Description
Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score is an emotional, suspenseful and irresistibly steamy contemporary romance about hidden pain, unexpected love and learning to trust another person. The story returns readers to Knockemout, Virginia, and follows Police Chief Nash Morgan as he attempts to recover from the violent events that nearly ended his life.
Nash has always been known as the good Morgan brother. He is dependable, protective and respected by the unusual residents of Knockemout.
However, after being shot, Nash no longer feels like the confident man everyone expects him to be. His physical wounds are healing, but fear, nightmares and emotional darkness continue affecting his daily life.
Nash does not want his family, friends or colleagues to know how seriously he is struggling. He hides behind his uniform, routines and reputation while pretending that everything is returning to normal.
Then Angelina “Lina” Solavita moves into the apartment next door.
Lina is confident, independent and determined to complete a secret mission without becoming emotionally involved with anyone in town. She plans to find what she needs and leave Knockemout before questions become dangerous.
Unfortunately, the powerful attraction between Lina and Nash makes keeping secrets far more complicated.
What Is Things We Hide from the Light About?
Things We Hide from the Light follows Nash Morgan and Lina Solavita as an initially flirtatious friendship develops into an intense and complicated relationship.
Nash is recovering from two gunshot wounds while the person responsible remains free. His position as police chief requires him to appear confident and capable, even when he feels emotionally disconnected from the life around him.
The residents of Knockemout care deeply about Nash, but their concern makes him feel even more pressure to hide what he is experiencing.
Lina immediately recognises that the cheerful police chief presented to the town is not the complete person living behind the uniform.
She sees his exhaustion, frustration and hidden fear. Her ability to notice what Nash tries to conceal creates an emotional connection he is not prepared to accept.
However, Lina is also hiding important information. She has come to Knockemout for a specific purpose and intends to complete her work without revealing the truth to Nash.
When those secrets begin coming to light, attraction turns into anger, mistrust and dangerous emotional conflict.
Meet Police Chief Nash Morgan
Nash Morgan is known throughout Knockemout as a responsible police chief, loyal brother and genuinely good man.
He has built his identity around protecting other people. The residents of the town trust him to remain calm, solve problems and provide help during emergencies.
After being shot, Nash finds it difficult to maintain that familiar identity. His injuries have affected more than his physical strength.
He experiences fear, emotional numbness and memories he does not know how to discuss. Nash worries that admitting these struggles will cause others to view him as weak or incapable of performing his job.
Instead of asking for help, he pushes people away and attempts to recover alone.
Lina becomes one of the few people capable of seeing through his carefully controlled behaviour. Her presence makes Nash feel emotions he believed had disappeared, but it also threatens the walls he has created around his pain.
Meet Angelina “Lina” Solavita
Lina Solavita is intelligent, confident and accustomed to handling difficult situations independently.
She prefers temporary connections, personal freedom and work that allows her to move from one challenge to another.
Her arrival in Knockemout is connected with a private mission. Lina believes that revealing her real purpose would create unnecessary questions and prevent her from completing the job successfully.
She expects to remain in town only long enough to find what she needs. Becoming emotionally connected to Nash, his family or the community is not part of her plan.
Knockemout quickly interferes with those expectations. Lina becomes involved in friendships, celebrations, dog-sitting and the personal lives of the town’s residents.
The longer she stays, the more difficult it becomes to imagine leaving without hurting the people who have begun to care about her.
Next-Door Neighbours with Powerful Chemistry
Nash and Lina become next-door neighbours, creating frequent opportunities for teasing conversations, unwanted attraction and emotional tension.
Lina’s confidence challenges Nash’s gloomy and withdrawn mood. She refuses to treat him as though his injuries have made him fragile.
Nash is attracted to her independence and honesty, even when her questions make him uncomfortable.
Their physical chemistry develops quickly, but both characters have strong reasons to resist a serious relationship.
Nash does not believe he is emotionally capable of becoming the partner Lina deserves. Lina knows that honesty about her mission could destroy his trust.
Their developing relationship therefore exists between desire and uncertainty. Every moment of intimacy brings them closer while increasing the consequences of the truths they continue hiding.
A Romance About Trauma and Healing
One of the central themes in Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score is the emotional effect of trauma.
Nash’s physical survival does not mean that he has completely recovered. His experiences influence his sleep, mood, confidence and understanding of personal safety.
He feels responsible for protecting the town while privately questioning whether he can still protect anyone.
The novel shows that emotional healing is rarely immediate or simple. Nash cannot restore his earlier personality by pretending that nothing has changed.
He must recognise that accepting support does not make him less capable or less courageous.
Lina cannot heal Nash through love alone. However, her presence encourages him to become more honest about his pain and consider a future beyond merely surviving each day.
Secrets, Trust and Hidden Motives
Both Nash and Lina hide important parts of themselves.
Nash conceals his emotional struggles because he fears judgement, pity and the possibility of losing professional authority.
Lina hides the real reason she has come to Knockemout because secrecy is necessary for her mission.
Their relationship becomes increasingly serious before either character is prepared to reveal the complete truth.
This creates a difficult question: can genuine trust develop when both people are carefully controlling what the other person is allowed to know?
When Nash discovers Lina’s hidden purpose, he feels that their emotional connection may have been built on deception.
Attraction remains powerful, but rebuilding trust requires more than chemistry. Both characters must decide whether they are willing to become vulnerable and accept the risks connected with honest love.
Small-Town Romance in Knockemout
Knockemout is a lively and unconventional town where residents often treat laws as suggestions rather than strict requirements.
Nash’s position as police chief is complicated by citizens who know him personally, ignore boundaries and become involved in nearly every local situation.
Lina originally expects to complete her mission without attracting attention. This proves almost impossible in a community where new arrivals quickly become the subject of conversation.
The town gradually pulls Lina into its routines, friendships and family connections.
She begins participating in events and responsibilities she never planned to accept. These experiences challenge her preference for remaining independent and emotionally unattached.
The community also gives the novel humour and warmth. Familiar characters from the first book return while new relationships expand the wider Knockemout story.
Romantic Suspense and Approaching Danger
Things We Hide from the Light combines contemporary romance with suspense and criminal danger.
The individual responsible for shooting Nash remains free, leaving the investigation unresolved and the town potentially at risk.
Nash wants to participate fully in finding the person responsible, but his injuries and emotional condition make the situation more complicated.
Lina’s secret work also connects her with risks that she does not initially explain to Nash.
As their separate problems begin intersecting, the danger surrounding them becomes increasingly serious.
The suspense adds urgency to the romantic storyline. Nash and Lina must decide whether they can trust one another before secrecy, anger or outside threats permanently separate them.
Family, Friendship and the Morgan Brothers
Nash’s relationship with his brother Knox remains an important part of the story.
The brothers have different personalities and approaches to life, but their loyalty to each other is strong.
Knox wants to protect Nash after the shooting, while Nash resists being treated as though he cannot manage his own life.
Naomi, Waylay and other familiar characters also attempt to support Nash, even when he avoids their concern.
Lina’s past connection with Knox initially makes her arrival more complicated. However, her developing relationship with Nash becomes distinct from those earlier connections.
The Morgan family storyline demonstrates that support can sometimes feel uncomfortable, especially to someone who is accustomed to being the person who helps everyone else.
Strong Romantic Tension and Adult Content
The relationship between Nash and Lina contains strong physical attraction, flirtation and explicit romantic content.
Their neighbours-to-lovers dynamic creates opportunities for private conversations, unexpected encounters and growing intimacy.
Lina’s confidence encourages Nash to reconnect with emotions he has attempted to suppress. Nash’s protective and dependable nature makes it increasingly difficult for Lina to treat their relationship as temporary.
The romantic scenes develop alongside the characters’ emotional journeys rather than replacing them.
Readers see both characters become more vulnerable as attraction develops into genuine attachment.
This novel is intended for adult readers because it contains explicit intimate scenes, violence, trauma and mature emotional themes.
Important Themes in Things We Hide from the Light
Trauma and Recovery
Nash must accept that surviving a violent event does not immediately remove its psychological and emotional effects.
Trust and Honesty
Nash and Lina’s relationship is tested by the truths they hide and the consequences of discovering those secrets.
Vulnerability and Strength
The novel challenges the belief that strength requires handling every problem alone.
Love and Emotional Healing
Romantic love cannot erase trauma, but a supportive relationship can create space for honesty, hope and recovery.
Community and Belonging
Knockemout gradually offers Lina connections and a sense of home she never expected to find.
Duty and Personal Identity
Nash must understand who he is when he cannot perform his responsibilities in exactly the same way as before.
Freedom and Commitment
Lina values independence, but her growing attachment to Nash and the town forces her to reconsider what freedom means.
Who Should Read Things We Hide from the Light?
This novel is an excellent choice for adult readers who enjoy:
- Contemporary romantic comedies
- Small-town romance
- Romantic suspense
- Next-door-neighbour romance
- Friends-to-lovers relationships
- Protective police-chief heroes
- Secretive and independent heroines
- Emotional healing and recovery stories
- Strong chemistry and witty banter
- Found-family and community storylines
Readers should begin with Things We Never Got Over because this book continues the relationships, characters and criminal storyline established in the first Knockemout novel.
7 Powerful Reasons to Read This Romance
- It continues Lucy Score’s popular Knockemout series.
- Nash Morgan is a protective hero facing a realistic emotional struggle.
- Lina is an intelligent and independent heroine with dangerous secrets.
- The neighbours-to-lovers romance creates powerful chemistry and tension.
- The story combines emotional healing with mystery and suspense.
- Familiar Knockemout characters bring humour, friendship and family warmth.
- The romance explores trust, vulnerability, recovery and second chances.
About Lucy Score
Lucy Score is a bestselling romance author known for funny, emotional and steamy stories featuring strong communities and memorable relationships.
Her popular books include Things We Never Got Over, Things We Left Behind, Story of My Life, By a Thread and Maggie Moves On.
Her novels frequently combine romantic chemistry with family relationships, personal healing, danger and close-knit small-town communities.
In Things We Hide from the Light, Lucy Score explores Nash and Lina’s relationship while continuing the mystery, friendships and family storylines introduced in the first Knockemout novel.
Knockemout Series Reading Order
- Things We Never Got Over
- Things We Hide from the Light
- Things We Left Behind
Things We Hide from the Light is the second book and should ideally be read after Things We Never Got Over.
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Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score is an excellent choice for readers seeking an emotional and steamy small-town romance filled with suspense, secrets and unforgettable chemistry.
Nash Morgan is attempting to hide the darkness left behind by a violent attack. Lina Solavita is hiding the real reason she has come to Knockemout. When attraction draws them together, both must decide whether love is worth revealing the truths they fear sharing.
Order Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score online in Sri Lanka and continue the bestselling Knockemout romance series.
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Read the official synopsis and book information on the official Lucy Score website.
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