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: Gravemound by Kim Fielding

Rating: 5🌈

The blurb doesn’t begin to tell a reader exactly how unusual and amazing a story Gravemound is.

Much like Grimm’s tales but containing far more hope and light at the end then Grimm ever included, this novella takes on such large themes as grief, abandonment, deep loss, alienation, and fear.

And through a gentle, broken man in recovery, we watch as ,one by one , step by hesitant step, Phineas moves through the stages of bereavement and grief, accepting the loss of his beloved husband, and the home world they left behind but meant to return to.

Fielding creates an alien village and culture that slowly welcomes the unassuming Star Demon, we watch as bonds form between villagers and Phineas. And our hearts ache and rejoice as Phineas recovers and finds peace and something more.

Yes, there’s a soul reaper element here , just as unusual and extremely well written as the rest of this incredible tale. The twist when it arises is both unexpected and perfect.

So is the epilogue.

Gravemound is a great example why Kim Fielding is a must read author. Her characters are unusual, feel real, have enormous depth of personality, and frankly always intrigue me.

And her tales? Such plots! I grab them up as soon as she finishes them.

Gravemound ticks all the boxes. I highly recommend it and Fielding.

Grab it up immediately.

An d what a gorgeous cover. Love it.

Synopsis:

Grimm in spaaaaace!

In this retelling of a classic fairy tale, Phineas Coleman is stranded on a planet far from home and must find a way to support himself in this new land. A selfish local man offers to help him with a livelihood if Phin will promise to protect him from a soul-reaper. Three nights alone while watching over a gravemound sounds like a terrifying chore—until Phin receives some unexpected assistance

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsGravemound by Kim Fielding – Goodreads

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

Review : Fathers of the Bride by Marshall Thornton

Rating: 5 🌈

I’ve so often associated Marshall Thornton with his outstanding but often gritty , and dark stories and series (Boystown series and Pinx Video Mysteries series, both must reads) that I forget this author also writes extremely funny, effervescent novels.

Such as Fathers of the Bride, just released.

Incredibly witty, often with on point dialogue so sharp you could cut a razor thin slice of wagyu to serve up to whom ever is being dissected over an immaculately prepared menu. Talk about spew worthy sentences and comments made! Oh my!

A lovely wine or cocktail at hand and sitting around the table, characters so memorable and utterly charming as to win their way swiftly into your heart.

This book was just what I needed.

It starts off with a sharp little prologue from their daughter, Kelly Kettering-Lane. She begins remarking how much her name sounds more like a street address then an actual person. I immediately love her. It only gets better as she tells us her fathers ruined her wedding. Oh the glee!

Then we jump to Chapter 1 and already the anticipation is high!

We meet one father first, Miles Kettering-Lane . Very flamboyant, very ummm the House and Garden network host you would have in your mind…. If it was an updated version of Charles Nelson Reilly.

Not familiar? YouTube or Google him. He’s magnificent. And his commentary on his returned daughter is one for the ages, for framing and one a lot of fathers would agree with.

In other words, he’s perfection.

When he says agoraphobia has gotten a bad rap? Spew moment number 1.

Anyway moving on because I could quote this man all day.

This daughter/ father relationship was intimate and so wonderfully built that I pictured them easily.

I had a great surprise coming. Been debating how much I should say.

But when father of the bride 2 shows, Andy Kettering-Lane, it’s completely marvelous because Thornton shows us a father/daughter dynamic that works just as deeply and lovingly but in a completely different way.

I was dumbfounded as I how much I adored how the shifts in dynamics felt real and moving. Each man displaying a different knowledge of their daughter and the same for the daughter.

And into this falls a complicated son in law parents uh foursome dynamics. You have to read it, trust me. Then there’s Andy’s young influencer boyfriend Raj and his ever present streaming. Yeah we know him.

The wedding zillas start growing, things get immediately and hysterically out of control, including feelings.

Those pesky things.

Miles and Andy are ground in their long personal history, the love that never seemed to have left them, and a house that holds nothing but love and memories.

Ok I really need to start rereading this again. Just writing this review reminds me of all the things I love about the story and want to relive.

Take it from me. You need love and laughter, lively snark, outstanding spew worthy dialogue, and a second chance at love story in your life. Fathers of the Bride is it. Grab it up, start reading now! I highly recommend it!

Synopsis: After more than two decades together, Andrew Lane and Miles Kettering-Lane are going through a nasty divorce. Not only are they unraveling their relationship but also their business—Miles once had a popular home show on cable with Andrew serving as his producer/manager—the failure of which they blame on each other. Now, they’d be happy to never, ever see each other again. But the daughter they both adore, Kelly, announces she’s getting married, and that means one very important thing: a wedding.

Thrown together, at event after event—meeting the in-laws, planning the wedding, throwing an elaborate engagement party—the two clash over everything until, their future in-laws, Bradley and Pudge Lincoln and Terry and Lissa Collins, try to take over the entire wedding. The Lincoln-Collins’ are very wealthy, to quote Pudge, “People think we’re in the one percent but that’s so embarrassing. We’re barely in the two percent!”

Andrew and Miles realize they have to work together in order to compete with the overbearing Lincoln-Collins’ and give their daughter the wedding she deserves. Along the way, they realize things just might not be over between them

Goodreads Sales link:

Fathers of the Bride

Review: Dragon Ever After (Here Be Dragons #1) by Louisa Masters

Dragon Ever After (Here Be Dragons #1) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4.25 🌈.

First thing this book taught me? Don’t judge a story by it’s “CRASH !!!”.

Outside of comic books (awesome) and the Adam West Batman tv series ( equally awesome), a word like that is most likely to be followed by a KERPOW! or a BAM!

None of which I really want in my romances at the moment. Go figure.

But that initial (and only) Adam West worthy action capped exclamation aside, this story is a wonderful romantic read.

Second thing this book taught me? I really need to go find and dive into the entire Hidden Species series for which this story and new series is not only linked but has as its foundation. Huh. Didn’t know that. Missed a good series as well as a bunch of back history and world building apparently.

Both the main leads here played huge, I’m talking honking big , hero roles in that series. So yeah, need to do that asap. It’s where they first meet after all and, if one (meaning me or any reader new to these characters and universe) ,needs to know exactly what a lucifer is or the CSG, well, it’s to those books we go.

However, even with missing past histories and universe building, the author does attempt to fill in some of the Hidden Species highlights so we don’t feel completely in the dark.

That plus the marvelous and utterly charming characters we meet here make this a story you will want to read and a series to add to your watch list.

There’s a whole host of splendid beings, a bunch a fascinating dragons adjusting to a new world to adore, Brandt and Percy’s relationship which was quick, often sexy and very funny, and an entire family of friends to get to know. I quickly found them all to be a very engaging, warm-hearted bunch!

It all starts with that crash in the backyard of Percy Caraway, Felid shifter, former Lucifer at CSG. The crashee? A very young dragonet out for a night spin without his parents knowledge. To the rescue?

Wing Leader Brandt. Be still Percy’s heart and ours.

The author has a wonderful way with a humorous phrase and situation. Whether it’s tweens on the loose or adults looking for privacy, everyone here can relate and laugh. And love these beings in lust and love.

The story isn’t a long one and will leave you wanting more of both this new universe and characters.

I look forward to the next installment.

Meanwhile it’s off to track down the Hidden Species series.

Read this. I know you’re going to enjoy it as much as I did.

Synopsis:Note to self: You can’t teach an old dragon new tricks … he likes to invent his own.

After half a century of chaos, my retirement from leading the Community of Species Government has been bliss. No more hellhounds playing pranks. No more snippy demons demanding my attention. No more cajoling money from the wealthy to support the community. Just peace while I avoid my overbearing father and try to work out what my next steps will be.

Although… maybe three years of peace is enough. It might even be starting to get… boring. In fact, an adolescent dragon crash-landing on my landlord’s shed is just the kind of excitement I need—especially when he brings his species leader to my door.

Brandt. Wing leader of all dragons, suave, sexy, and … slightly unhinged. It doesn’t take much for him to convince me to give up my solitude and spend some time getting to know him. It’s hard to care about the future when I’ve got a dragon of my own to “play” with. Naked dragon rides for the win, right?

But Brandt’s the leader of his people, on call for them all the time, and I’ve left that part of my life behind me. Plus my father insists I should fulfil my duty to the family by getting a nine-to-five job and “marrying well.” That’s not what I want, but riding herd on a group of beings who fly, breathe fire, and could literally crush me beneath their feet would be a huge challenge, especially since Brandt’s kind of loose with r Note to self: You can’t teach an old dragon new tricks … he likes to invent his own.

It all comes down to how much I want my very own dragon ever after.

This exciting spin-off from the Hidden Species series kicks off with Percy’s romance.

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsDragon Ever After (Here Be Dragons, #1) by Louisa Masters – Goodreads

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