Knit Tight

Annabeth Albert

Apr 2016 · Portland Heat Book 4 · Lyrical Press

About this eBook

It’s not the coffee that puts the spring in a barista’s step, it’s the yummy stranger who walks through his door in this charming gay romance novella.

 One of Portland’s hottest young baristas, Brady is famous for his java-topping flair, turning a regular cup of joe into a work of art. Every Wednesday—aka “Knit Night”—hordes of women and their needles descend on the coffeehouse, and Brady’s feeling the heat. Into the fray walks a tall, dark, and distractingly handsome stranger from New York. His name is Evren, and he’s the sexy nephew of Brady’s sweetest customer, the owner of the yarn shop down the street. He’s also got a killer smile, confident air, and masculine charm that’s tying Brady’s stomach in knots. The smitten barista can’t wait to see him at the next week’s gathering. But when he tries to ask Evren out, his plans unravel faster than an unfinished edge. If Brady hopes to warm up more than Evren’s coffee, he’ll have to find a way to untangle their feelings, get out of the friend zone, and form a close-knit bond that’s bound to last a lifetime . . .

“A particularly cozy entry into the Portland Heat series and features details of knitting nerdery and delicious cups of coffee.” —Book Riot

Praise for the Portland Heat series

“Tremendously charming and sexy.” —RT Book Reviews on Served Hot

“A really enjoyable story.” —Joyfully Jay on Baked Fresh

“Sometimes an author just gets everything right . . . Absolutely perfect.” —Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews on Delivered Fast

Ratings and reviews

Knit Tight is the 4th book in the Portland Heat series but you don’t need to have read the other books to enjoy this one and there is no cliffhanger. I have read all of the books in this series and I loved all of them. Baked Fresh was my favorite but now it’s tied with Knit Tight. This book stirred up my emotions and just about broke my heart in places. That’s about the highest praise that I can give a book. I know not everyone likes an emotional read but they are my favorite kind of story. Knit Tight is told in first person POV by Brady. Brady is a barista who works hard and is trying to keep his family together. When his mother and step-father were killed in a car accident he fought to take custody of his younger siblings even though he was still young himself. The love Brady has for his siblings, and his desire to care for them, is amazing. Evren (Ev) is visiting his aunt Mira to help out with her yarn store while she undergoes treatment for cancer. Customers from Mira’s store visit Brady’s place on Wednesday’s for Knit Night. Things can get pretty wild on Knit Night and Evren steps in to help calm two customers after coffee gets spilled on their knitting projects. Brady is immediately taken with Ev and wants to see him socially not just when he comes for coffee. Things get off to a rocky start when Ev finds out that Brady is bi; Ev doesn’t do bi and he stops coming in to get his daily coffee. They finally agree to be friends and Ev resumes his daily coffee habit. I wish I was better at putting things into words about how much I liked this book. The way Ms. Albert writes Ev’s dialogue is so good I can “hear” his New York, with a side of Turkish, accent. His speech pattern has a wonderful lilt to it that I really enjoyed. Another thing I enjoyed about this book is that Evren loves to knit and design patterns. Most chapters begin with a passage from his blog, Evren’s Yarnings, which are fun to read and can be very poignant – especially the ones towards the end of the book. Brady’s trials and tribulations with his family are skillfully worked in and around his and Ev’s budding relationship. This book is so much more than a story about Brady and Ev. It’s about their love of their respective families and the lengths they are willing to go to for them. I guess I should also mention that the sexy time between Brady and Ev is HOT! :-) I am amazed at how well developed the characters are in this story – especially since it’s only 132 pages long; it seemed much longer and I definitely mean that in a good way. Portland Heat is a series that I can highly recommend. If you like MM stories with lots of feeling you will love these books. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

These may be Novela size reads, but they pack a wallop... They are full of all of the emotional feels you could want on a book...

Feels dated and generally an unpleasant read. another author I will avoid as a gay reader.

About the author

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers. Annabeth can be found online at annabethalbert.com, @annabethalbert on Twitter, and Facebook.com/annabethalbert.