Review: "Real Men Don't Quit" by Coleen Kwan (Real Men #2)
Real Men Don't Quit is the second book in the Real Men series penned by author Coleen Kwan. This second installment shifts the spotlight on to book one's female lead character's best friend and her life as a struggling single mom and business owner and how love moved in next door in the form of a successful writer stuck in a terrible case of writer's block. Both of them aren't really looking for a committed relationship but commitment is exactly what they'll need if they decide to listen to their hearts.
Tyler Jones wants to provide the best life she can for her young daughter Chloe. Gone is the goth girl who used to do whatever she wanted, replaced by someone determined to be more responsible in the choices she made as soon as she found out she was pregnant. She designs and makes her own jewelry and co-owns a shop with her best friend. She's so busy doing anything and everything for Chloe and herself that she doesn't have time to fall in love; but she's not blind to the hot new guy living in her neighbor's house.
Luke Maguire has achieved success and popularity, thanks to his first full-length novel becoming a much praised bestseller. However, the loss of his beloved mother appears to have triggered a months-long struggle of stringing even a few words together and the deadline for the book's sequel has come and gone. He knows he's supposed to come up with the goods, especially since it's so anticipated, but he can't gather up the inspiration or energy to do so; but he does seem to have enough of both for his new neighbor.
Luke doesn't make a secret of the fact that he's only living in his agent's home for a certain period of time and then he's off to wherever. He doesn't have a permanent address, something Tyler is more than aware of the more time she and Chloe spend with him. But there's no denying that there's something going on between the two of them. When things appear to become more serious, their past experiences of being children with parental abandonment make them apprehensive and hesitant, causing hearts to break.
I enjoyed reading Tyler and Luke's love story and the addition of family issues made it more interesting and provided the back stories needed to fully understand both Tyler and Luke. Having Luke become a constant in Chloe's life didn't mean he was filling a void but added even more to the lives of both Chloe and her mother. I'm glad that Luke's character didn't feel forced to be nice to Chloe and that Tyler was careful of having Chloe see Luke in their home "after hours", showing her priority was her daughter.
An all-around good book about love and family, this second book in what's becoming an addictive series shows that even when one becomes a parent, they don't stop being a son or daughter to their parents or a brother (or sister) to their siblings. An absolute bonus was getting to read even more about Ally Griffin and Nate Hardy, the lead characters from book one. See why I prefer reading books in a series in order? ^.^ Living up to the standard set by its predecessor, Real Men Don't Quit gets four out of five stars. ♥
Date read: 03 February 2015
Learn more about author Coleen Kwan here.
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