Rating: 4.5🌈
It’s fantastic to be back in Fall Crosse, Wisconsin , the small town that’s the heart and home of K.M. Neuhold’s three interconnected contemporary romance series. Four Bears Construction Company launched them all and the author is keeping the series going and heartwarmingly fresh with the latest release, Handy.
It’s the eighth book and it’s wonderful. While I’ll always love Stone and Dare’s romance because it’s just hilarious, Neuhold had me at park ranger and bird nerd with Ledger. While there were other aspects of Ledger that had me sighing ( not in a good way, it’s the raccoon) , Neuhold represents his job (low pay, high knowledge, passionate) extremely well. Neuhold writes layered, believable characters.
Griff too was a great character. One easy to emphasize with, as he’s in stasis, the loss of his husband, his own grief and inability to understand how to let go and move forward keeping him emotionally and in a way, physically isolated. So well written. We can understand this man and why he’s allowed himself to get mired down.
Until Ledger, that human vibrating ball of fantastic positivity and bear crushing energy next door comes calling. Or maybe more accurately his DIY house does. And his pet raccoon, TP.
I will admit to the fact of someone, even a ‘Ranger’, having a raccoon as a pet is an issue for me because of past experiences that have not gone well for the animals. But the way Neuhold realistically describes the huge damage the raccoon does to the house (holes chewed constantly in the walls) and furniture as a fact of its every day life made this aspect of the storyline well documented. Thank you for relating that wildlife comes with wildlife instincts.
The relationship that develops between Griff and Ledger is one I adore. They flirt, or Ledger does and Griff slowly moves forward towards acceptance that he’s ready for a new relationship and love. They communicate, get sexy, Ledger imparts bird facts and together they become a couple who is engaging, realistic, and heartwarming.
Plus those are some truly special bird facts! I’d be won over.
Ledger has a best friend who is also a park ranger, Jericho, a single man in search of his HEA. I suspect his story is coming. Although it may be in the Ink Slingers series.
I love the series and Handy is among my favorites here. I’ve listed them all below as well as the two other connected series.
Be sure to check them out. Highly recommended.
Book and Cover design by Natasha Snow Designs
Four Bears Construction :
Caulky #1 (Ren and Cole)
Nailed #2 (Dare and Stone)
Hardwood #3 (Watson and Ev)
Screwed #4 (Ollie and Daniel)
Stud #5 (Sawyer and West)
Stripped #6 (Miller and Demetri)
Drilled #7 (Apollo and Ridge)
Handy #8 (Griff and Ledger)
Connecting sequel series, same town and crossover characters:
🔷Big Bull Mechanics (5 books to date series)
🔷Ink Slingers (2 book to date series)
Buy link
Handy (Four Bears Construction Book 8)
Blurb
My new neighbor may be grumpy but he’s also hot, and very good with his hands…
I definitely overestimated my own handyman skills when I bought this fixer-upper. I have to say, the view from my new place is worth it though. Especially around seven o’clock every morning when my big, furry bear of a neighbor drinks his coffee shirtless on his back porch.
He’s dedicated to the bear thing too. Growly, grumpy, and as it turns out, he really likes belly rubs.
Am I a sucker for a touch starved grump? Yes. Am I sorry about it? Absolutely not.
Getting Griff into my house and into my bed is the easy part. Convincing him I’m actually interested in him is so much harder.
I didn’t mean to turn myself into his secret admirer, but if sending him anonymous presents and notes is the only way to wear down his gruff exterior, then that’s what I’m going to do.
Sooner or later he’ll realize he’s more than just my grumpy handyman, right?
Handy is a super low angst, high heat, romantic comedy featuring a grumpy “Bear” (not the shifter kind 😉 ), and his sunshiney neighbor who becomes his secret admirer. It can be read as a stand alone but the most enjoyment will be from reading it as part of the full Four Bears Construction Series.
- Publication date: February 3, 2025
- Language: English
- Print length: 208 pages
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 