Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
If the social media chatter about Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan is any indication, most readers couldn’t wait to get back to the fictional neighborhood of Skyland in Atlanta to read Hendrix’s story. I was one of those readers.
The Skyland series follows three best friends on their individual journeys towards Happy Ever After (HEA). I most identified with Hendrix, the female main character of this book, so I couldn’t wait for her story.
Hendrix’s Journey to HEA
In the corporate world, Hendrix Barry is a boss as a solopreneur entertainment agent, and as a member of a venture capital firm, she mentors Black female entrepreneurs just starting out. If that’s not enough on her plate, she’s also dealing with a mother who has Alzheimer’s, who’s 4 hours away in a small town near Charlotte. Her mother doesn’t want to leave her home, but circumstances may not allow her to stay.
Hendrix is in her early 40s, has never been married, doesn’t want to have children, and with all that’s going on in her life, she’s got very little time for love. She’s not even looking for it. So, when a handsome guy chats her up by the bar at a celebrity party, she dismisses the flirty vibe she’s feeling with him. And when she finds out he’s billionaire Maverick Bell — her hostess and business acquaintance’s boyfriend — she’s really trying to keep her distance. No man will get in between Hendrix and her career goals.
At first, this doesn’t seem to be going well. But Maverick is not going to give up that easily.
What Hendrix doesn’t know is that Maverick and his girlfriend are no longer together. And when he finds something (or someone) he wants, he’s determined to get it.
The Loveable Billionaire
This billionaire is unlike any other in romances I’ve read recently. Most billionaire book boyfriends come across as grumpy, type A, or just straight “alphaholes” as most romance readers call them. Maverick Bell is none of that.
While he’s got that shrewd, ruthless cunning that most business owners need to make deals, when it comes to Hendrix, he’s a big softie. In general, he stays out of the spotlight, but as he connects with Hendrix and as readers see him in other areas of his life, it’s obvious Maverick is a charmer and a down-to-earth guy. He respects everyone in his orbit who deserves it, and he’s loyal and a fierce protector for those he loves.
Hendrix and Maverick connect very early on in the novel because they both have or had family members who have Alzheimer’s — Maverick’s maternal grandfather also had the disease. Maverick offers himself as a willing ear to listen and provides helpful advice and resources when Hendrix seems to need it. No alphahole billionaire behavior here: just a lovable beta with the ability to charter a private plane.
An HEA Without a Baby
Many romance novels signal their Happy Ever Afters with a birth or a baby on the way. Hendrix is a different kind of heroine. She doesn’t want children. She loves caring for others, and being an auntie to her friends’ kids is a special joy in her life, but she’s adamantly against having her own kids.
It’s refreshing to see the real struggle Hendrix has with making other people comfortable with her life choices. In general, how the characters of Can’t Get Enough feel about being parents or not shows readers that while some people were meant to be parents, not everyone needs children to get their HEAs.
The Politics of Race in Elite Circles
Kennedy Ryan notably tackles serious topics in her romances, and this book is no different. While she shows us how family members deal with Alzheimer’s, she also tackles a topic in the forefront of a lot of her readers’ minds currently: racial inequities in business.
Hendrix is part of the more elite of society, a space where, even now, we see very few Black women in the C suite. Even fewer Black women are given the opportunity to occupy the space via venture capital funding.
Seeing this representation is inspiring for readers, and seeing Hendrix deal with some of the pushback that she encounters is eye-opening. I encourage readers to read both the beginning and ending author’s notes to see the real-life story that inspired Ms. Ryan to add these plot lines to Hendrix’s journey.
Overall, Can’t Get Enough is a steamy, enjoyable and emotional read. Fans of the Skyland series will love how this — as of now — final book in the trilogy turns out. Those who haven’t delved into the series yet can start with this book, as they are all standalone novels. This one is deserving of all the hype it’s garnering online. And Ms. Ryan has mentioned that the series has been optioned for a TV show. So, more Skyland is on the way, and we love that.
About Kennedy Ryan:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Kennedy and her writings have been featured in NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Glamour, Cosmo, Ebony, TIME, and many others. The audio edition of her novel Reel received the prestigious Audie® Award, and her Skyland series is currently in development for television at Peacock. The co-founder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, Kennedy has a passion for raising Autism awareness. Dubbed “Queen of Hugs” by her readers, she is a wife to her “lifetime lover,” and mother to an extraordinary son.
