They Come at Knight

Nena Knight #2

by Yasmin Angoe

Yasmin Angoe’s They Come at Knight is the heart-pounding second installment in the Nena Knight series about an intrepid female assassin who will stop at nothing to protect her family.

For elite assassin Nena Knight, eliminating dangerous players on the world stage is part of the job. The Tribe, a powerful business syndicate in Africa, ensures that she has those opportunities. But for Nena, the Tribe is more than just her employer; it’s an organization that supports the African people—until it turns on itself.

As Nena embarks on a new mission, a violent siege by a paramilitary group throws the Tribe into chaos, and mysterious acts of violence plague the Tribe’s territories. As the attacks escalate, Nena suspects a different kind of enemy at someone on the inside, determined to undermine the Tribe’s leaders.

As this new threat closes in on her own family, Nena enlists a team to root out the danger. But as she gets closer to the truth, she will have to risk everything to protect the future she holds dear—even if it means facing off with an enemy she never expected.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2022

About the author

Yasmin Angoe is an action and psychological suspense thriller author, Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award Fiction Finalist, and Anthony-award nominee of the critically acclaimed Her Name is Knight and Not What She Seems. Her Knight series has been featured in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, The Guardian, PopSugar, and Woman’s World book club, and the series is currently optioned for a feature. Yasmin is the recipient of the 2020 Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color and has been nominated for the Anthony Awards and the Library of Virginia’s People’s Choice Award. She is a proud member of organizations such as Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and the Women’s National Book Association. Hailing from Northern Virginia, Yasmin Angoe is a first-generation Ghanaian American and a former English teacher and instructional coach,
She received a Kirkus review calling Her Name Is Knight, “A parable of reclaiming personal and tribal identity by seizing power at all costs".

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first in this trilogy, Her Name is Knight. It’s dark, gritty, and completely original. They Come at Knight is the second book and is all those things, too.

About the book: “Yasmin Angoe’s They Come at Knight is the heart-pounding second installment in the Nena Knight series about an intrepid female assassin who will stop at nothing to protect her family.”

In this installment, Nina assembles a team to find out who is threatening her own family. The tension leading up to the reveal ramps up and up with danger.

Set in Africa, Angoe’s storytelling shines. I think book one should be read first so you get the full picture of Nena’s history. This has true thriller vibes, but it’s so much more. I love the family dynamics and all the bits of humor inserted. Nena is a character that jumps off the page, and I am so excited there will be another book to follow along her fast-paced, action-filled journey.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

They Come at Knight continues where “Her name Is Knight” left off,
In this story Angoe takes us on adventure of a lifetime. Once again, we encounter The Badass Nena, the deadliest assassin who works for the secret organization known as “The Tribe”

This time however, someone is actually targeting the Tribe and Nena is in full assassin mode.
Nena has to find out who is targeting “The Tribe” because the tribe is the only organization that cares for the people of Africa. Their sole purpose is to uplift the people of Africa whether it be philanthropic, economic, or even sometimes lethal. Either way, “The Tribe” is all they have right now, and someone is out to destroy it.
But it seems as if there is a mole in their secret society, and come hell or high water, Nena is going to find out who it is.

This is where we get to see Nena shine as she no doubt uses her amazing techniques, which we got to see in “Her name is Knight” to save everyone and everything that is important to her. (Before she loses it all again)
Angoe is an expert storyteller, from Nena’s past in book 1 when being trafficked by the warlord. To seeing Nena’s past coming back full circle to haunt her in her personal life.
Angoes word building is utterly flawless, and her scenic imagery is artfully amazing.
You are immersed somehow, in a state of mind of this beautiful “Kick-ass” female, that “ABSOLUTELY” takes no mess from anyone. All because of the hardships that she has had to endure.

Angoe does not fail to disappoint at all with this book.

All she did was make readers hungry for more and need answers to lingering questions
.
To that is where I end my review and leave only questions, anything else would-be spoilers.

Ah! You actually thought there could be nothing left, especially after all that hunh

WRONG!!!

So! What about Nena and Ellen?

What actually was that amazing conclusion about?

Did Nena actually save her family and the organization?

Angoe is truly remarkable and has a true fandom.

Congratulations and Job WELL DONE!!!

CAN’T WAIT FOR BOOK 3 😊

Thank you NetGalley, Yasmin Angoe and Thomas and Mercer for this free eARC. My review is of my own volition

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW:

It just keeps getting better and better! I love Nena’s character and her badassey as an assassin for a secret organization called The Tribe, her strength, her heart, the love for her people and of course her family, which is being targeted in this installment. Angoe writes a story with amazing world building, and a heart pounding thriller that is so exciting I am anticipating book three. I can’t wait!

[scthoughts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming and quite frankly, forgettable. The potential was there for the first 20% and last 40% with the fast action but it definitely suffered from second book syndrome because it gave nothing for the rest of the story. Downright boring. Where was the flavor, the seasoning? It was basically just a lot of repetition/rehashing from the first book. The worst parts were anytime the romance became the focus and the book would drag even harder. It gave nothing to the plot other than Nena “falling in love” with a man so she can finally have some self-confidence outside of her job.

Let's breakaway from the trope of having a supposedly powerhouse (and sometimes lethal) boss-type woman as the main character who doesn't know their self-worth until she meets the love interest that says she's beautiful in a dress. Make it stop! Besides, Nena and her dude had no chemistry and he had the personality of a discarded cardboard box.


Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a copy for an honest review.

[Craig Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in Yasmin Angoe's trilogy about Nena Knight, professional assassin and adopted daughter of the family in charge of The Tribe, an Afro-centric consortium of rich and powerful Black families. It's not as good as the first one, which alternated between the compelling story of how Nena survived horrible abuse to become a Knight and the story of how she discovered one of her abusers had weaseled his way into the The Tribe.

In this book, too, there is a traitor at work in the upper echelons of The Tribe, and anyone with two eyes will spot the mastermind a mile away. The fight scenes are not as good this time around, either.

That said, it was nice to see further developments in Nena's growing relationship with Cort, the ex-prosecutor whose life she saved twice in the first book as well as his precocious daughter, Georgia. And as always, her verbal jousting with her sister Elin was a pleasure as well.

I hope the third book in the series provides a return to the greater drive and better characterization of the first book.

[Jennifer (Jaye) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Pulse Racing*

**4.5 Stars**

Nena Knight is an assassin, surviving her horrific past and being adopted by a powerful family, her adopted father Noble is the head of the Tribe. They eliminate those that are dangerous for the greater good. The Tribe plays a prominent part in supporting Africans.

All seems well until there is a discrepancy in the accounts but things are about to get so much worse as the support that has taken time to build up is compromised as Nena does not know who to trust and she gets into grave danger as a rogue group within the tribe wants to oust the head of the Tribe and not in a good way.

Soon it becomes clear that those who had Nena’s back in the field are no longer supporting her. Then she finds herself literally fighting for her life and for the ones she holds dear…..

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Her Name Is Knight is about Nena’s past They Come At Knight is about her present and future. It picks up where we left off and in the aftermath of the events of book 1 Nena attempts to fix her relationship with Cort, while also finally being able to truly heal from her traumatic past. The politics of The Tribe are so well and intricately written, intersecting with Nena and her past, the complexities of 13 individuals making decisions together provide enough strife that the book kept me on the edge of my seat to find out what happened. I seriously couldn’t put this book down. What I enjoy about this series, other then it being one of my favorite thriller series, is that it manages to successfully be an amazing thriller, but not just a thriller. The dynamic of the Knight family, and Nena’s extended family is so fun to read, and I really love every character. The banter and funny moments that broke the tension of all the action didn’t seem forced or out of place, and made the characters more well rounded and realistic. If you haven’t already I highly suggest getting caught up on this series.

Release date: September 13th 2022

*a copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Ebony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t need a sequel. I really, really wanted one though. They Come at Knight didn’t have the surprise/shock value as Her Name is Knight. Book two was predictable. In some ways, it relied too much on me remembering details from the first book. In other ways, it dredged up characters who had minimal, at best, roles in the first book who became uninterestingly significant in the second.

Compared to the sequel, some character behavior was inconsistent, the pacing was slower, the writing was less impressive, character emotions were over-explained, and the reward of reading was much, much lower. I couldn’t help but make comparisons which distracted me from the story which isn’t very layered or half as interesting as the first book. Nothing happens in most thrillers until the end, but Her Name is Knight was special because it pulled the drama all the way through. I expected that to continue, but it didn’t

While I’m always down for a book about African Unity and while I appreciate the critiques of the Tribe in book two, I am totally uninterested in anything that might happen next. I hope Angoe leaves these characters where they are and writes something new, something that lets her skillset shine instead of relying on a previous cast of characters and a plot that really don’t have another story to tell.

[Ranjini Shankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic sequel to the My Name is Knight. It did everything a sequel is supposed to do - build on the original premise, create and handle new co Flickr, continue character growth arcs while still managing the excellent chemistry from before.

Nena is back as the kick ass assassin for her family’s shady organization that is trying to unite Africa and further it’s development. However someone is siphoning money and causing missions to fail and it looks more and more likely that there is a mole in their organization that she will have to root out.

Nena is just a fantastic character. Strong in all the right ways, vulnerable in the right places. Despite the fantastical nature of the organization and the job her character grows very organically and it’s beautiful. I’ll be back for more!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the progression of Nena's character in the second installment of this story! Loved all the plot twists and how Nena really became vulnerable, which made her stronger. Can't wait to read the third book next year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.

[ChelseaReads247 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Nena Knight trilogy and the first book I’ve read in this trilogy. Surprisingly, it was easy to follow having not read the first book. I just loved how this book captured a light on a Black woman in a male dominated field and how, in the end, she came out on top.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: violence, gun violence, death of a friend, car accident, death of a sibling (in the past), blood, rape/sexual assault (in the past), hospitalisation, attempted murder, trafficking, pregnancy, physical abuse

3.5 stars

I read the first book in this series last year and definitely didn't expect it to be as violent and confronting as it was. So I figured I'd have a break between books. And I absolutely stand by that, but at the same time, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it straight after the first one because I think I lost a lot of the details of the ongoing story as a result.

Anyway. This was definitely less traumatic than the previous one, but a lot of the time it just......felt slow. I mean, the second half was fast-paced and full of action. But the first half was something of a slog purely because it was building up to the point of the story and it took a TAD too long to do so.

Again, I did enjoy this! I just wish that I'd read it at a point when I could remember more of the details of the first one because I definitely feel like I was missing some dots that needed to be joined.

[Gary Sundell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid continuation of the series. A little slow in the middle but still enjoyable. I am looking forward to book 3.

[Susan J. Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one wasn’t for me. Too long, and in need of a good edit.

[Katherine Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Plot continues

This second installment takes off where the first book left off. Nena throws herself into her work as she attempts to move past the death of her brother and the potential loss of Cort. New twists and problems lay ahead for The Tribe and we see how the characters develop as a result of the actions in the first book. It’s as gritty as the first and not for the faint of heart, but for those who enjoyed thr first book, it’s worth the read.

[Katheryn Haskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice - 🫑
World Building - ⭐⭐⭐
Character Development - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trigger/Content Warnings - Death, betrayal, revenge killing, ptsd

Plot; I liked the plot of this a lot. The whole first part of the book is a great set up for the second part, and it's also a great continuation of the first book. How grief and previous events were dealt with by characters and addressed still made it feel more real and gave the characters a lot of shaping. I also really appreciate that they kept going with the idea of internal strife in an organization, keeps very well with the first book.

Characters; I really enjoyed getting to know characters better. I think for the most part the development was natural. There are a few characters that I wish we had gotten a bit more backstory for their choices, primarily Cort, but for Nena and Elin specifically I think it was really nice, and I'm glad that their trauma was addressed.

Writing; This book felt weird to me, mostly because the first one switched time lines every other chapter, and this one didn't need to anymore. It made sense, but felt weird to me. The writing for giving characters motive, keeping people guessing until the reveil and dealing with trauma was beautiful though. I felt like some of the writing for some scenes was a little rushed, and I wasn't a huge fan of skipping minor events and doing some time skips, but I do understand that without those it would have been a very long book.

Overall Thoughts; Overall, great! I think I preferred the first one, mostly because of the jumping between current and past timelines, but this was a great addition to it. I really enjoyed.

[Nid · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.9 🌟

WELL, WELL, WELL, Yasmin Angoe didn't disappoint with They Come at Knight!
This was absolutely stunning and one hell of a sequel to read! If Her Name is Knight blasted, They Come at Knight exploded.

'No one steals from Africa again'

The book begins right where Book 1 ended. There's a new force challenging the Tribe and the Knights are in a race against time to save the future of the Tribe. Readers gets to see Nena's vulnerability and her opening up in this book, nevertheless she is also seen in her element, as the kick-ass assassin everyone loves to see. The other characters played their role effectively.There's a good deal of developement in the character relationships as well.

The writing of the book is note-worthy (droolworthy!) The twists and turns are placed at the right time, to keep the readers on edge. The love for Africa is evident on the description, the dialogues, the costumes, and the traditions. The humor is great and lightens the book at the right conjectures.

Yasmin is well versed with politics and she has poignantly captured the world politics in Nena's world with the the dialogues and actions of the Tribe Council members. She has also attempted to define the different ideologies of justice that people possess in a brilliant manner.

Of all the authors I've read so far, there's no one that writes realistic vivid action like Yasmin! THE BOOK LITERALLY TOOK OFF LIKE A PLANE in the second half with the action and I've never enjoyed action before EVER!

Can't wait for book 3!

Thankyou Netgalley and Yasmin Angoe for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Jas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are not reading this series you are missing out. I read the first book back in February but as soon as I started reading this book I was immediately sucked back in to Nena's world. I listened to the audiobook and it more than delivered. Nena Knight is one of my favorite characters I've been introduced this year. I loved watching her friendship with Keigel grow more throughout this book as well as her bond with Georgia get stronger. I appreciate how this story is all it's own without over involving the events in book one. Over all this is an amazing follow up to book one and I already can't wait for book 3.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

WoW! I’m not sure I’ve read anything quite like this before. Sure, I’ve read about assassins, but Nena’s character is totally kick-butt! Her loyalty to her family and the Tribe, the secret organization, is fierce. When Nena faces betrayal, you see just how dimensional of a character Yasmin Angoe has written. I can’t wait for the next book! (*Note: I did not read the first book, and although I still completely enjoyed this one, I think I would have benefited from reading book one first.)

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @author_yas for a spot on tour and a gifted copy.

[Erykah Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nena showed so much growth in this novel. Reading this felt like catching up with old friends and getting to the real nitty gritty. They didn’t make it some happily ever after bs either. I truly enjoyed this read. There were a few twists and one that really threw me for a loop. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Jennifer B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy just gets better and better. Nena Knight/Echo/Wudini/Aninyeh Asym, whatever you want to call her is that chick. The story starts off in South Carolina with Nena making her first hit on General Konate’s attorney. Then it moves over to Miami where Nena currently resides. Then we are taken to Kenya where the dispatch (Nena and her team) are set to kill General Konate but things go very wrong. After getting out of that mess with 4 of the 6 of her team dead, we are taken back to Miami to then be taken to Ghana where Nena, her whole family as well as Cort, Georgia and Keigel tag along. I love the many places the book took me.

I found myself continually saying “they better stop playing with my girl Nena”. This book kept me guessing until the very end. There were moments I thought Cort, Nena’s ex-law enforcement boyfriend and times when I thought Elin, her pregnant sister was the traitor. I really thought Elin was that mad at Nena for killing her brother/Elin’s baby daddy Oliver/Ofori in book 1. Elin proved herself loyal to Nena when she named the baby Michael Asym Knight, letting the Asym legacy continue. Speaking of loyalty, Nena’s loyalty is unmatched, from her friendship with Keigel (you see how she took out Trek for him), to the love of her parents (the couple who took her in) Noble and Delphine Knight to her love for Corts daughter Georgia/Peaches. Nena proved time and time again she would die for those she loved and considered family. I do like her and Cort together and love how patient he is with her knowing all she went through in her prior years with Paul and everything that happened during her initial captivity in book 1.

When her team Sierra (Jessica), Kilo (Richard), Alpha (Albert), Charlie (Daniel) and Yankee (Lewis) were hit in Kenya, I was super heartbroken for their deaths especially Alpha. I kind of thought Sierra was a little suspicious and I always knew she was weak. Never did I think though that her and Alpha (who reappeared in Ghana and really wasn’t dead, at least not until Nena killed his ass like he deserved) would conspire with, of all people, Witt to take over council. The council, the network, dispatch, the cleaners and all the Knights didn’t see that one coming. Mariam/Marcel who was Goons sister, really thought she could hold a candle to Nena. I have to admit the way she took out General Konate was dope but I knew she was no match for Nena. Mariam was upset about her brother and rightfully so but Nena loved Goon and Goon knew what it was going into the business.

Overall, I loved this installment to the series and am anxiously awaiting the final book in the trilogy. I’ll say it again, Nena Knight the elite assassin/ queen of bad chicks needs to be made into a movie. I will wait until the final book comes out to say who I think should play each character.

[Kelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to have to separate these into opinion and fact because my opinion would make this closer to a 3.5, but as a book, I think it is a 4. I do not think it is as good as the first book.

Facts: This book did a very good job of showing Ghana and African culture and thoughts. It did a good job of taking me to a place I've never been and showing me the people that live there. The way it showed all of that was a little clunky and made it pace weirdly. It was very much a rise the suspense, pop the suspense balloon, then expect you to still feel it when that part of the plot came back. Otherwise, the writing was good. It read a lot like an action movie, and there are clues to put everything together as you go, so even if you don't figure it out from like Chapter 5 like I did, you should be able to by the end of you are paying attention.

Opinions: I had guessed every single surprise and plot twist that occurred. This isn't bad, but it does make for a boring read to me. The only thing I couldn't guess was who lived and died at the end because it would be an author decision rather than something with clues along the way. There were also psychological issues that the average person probably wouldn't pick up on that caused me to go that it doesn't make sense. Like that the main character obviously has ptsd, but there is no way an organization with mercenaries wouldn't test someone to ensure they wouldn't freeze on a situation, especially one that's a team lead. It's just something that frustrates me because in a real-world situation, it just wouldn't be a smart move, and the organization wouldn't have been around as long as it has. The last thing I have to say as an opinion is that this book felt a lot more like the author wanting to make something as emotional as the first one and it just didn't live up to that. It would have been great if it was just focused on her getting through her ptsd with a minor villain and working through her relationship instead of it suddenly being okay (I'm not even going to touch that part).

[Shannan Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could, I would give this book 50 stars. This was my first time reading this author, and it definitely won’t be my last. I’m more mad at myself for waiting so long to get to my arc copy

Nena Knight is an assassin, and very good at what she does for the Tribe, which is headed by her family. But there are troubles brewing, and Nena finds herself in a situation.

I was not able to put this book down. It was exciting, thrilling and invigorating. There were times I was so upset with the characters, I almost threw my kindle. And there were so many surprises that I was not expecting. The action was top notch. I can’t wait for the next book in the series, and the possible tv show

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions

[Paula Garrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed the first two books of this 3 book series. Sure it's fiction, but I feel that the author gives us some real insight of the struggles persons of African heritage deal with in their African home countries as well as in the UK, US, or wherever they end up. I like the effort Nena puts into dealing with the horrors of losing her birth family, surviving unimaginable abuse by her captors, finding her new family with the Knights and struggling to accept that she is capable of giving and receiving love. My only dislike was that most of the "fight" scenes dragged on too long for my liking.

[Jada Randell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

What a wonderful Sequel to the first book. In the first book, Paul was such a pure evil villain that it's refreshing to see the second book have such a calculated villain with the legitimate reason for what they're doing.

I can't wait to read book 3 to see how this all turns out.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was in the mood for a thriller and have been wanting to continue this series. Unfortunately this had second book syndrome. The first half was incredibly boring/ hard to follow and then the second had a ton of action out of nowhere. I will likely continue the series since I enjoy the characters but this was definitely a disappointment for me.

[Anna Tramposch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant combo of action, suspense, drama, humor and romance. The whole time reading I was torn between wanting to devour the book in one sitting but also savor it slowly to extend my enjoyment. I liked how Nena and Elin’s characters developed in the second book and the plot still kept me on my heels! Also loved the pages of Kiegel retelling his time in Germany 😂

[Shiela White]

Draws you in

This book, like the first in the series, us full of action, adventure, betrayal, friendship and love. It is an amazing book from beginning to end, one that I will read again.

[amandalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0

I enjoyed this as much as the first. The storyline wasn't as engaging as the first (I'm not sure if it was because this was all present-day versus the alternating past/present in the first book or something else entirely). However, it was action-packed and sets up the third book perfectly.

[Reading_Utopia! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nena Knight is EVERYTHING!! First it was Her Name Is Knight and now it’s They Come At Knight and it's totally on fire! I can't even express how much I adore Nena, Elin, and the whole Knight family. An African, fierce assassin? That’s exactly my vibe!