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McKnight Family Romance #1

His Kissing Penalty: A McKnight Family Romance

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The one guy I never wanted to see again...just moved in across the hall. To make things worse, he doesn’t even remember the moment our lips touched and stars exploded.

Misunderstandings collide when the tabloids mistake me for his secret girlfriend. They love me because I’m an all-American girl, and he’s a football star. Plus, we sort of grew up together. Hometown romance sells.

We were made to be together, right? Not according to my overprotective family. To them, my brother’s best friend has always been forbidden.

I thought I could handle a fake relationship with Jaxson.

I was wrong.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

1080 people are currently reading
1765 people want to read

About the author

Anne-Marie Meyer

113 books3,512 followers
Anne-Marie Meyer is a USA Today Bestselling author who lives south of the Twin Cities in MN. She spends her days with her knight in shining armor, four princes, and a baby princess.

When she's not running after her kids, she's dreaming up romantic stories. She loves to take her favorite moments in the books and movies she loves and tries to figure out a way to make them new and fresh.

Join her newsletter at anne-mariemeyer.com

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5 stars
821 (45%)
4 stars
526 (29%)
3 stars
332 (18%)
2 stars
85 (4%)
1 star
25 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
Profile Image for Aimee .
3,072 reviews298 followers
February 12, 2020
Light, Fun Romance

This was a fun diversion! I liked the alternating points of view which helped me feel more connected to the characters. The attraction and chemistry were there. There wasn't anything too deep or difficult which was just what I was looking for tonight. The authors did a good job of setting things up for future books and I'm looking forward to more in this series.
Profile Image for  The Flipped Page (Susan K).
1,829 reviews39 followers
March 28, 2020
Romance, clean, contemporary;
Fun family based romance of a woman and a professional football player who is her brother's friend and coworker on a Pro team. He has lived with her family in the past. Fun to see both points of view, and loved the cute banter and attraction they had. Cute problems, that worked out in the end. Social media played a part pulling them together and apart. Fun setting, characters, and cute fun read. More of a 3.5 for me as a reader.
Profile Image for Anne OK.
4,099 reviews553 followers
February 23, 2020
A quick and sweet read. Jaxson and Lottie agree to a "fake" relationship in hopes it will help his image with the NFL, and has an attached quid pro quo. Of course, like so many others before it, there are real feelings beneath the surface that rise to the occasion. Good family-related and friends cast of secondaries are there to lend a helping hand. A delightful and easy read that is the beginning of a new series.

Profile Image for Secretly Adorkable Readers.
1,413 reviews27 followers
February 25, 2020
" the memory of that sweet kiss on graduation night and this one blending together to forever brand me as hers"

Are you looking for a clean sports romance? There isn't much clean romance out there that you can find anymore but this was definitely a great fun read. This is about family and second chances with attraction and chemistry that will set you on fire between Lottie and Jaxson. I cannot wait to get more of the McKnight family!
Profile Image for Julie Carpenter.
1,887 reviews239 followers
February 22, 2020
This was a fun read by two authors whom I have read many of their books. I enjoyed diving into the story and didn't want to put it down. Lottie has had a crush on Jaxon since she was a teenager. He's her brother's best friend and she has always know that he was off limits...or maybe it was the other way around, she was off limits to him. Her overly protective family wouldn't even think about the possibility of anything more than friendship between them. So she of course has kept her feelings for him buried deep within her heart, shoving them back down if they made so much as an inkling of an appearance. When she moves back home after graduating college she never expected him to move back in at the same time for his off season.

Several awkward and funny scenes ensue as these two try to tiptoe around their growing feelings for each other. But of course when he swoops in to save the day, the press decides they're an item and shares it with all the world. What else do you do but jump in with both feet hoping that you might land safely on the other side. And praying that your heart will still be intact when all is said and done.

I enjoyed this going back and forth between Jaxon and Lottie's point of views. I love reading the story from both characters' view points and seeing what they are thinking. Sometimes that can be frustrating because being on the outside of both of their thoughts, you just want to shake them and tell them to wake up and just talk to the other! Ha! But of course that would just make the book super short. If you're looking for a fun and diverting read with plenty of sweet romance, humor, family protectiveness, friendships, awkward moments and happily ever afters, check this one out!

Content: Some kissing and some mild innuendos.

I received a copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!
Profile Image for Jill.
835 reviews39 followers
February 12, 2020
A fun new series! Loved it!

I loved the arrogance of Jaxson when he first reunites with Lottie! He totally doesn’t even recognize her and mistakes her for the nanny so she gets him back big time. I loved the Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman scenes! So much fun. This was a great lighthearted book to read.
All the McKnight siblings look like they will have interesting stories to tell. Looks like Paige’s story is next. Yah! I hope we get to see more of the self absorbed Violet too. I can’t wait to read them all!
Rating PG, clean
Profile Image for Teya Teya.
Author 9 books103 followers
February 17, 2021
A sweet story of forgiveness and love. He kissed and left. She never moved on. He came back and remembered nothing of her. Great start to a love story I say not. He grows to love her through a fake relationship. She had always loved him.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,191 reviews15 followers
February 16, 2020
I enjoy both of these authors and was excited to see they wrote a book together. I enjoyed Lottie and Jaxson's story. The chemistry was definitely there and they had a couple good talks, but I wish there had been more. They both had demons they needed to work on and I was hoping to see those resolved or worked out a little more. It was a fun sweet story, but it left me wanting more and not quite satisfied. However, I am interested in the rest of the series and finding out the other siblings stories. They all seem to have their own baggage or demons and I hope they resolve better than this one.
Profile Image for Skye.
256 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2022
Honestly there wasn't any emotion in this story. Very surface level.
Profile Image for Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review.
2,359 reviews31 followers
February 11, 2020
Aww! Loved this story! A great writing duo these two authors are. So pleased they got together on this project and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series when they come out. Fun, clean romance with a great storyline and great characters. Definitely worth the read.
Profile Image for Dela.
157 reviews10 followers
April 12, 2022
It was cute. It's a very quick read, not huge on plot and kinda insta lovey but hey. Definitely needed to be edited but was worth the read if you need something easy and light to read
Profile Image for Vibliophile.
1,591 reviews130 followers
February 20, 2020
A little uneven but overall good story

The beginning has a funny re-meet-cute which was a promising start. There was the to-be-expected cheesiness for a fake girlfriend trope, but the inner dialogue of the main characters was too often teenagerish. By the time Lottie injured her ankle, I was considering putting it aside for something else. Instead, I took a short break & picked it up again. It got better from there.

I have to admit that I don't really get the angry brother/no dating my sister thing. It would make sense during school age, perhaps, but not as adults. Our family was protective but only if someone treated one of our siblings bad.

Anyway, the ending was sweet and amusing - it made a decent fluff read. The epilogue is not one; it's actually a sneak peek for the next book.

*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
Profile Image for Karen.
735 reviews7 followers
February 21, 2020
I enjoyed this book about a fake relationship. But in reality it had never been fake for Lottie as she had always had a crush on Jaxson even if she should think of him as a brother. Because her feelings for him have never been brotherly. Then there is Jaxson a big football star who comes back to the home of his friend where he lived for several years to find a cute nanny he is attracted to not realize that it was his friends kid sister. What a blow for Lottie to be mistaken by the one guy who claimed her first kiss and years of her adoration. The couple have to decide if they want to pursue a relationship they want even being around her family that don’t want to see them together.
Profile Image for Tamera Westhoff.
1,091 reviews6 followers
February 16, 2020
Sweet Romance

The plot is old, but the characters were pretty great! I love that Lottie takes care of her niece (she was one of my favorites), and has a fabulous best friend ready to help or push as needed! Jacsen may be a famous football player, but definitely needs help with relationships. His family, yikes! I’m really wanting to read Penny’s story now!
Profile Image for Dawn.
530 reviews
February 16, 2020
.

Cute story. A quick read without a lot of drama. No I’m/ow dram, which is always a plus! Wish it had more substance though.
Profile Image for ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ .
1,533 reviews102 followers
March 2, 2020
Definitely was a good book 📖

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2020...

**Spoilers; here and there••**

Before I get started on my review, I would like to say:

I hope that her Lottie best friend Suzie ends up with her brother Liam. I mean, that’s what I think going to happen. Since this is a McKnight Family series. It’s Charlotte, Penny, Mason, Liam. I’m trying to figure out if there were other siblings lol 😂 I don’t think so. But Katie (Penny) daughter, FATHER is who I am curious about... he might be someone famous too. I can’t wait for book two to come out in April. Plus the other books with the other two brothers...

Besides that, I already know Penny = Chris + Katie. Mason = Sadie + Grayson. & Liam = (I’m hoping it’s Suzie)... but who knows. But I can’t wait to read Penny story that comes out April 30th.... & the other books with the brothers...I know they are going to be just as good as Lottie & Jaxson's story...

So anyway, it’s crazy that it took Jaxson to fake date Lottie for him to fall and understand his feelings for her to become real. Plus, Lottie finally got the guy she always wanted. I did understand how her family + plus Liam (who’s her brother) could feel so protective of her since she the youngest. But it can be annoying for your brother to overprotective.

What I realize was... well, no what I felt was. Liam shouldn’t have gotten so mad at Jaxson for fake dating his sister. When he knew who Jaxson was and trusted him not to hurt his sister. I was glad when he finally realizes that Jaxson's feelings for Charlotte were REAL. & helped him get Charlotte back. Not only that, I was glad that Lottie forgave Jaxson though she was the one to break it off with him, which I understand.
Profile Image for Juli.
1,581 reviews24 followers
March 7, 2023
KU*

3.75 stars

This is a fun quick read that was very enjoyable.

Jaxson is essentially adopted family member in Lottie's family and her brother, Liam's, best friend; Lottie is the youngest sibling out of five and 3 of them are older brothers.

At first, Jaxson and Lottie decide to do the fake romance to help his imagine and help secure her a job even though they kind of have a rocky past due to Jaxson's actions. Unfortunately for our fake couple, everything seems to be going well except for Lottie's brothers' unhappiness until things take a trip to very real feelings territory.

I really liked this book, but if these two just had a conversation instead of making assumptions about everything the big misunderstanding could have been avoided. I'm not sure if the ending was satisfying because they both raised some valid points including Lottie's job is located far from Jaxson's team location. Also, how does one forget a whole moment, like Jaxson gave himself amnesia just for that one moment in their past and just remembered it years later.

I am interested to see how Penny's story unfolds now that her mysterious baby daddy is in town ;)
Profile Image for Marissa.
1,185 reviews7 followers
July 5, 2020
Home town love story

After graduating from college and unable to find a job, Lottie moves back home with her parents in South Carolina. She is surprised to find that she isn't the only one returning to the nest. Her brother and his best friend are also coming home for the off-season of the NFL. Jackson, her brother's best friend,lived with their family for the last part of high school as his family moved out of the country. Lottie had always had a huge crush on her brother's best friend, it when he doesn't even recognize her upon his return, she decides to make e him notice.
Since Jaxson is a big NFL star and known as a player,his agent decides that a relationship with Lottie will improve his image. The "fake relationship" turns out to be more than just fake and Lottie soon realizes that her heart won't handle the torture of pretend forever. Things start to get too complicated for them both as they realize that everything isn't just pretend.
This is sweet and clean and a quick romantic read. It was fun and endearing.
333 reviews1 follower
March 11, 2020
I liked it

And it's a solid 3.5 stars. But, I feel like there was a lot missing and a lot unresolved.

Lottie is just sweet. A little lost after college. Understandable. But she did gain some confidence in the 8 years since she saw Jaxson.

Jaxson seems just as lost, wanting to find a spouse yet dating "unmarrieable" girls. He's a doll with little kids, and isn't what his public persona portrays him to be.

Their tale is familiar. He's her brother's BFF. And her family is his only accepting family. Messy situation. And yet, he still falls for her.

But it was a little rushed. They were fake dating but didn't actually go on a date.
Their interaction was limited. And some heavy topics were brought up but not worked through.

Instead, the book sets up at least the next three. Penny and her secret baby. Mason and the single mom. Liam with the attention hungry girlfriend.
Profile Image for Penny Leidecker.
2,678 reviews26 followers
February 10, 2020
Lottie received her first kiss from Jaxson, on the night of Liam and his graduation party. Now, he’s back in town and staying at the McKnight home. He doesn’t recognize Lottie and thinks she’s just the nanny to Katie, her niece. When articles and photos are published of Lottie and him, they decide to have a fake relationship to improve Jaxson’s public image. This is the story of what happens. No spoilers, so grab your copy and get ready to fall in love with these wonderful characters and get excited to read the future books about the McKnight siblings.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.
Profile Image for Amanda Caswell.
293 reviews24 followers
February 10, 2020
Good, sweet read

Not my favorite McConnell book, but fun to read and contained many enjoyable scenes. Best friend's like sister to fake-girlfriend is a trope I'm getting tired of, but it was cute how they made each other better. I still think his initial motivations were selfish and stupid and I kept expecting more of a change throughout the book, but I'm not sure I found what I was hoping for. Good news is, he did change by the end, I just wanted to see more of it. As for the new series itself, I loved the hints at stories to come in later books and can't wait for the next one!
125 reviews2 followers
February 11, 2020
Lottie's crush

This was a fantastic book! The story was of the McKnight family and their youngest daughter, Lottie who has grown up into a beautiful women. Her longtime crush, Jaxson was back visiting at the McKnight home. They had took in him during high school when his parents moved overseas. The one kiss that Lottie & him shared at his high school graduation had chanced them. Jaxson was her brother, Liem bestfriend and he was very protected of his little sister. The sparks between them was still their this time and through a series of events they finally admitted their love for each other.
Great story!
Profile Image for Sonya Wasden.
1,071 reviews11 followers
March 2, 2020
Jaxson's agent felt that Jaxson needed a girlfriend, even a fake girlfriend to repair his image. When Lottie got caught in the crossfire between Jaxson and the papparazzi, she became the obvious choice. Jaxson had been a part of Lottie and Liam's family. He was scared to take the chance with Lottie. I won't give away the story, but there is finally a happy ending.

This was a sweet second chance kind of romance. The story is clean with no graphic details, only some sweet kissing. This was a feel good book without a ton of drama. It was a quick weekend read.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
Profile Image for Katrina.
121 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2020
A great short read, lottie and Jaxson have a 2nd chance at love after years apart jax returns back to his bestfriend home. Mistaking lottie his best friend sister as the hired help around the house.. lottie is dammed if she letting the man who shared her first kiss with will mistake her for the help again..going out her way to make sure jax notices her when she arrives at the family party to prove to the man she been in love with for years she not just his bestfriend little sister she now a full grown woman... jax can’t take his eyes off the hired help into his bestfriend tells him lottie here pointing out to the woman who he though was the help..

2,276 reviews26 followers
November 20, 2020
Loved Lottie and Jaxson!!! I'm tired of younger sister in love with brother's best friend but I love this author so I thought why not give it a read. LOVED IT!!!! It is different not sure how but this is one of my very favorite books with this story line. If you love these types you will love it and if you are like me and tired of them - give it a try - you will not be disappointed. They start out with a fake relationship but .... The ending was so good and was also a great lead in to the next in the series. Great start to a new series and I'm so looking forward to book 2 - Penny's story. I want the sibling to have their own books as well as Lottie's two friends.
Profile Image for Nonna 2K.
1,329 reviews11 followers
November 10, 2022
Quick, Cute Read

Jaxson and Lottie knew each other from childhood. He was her brother’s best friend and lived with her family for a bit. They went off to play for the same NFL team. His return to town, and her home, comes as a surprise. Due to a trip and his playing white knight, the tabloids go with a story about them. As a result, she agrees to fake date him. Unfortunately, her earlier crush develops into more, but she doesn’t realize he’s having feelings, too. It’s a cute story without any intimate scenes, which didn’t hinder it from being great. I’m heading off to book two.
Profile Image for Deanna.
1,081 reviews19 followers
February 25, 2020
Really sweet

What happens when your school girl crush moves in and before you know it the two of you are making headlines? He’s a NFL star and she’s his best friends little sister, but the press think you are an item.

His agent comes up with a plan to fake date for a while, no biggie right! Wrong! When you are already half way in love with a guy who has never given you a second look, how is your heart going to cope when it’s all over?

Will there ever be a HEA in her future.

I little cheesy but a lot of fun to read
Profile Image for Teresa Bertolio.
638 reviews9 followers
February 28, 2020
Beautiful Fake Romance

I just love fake romances that turn into second chances:) Lottie can't forget the kiss from her brother's best friend in high school, even if Jaxon can't seem to remember. After a twisted ankle, and some crazy publicity, Lottie and Jaxon find themselves in a fake relationship. Can they keep cool heads? Can Jaxon have a real relationship? Can Lottie forgive him? Will her brothers stop being over protective? Find out in this fast paced whirlwind fake relationship story! Happy Reading!
Profile Image for Alexandra.
777 reviews7 followers
October 17, 2022
It started out great and I loved the premise but, wow, this book let me down. The second part of the book was too angsty for me and definitely too insta-lovey on the Hs part.

The supposed romantic gesture couldn't have fallen more flat for me and I hated the lack of resolution at the end. I get that this is a series but at the very least I expect a nicely tied up HEA for my main couple in a romance. This felt like we quickly needed to get them and their story out of the way so we could introduce the next book as soon as possible.
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