Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon. Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.
Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order.
Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.
There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.
At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.

Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout #1) by Lucy Score was recommended to me by Ames. I hadn’t read Lucy Score before, but I knew I had to read it as soon as she said “Grumpy Neighbor”. This was a sweet story that ticked all the boxes for me.

Naomi gets a call from her twin sister, Tina, that has her heading to the small town of Knockemout. While she’s trying to get a coffee her sister steals her car, her wallet and leaves her with an 11-year-old niece Naomi didn’t know existed. Now she’s stuck with no transportation and nowhere to live. Knox, the local grump who tried to run her out of town before he realized she wasn’t her twin sister, steps in and helps her find a temporary place to stay. Before she knows it, she’s got a place to live, food to eat and a job in town. If only they weren’t calling her Not Tina, this might not be such a bad place to live…

I liked how Naomi stepped up to take care of her niece. I liked how Knox helped her out while being grumpy and annoying. I loved Waylay, Naomi’s niece. I liked the town and the secondary characters. There were some things that bothered me. The story could have been shorter, for one thing. I also didn’t really love the final conflict and the way it ended. Those were minor quibbles, however, and really didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. I finished the book with a smile on my face.

I am looking forward to more books in this series.

Rating: 4 out of 5