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Lights Out
Piper Renee Knight was sole proprietor of two coffee shops located in Austin, Texas. Lights Out Coffee began two and a half years ago as a joint venture with her father, Macarthur "Lights Out" Knight, former boxing great turned businessman. Joe and Piper meet during Joe's second visit to her shop and exchange coffee and banter. They both agree to take their attraction further. But before they can start, Piper's father asks her to look after his two younger daughters, her half-sisters. His third wife has left him.
Piper settles her sisters into her life, locating a school for them. She decided that Joe is not an option for her now that she has the girls, and he gets her message and stops coming by the shop. They meet again at the kids' school. Joe has been raising his nephew for the last two years, after his sister's departure. During the school year they join forces and work together. Piper falls in love, and, while Joe likes her, he's not sure with his nephew and his prior life experiences that he's in for the long haul?.
342 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Ruthie Robinson
19 books58 followersI grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. Attended Clark College as an undergrad, and completed my Masters at the University of Texas in Austin. Both of my degrees are in Economics. After working in the Banking industry, I am now doing what I love - telling stories.
I enjoy reading, gardening, movies and hanging out with my spouse of twenty-seven years and our two young adults. I currently live in Austin, Texas.
I enjoy reading, gardening, movies and hanging out with my spouse of twenty-seven years and our two young adults. I currently live in Austin, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 8, 2011
I waffled over the star count on this one, ultimately upping it to 4 but in reality it felt more like 3.5
Piper is the daughter of a famous boxer and the proprietress of two coffee shops. Joe is a IT tech guy who wanders into her shop to grab some coffee. The two are young, healthy twenty-somethings who are immediately attracted to each other and flirt outrageously, much to the amusement of the rest of the coffee house regulars. But just as they are on the cusp of taking their relationship to a higher level than double entendre flirting, responsibility intrudes.
Joe is already the custodial guardian of his 10-year old nephew Shane.
But Piper get's a taste of parenthood as a series of events leaves her with the temporary guardianship of her two pre-teen sisters. Suddenly this single, young woman with very few responsibilities is in loco parentis. Regretfully she tables any further ideas on hitting the sheets with Joe to turn her full attention to her sisters.
But Joe isn't so easily tabled as their lives begin to twine with each other. The kids all go to the same school and become fast friends and the adults begin to spend more and more time with each other.
If you've read this author's first outing the very well done Reye's Gold you'll have already met Joe. He was a bit of an abrasive jerk in that one but he was a memorable secondary character as he got a redemption arc that feeds well into this book. We learn a bit more about Joe and why he is so closed off and a bit of a commitment-phobe. Although I've seen this character tons of times in romance, this author made Joe feel very authentic. He is a tortured hero without all the angst or drama that label seems to convey. He just is the way he is. I felt a bit frustrated at him on behalf of Piper but not in a bad way, rather in a believable real-life way.
Piper was a delight. She is just the sort of heroine I like. She is confident without coming off as super smug. She surrounds herself with color and chaos. She felt fun and funky. I also liked that there was no guile with her. She falls in love with Joe and although all the signs are there that he is just too closed off to accept that emotion from anyone except his nephew, she can't help how she feels. She puts it out there and that is that. There were a couple of times that I thought she was too forgiving of Joe and how he handled his closed off emotions, I also felt that it was true to the character.
There were parts of the book outside the character and plotting that made the book very enjoyable. The writer does a great job of creating an eclectic atmosphere in the coffee shop as well in Piper's life. I liked Piper's patchwork family -- her father, his various ex-wives, her four sisters all different because of their mothers. Again there was an authentic feel about her family.
So why only 3.5 star? Well judging from her previous books, this author likes the slow burn, slow build romance. That pacing worked very effectively in Reye's Gold but tended to sand-bag the story in Steady. I think this book is somewhere in the middle. Piper and Joe immediately like each other and ratchet up the flirting pretty quickly. But once the kids are on scene the story lags a bit and gets taken over by the kid involvement stuff, the romance heat gets turned down quite a bit. But luckily it doesn't lag too much. The romance builds and heats up and the story takes off better in the second part of the book as soon as they truly get together. I liked that the primary conflict once they get together was that her feelings were outpacing his and the inner anxiety that seemed to produce for both of them. I also liked that Joe had to finally confront his past and enjoyed how that all played out.
Good book with quality writing, recommended.
Piper is the daughter of a famous boxer and the proprietress of two coffee shops. Joe is a IT tech guy who wanders into her shop to grab some coffee. The two are young, healthy twenty-somethings who are immediately attracted to each other and flirt outrageously, much to the amusement of the rest of the coffee house regulars. But just as they are on the cusp of taking their relationship to a higher level than double entendre flirting, responsibility intrudes.
Joe is already the custodial guardian of his 10-year old nephew Shane.
But Piper get's a taste of parenthood as a series of events leaves her with the temporary guardianship of her two pre-teen sisters. Suddenly this single, young woman with very few responsibilities is in loco parentis. Regretfully she tables any further ideas on hitting the sheets with Joe to turn her full attention to her sisters.
But Joe isn't so easily tabled as their lives begin to twine with each other. The kids all go to the same school and become fast friends and the adults begin to spend more and more time with each other.
If you've read this author's first outing the very well done Reye's Gold you'll have already met Joe. He was a bit of an abrasive jerk in that one but he was a memorable secondary character as he got a redemption arc that feeds well into this book. We learn a bit more about Joe and why he is so closed off and a bit of a commitment-phobe. Although I've seen this character tons of times in romance, this author made Joe feel very authentic. He is a tortured hero without all the angst or drama that label seems to convey. He just is the way he is. I felt a bit frustrated at him on behalf of Piper but not in a bad way, rather in a believable real-life way.
Piper was a delight. She is just the sort of heroine I like. She is confident without coming off as super smug. She surrounds herself with color and chaos. She felt fun and funky. I also liked that there was no guile with her. She falls in love with Joe and although all the signs are there that he is just too closed off to accept that emotion from anyone except his nephew, she can't help how she feels. She puts it out there and that is that. There were a couple of times that I thought she was too forgiving of Joe and how he handled his closed off emotions, I also felt that it was true to the character.
There were parts of the book outside the character and plotting that made the book very enjoyable. The writer does a great job of creating an eclectic atmosphere in the coffee shop as well in Piper's life. I liked Piper's patchwork family -- her father, his various ex-wives, her four sisters all different because of their mothers. Again there was an authentic feel about her family.
So why only 3.5 star? Well judging from her previous books, this author likes the slow burn, slow build romance. That pacing worked very effectively in Reye's Gold but tended to sand-bag the story in Steady. I think this book is somewhere in the middle. Piper and Joe immediately like each other and ratchet up the flirting pretty quickly. But once the kids are on scene the story lags a bit and gets taken over by the kid involvement stuff, the romance heat gets turned down quite a bit. But luckily it doesn't lag too much. The romance builds and heats up and the story takes off better in the second part of the book as soon as they truly get together. I liked that the primary conflict once they get together was that her feelings were outpacing his and the inner anxiety that seemed to produce for both of them. I also liked that Joe had to finally confront his past and enjoyed how that all played out.
Good book with quality writing, recommended.
November 21, 2015
Here we have, yet again I might say, the slightly quirky, independent, educated, plain-ish but kind of good looking heroine who is not opposed to hooking up but sooner or later will want more. She is paired up with the overly handsome hero, only interested in hooking up which he makes clear up front so there won't be issues but as soon as the heroine catch feelings he becomes a douche and does the disappearing act.
The basic break down for this story, if you want to keep it that simple. But of course there is more to it. Because Joe (ugh, how I was frustrated by this man!!!) is not a commitment-phobe just for the sake of it. The man actually has major trust issues due to a troubled childhood. And as distrusting and cynical as he is, Piper makes up for that by being overly open and trusting.
When Piper and Joe first meet, there is this instant attraction. Joe propositions Piper for a hook up, she agrees and when they are on the verge of consummating the deal, life happens. Joe was already temporarily custodian of his nephew. But now Piper needs to put family first after her dad leaves his 2 youngest daughters in her care. She has to adjust to this instant care giver role and decides that giving in to fulfilling her basic needs is off the plate for a while. Until hers and Joe’s lives becomes intertwined again as the children they take care of become friends.
I like how Ruthie builds up the romance, and how real it is. Again a good flow to the story, with enough backdrop information essential to understanding the characters. Without the overly angst-y inner dialogues. The musings of the heroine, I can totally relate: she knows her worth, knows what she's was getting herself into by hooking up with a guy known to not do the everlasting commitment thing. And when she gets too far into her feelings, she doesn't whimper and lament about it but decides to let her feeling and thoughts known and deals with the backlash. Of course she is hurt by his predictable reaction. And unlike Stephen in Reye’s Gold, Joe doesn’t redeem himself, he doesn't grovel enough. Piper is quite accommodating, too much to my liking. But it is in line with her character and the way she lives her life: she was committed to being there for him.
I like that Ruthie takes time to tell a story. The sex scenes were barely there, which I preferred in this particular book. This wasn’t supposed to be erotica anyway, it’s not why I picked up this book. I wanted a long romantic read that made sense and that’s what I got.
Deducting a star though: I could have done without the constant putting down of Pipers looks and how plain she was. Why the need for the big contrast between the hero and the heroine in terms of looks. I found that off-putting.
The basic break down for this story, if you want to keep it that simple. But of course there is more to it. Because Joe (ugh, how I was frustrated by this man!!!) is not a commitment-phobe just for the sake of it. The man actually has major trust issues due to a troubled childhood. And as distrusting and cynical as he is, Piper makes up for that by being overly open and trusting.
When Piper and Joe first meet, there is this instant attraction. Joe propositions Piper for a hook up, she agrees and when they are on the verge of consummating the deal, life happens. Joe was already temporarily custodian of his nephew. But now Piper needs to put family first after her dad leaves his 2 youngest daughters in her care. She has to adjust to this instant care giver role and decides that giving in to fulfilling her basic needs is off the plate for a while. Until hers and Joe’s lives becomes intertwined again as the children they take care of become friends.
I like how Ruthie builds up the romance, and how real it is. Again a good flow to the story, with enough backdrop information essential to understanding the characters. Without the overly angst-y inner dialogues. The musings of the heroine, I can totally relate: she knows her worth, knows what she's was getting herself into by hooking up with a guy known to not do the everlasting commitment thing. And when she gets too far into her feelings, she doesn't whimper and lament about it but decides to let her feeling and thoughts known and deals with the backlash. Of course she is hurt by his predictable reaction. And unlike Stephen in Reye’s Gold, Joe doesn’t redeem himself, he doesn't grovel enough. Piper is quite accommodating, too much to my liking. But it is in line with her character and the way she lives her life: she was committed to being there for him.
I like that Ruthie takes time to tell a story. The sex scenes were barely there, which I preferred in this particular book. This wasn’t supposed to be erotica anyway, it’s not why I picked up this book. I wanted a long romantic read that made sense and that’s what I got.
Deducting a star though: I could have done without the constant putting down of Pipers looks and how plain she was. Why the need for the big contrast between the hero and the heroine in terms of looks. I found that off-putting.
May 19, 2017
Enjoyed this book. I took a chance on reading this one because some of the previous reviews were not very encouraging. Finally decided to check it out because I realized after reading Reye's Gold and Do Overs (for the 2nd time) that Lights Out was about Joe...that Joe and I was intrigued. Thought he was a layered character in Reye's Gold, rediscovered him in the 2nd reading and after reading about Henri in Do Overs decided that I owed it to myself to get Joe's story. It is a sweet journey to love. If you want a quick hook-up this is not for you. The H/h didn't get together until about 20 or 30% in and in fhe form of the old fashioned fade to black. However, if you are a fan of Ms. Robinson's writing, you'll appreciate the journey. Complicated hero, uncomplicated heroine, complicated love, great story with good love scenes (eventually more descriptive) and a journey towards healing and self-discovery. I am glad I read it. I liked Joe and Piper/Renee, good couple and good love story. Thanks Ms. Robinson.
April 9, 2014
I really enjoyed this story
I was really thrown off by the reviews this book got. I think most of them are so very off. Joe was a very likable character to me and so was Piper. As usual Ruthie Robinson tells a very beautiful love story, and I was so happy to get another peek at Reye and Stephen's HEA. A couple of the reviews claimed this was a repeat of the Reyes Gold plot, and I couldn't disagree more. The hero here was a brooding alpha type that eventually succumbs to a feisty yet sweetly compassionate heroine. Other reviews called the heroine here a pushover but I found this heroine to be refreshingly realistically optimistic...I am so put off by heroines who are so stubbornly insistent on having things there way and I was so happy to have this wonderfully sweet but smart caring character to fall in love with. The hero was not a jerk like some of the other reviews suggest. His behavior fell right in line with his backstory, which made his whole story so believable...Ms. Robison does something in this story that I love...she built the characters and help you get to know who you were rooting for and why...I guess you can call this a slow burn type read but I thought it fell right in line with the story's plot. everything seemed to flow like it should...nothing missing, no holes in the story and no abrupt changes that made the story seem implausible..I loved it and I think Ms. Robison has done it again...with her superb story telling and an obvious understanding of what love looks like she has proven once again that she has an uncanny ability to describe love in a manner the fully captures its essence of beauty.
I was really thrown off by the reviews this book got. I think most of them are so very off. Joe was a very likable character to me and so was Piper. As usual Ruthie Robinson tells a very beautiful love story, and I was so happy to get another peek at Reye and Stephen's HEA. A couple of the reviews claimed this was a repeat of the Reyes Gold plot, and I couldn't disagree more. The hero here was a brooding alpha type that eventually succumbs to a feisty yet sweetly compassionate heroine. Other reviews called the heroine here a pushover but I found this heroine to be refreshingly realistically optimistic...I am so put off by heroines who are so stubbornly insistent on having things there way and I was so happy to have this wonderfully sweet but smart caring character to fall in love with. The hero was not a jerk like some of the other reviews suggest. His behavior fell right in line with his backstory, which made his whole story so believable...Ms. Robison does something in this story that I love...she built the characters and help you get to know who you were rooting for and why...I guess you can call this a slow burn type read but I thought it fell right in line with the story's plot. everything seemed to flow like it should...nothing missing, no holes in the story and no abrupt changes that made the story seem implausible..I loved it and I think Ms. Robison has done it again...with her superb story telling and an obvious understanding of what love looks like she has proven once again that she has an uncanny ability to describe love in a manner the fully captures its essence of beauty.
October 10, 2013
It was a terrible follow-up to Reye's Gold. See my review I listed on Amazon.. I know it's been over a year .. but sadly my review has not changed.
WOW! I guess there's a doormat for every a$$hole around. I've had so many eye-rolling moments and more WTF?? moments through out the story and that's not good, there needs to be a balance. Joe really handed Piper the JERK card too many times to tolerate. Why not have a real competition for Joe, why is it he was allowed to whore around but she not have an attraction outside of Joe. It makes her look pathetic and as a reader it was very very frustrating. Joe made Stephen from Reye's Gold seem like a saint. He took the the JERK meter up 10 notches. Why not have Mr. Marshall be a proper contender I mean, really.That's the making of a good story, not the stuff I just read. She's supposedly 27 years old and VERY sociable, why have her lack personality when it came to Joe?? I mean it got so bad that leading up the conclusion of the story or even the subplots I didn't care about. I need my reading hours back *sigh*
WOW! I guess there's a doormat for every a$$hole around. I've had so many eye-rolling moments and more WTF?? moments through out the story and that's not good, there needs to be a balance. Joe really handed Piper the JERK card too many times to tolerate. Why not have a real competition for Joe, why is it he was allowed to whore around but she not have an attraction outside of Joe. It makes her look pathetic and as a reader it was very very frustrating. Joe made Stephen from Reye's Gold seem like a saint. He took the the JERK meter up 10 notches. Why not have Mr. Marshall be a proper contender I mean, really.That's the making of a good story, not the stuff I just read. She's supposedly 27 years old and VERY sociable, why have her lack personality when it came to Joe?? I mean it got so bad that leading up the conclusion of the story or even the subplots I didn't care about. I need my reading hours back *sigh*
February 19, 2015
3.5 stars. This book dragged along. The story of Joe and Piper was difficult to finish because the events of the story evolved and were resolved so slowly. Joe is an IT tech consultant and friend of Stephen and Reye from the book, "Reyes Gold". He has a background of being against interracial unions and he struggles with his reaction to Piper Renee Knight, a Black American female who is owner of two of the town's coffee shops. She is temporally taking care of her two half-sisters when she meets Joe who has been caring for and is seeking custody of his nephew. The two enter into a long drawn out relationship the finally ends with their HEA.
November 24, 2015
A long meandering road
I read this book because I loved Reyes gold and I wanted to hear joes story.good dialogue and well written but it takes literally forever for them to get together. I loved the story and how it took them sometime to work it out but it took a really long time. Plus I have a problem with reading yet another book where a girl is deprecated in love with a guy who is just like " meh..ok"
I read this book because I loved Reyes gold and I wanted to hear joes story.good dialogue and well written but it takes literally forever for them to get together. I loved the story and how it took them sometime to work it out but it took a really long time. Plus I have a problem with reading yet another book where a girl is deprecated in love with a guy who is just like " meh..ok"
November 6, 2011
Interesting...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews