QUEEN MOVE by KENNEDY RYAN

‘He was my solace and my secret. No one else knew how amazing Ezra was back then, and I liked having him to myself.’

Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan is our first book by this Author and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Friends to lovers is like catnip to us and Kennedy Ryan writes a fabulous take on this trope in Queen Move, as her couple were tested by outside influences and time. We were in awe at how brilliantly the connection between Kimba and Ezra was written despite all the time spent apart. At no stage did we question the strength of their friendship nor the depth of their love for one another. Queen Move was a wonderful story of soulmates and we were hooked.

‘Seeing her only twice in more than twenty years feels wrong. It’s never felt right to be apart from the person who once knew me better than anyone else – who knew me even as I was learning myself.’

We loved Kimba, she was the epitome of female strength and perseverance. She knew what she wanted, so she went for it, this despite the societal constraints and timelines set of where a woman should be in her life at any given time. She was guided by her own heart and soul, the only way she could live and refused to be dictated by others. Whilst powerful with an inner strength of self and a confidence in who she is, she was also vulnerable and faced difficulties out of her control.

“I couldn’t be the first, but I want to be the last. No one else.”

Ezra, wow, he literally had us melting into puddles on the floor. A powerhouse of a man who had the most magnetic and hypnotising appeal; kind with a gentle hand, an intensely protective instinct, a heart melting passion and a wonderful sense of understanding. There was no question that his love for Kimba began when they were children, lying dormant in his heart for the day they would meet again. However he never underestimated the importance or the love he had for any of the people in his life.

‘If only I had known this was possible for us. I would have torn the world apart searching for Ezra Stern.’

Kennedy Ryan packed a lot into this second chance romance. So many issues were raised, so many affirmations made. SO many twists. What we loved about this story was that there was no drama for drama’s sake. Rather, we completely understood the motivations behind character actions and the resulting consequences. What was also refreshing was that Kennedy Ryan never made anyone ‘the bad guy’ in order to justify where the storyline went. She humanised the characters to such a degree that they, in one way or another, had our sympathy, whether we agreed with their actions or not. It’s a hard push to find someone who is completely faultless nor even blameless.

‘Neither of my parents really know what it’s like to live here as me. To look around and see no one who looks like you. To live with the stares and questions about “what I am.” To feel like a puzzle, pieces hidden and scattered, and always trying to find and fit all my pieces together. To see myself not as half this or bi-that, but whole.’

Queen Move was a wonderfully written story of friendship, love, ambition, family and second chances. It was a powerful emotional journey with a leading Lady that in our opinion stole the story and was quite the inspirational character, and a man who was just gorgeous through and through. Whilst we’re not really keen on political romances, Queen Move wasn’t too heavy handed in that regard so it wasn’t a huge issue. What was an utter delight to read was a romance which celebrated powerful women and highlighted the extremely topical issues of racism, bullying and inequality in today’s society. Without question, Queen Move has whetted our appetites to dive headfirst into the works of Kennedy Ryan!

“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 to put on to make it in your world. I just want you to know here, with me, you can take the armor off.”