author I have such major girl crush on the women. The hero’s are great too but the showstopper is always the heroine, in this case Kimba. Ezra and Kimba had me rooting for their hea. The obstacles thrown their way was no match for the feelings they harboured for one another. True love with deep rooted feelings prevail! I love it. This is a must read and shouldn’t be missed.
I wore my comfy pants with the elastic waist to sit down and read Queen Move. This was absolutely the right thing to do. Reading this book was just like rolling up to an all-you-can-eat multicultural soul food buffet. It was a feast of artistically and beautifully arranged words for my eyes to consume and my heart to absorb. Each sentence my eyes lifted from the page was digested by my brain into a myriad of thoughts and the by-products nourished my soul. I was sure I would burst from the sheer amount of all that I ingested while devouring Queen Move.
There was something in this book to engage each and every one of my senses. It was pure magic to watch the friendship between the main characters, Kimba and Ezra, grow from infancy through their formative years. The sound of them being ripped apart during adolescence was horrific. The confusion and pain they felt at separation was palpable. Each moment of their reconnection as adults was the tart electric scent of a Spring storm which holds all the hope, fear, and anticipation for what the future will bring.
The journey these two characters travel is of such complexity that only Fate could have engineered its path. It is well known Fate always gets its way. However, that fickle and steadfast creature rarely uses a neat orderly method to achieve its goal. Kimba and Ezra are mere travelers along this messy path. They must each use every bit of intelligence and ingenuity they possess to arrive safely at the destination. Their arrival, though is worth every harrowing step they had endure along the way.
I always come away from reading a Kennedy Ryan book feeling more more understood, more educated, and more connected to the world around me. Queen Move is no exception. The depth of social sensitivity and inclusivity with which Kennedy Ryan crafts her novels is a rare and exquisite gift to each person who reads her books. This gift is why she and her books will remain relevant and integral to society for perpetuity.
There’s something so captivating about a second chance romance when the MCs met as children. Imagine if you met your soulmate as a baby, you lost touch, and now you’re back in each other’s lives, still feeling the connection, but life has now gotten in the way. I freaking love books with those themes and this was no exception. Very well done.
Kennedy Ryan does it again….and again and again! There is nothing this wonderful author can’t write about, can’t touch upon and not steal your heart. You think you’re ready when you open the pages of her books, but you’re not! That is what’s so great about being immersed into her poetic world.
We have a fierce, bold and strong heroine in Kimba. Yes I’ve read stories with strong woman, I admire my characters that way. However, what we get in Kimba is above and beyond that. It’s hard to put into words, you need to experience the world Ms. Ryan creates.
Ezra is beyond wonderful. The way this man take care of and thinks of others puts him in a league of his own. Smart, funny, thoughtful and downright dreamy are a few words that come to mind when I think of him. The heroes Ms. Ryan creates are true men, full of heart and sexy passion
Great journey for Ezra and Kimba. It was not an easy ride, one fought with ups and downs. However, one worth taking!
Gorgeous, amazing read! Loved it so much!
“What I feel for Ezra is as old as we are, and yet brand new. It’s familiar, but blushing and breathless.”
Kimba Allen and Ezra Stern have known each other since they were babies. They grew up as best friends and neighbours. When they were thirteen, their friendship held a promise of budding into something more, but they were ripped away from each other. Twenty years later, they are back in the same orbit. The connection and chemistry is instant. However, things are not as simple as they once were.
“The chemistry between us is electricity over an open flame. It destroys reason.”
Gah! Kimba and Ezra were EVERYTHING! When we previously met Kimba and, indeed, in this story too, she is an incredibly strong and driven woman. She’s a career woman who has no time for anything more than hookups. However, in this story, we witness a softer, vulnerable side to her. A side that can be bruised and hurt. Ezra is her weakness. He was her sweet childhood friend who understood her like no other, and it seems they are still very much on the same wavelength when they get reacquainted. The main difference is the insane attraction between them that takes their connection to a whole other level.
“I’m territory he claims with his hands and lips and the covetous heat of his eyes.”
Ezra grew up into an incredible man. I adored him! He is good through and through and hella sexy! Who knew that the puny little kid would grow up into a such a dirty talker! LOL. He and Kimba were so compelling and riveting together. I couldn’t get enough of them!
This novel had drama, angst, ambition, secrets and lies, and it was incredibly hot! Absolutely, thoroughly recommend!
Queen Move is a fantastic friend to lovers romance, Kimba and Ezra’s story is one you don’t want to miss, their story begins in childhood and spans over a couple of decades, full of emotions and a storyline that engrosses you and drags you to read it all from the first chapter until the last. The deep romance and difference between, how they evolve as individuals throughout the years them make this book one you will want to keep it going forever. Kennedy Ryan once again has captured me as I am sure it will capture you, she is definitely a Queen of romance stories.
Kimba’s story is one I couldn’t wait to read! She is fierce, bold, independent, and loyal. This story culminates all of those things and then some in her man. A long journey for both with some interesting twists, this book does not disappoint.
Kennedy Ryan has once again eloquently captivated me with her masterfully written Queen Move!
I could relate to so many aspects of this story. The fact that Kennedy Ryan skillfully writes relevant, poignant stories that incorporate diverse characters with insightful well researched topics, cultural sensitivity and unfiltered reality, elevates her to a level of Master wordsmith.
Having been introduced to Kimba in the All The King’s Men Duet, I anxiously awaited her story! She is a true Queen in every sense of the word. A strong, determined, fiercely independent woman with a dazzling spirit. I loved her ability to deal with things thrown her way effortlessly and graciously. I loved her dynamic with her childhood friend Ezra!
Ezra Stern was swoon worthy in every sense of the word! I loved him! These two deserved every bit of a second chance and overcoming each obstacle they encountered. Their chemistry simply jumped off the pages!
A story to savor and enjoy for sure!
Kennedy Ryan’s storytelling is emotionally moving and fluid. No matter where a couple’s journey begins, you feel that seed planted. They are meant to be, soulmates, and Ms. Ryan gives them a romance that is not only beautiful, but impactful. She writes with conviction and heart. And with her usual flair, she gives us two passionate and compassionate characters to root for and believe in.
Kimba Allen is strength personified. She is intelligent, driven and a woman who has followed her dreams and lets no one decide what her destiny looks like. She is a take charge person, confident and self-assured that has a loving, deeply committed family. She is respectful and considerate yet speaks her mind. Ezra Stern has grown from a sweet, slightly awkward young man to a gentle giant who needs few words to express his steadfast and fierce love for Kimba. He is confident in who he is, what he wants and where he belongs. His attractiveness stems not only from his physical attributes (fans self!), but also because he is a truly good man, one that puts others first and and has a commitment to making the world a better place. Again, Ms. Ryan has written two extraordinary characters.
It’s easy to see the love blossoming between Kimba and Ezra as children. They are there for one another. They support one another. There are no differences. As adults, their deep and abiding connection is evident in their actions and words. Their journey of rediscovery is an intoxicating slow burn. It is a love that knows no bounds, but not one without obstacles. It is a love that will see triumph and heartache. It is love that is unconditional and tested. Because this is a Kennedy Ryan novel and it’s what she does best.
Kennedy….Kennedy….Kennedy
Two neighbors and best friends have babies on the same day, and those babies are bathed together….they play together every day….they are best friends…they “marry” each other at 6…..they are each other’s first kiss…but when they are 13, something happens to break the two families apart, and the boy and his parents move away…and the best friends never see each other again….Fast forward 20 years….
Kimba Allen is a gorgeous, powerful bada-s…from a highly esteemed Atlanta family….(If you read Ms. Ryan’s All The King’s Men Duet, you already knew that.)She just led a successful presidential campaign……And she’s running the firm she and her best friend started….Kimba is always strong and powerful…but in Queen Move, we get to see a more vulnerable Kimba….and that’s almost all because of Ezra Stern….
Dr. Ezra Stern runs a school for kids and is a devoted father to his son with his long-time, live-in girlfriend…..That relationship doesn’t work no matter how hard Ezra tries…….When Ezra receives an award for all of his work in the community, he and Kimba reconnect, and those two can’t be in the same zip code without fireworks!!!
Kimba and Ezra….Holy Crap!!! The chemistry between these two could light up Atlanta…They are funny…and smart…and, sometimes, too mature and selfless for their own good…They put everyone’s happiness ahead of their own…Ezra and Kimba have so many seemingly impossible obstacles to overcome…They’re love is not easy, but it’s real and forever…Plus, having to deal with Ezra’s ex….they deserve to be together more than any couple…in any book…ever!!
QUEEN MOVE is not, technically, a part of Kennedy Ryan’s All The King’s Men Duet, and you absolutely do not have to read the duet to love this book….But Kimba is introduced in those books, so you can get even more of her story….I was going to say Queen Move is a good book, but saying Queen Move is a good book is a major understatement…
I’m always in awe of Kennedy Ryan’s characters. They are so loveable. I don’t need an angry alpha but I would love a quiet, calm, grounded Ezra Stern. He took my heart and he made it his.
Kimba was always going to be a great hero in her own right. She was majestic in her support of Lennix in the King’s Men duet. She’s fierce. She’s frank. She’s so in love with the little Ezra who she shared a bath with as a babe in arms. Love came with bike rides shared, on swings in parks and with can ring pulls on fingers.
When the two reconnect as adults it seems like the stars have aligned and it will be perfect. But this is Kennedy Ryan, she never takes it easy on her characters and she loves the tears of her readers like I love gin.
Queen Move is the kind of book that makes you appreciate that the human race is beautiful when it comes together, when we understand each other’s values and we celebrate our differences and our similarities.
My favourite quotes:
“A snow-globe moment where everything was shaken and all my particles are still drifting to the ground, resettling into a completely new person.”
“I’d discovered a 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.”
“The years fall away like a torn veil separating him from me, then from now. It hasn’t been years. There has only been one long day for us on which the sun has never set. We were never lost, and this place has always been waiting for our wandering hearts, for our prodigal souls to finally, together rest.”
“I don’t just want you when you’re strong. I want you when you’re vulnerable, when you’re lost, when you’re not sure. I see the armor you have put on to make it in your world. I just want to know here, with me, you can take the armor off.”
“Sometimes the most powerful move you can make is to be still.”
A beautiful story. Hold onto your heart.