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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Tru and Ez were everything!!
Anytime Kennedy comes out with a new book, I know we are in for another amazing story!
Here we have Kimba (who we come to find out Ezra calls her Tru) who is Lennix’s friend from The Kingmaker/The Rebel King. I loved her character and was happy to see she was getting her own story.
Kimba and Ezra have known each other since they were babies. I loved their connection from with they were kids until their middle school days. Things happen during that time and fast forward 20+ years and they are reunited…connection strong as ever. Loved every minute of it!
I love second chance romances and seeing how these two go through everything to get that was beautiful. I didn’t think I could love Ezra anymore than I did. He had a lot going on, but one thing you can see is that love he had for Kimba. Kimba also had her share of stuff going on and she proved what a boos she was..definite queen status..
Definitely one of my top faves this year! Do yourself a favor and meet these two characters, who you will for sure fall in love with <3
What can I say about Queen Move — and Kennedy Ryan’s books — that hasn’t already been said a million times already? I know every time I pick up one of her books, I’m about to go on a journey. It will be an adventure. But, not the type of adventure you might imagine when you think about reading. You won’t find dragons or mighty quests in these pages. Instead, the journey is emotional and often raw and filled with learning and introspection. She has a way of cutting me open and putting me back together better than I was in the first place and her stories always stick with me.
Queen Move was everything I needed in my life. Kimba and Ezra’s story was *chefs kiss*. After loving what we saw of Kimba in the All the Kings Men Duet, I was thrilled to learn Kennedy was writing her story. I couldn’t wait to learn more about this amazing woman. When I read the blurb and realized this book featured a second chance romance, I was even more excited. That trope is Kim catnip. It always has been. But especially when it’s written as beautifully as it was here.
Kimba and Ezra had me all up in my feelings, swooning all over the place during this book. They couldn’t have been more perfectly matched. They were the real deal. Were things perfect? Absolutely not. Were there bumps and bruises along the way? Oh, you better believe it. Queen Move wasn’t without some angst and a whole slew of emotions. And yes, tears. It was a masterpiece.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Favorite Quotes:
We are on the cusp of next, but tonight, we have right now, and it’s better than everything I’ve ever had and must be as good as anything to come.
“They diminish us enough without you making yourself small. You descend from queens.”
I’m not sure which is more dangerous. Ezra taken or Ezra for the taking.
“You could never be a lot of people, Ez. There’s everyone else, and then there’s you.”
It’s the kind of perfect kiss that has nothing to do with technique or experience. Nothing even to do with ardor, though that’s evident in the way we clutch, we cling. It’s perfect because it’s her and it’s me and it’s about time and it’s overdue. And we kiss like there’s no tomorrow because there have already been too many yesterdays, too many years we were apart.
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 didn’t even know how much I missed you until I got you back.”
Loved this book!
Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan starts with a sneaky peak- the first reunion between childhood friends who had made a life apart from each other.
Their meeting was powerful and yet sad, because that life they’d made apart from each other was what kept them apart. Especially for Kimba.
Part one of the book was full of immense emotions. I confess that I read it all with my eyes heavy with unyielding tears. I’m very resentful and at the same time enomoured by that.
Part two was even better. And by that I mean, the emotions poured through and seeped into my soul like a drip.
I was really proud of Ezra for being a stickler for what he wants. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was worth it. He has to be the most non-toxic alpha male I ever ever met or read about, if that makes sense.
He didn’t push for what he wanted. Oh, no he didn’t. He just fought for it. Honestly, I’m very biased about Ezra because more than any of the other characters in the book, I fell in love with him.
I usually focus my reviews not on the author but on the written work itself. But, how dare you Kennedy Ryan turn me into this bundle of emotional mess from reading one book? Yet, I want to hug you for the same reason.
And Kennedy boldly and unapologetically weaved in social issues; like how we black women are made and pressured to conform to societal standards of how our crown(hair) should be worn.
There are great unforgettable books, and there are books that change you. This book is both, if not more. It has marred my heart and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is one of those books that I’ll be reading every year, because it’s just that good.
As Kimba’s mum said, “Love is not a tidy thing, Kimba. It can’t ever be perfect because none of us are.”
Don’t say I didn’t warn you – Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan would wrap you in a bundle of untidy and unfathomable emotions. And somehow, you’ll be grateful for it.
This book needs to be on EVERYONE’S TBR. This can be read as a complete standalone but if you want a sneak peak at this world grab Kennedy’s others books in the world.
This book is an absolute perfect example of writing perfection. I devoured it. Kennedy shines with these character and you wont be able to put this book down.
Fierce is a word that comes to mind with these characters. The love and the emotions literally leap off the page as you are reading and it floors you. Ezra and Kimba bring such life to this story. A book that takes so much in its pages that you are left with a new understanding that you weren’t aware you needed.
I hands down loved this read. I cannot wait or more from KR and I am sad to have had this book come to and end.
This isn’t just a romance. This is the type of romance that changes your views, and it changes you as a reader.
I feel…. amazed, however, I shouldn’t be suprised, not at all.
Mrs. Kennedy Ryan with this book reached another level of a story perfect, plus WOW !!! reading books from this author is nothing less, than powerfull with capital p.
It is not only a love story. The Queen Move is also about so many important matters in our life. I can’t count how many momens in this book made me breathless… How many moments made me feel that I want to change every bad thing in my life IMMEDIATELY because I’m a stong woman, who wants to create her own future and Her own life.
Ezra and Kimba are the best companions… Mrs. Kennedy created beautiful story about them. Love, desire made me swoon, but feel maybe a little warned ?? Their relationship wasn’t easy. From the first paiges of The Queen move I wanted to fight with them, for their happines.
If You got only chance – read this story because it’s briliant and amazing adventure.
5 Stars
Once again, I am blown away by the amazing writing that can only belong to Kennedy Ryan. This woman’s ability to weave magic into her words and suck you into a story is like no other. I am always a sucker for second chance romances and Queen Move is one for the record books. Kimba and Ezra grew up together and shared their first kiss together, until the craziness of the world they lived in broke them apart. Now, twenty years later, Ezra is back in Atlanta and all bets are off.
Easily one of my top reads of 2020, Queen Move is full of swoon worthy moments that will make your heart sing. You know you’ve read a great book when you get sucked in and feel every emotion these characters are going through and that is exactly what happened with this amazing story. #Oneclick this one today. You won’t be sorry.
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Kennedy Ryan quickly just became one of my favorite authors after reading Queen Move, she has gained a new fan in me.
Queen Move was everything you want in a contemporary romance that is based on two former best friends falling in love. Kennedy has a way of writing a love story that hits you deep and touches your soul. Kimba and Ezra are fictional characters that you can’t help but get emotionally invested in their journey to finding love and happiness.
Kennedy’s writing is so deep, the topics that she touches on are current and fresh, her characters are multi dimensional, she honestly writes art in a way that I personally haven’t read in awhile.
I loved everything about this story, from the plot twists to the heartbreak, but mostly importantly I loved that fact that Kennedy wrote a story about a strong black woman with a great family legacy. I didn’t even know that this book was part of a duet, it can be easily read as a standalone.
I look forward to more of Kennedy Ryan’s books because I know she’ll give us great content that will leave us satisfied at the end.
~Glori
Wow…blown away by this book. It will surely be on my top reads of 2020!
I hid in shame a bit when I write this – but this is my first Kennedy Ryan book. I have met her at signings and have many friends tell me how amazing her books are but I just hadn’t had a chance yet. I AM SO GLAD I FOUND THE TIME!
I love to read a romance that offers a different character than the norm. Ezra’s mother is Jewish and his father is black…Kimba’s parents are black. These two meet at babies, their families are neighbors and their friendship begins and blossoms as they grow up. They experience their first kiss together and it’s not surprising since these two and two souls that were made to be together. But the adults around them have their own issues and Kimba and Ezra are torn apart and unable to pursue anything further than the kiss.
I love seeing the friendship from the start and my heart broke right along with Ezra and Kimba when they were separated.
Kimba and Ezra reconnect 20 years later and it’s not as easy as you think. So much has changed.
Kimba is a Queen, she’s amazing, smart, driven, hardworking, and just going through life without connections.
Ezra has his own life but it’s nowhere close to perfect either.
Kennedy Ryan’s name should be written next to SLOW BURN in the dictionary because holy shit – this book is exactly that.
Kimba is a political superstar. She and her partner Lennix have run the campaign of now President Cade, and are working on countless others. But she has to take time out of her non-stop life to mourn her father, who was her own superstar. It’s at his funeral where she runs into her childhood best friend, Ezra, the boy she married when they were barely out of toddlerhood, the man she hasn’t seen in literally years. But alas, he’s not hers anymore, and can’t be, as he obviously has a family, and she’s got a campaign to run and a life to get back to.
But now, two years later, perhaps it’s their time. Perhaps. Perhaps it’s time for Kimba. Time for her to put herself first, time to put what she wants first. Or is it time?
I gotta say, I was loving this story right up to around 75% or so, when the thing happened. The point when there’s almost always a big misunderstanding or a big cataclysmic event that breaks up the couple. It’s understood in this genre that that’s what normally happens, but this particular thing I could not get past. I hated it. Kimba deserved better. Ezra deserved better. This story deserved better. And it’s why 4 rather than the 5 stars the first 3/4 deserved. Sigh… But up to that point, this was one of the best Kennedy Ryan has ever written. Just as good as Lennix and Maxim’s story. So I’ll just say that I loved Kimba. I loved Ezra. The first 75% of their story is fabulous. The last, eh, not so much. But as a whole, this is a great story – it’s sexy and has lots of heart.
Kimba Allen is a grown ass woman. She is ambitious. She’s successful. She has a sexual appetite. She’s confident and owns all parts of herself. (On a personal note, I love reading romances that tell the stories of women outside the twenty-something bubble many romances embody. Love and life exists outside that decade, no? I like seeing it here).
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Ezra is a solid man. Not just his stature and build, but his emotional accountability, his ability to communicate, he has an amazing job he’s passionate about… he’s mixed race and the novel deals with very real issues that come up when you are a part of more than one racial and/or cultural world.
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I’m a sucker for a love across the years…decades…a length of time that debuted an intimacy that can’t be garnered in a insta-love story. And that’s what this is … the reader can feel the tension and desire that only years a part can make. A love that is reignited at different times during a life even just in thought.
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That is a love I can get behind. Tied together by time and unrequited but inevitable passions. Another one that @kennedyryan1 hits out of the park.
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Awesome book! Loved how this book was meticulous in its details. I felt every angst and desire of the characters! Every bit of thought from the complex families, to every smile, to every moment of passion. I loved the realism of the story and how tru/kimba and Ezras hea was found.
Such beautiful writing, with such deep emotions and pure love. This book tore me to shreds and put me back together again. I’ve never read a book by this author that didn’t touch my heart, and this one is no exception. Spell-binding and soul-wrenching. I loved this book with all my being. I voluntarily reviewed this book from the author.
Kennedy fucking Ryan! This woman is not only an incredible author, she’s a pioneer and a lover of people and humanity in it’s rawest, truest form with real stories and it shows! I fell head over heels with Ezra and more than that, I learnt to be strong through this book. Queen Move gave me hope. It was well written and released into the world at exactly the right moment. Loved it!
Kimba rocks! And when her childhood best friend, Ezra, pops back into her life she sizzles. Their tortured relationship takes a turn and these two finally have a chance to have the love they deserve. Or not. Both have complicated lives with obligations. I loved Kimba’s sass and fierceness in the previous books and now we get to see her as the face of the company while moving forward without her bestie, Lennix. She fights to stay on top in business plus she has a fight on a personal level that will affect her future. I felt for her as she dealt with a life changing issue that could impact her future personal life. But she a queen in all things so she’ll get through it in style. This is a outstanding soulmate romance with delicious characters and a heartfelt love with a roller coaster of emotions as Kimba and Ezra fight to find a way to be together in the midst of personal dilemmas and unexpected complications. My heart was so twisted as one obstacle after another was thrown in their path to love. But they got there in style and grace. This story is full of fabulous friends and family and a soulmate love that is absolutely stunning. There are so meant uplifting moments in this story along with the heart wrenching twists. This spectacular author has given us divine characters in Kimba and Ezra to root for and wonderful secondary characters like Ezra’s son Noah. A must read! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
I finished reading Queen Move about a week before release day and was so overwhelmed that the only words I could come up to *review* with were:
I almost feel like not rating this book. Ratings are limiting and I hate that. I hate that there is no infinity star rating. I hate that I am limited by 5 stars. This isn’t a 5 star book. It doesn’t even touch most of the books out there with 5 star ratings. Queen Move transcends all rules of rating and reviewing and I don’t know if I have the words to describe what I just read … stay tuned.
Today 06/01 I only have this to add: Okay, so my intent was to come back to this space and talk about this story in a little more detail for you but you know what, I keep reading that first paragraph up there and the more I read it the more it says everything I want to say.
Kennedy Ryan knows how to write an engrossing story. This second chance at love romance hits all the right notes and was deeply satisfying on an emotional level. Both leading characters were superb and well-defined. The flashback scenes play an important role in the development of their characters.
Told in dual POV this is a story that I could read over and over again. One of my favorite kinds of reads are second chance romances.
Kimba Allen and Ezra Stern are two characters that are meant to be together. They were best friends and they had a pact that nothing would come between them. And yet they grew apart and lost contact with each other. Timing wasn’t always on their sides.
From the beginning, it’s difficult not to like Kimba, the protagonist of this novel. She is a tough cookie and a skilled strategist. She enjoys being in the trenches, politics is a tough game. She is shrewd and confident. She is a beautiful, strong, generous, kind, and thoughtful heroine.
I have to say that Ezra totally stole this book for me, even when they were younger his affection for Kimba radiated off the pages and the more intense, broody adult Ezra brought those emotions and feelings to a whole new level. The scenes between these two both in the past and present grabbed at my heart. Their emotional journey is complex and challenging but captivating. They are friends and so much more. With shared childhood memories, they are able to tease and bicker like the friends they are, but there is also amazing chemistry. I also loved how open they could be with one another.
It pains me to write a review that isn’t chalked full of compliments and praise for one of Kennedy’s books! But Queen Move was a let down for me. I’m going to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but it’s so hard to address what I liked and didn’t like in this book without hinting at some major plot twists or story lines.
Kimba’s character from the All the King’s Men duet was one of the most fierce, driven, sassy and confident women I’ve read in a long time. Her and Lennox were unstoppable! But this read fell pretty flat for me on the Kimba front. Her back story was incredible and moving but the current day drama her character was thrown into was not suitable for her. The reactions to her problems were so un-Kimba-like. And the mess she put up with in regards to the hero Ezra and all his baggage didn’t showcase the strengths we’ve come to know from her at all.
What I loved about the book, was the eloquent writing that Ryan is known for. Her way with words is so beautiful and tantalizing. A true master at her craft. I felt so much emotion and compassion within each page. I felt like each character was written with incredible depth and raw honesty. The book had just enough political story line to be intriguing but not boring or overpowering. I really liked the family dynamic between Kimba, her siblings and mother. Didn’t care for the mystery of why Kimba and Ezra’s families had a sudden falling out and the slow unravel of truths behind that history but it was a unique approach, I’ll say that.
I loved the history and connection that Ezra and Kimba shared. Their relationship was one of a kind, built on years and years of trust, friendship, loyalty and passion. I truly wanted a HEA for them from the moment of their first kiss.
Now to Bummertown… proceed with caution!
I couldn’t stand Aiko from the jump! And the longer she was included in the story, the more I grew to loathe her. For me, there was not one single redeeming quality about her. She was selfish and petty. Not to mention completely irrational in her requests of Ezra and their relationship. All the drama that mounted from their coupling made me eye roll. They were a MESS!!! The fact that she had a plan in her back pocket before they even separated just proved my disgust for her character.
The completely ridiculous expectation that Kimba would sit back and wait for Ezra while he figured out his baby mama drama was absurd. Who does that?!?! Who puts their entire love life on hold for a year while the person they fell in love with fathers a child with someone else? I just didn’t believe for a minute that Kimba’s character would put up with everything that Aiko and Ezra put her through. I completely understood her love for Ezra but I didn’t buy that story line at all. It made me sad for Kimba. She deserved better. So much better. Her sitting in the shadows, waiting, made her seem weak and willing to accept being benched on the sidelines of Ezra’s life. Again, a complete contradiction to the Kimba we’d been introduced to in the previous duet.
The star rating for this book was incredibly difficult for me. Ultimately, I gave Queen Move 3.5 stars. It was okay but not a book I’d ever read again or reflect back on with extreme happiness and desire to recommend. For me, the book just didn’t showcase the Kimba we’d grown to love and expect.
5 second-chance stars!
Queen Move is an epic love story. This gorgeous second-chance romance is a roller coaster of highs and lows, and is full of all the feels. Though not an easy read at times, it’s an emotional and inspiring love story that is unputdownable. From the moment Kimba and Ezra met, they were inseparable. They were best friends who meant the world together. When they finally took a chance at becoming more, they are ripped apart with no answers and they lost touch. Life went on and they moved on.
When Kimba and Ezra meet again, it’s an emotional time but the connection they shared is still there. When the timing is right, they finally try to renew their friendship. However, they could never be just friends and their love blooms again in a passionate frenzy that is heart-pounding and real. Their chemistry is well written and they are on fire!
I have to stop. But I can’t. It’s a compulsion. It’s a high. After all these years, she’s here. And I can’t get my fill.
The story spans decades but it is well paced. I loved getting both the past and the present because it really made me connect with the Kimba and Ezra. They are such wonderful, well-developed characters and I loved discovering how their lives shaped who they became. Both are hardworking and strong, and I loved seeing them succeed. They took charge of their lives and they refused to be defeated. They did not give up on their careers and I loved that they did not give up on each other.
I can’t not ask Kimba to take this risk with me. As irrational as it may seem, since we were only thirteen when I left, this feels like our second chance, and I’ll do just about anything to have it.
I loved the way Kimba and Ezra are reunited. I felt like I was there with them as they got reacquainted, learning all about the other, and reminiscing about the past. They always had a connection and I believed it from the beginning. However, a lot has happened over the years and they have a lot of overcome before they can truly be together. It is not a smooth ride. It’s bumpy and twisty, and it rocks their world in ways they never saw coming. It’s an emotional punch to the gut and I cried when they are pulled apart again. I get why it had to be that way but it still hurt so bad. It made sense and it is true to their characters, and I loved seeing their vulnerabilities even if I wanted to speed things up and get them together again.
After time, hearts are healed and there is hope, and I loved feeling everything on the way to the happily ever after. The anticipation, excitement, frustration, and heartache. And finally, when the true love that was taken from them but was always meant to be breaks free, my heart was full and I was left obsessing over the story in the best way.
Kimba and Ezra’s story is far from easy but when all is said and done, I have to agree with Ezra.
“Love isn’t tidy…but all the mess we had to wade through to have this, to have each other, was worth it.”
Overall, I loved Queen Move and it is easily a new favorite. Don’t miss this epic second-chance romance, it’s a must read!
Queen Move is a unique and superbly written story by one of my favorite authors, Kennedy Ryan. If you love second chance romances about beautifully developed characters, then this book is a MUST READ!! Ezra is a hot single dad and Kimba is a fierce woman who he grew up with. This book will break you and then sew you back together in the most amazing way. Please go read this book!!