Review: Resilient Heart by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 3:25 🌈

Resilient Heart is an expanded short story that appeared in an earlier released collection of stories. Here the author has added an additional 10k words to give her characters a closure to their romance.

I didn’t read the first version and love this author so I thought this was a new release and took it that way when reading it.

Albert takes on some very hard, emotionally traumatic themes in Resilient Heart. Very current and tragic ones that are still impacting families and the country today. That’s our disabled veterans, and their dire need for support and treatment. It’s just not from our current wars and engagements but also from Desert Storm and wars past. The effects of war don’t cease to exist because the war does, history has taught us that.

It’s a lesson I’m not sure we’ve learned.

These themes are woven through a years long relationship/romance between two soldiers. Mackie and Xander. It’s Xander who’s in need of support and treatment, not that he’s accepting it.

Xander’s life is shattered along with his NETCOM unit when a IED exploded under their truck, killing most, leaving Xander scarred and an amputee. You might say Xander stands in for that population of our disabled vets, angry, depressed, a victim of PTSD and with a body he no longer recognizes.

A two person POV narrative helps the reader get under Xander’s mindset all the times he’s struggling with his emotional and physical “battles” and losing. Xander’s not comprehending what is happening to him mentally or equipped to deal emotionally with his disability and ending his career with the Army.

Mackey is harder to connect with here for me because much of the information he’s withheld from Xander is also withheld from the reader. He’s back in Xander’s life, after totally realigning his career for Xander and Xander’s rehabilitation. This after years of apparently a friends with benefits only relationship. Nothing more.

Even with Mackie’s perspective, I’m not sure I didn’t agree with Xander most of the time here and think nope, no clarity. It’s a complete guilt trip for Mackie.

So when the truth does come out, and the climax of the story hits, it works against the romance for me in a way perhaps the author didn’t intend.

Mackie not only never gave Xander any options or opportunity to have any say but even after it’s out, Xander never completely “owns” his truth. Calls himself a coward but never tells Mackie the truth, his truth about those decisions. What he, Xander, would have done given the opportunity. Instead, he keeps it “hidden “. No clarity between them still.

Felt wrong, felt like an imbalance in this relationship. Just my opinion.

The event does get Xander into therapy and medication is realistic. It ends well for him.

Just an aside. Walter Reed or the Naval Medical Hospital as it both known here locally is 243 acres of clinics, doctors and specialists. It’s sits across the street from NIH, which I’m very familiar with. It too is a small city at its head is a certain Dr. Fauci. National Institute of Health is a small city of 300 acres of buildings, clinics, doctors and scientists. It’s not unusual to see uniforms walking between campuses and white jackets scurrying under the lights across 355 as workdays and worlds intertwine.

Albert certainly gets the area right.

However, Walter Reed has just 244 hospital beds available. The local area alone? Home to Fort Derrick , Andrews AFB, Ft McNair, Joint Base Ft Myer-Henderson, Ft Meade, Aberdeen, more than I can name off the top of my head. You have any idea how many military are deployed in and around this area? 244 beds? Do the RL disabled vets get the same type of experience as Xander? Immediate response to the need for assistance, for therapy, and support? Not really, most don’t.

I only wish it were so.

While I enjoyed the romance I’m not sure a short story can unpack all the aspects of the huge themes and emotional elements Albert was trying to deal with here and do them justice.

There was too much left to discuss in what Mackie had done , to them and their relationship as well as what the repercussions had meant going forward. That was sort of brushed off.

As was his depression and PTSD. That was taken care of far more easily then it often happens in RL. The reality I know of the VA and the disabled veterans clashes too much with the rosy picture painted here.

So yes, some lovely things and some things that seem less than realized. I think that’s due primarily to the length and not the author.

If you like Annabeth Albert, you might have already read this story and will enjoy the relationship epilogue.

Her Out of Uniform series are terrific and I’d look there for a great series to start.

Synopsis:

Originally released as part of the Unconditional Surrender bundle, now available as a stand-alone novella complete with BRAND-NEW 10,000 word short story/epilogue. When a wounded soldier is forced to accept help from his former best friend, both men discover the true strength of their entwined hearts.

Army IT specialist Xander keeps his emotions wired as tight as his NETCOM gear, but when he’s seriously injured by an IED, his whole life unravels. Running out of options, Xander must accept help from his ex-friend-with-benefits, Mackey. However, Xander’s had feelings for Mackey for years, and close quarters only complicates his emotions. Further, Xander doesn’t know which is worse: combating his inner demons or dealing with Mackey’s guilty kindnesses.

Mackey’s always kept his emotions close to his chest, but now he’s got a secret that could destroy his one chance with the man he cares far too much for. Both men will have to heal their wounded hearts to ensure a future together.

Entwined Future: In this new short story, Mackey has news that could change everything for him and Xander, but a visit from Xander’s family jeopardizes Mackey’s plans–and forces Xander to confront some harsh truths

Resilient Heart by Annabeth Albert – Goodreads

Review: Firefly Lane (Briar County #1) by Riley Hart

Rating 4.5 🌈

Recently I’ve been reading books with older characters, in their 40’s and one aspect I’ve appreciated about these stories from various authors is the open and adult communication that flows between most of these characters.

Firefly Lane is a great example of this level of open communication. It exists not just among the primary characters but also throughout the community of the town of Harmony, whether it’s blunt questions or advice. It’s still on the open adult communication scale .

Hart’s themes for this story run the gamut from the ability to grow and change one’s outlook, no matter your age to the notion that finding your true home has no timetable. Even such basics as you aren’t your parents. There’s a multitude of storylines here. All unpacked with care and intelligence.

At the heart of the story is not a couple of men but more a intersecting triangles of families, all of equal importance to this story and beautifully crafted.

The first family that launches the novel and action is that of two siblings. Holden Barnett, pilot out of Atlanta, and his estranged younger sister, Marilee Young, and her teenage son Sean. The sister and son in deep need, living in Harmony, NC.

The second family, one that’s deeply established and well liked in town is that of Monroe “Roe” Covington of the huge Covington family, his teenage son Wyatt who he had with his best friend Lindsey. Roe is out gay man to all around him and has been since his teenage years, although his closeness to Lindsey has people thinking , wrongly, they still might get together.

The foundation Hart starts to lay down here for the series is solid. We feel a warm, layered community, full of interesting people, some busybodies, many far more intriguing and caring.

And as we see our way around Harmony and get to know the citizens, the past histories and real issues are coming to the surface within the two families.

It’s never just problems with Holden and Marilee and Sean. Because their heavy issues impact Roe, Wyatt, and Lindsey. All as we watch, we see parents/uncles weighing what effect their adult relationships will have on their sons as well as their sons/nephews relationships. Yes, people actually acting as responsible adults. Love it.

All the while, keeping the romance sexy, endearing, and vulnerable.

There’s also a back history of parental abuse ( mentioned , never seen) with Holden and Marilee’s folks as well as Sean’s father Adam, Marilee’s absent husband. That plays into much of the story here, and finally figures into the personal growth.

I found this to be a terrific story. So many layers, great characters and foundation Town to get acquainted with.

I can’t wait to the next in the series and eagerly look forward to seeing all these people and couples once more.

Briar County series:

https://www.goodreads.com › seriesBriar County Series by Riley Hart – Firefly Lane – Goodreads

Firefly Lane #1

Sundae’s Best #2. – coming soon

Synopsis: At forty-three, Holden Barnett is getting along just fine. His job as a pilot keeps him from getting restless, and he’s got a man who doesn’t want promises for the future. One phone call from his estranged sister changes everything. She needs his help, so Holden drops everything and heads to Harmony, a small town in Briar County, which represents everything he’s tried to avoid in life.

Monroe Covington is forty-five and happy. He loves his life—running his store, helping at his family’s farm, and spending his days with his best friend, Lindsey, and their son, Wyatt. Sure, half the town likes to forget he’s gay, and he’d love for the queer population to be bigger, but Roe makes do. He misses dating, relationships, and a man to hold at night, but at least he gets new eye candy when Holden, the brother of the woman who’s renting his cabin, shows up.

The attraction is instant, the friendship not far behind, but between Holden’s initial relationship status, family complications, and the two of them wanting different things, they’re a disaster waiting to happen…only it doesn’t feel that way, not with how much time they spend talking, laughing, and eventually, tumbling into bed, a field, or the back of a truck together. The closer they get, the more Holden realizes that just being fine isn’t enough, and Roe begins to see that his life isn’t as complete as he thought. Now, if they could only sort out the rest of it…

Firefly Lane is a small town, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers summer romance with no cheating, mature characters who talk out their problems, like to work with their hands, and have amazing chemistry. Did I mention they watch movies in the company of goats?

Firefly Lane

Review: Drilled (Four Bears Construction #7) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 5 🌈

Here it is. The final story and the end of a series I really don’t want to say goodbye to. Hmmm perhaps the author will give me a path to potentially seeing them all again….

Anyway… back to Drilled . It’s that wonderful best friends to enemies to lovers story we all love to read.

What? That’s not a trope? Sure it is. If not perhaps it will be after this book.

Apollo Day, the scowling brooding hunk at the Four Bears Construction Company has always been a bit of a mystery man. While not above joining in ,albeit quietly at night, in the group’s company many pranks, and in the Friday night Wollsey’s get togethers, he still has managed to remain a bit of a unknown quantity.

Then the newest hire shows up and that threatens to shatter any calm Apollo has demonstrated and the new home he’s building within the company. Not that he’s admitting that.

The new guy? That’s forty year old construction builder Ridgeway “Ridge” Tanner. He’s recently returned to Wisconsin, a place he formerly called home. Still, he’s shocked to see standing in the office of the company that’s just hired him a man he hasn’t seen in 15 years. Behind them a shared past in which they were once so close no one knew the other better then themselves. Until he detonated everything in a single day and they both lost it all.

Mini explosions start the story off immediately as Apollo won’t tell Cole and the rest of the company why there’s bad history between Ridge and himself. Ridge won’t enlighten the crew either. But both are needed on a special jobsite as all the others now have partners/husbands, increasing responsibilities outside of work.

The special work order includes a month long restoration job at a summer camp that both Apollo and Ridge first think is a prank but is in fact an important and large scale camp renewal. At a remote location.

This is a perfect way for the reader and the men to connect/reconnect. Because at first nothing of their former history is mentioned. But the daily construction work and interaction starts bringing up old memories.

Again, the 2 man POV is an intimate format to share the thoughts and feelings of men not inclined to voice their pain and anger , especially of those struggling with their emotions and memories as these two are.

Stubbornness and silence, the need to escape rather then confront an issue, things that seems to be Apollo’s fallback measures. All in full force.Until Ridge’s efforts to make Apollo listen to him finally make the past and the events that broke them apart make sense.

It’s a fine line here between what should be revealed and spoilerville. It’s just not worth it because the central conflict is also a major part of the reveal and a revelation. So it will remain not a part of this review. I’ll just say the anticipation leading up doesn’t disappoint.

All the stories have had such different angles to them. Men needing to earn partners trust who have had been relationships, men overcoming their own mistakes and fears as well as assumptions about true love, men coming out of the closet late in life, age gap, a trans man completely at home in his body but a partner to be who’s not, but all those we’ve basically followed from meeting to HEA. Even Miller and Demetri’s childhood camp past was briefly mentioned but happy mostly , puking incident aside.

But this is the first story where the past severely impacts the men’s present. That their history has caused them both such deep emotional damage over the years becomes obvious. Especially in the stunted romantic areas. Neither has had a committed relationship, and neither has forgotten the other.

Nuehold brings the pain one pleasure of remembered past through so clearly here. It’s in the gestures, frustration that boils over, and the stress and strain of the enforced physical presence of each other. The reader feels it as much as Ridge and Apollo.

When all the secrets are revealed, it’s not the happiest of environment you’d expect. Because then all the What ifs come naturally into play , all the regrets, guilt, and what it all means now in their current lives.

That the reader wants them together is obvious. They are made for each other. But again there’s some very realistic hurdles to overcome here. Do they? Of course, this is the Four Bears Construction series so we and they get their HEA joyous ending!

All the men and their partners/husbands make a showing here. Of course. There’s humor, because this series is full of laughter. There’s animals. Cats this time.

And a HEA finale. No really a link to a story that sees all the couples a few years in the future all together at a birthday party. Simply wonderful way to tie it all up.

I had questions because Nuehold has created some memorable characters here that have lived and moved in and out of the lives of our couples. One has been Porter, a full on vet at the end of this story. Poor Porter, Watson’s bestie, went out on dates with a few of the guys and it never ended well for such a sweet man.

He ends up here swearing he’ll marry the next big, hunky bear carrying a box of abandoned bunnies he sees. Be still my heart. Pls give this man his bear and bunnies.

Plus through Demetri ,West and yes Ridge, we got familiar with Auggie (Dem’s neighbor) and Tallahassee (sometime date of two of the guys) from the Big Bull Mechanics Shop. Great news!

Next up from this author? Yup the Big Bull Mechanics series. Auggie is another great character as is Tallahassee. Can’t wait to see them again and maybe one will be Porter’s bunny man. I can always hope.

So while normally I’d be bereft at having to say goodbye to these amazing people and their joy-filled, sweet, heartwarming love stories, I’m looking forward to the next group of bears and hopefully a sighting or two from these books.

Honestly what a lighthearted, happy reads each one is. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting them at some time.

Because as Stoney would say…

“Nonsense makes the heart grow fonder.”

Nonsense, humor, sweetness, and so so much love.

My heart is so fond of these couples and books it feels huge.

Yes highly recommended. I think they should be read in order because it’s just more fun to see the progression that way.

So here’s the list:

Four Bears Construction series and their animals:

🔵Caulky #1: Cole and Ren’s bees

🔵Nailed #2: Stone and Dare: Rudy and Nard Dog

🔵Hardwood #3, Ev and Watson, Hedgehog

🔵Screwed #4 Ollie and Daniel: Monty the Python

🔵Stud #5, West and Sawyer: Huey, Luey, Duey, Darkwing

🔵Stripped #6, Miller and Dem,

Mars and at the end Shelldon, omg so adorable. Yes tortoises!

🔵Drilled #7 the finale. Apollo and Ridge, cat Log and family. I’ve been waiting to see a cat tbh.

🔵Goats Like Cake Too: Four Bears Construction Series Epilogue- free story linked on Drilled.

(Four Bears Construction #7.5)

by K.M. Neuhold

Synopsis:

A month in a remote cabin with the last man I ever expected to see again? I can’t decide if I should punch him or drill him. It might end up being both.

After more than a decade, the last person I expected to see walk into the Four Bears Construction offices as a new hire was Ridge.

He was my first crush, and my first heartbreak when he started dating my sister. When he left her at the altar without so much as a note, I wrote him off for good.

No amount of excuses and explanations can erase what he did. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. But when we end up being sent to a remote campground alone to spend a month rebuilding the cabins, it’s too easy to remember why I fell for him in the first place.

I know the guys are all taking bets on how long it takes us to start playing with each other’s tools.

It’s going to be a long month.

*** Drilled is a forced proximity, best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, hilarious and steamy, final book in the Four Bears Construction series. It can be read as a stand alone but you won’t want to miss this whole hilarious and hot series. No bear shifters, only the other kind of burly, hairy bears

Drilled

Review: Stripped (Four Bears Construction #6) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 5 🌈

So I’m finished with the penultimate book, sigh, as as with all the others there are many great elements here, so much fun and great joy. Also unexpected little narrative gems that continue to leave me smiling, even now.

This is, like most of the books in the series, a low angst sexy, full of love and laughter novel. Yes, a main character has some social anxiety and low body imagery to overcome but it’s probably not the one character people are going to expect.

No it’s not Miller. Miller is completely at home in his body and identity as a trans man. He’s had a supportive family and a great therapist to help him through his transitional years and issues, both with his dimorphism and his ADHD. It’s the later that has Miller at the gym twice a day, working off the energy and allowing the chemistry in his body the outlet it needs for him to settle and focus.

Miller is funny, mature , and his outlook on the people around him gives us an additional window into the various personalities of the Four Bears Construction Company and their partners. He’s part of the family and also one they admire.

No, the adorable man with body issues and social anxiety brought on by years of men making him feel awful about himself and his perhaps rotund bear like shape is Dr. Demetri Rose. Lover of Ancient Rome, knitting, and his pet tortoise Mars. Dem’s exes have made Dem feel inferior about everything from his body image to the fact that he likes knitting to even the way he has sex. So now Dem has just retreated into his classroom and his house.

We immediately connect with Dem, the way he’s been bullied and hurt. He’s such a sweetheart and the reader wants him to go and find love. Now!

All it take to get these two started is a construction job at the university.

Miller’s meet/embarrassing moment with Demetri is both awfully funny and hands to the face just let me die now embarrassing. That it ends with Miller looking still embarrassed but also amazing is why I love this series so.

These men feel real, their romance dance dynamics genuine at every step and absolutely relatable. It’s gentle, at times humorous , moving, and downright sexy. How I love this couple!

From Dem and Miller’s frank discussions on the elements in their sex life going forward (both blunt and funny) to dancing in the rain magic, this book sings of moments of joy, laughter, and love.

It also has one of my favorite Stoneyisms. “Nonsense makes the heart grow fonder.” If you’ve read these stories, you know that apparently Stone grew up in a household where every well known saying doesn’t exactly come out the way everyone else knows it to be. His mother laying down the “log” to his father about somethings, the explanation behind each being the absolute best. She laying the foundation of her argument. I must say ,,,, um yep.

Another one “There’s more than one way to pet a cat.” Because skinning a cat is plain awful. Why would anyone do that. Why indeed.

So I’m with Stoney on most of them. And yes totally right. “Nonsense makes the heart grow fonder.” It definitely does,Stoney.

Yep, another must joy filled read. Another highly recommended romance. Love, love this book and series.

Btw? Adore Mars and his knitted cosies. And Shelldon too. Each story and couple have their own pets to accompany them on their journey to HEA. This time it’s tortoises to the rescue!

Special note here too. Demetri has a great neighbor, Auggie. A mechanic who was clearly crazy about the oblivious Dem. Auggie works for Big Bull Mechanics, a auto shop that’s competitive with Dare’s Auto. It’s equally full of gorgeous men. We get to meet a few here and in the next story. FYI won’t be the last we’ve seen of this group.

Synopsis: A ripped, transgender construction worker and a tweed-wearing, tortoise-shell-cozy-knitting, bear of a professor… Somebody’s getting stripped.

The last place I expected to run into my childhood camp crush was at the local university, looking all kinds of cute in a tweed jacket with a nervous blush. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for the nerdy professor type.

Demetri says he doesn’t date. I want to believe that it’s true and not that he’s not interested in a transgender man like me. If all he can offer me is friendship, I’m more than happy to take it.

Coy looks during sweaty workouts, rainy nights on his couch watching him knit shell cozies for his pet tortoise… I’m falling for him whether I want to or not.

Can I break down his walls and prove to him that he can trust me with his heart? And can I trust him with mine?

***Stripped is a swoony, steamy MM romance that is the 6th book in the Four Bears Construction Series. It can be read as a stand alone, but you won’t want to miss these bear’s antics. This series does not contain any shifters, only the OTHER kind of bears.

Four Bears Construction series:

🔵Caulky #1

🔵Nailed #2

🔵Hardwood #3

🔵Screwed #4

🔵Stud #5

🔵Stripped #6

🔵Drilled #7

🔵Goats Like Cake Too: Four Bears Construction Series Epilogue

(Four Bears Construction #7.5)

by K.M. Neuhold

K.M. Neuhold

“Nonsense makes the heart grow fonder.” Stoney

Review: Stud (Four Bears Construction #5) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 5 🌈

Stud, the fifth novel in the Four Bears Construction series, is a great example why one should read these stories in the order they were written.

Over the past four novels and romances, we’ve watched the West and Sawyer drama.

Or non drama. Because, although a stone could tell how much in love West has been with the bar owner since the first time they met, Sawyer has firmly kept West in the friend zone, if that. Book after book, glances, even a trip to Hawaii which we get caught up on here, we have seen these two men in serious denial/want about each other.

But in Stud, everything changes. And per this series,the swing in dynamics starts off hilariously. Omg, China dolls! Nope, no spoilers.

West , the nephew of Dare’s (Stone’s mechanic husband),has been a great character throughout the series. He’s been supportive, funny, all the while going through his own amount of personal growth as a young man and craftsman. He’s amazing. So I’ve been waiting for him to get his man and HEA.

Neuhold not only obliges with a funny, warm-hearted romance but an unexpected reunion that gives us all a wonderful closure.

Sawyer has been a peripheral character , one we see at Wooley’s, the bar he inherited from Gus , it’s previous owner, snd the gangs favorite hangout.

In Stud, Sawyer’s past , as astonishingly does Gus’s in a remarkably poignant story element, comes into focus. We see exactly why he’s held West at a distance for so long despite his feelings, and the turmoil inside him when West declares he’s going to start dating.

That declaration jumpstarts Sawyer and his mixed up heart and mind on a strange, funny and quite wonderful path to HEA with West , a restored Victorian, and a bunch of feathered kids. Oh my.

One element I’ve adored in each book has been the great pet/animal(s) per couple. I have sometimes forgotten to mention it. Shame on me because it’s a terrific part of each story and couple.

So here’s the list so far….

Four Bears Construction series animals:

🔵Caulky #1: Cole and Ren’s bees

🔵Nailed #2: Stone and Dare: Rudy and Nard Dog

🔵Hardwood #3, Ev and Watson, Hedgehog

🔵Screwed #4 Ollie and Daniel: Monty the Python

🔵Stud #5, West and Sawyer: Huey, Luey, Duey, Darkwing

🔵Stripped #6, Miller and Dem,

Mars and at the end Shelldon, omg so adorable. Yes review to come. Yes tortoises!

🔵Drilled #7 the finale. Apollo and Ridge, cat Log… been waiting to see a cat tbh. Review to come…

How do you not love a series that folds in such great animals along with sensitive and funny romances?

That’s easy to answer. I do. I do love them.

Each different and great couple, each amazing path to love and HEA.

I don’t have many left. Sort of dreading saying goodbye. But not yet. A few to go.

What a wonderful, heartwarming and joy filled journey it’s been so far.

Like all the others, I hope you’re on this one with me. I highly recommend this one . Stay with me till the end .

Stud: A boss, knob, or nail head…or, you know, the hot guy who’s way too young to keep asking me out with that adorably earnest smile …

It’s been three years since West walked into my bar and asked me out for the first time. I was relieved he stopped asking after the first few “no”s and a way-too-good-to-be-real kiss. He’s fifteen years younger than I am; it can only lead to trouble.

Of course, now he’s running through people off dating apps like it’s his job and wearing these lace panties that look really unfair on someone as furry and muscular as he is, and, um…what was I talking about?

I probably shouldn’t sabotage his dates, but I’m only human. I might not be ready to admit that I want him, but I’m definitely not ready to let anyone else have him either.

He’s too perfect, too hot, and I am in way too much trouble…

*** Stud is a friends-to-lovers, construction-worker-in-panties, omg-so-much-swoon story that happens to be the fifth book in the Four Bears Construction Series. Every book in this series CAN be read as a stand alone, but they’re a lot more fun together!

Stud

Stud. Goodreads sales link to options

Review: Hardwood (Four Bears Construction #3) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 4.75🌈

Once again this series goes into a different direction with Everett Aldridge and his road to HEA.

We have had Cole who wasn’t looking for love when he found Ren, his forever Honeybee. Then there was is hilarious bighearted Stoney who managed to find his true love just next door in his neighbor, Dare.

I did rush ahead to get Ollie’s story in Screwed #4 but I won’t spoil how wonderful that turned out here. But there are definitely inklings about.

Nope. Hardwood, double entrendre’ intended, is all Everett. And what a story it is. Because it’s not just a romance but also Ev’s path towards coming out of the closet he’s sealed himself into for decades. It’s about letting go of his fears, finding himself as a gay man later in life.

That’s a lot to unpack.

Especially if you’re also a father to a young daughter, Livi, and still have a ex wife ,Valerie, you maintain a good relationship with who needs to be told.

There’s a LGBTGiA crew and work family that are comfortable with themselves and their sexuality you’ve known for years thats clueless you’re gay. Now Everett needs to tell them who he really is. Because no one really knows who he is. Maybe even himself.

That’s so much pressure and guilt on top of the enormous feelings of insecurity and fear pressing down on Ev that you can almost hear him gasping for air.

The two person POV that’s a format of this series works beautifully to give us real insight into Everett’s emotional state and situations as he decides to reveal his sexuality and come out as a gay man.

It’s poignant, frustrating as he vacillates at points on deciding when is exactly the right timing, his fears and excitement on his “gay firsts”. Nuehold does such an outstanding job bringing us along with him on this journey. We are there standing on the edge with Ev time after time as he works up the courage to finally see what and who his truth self is. Bravery isn’t always huge steps but small ones.

And sometimes who need someone to support you and show you the way. That would be Watson.

Watson Bolt, the music teacher, is amazing . From his school interactions with other teachers to his song choices (young tunes and Broadway worthy showstoppers), Wats is a gem of a character. He’s such a lovely layered person, especially flirty, generous, outgoing, engaging, and vulnerable too. Love his hedgehog too.

I have to mention how much I appreciate the treatment Ev’s ex wife , Valerie, gets here. She’s a well rounded personality, seen through loving eyes as a great person and good friend. Her part in their marriage and consequent divorce is handled with great sensitivity and love. So well done.

Everett’s journey from closeted divorced perceived “straight dad” to happy out gay divorced dad in a new relationship is a path strewn with small pitfalls, a few barriers , some awful dancing and one memorable finale.

I just loved it. It set me to singing.

Not baby shark, but maybe a Broadway musical tune or two.

Snap this story up along with all the others. Yes 🙌 I’m highly recommending it and the series.

Synopsis:

I’ve spent forty-four years of my life telling the world I’m a carpet man. Is it too late to admit to myself and everyone else that deep down I’m really all about the Hardwood?

It took me over thirty-five years to admit to myself that I’m gay, another seven to find the courage to say it out loud to anyone else, and exactly thirty seconds to develop a massive crush on my daughter’s music teacher. It’s really not my fault, have you even seen those cute bowties he wears?

After everything it’s taken to get here, am I going to work up the nerve to come out to my ex-wife and my best friends? Am I ready to shake up my comfortable, simple life and take a chance on Watson? Or am I going to throw a wrench in my own chance for happily ever after?

***Hardwood is a steamy, seriously so much delicious tension, single-dad, gay awakening, low angst story, which happens to be the third in the Four Bears Construction Series. It CAN be read as a stand alone. There are NO shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears.

Sales link:

Hardwood

Four Bears Construction series:

🔵Caulky #1

🔵Nailed #2

🔵Hardwood #3

🔵Screwed #4

🔵Stud #5

🔵Stripped #6

🔵Drilled #7

🔵Goats Like Cake Too: Four Bears Construction Series Epilogue

(Four Bears Construction #7.5)

by K.M. Neuhold

Review: Screwed (Four Bears Construction #4) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 5 🌈

I skipped over Ev’s story ,(Hardwood #3), to get to this one because the characters who are the focus here have been two of the group that have come across as the maybe the most vulnerable and also quite different from the majority of the men we’ve met so far.

The vulnerable one would be Oliver “Ollie”Williams, brother to Cole Williams who fell in love with Ren, our beekeeper in the first story. Ollie’s unfortunate love life and many failed marriages have become an on-running joke at the construction company, one that’s crushing him emotionally. Albeit unknown to the others. All Ollie has ever wanted is the love his parents have and it’s all he’s failed at.

That it’s become this huge joke is awful and we feel so bad for him and the pain he’s been hiding.

The other man? The extremely gorgeous and stylish Daniel McKean, paralegal , Ren’s best friend. Daniel’s had his share of terrible relationships and it’s made his outlook on true love and soulmates a bit jaundiced. He prefers friendships, expensive clothes and a love them /buhbye lifestyle.

That doesn’t mean he’s not about to come to the defense of a man he see’s suffering as the butt of a unfunny joke.

Honestly, I watched these two over the last two books and was going … “yes, they are perfect “!

Fierce Daniel and a bewildered Ollie who couldn’t see why he wasn’t lovable. Be still my heart.

Where Nailed was so much laughter (goats and underwear 🤣😱), this is equal parts soul searching/character growth and still laughter, but perhaps a gentler sort.

There’s too much painful history in both men’s romantic history for this to be a giggle fest. Too much lack of trust , too much each has to learn about themselves and what it means to truly love someone and be in a real relationship.

They do it of course. Through that wonderful trope of a “fake husband “ after a drunken wedding in Las Vegas.

What follows is real, funny, sweet, and, like all the others, a remarkably romantic journey towards true love and HEA.

One we adore taking with them.

This is a series where each couple is so different that they become a fav of mine, each in a different way. I love them all. And can’t wait to read the next ones romance.

Honestly I finish each one feeling happy, light hearted, and joyful.

That’s something I’m thankful for these days.

So yes I’m highly recommending this book and the series.

It doesn’t seem to matter where you start but I’d still start at the beginning. It’s just more fun that way to see the progression.

Synopsis:

I’ve had my fair share of less than proud relationship moments, but waking up married to my brother-in-law’s best friend is a new low.

A drunken wedding to a man who already rejected me once? Check. A hefty bet about how long it will last? Check. My feisty new husband, determined to make our friends pay up? Double check.

I’ve never managed to make a real relationship last nearly a year, there’s no way Daniel will stick around long enough to win this bet. The only problem is the longer he stays, the more the lines blur between what’s real and what’s for show. Does he feel it too or am I totally screwed?

***Screwed is a woke up married, faking it to their friends but also totally hooking up, sweet, STEAMY love story that happens to be the fourth book in the Four Bears Construction series. There are no bear shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears

Screwed

Four Bears Construction series:

🔵Caulky #1

🔵Nailed #2

🔵Hardwood #3

🔵Screwed #4

🔵Stud #5

🔵Stripped #6

🔵Drilled #7

🔵Goats Like Cake Too: Four Bears Construction Series Epilogue

(Four Bears Construction #7.5)

by K.M. Neuhold

Review: : Nailed (Four Bears Construction #2) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 5🌈

This series….it has really captured my heart.

I mean I have all these other books lined up…mysteries, romance adventures, SyFi … but I keep coming back to these guys and their clumsy, adorable journeys to HEA and true love.

Take Nailed, please. No , really, grab this one right up. Especially if you’re in need of laughter as well as romance.

And dogs. Such adorable dogs. I ❤️ Rudy. And Nerd Dog.

I laughed so much here.

One because Stone is one irresistible teddy bear of, well, a gorgeous bear of a man. Sweet, doesn’t understand why everyone wouldn’t like him, huge heart.

You’re going to adore him. I’m still cracking up over his understanding of traditional “sayings “. I won’t spoil them for you but they leave me in giggles even now, I just love him. I do. Soooo sexy too.

Then there’s the neighbor,Dare Maslow . A bit grumpy, solitary but all with good reason as we eventually find out. Layers with this one. He’s also the owner of the adorable Rudy.

This is such a great enemies to lovers story. I laughed so hard in places. I totally enjoyed their antics as they “fought” and pranked their way to love. To say that I was thoroughly entertained by every step of their tumultuous relationship is to put it mildly. From highly sexy romps to downright hilarity, this couple kept the story flowing fast and so smoothly I was at the end before I knew it and wanted to be.

Of course, all the other “bears” and partners are there. I’ve gotten so fond of them as well.

I’m actually jumping over to Screwed because I just need that story NOW.

I’ll come back to Ev’s immediately after. Honestly, these men.

Anyway, I’m staying the course. I’m reading all the stories here until I’m finished with the series. I need the happiness and laughter these men are bringing into my life at the moment.

It’s such fun and light hearted joy. I’m highly recommending them. Especially this one.

Synopsis:

My new neighbor is a total tool.

He hated me from the second he laid eyes on me, and I don’t have the first clue why… But, if he wants to hate me, I’m happy to give him a few reasons: mowing the lawn at dawn on the weekend, leaving garbage cans in front of his driveway, renting a petting zoo for my backyard…making a list of ways to drive him crazy is half the fun.

He deserves it with the way he’s driving me crazy right back without even trying— walking around without a shirt on, sweaty rippling muscles on full display, well-worn denim jeans perfectly molded to his…well, you get the idea.

My point is, if he wants a war, I’ll give him one.

***Nailed is an enemies to lovers, neighbors who can’t stand each other, omg the anger banging, drool worthy, low angst story, which happens to be the second in my Four Bears Construction series. It CAN be read as a stand alone. There are NO shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears

Nailed

Stone

Rudy the dog

Four Bears Construction series:

🔵Caulky #1

🔵Nailed #2

🔵Hardwood #3

🔵Screwed #4

🔵Stud #5

🔵Stripped #6

🔵Drilled #7

🔵Goats Like Cake Too: Four Bears Construction Series Epilogue

(Four Bears Construction #7.5)

by K.M. Neuhold

Review: Caulky (Four Bears Construction #1)by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 4.5🌈

Caulky is a totally sweet and sexy contemporary romance, the first in a new series about a group of single men working in a construction company.

Best way to describe it comes from a conversation between Cole and Ren where they saw their meeting as a sexy, porn worthy “You’ve Got Mail’. Although neither could agree on who was Meg Ryan… 🤣

Full of humor and sweet insights into the scary nature of dating ,we watch them take as they finally agree to take towards something substantial and potentially wondrous.

Love both Cole and Ren as well as all the characters the surround them. We are likely to see each get their own story in this series and that includes Daniel, Ren’s outrageous best friend.

The beekeeping element is well done and folded in beautifully along side Ren’s character that it adds a depth not only to his personality but to the story as well. Love that.

My only slight quibble was the oddness of having a mother (Cole’s) threatening to “wash your mouth out with soap “ because of a expletive. He’s over forty. While he should respect her desire for a certain type of language in her house, she should also show some in return. But back to that phrase.

Not only is that ridiculous but I’ve always found that expression as offensive as it is old fashioned. It implies a measure of abuse that’s no longer tolerated by society. That phrase shouldn’t be either.

Just my opinion.

That aside, this is a marvelous romance. I adored both men and their relationship. I look forward to to seeing more of them , hopefully, in the novels that follow.

Now I’m onto book two. Can’t wait.

Need a new series and contemporary romance? Try this one, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

Synopsis;Ren is in desperate need of a rebound fling. Lucky for him, the smoking hot contractor he hired has just the tool for the job.

The last thing I want is another relationship or another broken heart.

All I need are my bees and the occasional hookup to scratch the itch.

Okay, maybe meeting up with my hot contractor weekly is a little more than occasional. And maybe the way I’m starting to feel about the guy I’ve been anonymously chatting with online should concern me.

But CaulkyAF doesn’t want to meet, and Cole doesn’t want anything serious, so what’s the worst that could happen?

****Caulky is book 1 in the Four Bears Construction series and can be read as a stand-alone. This is a funny, steamy MM story guaranteed to make you laugh and swoon. Absolutely NO cheating and NO love triangle. This series does NOT contain shifters, it’s the OTHER kind of bears.

K.M.

K.M. Neuhold

Four Bears Construction series:

🔵Caulky #1

🔵Nailed #2

🔵Hardwood #3

🔵Screwed #4

🔵Stud #5

🔵Stripped #6

🔵Drilled #7

🔵Goats Like Cake Too: Four Bears Construction Series Epilogue

(Four Bears Construction #7.5)

by K.M. Neuhold

Review: Limelight (Vino & Veritas #15) by E. Davies

Rating: 3.5🌈

Here I am diving back into the Vino and Veritas series and Burlington,Vermont. It’s like coming home.

A bit of a change here in that the main characters are only peripherally connected to V & V instead of working at either establishment.

Caleb Holt, poet and accountant, adorable nerd , goes to live mic night and reads his poetry. Or does on the night he meets Tag.

That would be Titus “Tag “ Taylor, former famous rocker now bee keeper and meadery owner. The rocker part of his life is behind him and something he’s kept secret since he came to Burlington, giving up. Titus for Tag. An identity he far prefers.

From the moment they spot each other, it’s a story of love at first sight or at least first meeting. These two are almost deeply committed to each other within a week.

And while they do a lot of talking, it’s not completely honest. While Caleb, virgin that he is, is communicating his need for clarity and openness in a relationship Tag is inwardly justifying why he is hiding a huge part of who he was from Caleb. A huge something that has the potential to disrupt his life once again via the internet and paparazzi.

Once they get together, Tag’s inability to tell Caleb is frustrating especially as he is given endless opportunities.

As a reader I far prefer my characters and couples to act like adults. And that means communication. Something missing here.

I love the whole beekeepering and meadery elements. Those just added such richness to this story and depth to the character of Tag. I really could see his love for his craft, the bees, and all the different meads he crafted. In fact, I was ready for a taste testing myself.

I really need to find a meadery.

Caleb’s family, overbearing and loving. Also a genuine plus. As was his poetry.

Don’t get me started on Queenie. Loved her.

But that relationship was quick, and a bit too instant love for me to commit to it immediately. I just was too wary. For Caleb , and then Tag.

I liked the epilogue. That was sweet and heartwarming.

Overall a sweet romance I put in the win column .

Synopsis:Save the bees, ride a rock star.

Formerly famous . . . and planning to keep it that way.

After my band kicked me out, I ran away to Vermont, changed my name, and kept my head down. So far, it’s working and nobody knows who I am. Or who I was. Until I see geeky poet Caleb stumbling through his first open mic night and I can’t help rescuing him. He’s as sweet as the honey my bees make and sexy enough to make me rethink so many things. But I can’t tell him my secret, or I’ll lose the anonymous life I worked so hard to build.

Everyone warns me he’s too good to be true.

I can’t believe a gorgeous, successful winemaker like Tag is into shy, geeky little accountant me. But he helps me blossom and believe in my talent, and works his way into my heart and my bed… not necessarily in that order. I’m falling for a man for the first time, and now I know what the missing number in my equation has always been.

When lies are revealed, though, someone’s going to get stung

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsLimelight (Vino and Veritas, #15) by E. Davies

Vino and Veritas series to date:

🔵Featherbed (Vino and Veritas 1) by Annabeth Albert

🔵Heartscape #2 by Garrett Leigh

🔵Headstrong #3 by Eden Finley

🔵Undercover #4 by Eliot Grayson

🔵Aftermath #5 by LA Witt

🔵Booklover #6 by JE Birk

🔵Flipcup #7 by Kim Hartfield f/f

🔵Hideaway #8 by Rachel Lacey f/f

🔵Turnabout #9 by Laurel Greer

🔵Unguarded #10 by Jay Hogan

🔵Insatiable #11 by Rhys Everly

🔵Daybreak #12 by Kate Hawthorne

🔵Heartsong #13 by AE Wasp

🔵Stronghold #14 by Ana Ashley

🔵Limelight #15 by E Davis

🔵Unforgettable #16 by Marley Valentine

🔵Showstopper #17 by Regina Kyle

🔵Undone #18 by Leslie McAdams

https://www.goodreads.com › seriesWeb resultsVino & Veritas Series by Annabeth Albert – Goodreads

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