Close Knit

The Hastings, Book 1

De: Denise Stone, Kels Stone

Narrado por: CJ Bloom, Jason Clarke

The broodiest goalkeeper in the Premier League meets his match in a radiant knitting influencer in this sexy grumpy/sunshine sports romance by best-selling author duo Kels & Denise Stone.

CAMERON HASTINGS:

I was running from the paparazzi when I crashed into a mystery girl with bright eyes and lavender hair.

All it took was a smile from her, and I was a goner.

We agreed to one night. No strings. No real names.

So imagine my surprise when I discover she’s moving across the hall from me—in another country.

But I don’t have time for distractions, especially after last season.

It doesn’t matter that I’m the best of the best, the only American keeper in the Premier League. I need to prove myself to my new team. I need to give them everything so we have a shot at winning the championship.

But I have a problem.

It was supposed to be one night. But I want more....

DAPHNE QUINN:

I blame it on my Yes Year: finally stepping out of my comfort zone, moving to London, and...Him.

The man I spent that magical evening with. But this version of him, the guy who wears all black and a matching scowl, is nothing like the man I remember.

I do my best to avoid him, instead focusing on creating a real-world safe space for my online knitting community and collecting as many experiences as I can during my stint abroad.

But one neighborly run-in leads to another, and suddenly, I’m catching glimpses of him again.

For the first time in my life, I feel confident enough to play by my own rules. To live my life on my own terms, bullies be damned.

But how do I play to win when I’m facing down a man who protects his heart at all costs?

Close Knit is the first book in The Hastings series, a collection of interconnected standalone sports romances about the Hastings siblings, scions of sports royalty.

©2024 Between the Sheets Publishing LLC (P)2025 Between the Sheets Publishing LLC

Knitting influencer x football star = 🤍

I enjoyed this audiobook a lot. The duet narration by Jason Clarke and CJ Bloom was 👌. They captured the characters personalities and the emotion of the story in a way that made you feel like you like you were experiencing it all with the characters.

I really loved Cameron and Daphne’s story. From their one anonymous night together to them unexpectedly living across the hall from each other. They were a sweet couple and how supportive Daphne was with Cameron.

Daphne being a knitting influencer made for such a fun fmc! She was an interesting character who had such a sunshine energy. She was such a kind and sweet soul who had learned to embrace who she was and had her own style. The knitting pun shirts were a lot of fun and gave me a laugh. I adored how she was able to connect with people so easily, be herself and share her experiences while also allowing the safe space for others to share their experience.

Cameron was a grumpy and broody goalkeeper who has lost himself following recent experiences. He was struggling a lot with his mental health which impacted the way he interacted with everyone.

I absolutely loved all the mental health discussions and representation within this book especially with the male characters. Athlete’s in general can be under an immense amount of pressure and mental strain. Trying to navigate your mental health in an environment and society that makes you feel weak for not handling it makes it even more challenging. I thought that Cameron and Daphne’s mental health representation was very relatable.

Emotional Dual Narration

Swoon! Close Knit by Kels and Denise Stone was an emotional and alluring soccer romance that did crazy good things to my heart. Seriously, this book was like being wrapped up in a cozy knitted blanket, and I couldn’t get enough of the magnetic, grumpy sunshine chemistry between Daphne and Cameron. This was my first Kels and Denise Stone book, and now I’m hooked!

C.J. Bloom and Jason Clarke perform this audiobook in dual narration. Their performances in this audiobook are a prime example of why dual narration is one of my very favorite things! C.J,’s expressive, nuanced performance captured Daphne’s sassy, ambitious, fun-loving personality perfectly, making me smile throughout. Jason’s warm, rich tone encompassed Cameron’s broody, guarded demeanor, peeling back layers as he discovered his true feelings for Daphne. Both narrators were spot on, creating distinct, unique character voices/ accents when delivering dialogue, leaving me in awe of their talent.

Overall, I LOVED this book! If you are a fan of a sports romance with a hot grumpy soccer goalie, a feisty knitting influencer, escaping the paparazzi, code name meet cute, steamy one night stand, moves to London, a yes year, reality tv, karaoke team bonding, new neighbors, she wears his jersey, meeting the family, knitted birthday gifts, overcoming a scandal, healing from the past, more spicy times, love declarations, and a HEA that will make you feel all warm and gooey inside, then you will love Daphne and Cameron’s story. I am looking forward to more from Kels and Denise Stone.

4.75 ⭐️

I loved this book! Cameron, a soccer player running from his past, and Daphne, a knitting influencer taking a yes year, have one night of fun in America before ending up as neighbors in London. Their relationship was so sweet and realistic in the way it evolved through their friendship (and a little bit of jealousy of his teammates hanging out with her every day while he sulked in his apartment alone).

Cam was the grumpiest player on the team, while everyone else was butterflies and rainbows in the best way. His backstory was absolutely heartbreaking, but handled with so much care by Kels and Denise. It was insanely refreshing to see a man so secure in getting help for his mental health (after some convincing), and taking back control from the people who had harassed him. There are so many books that talk about female victims, but reading one where the male is the victim was much needed for awareness. Particularly in the world of professional sports, where coaches can often get away with it as long as their team is winning.

Daphne was a ray of sunshine. She was so outgoing and open-hearted to everyone she met, and she truly cared about the people around her, especially Cam. I thought it was so well-written how she was dealing with her own mental health struggles, but using her platform to bring awareness to them instead of pretending she was fine. This book did a lovely job portraying an influencer who didn't want social media to just be a highlight reel, but actually wanted to leave the internet a better place than she found it.

All of Cam's teammates were so fun and I wish we could get books for each of them. But I'm really excited to read about the rest of the Hastings family and get to dive into some other sports with them all. The genes run strong from those athlete parents!

The audiobook narration by CJ Bloom and Jason Clarke was absolutely perfect. CJ is so great at going from happy-go-lucky to stressed and sad, which was exactly how Daphne needed to be played. Jason has a gruff yet gentle voice that was 100% Cam and truly brought out the emotions he was feeling.

Thank you to Valentine PR and the authors, Kels and Denise Stone, for the audiobook! This is my honest review. I can't wait to continue this series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The narration is fantastic. CJ and Jason are the perfect Duck and Goose.

The mental health rep was handled with so much care and it depth to the story and made the characters feel even more human and relatable.

And then there’s the romance 😌. This book is charming, funny, filled with found family, swoony, and yes there’s delicious spice 👀.

I laughed, I melted, I cried, and I stayed completely invested the whole way through. Such a genuinely enjoyable listen. If you love romance that’s warm, emotionally aware, and a little spicy, this audiobook is absolutely worth your time!!!

Daphne & Cameron

Daphne decides she’s having a “Yes Year,” saying yes to things way outside her comfort zone which is exactly how she ends up meeting and hooking up with Cameron, a super grumpy soccer player. It’s supposed to be a one night thing, but when they cross paths again and spend more time together, feelings start to creep in. Before long, they’re genuinely leaning on each other, and watching Cameron soften because of Daphne is honestly so sweet. I loved how fully they accepted each other, flaws and all.

The narrators were amazing, as always. CJ Bloom nails Daphne’s sweetness and vulnerability, and Jason Clarke perfectly captures Cameron’s broody vibe. It’s a warm, feel good listen from start to finish and totally worth the listen!