Stories from the small town of Fall Crosse and Four Bears Construction include:
Happy Birthday Honey (Cole and Ren)
Baby Goats (Stone and Dare)
Stone and Dareās Wedding – ditto
Christmas Butt Plug. (Everett and Watson)
Tequila Wedding (Ollie and Daniel)
GOATS LIKE CAKE TOO – Four Bears Epilogue
Each one is exactly what the author says, a short scene from the coupleās life. Cute or sexy or both. The stories are a terrific way to close out the series and say goodbye to these characters and their HEAās.
If you love them and want to see more of their lives, this is just the thing for you.
I had no idea that K. M. Neuholdās dark crime romance series, Mafia Bound, would climb to the top of my list of favorites from this author. But it certainly has just based on the two fantastic books Neuhold has released in this addictive series.
Violent, dangerously sexual, full of men ready for kinky sex and dark unmistakable attraction amidst Mafia family drama and power struggles within the criminal territories of their city. Yes, please!
Mafia Bound has its center in the powerful crime family, the Morettis, run by big brother, Lorenzo Moretti. The first story, which I loved, featured his enforcer, the Ice Man, Xaviaro Saviano, and his romance with Sparrow, an assassin with an agenda. They are seen again here in all their loving psychotic glory. Perfection.
The hints of this relationship we saw in that novel come out swinging here, literally as Elioās obsession with MMA/ underground boxing champion Orion is on full display during a courtside match. Itās a match where anything goes, and the fury, the sheer intensity and physicality just powers off the page.
Neuhold sets the tone and themes here for the characters, the settings, and their dynamic, all right there at the beginning. Itās violent, bloody, powerful, intense, gripping, and magnetic. Each character is so well executed and beautifully defined that we understand them even though they have more layers to be revealed as the story progresses.
Each man is set both within their own family and history, and then within their developing world where their universe will eventually overlap. Itās fascinating to watch/read about because we feel a part of this coupleās journey. That Orion makes a credible reversal in his view of the Moretti family is due to how Neuhold handled this aspect of his journey in the storyline. Well done.
This is how the reader makes such an intimate connection with them , the understanding we reach with each of them, one thatās potentially very dark as well given the violent nature of the situations.
This is a BDSM D/s relationship, with someone who craves certain elements within their sexual play. Read the notes. This will go for the series as well, per the characters.
The plot lines, the characters and their interactions were so great. I loved the elements with Jack. Thatās Orionās brother whose disability plays a huge part of the story. And as the two novels have hinted at, Dante,the intriguing dancer, has a relationship of his own with Sal coming.
I canāt wait for this one.
So, more please. Iām so hooked. The Moretti family has me in their clutches. Iām highly recommending Beautifully Savage Butterfly but start with Deadly Little Sparrow, then head here.
Being savage in the ring is one thing. The way Elio Moretti craves my violence outside the ring is another.
I feel like Iāve been fighting my whole life, and tapping out has never been an option.
I can live with owing money to the Morettis. I can even live with the constant guilt that my brother is the one paralyzed in a hospital bed while I live his dream. What I canāt live with is Elio Moretti, second in command to the infamous crime family, showing up to all my fights, sitting in the front row, watching me like he canāt look away, and barging into the locker room to patch up my wounds and invade my space.
The Morettis are monsters. Vicious, brutal sociopaths. So, why is Elio so eager to get on his knees for me?
Heās as desperate to give up control as I am to take it, but is giving in to these primal urges enough of a reason to sell my soul?
He claims there are worse people in this city than his family, and the deeper I get dragged into his world, the more true thatās starting to seem. Can I really fall in love with a Mafia underboss? Is it even possible to walk away?
Ever since Riggs, the small, prickly, large engine mechanic arrived in at Big Bull Mechanics, itās been fun to imagine how and who Nuehold will pair him up with.
Turns out itās Shep, the gorgeous extroverted, sexy mechanic, with the sexual appendage thatās either haunted or so addictive that Shep doesnāt do anything but one night stands . Because the people he sleeps with become a little crazed when he doesnāt want them around afterwards. Like stalking him and vandalize his precious automobile.
Itās a magnificent golden retriever slut and tiny assassin chihuahua sort of hookup with many complications and motorcycles and a garage full of found family mechanics.
What adds depth to this is Riggās assumption that heās ābroken ā inside because of his failed past relationships. The reason for this assumption is a revelation that comes from an unexpected source. Shep. Their slowly growing friendship changes each man gradually but profoundly.
Nuehold also creates a fabulous crow character that adds a wonderful sense of who Riggs is outside of the shop, a softer layer that isnāt always seen.
A strong thread here turns out that one of the characters is aromantic. This is a rarely seen character trait in romance novels and Nuehold does a great job in introducing the character to a sexual identity he wasnāt aware of, then letting him understand how finally, by applying it to himself, he could see himself and his actions in a different perspective. A life changing one.
The relationship between Shep and Riggās feels believable and halting in its growth, including Riggās and Shepās personal issues to deal with.
The secondary threads and all the couples that made appearances were well done and never felt superfluous to the storylines.
There are some single characters who had important roles here but Iām not sure if they are going to get any stories going onward. I hope so.
Lube Job (Big Bull Mechanics #5) by K.M. Nuehold is another excellent book in this series, a definite recommendation.
The only thing bigger than Riggsā attitude is his toolā¦ And only one of those problems can be solved with more lubeā¦
There’s no tragic backstory or closet stuffed full of skeletons from relationshipsā past. I’ve just never been very good at the āvery special episodeā sh*t. If you’re looking for a shoulder to cry on, may I suggest a therapist?
Casual fun with my emotionally stunted, overgrown frat boy roommate slash co-worker should be perfect, right? Shep seems to be just as allergic to commitment as I am to emotions, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need our stroker rods serviced, if you catch my drift.
Now if he’ll just stop looking at me with those dopey puppy dog eyes while I’m elbow deep in a diesel engine, and making my stomach flip with that smile of his, that would be greatā¦
Tattooed, sweet Auggie finally gets his HEA in Rear Ended after a failed crush on Dimitri, and a series of unfortunate dates. All it takes is for a new resident of their hometown to arrive to live with his younger brother when his life explodes on him in Chicago.
So in other words, a man with a lot going on, tons to figure out, and an uneasy future ahead.
Thatās Henry, whose IT business has failed along with his expensive lifestyle. And, unfortunately , his perception of who he was equated with that outward projection of a successful businessman. Now Henry is lost. And staying at his younger brotherās house, fearful heās a failure that will never recover.
Neuhold has written a low angst, sweet romance, between two older men, that includes an adorable pot bellied pig, Hamlet.
It contains mature conversations, complete with apologies for some idiotic, fearful behaviors, some lusty sex, and a lot of smooshy contented men getting into a new relationship.
It also brings in some new exciting people and introduces a new ink shop , Ink Slingers, who are also part of a motorcycle club, Skins Motorcycle Club, into this universe that includes an ever expanding group of connected series.
For me, I wanted to know more about Jay and his friends (Jaguar, Tex, Hero, Felix, Piston) than I did about the settled , sweet world of Auggie, Henry, and Hammie. Although the race episode was very funny.
Also can we please get Riggs and Shep together? I canāt wait for their relationship to start!
I enjoyed Rear Ended even if I think it didnāt have the chemistry or character development of the previous stories. Itās a lovely, sexy low angst romance. A perfect read for the early summer days!
And I think this town will be heating up soon enough with more hot inked men and motorcycles.
Iām recommending the book and the series!
Big Bull Mechanics:
ā Crankshaft #1
ā Stroker #2
ā Stick Stift #3
ā Rear Ended #4
Description:
Love is a highway, and Henry just got Rear Ended
Iāve spent my entire adult life working eighty hours a week, chasing money, securityā¦ success. When my recent start-up went under, leaving me with nothing to show for years of grinding myself down to the bone, Iām not sure who I am anymore. I never thought Iād be forty-eight with no money, living with my brother, trying to figure everything out from scratch. But, here we areā¦
All that chasing didnāt leave a lot of time for romance or relationships either. Unless you count the occasional hook-up to let off a little steam. Now I have all the free time in the worldā¦ but who would want a middle-aged failure anyway?
When one of my most recent hook-ups turns out to be my new coworker, Iām starting to think the universe is having a good laugh at my expense.
As if Auggie wasnāt tempting enough with all of the tattoos and his surprisingly sweet smile, now Iām spending all day watching him work. Heās covered in grease, with his overalls half zippedā¦ is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?
Heās impossible to resist, but that doesnāt make the timing any better. Body work is one thing, but Iām determined to keep my heart out of it. If only Auggie would stop baking me cookies and touching me in ways that keep my engine running all night long. I think weāre going to need some coolant in here, because things are definitely heating upā¦
*** Rear Ended is book 4 in the Big Bull Mechanics series but can be read as a stand alone. Itās full of mechanic puns, hilarious and swoony banter, tons of heat, and two men falling in love in spite of their best efforts to keep things casual.
Big Bull Mechanics is a deceptively deep and complex contemporary series. Each installment uses a popular trope as a launching point, then weaves through it, a few other elements that make it stronger and more interesting. And favorite couples/characters from the other stories and preceding series are among the supporting cast that acts as comedic and emotional support.
Stick Shift opens at the shop as members of Big Bull Mechanics discuss the recent romantic developments that have happened, and jokingly make bets on whoās gonna be next to fall in love.
Red, one of our narrators, internally vocalizes it wonāt be him as heās only been in love with one person. His straight best friend of close to thirty years and itās never going to change.
Thatās the clue for a phone call to come from Journey, our other second POV, and Redās best friend since childhood. Heās returned from abroad because of a family loss, one that changes the trajectory of his life and Redās.
Nuehold captures so many amazing elements here. The return and reestablishment of a almost cellular deep friendship. The warmth, chemistry, and just personal knowledge that the author is able to write into their dynamics makes them and their relationship, in all its changes, so believable, beautiful, and rare.
The slow knowledge and awareness of Red sexually that slides into Journeyās head and emotions. The small inkling that occurs to Red that gets his hopes up. Itās so real in its awkwardness and stumbles. And fears.
All that surrounded by a wildflower crown wearing mini Highland cow named Angie, a battle scarred barn cat Cornelius, Sanders the Rooster, a herd of alpacas , and the very nosy crew of Big Bull Mechanics.
Plus Stone (āRome wasnāt built on hayā) and his gang make wonderful appearances too!
Iād say a surfeit of plenty, but itās not. It all comes together like a most desirable smorgasbord of narrative delights.
One of my favorite stories of the series. It will be hard to beat.
Stick Shift would have been perfect except that Angie and Milkshake disappeared at the end. And worse, while Nigel the smutty mouthed parrot made an appearance at the wedding, neither adorable bovine was to be seen! Unforgivable.
Iām highly recommending that you read this book. The series too. It helps to have read the series but itās not absolutely necessary.
Big Bull Mechanics:
ā Crankshaft #1
ā Stroker #2
ā Shift Stick #3
For the connected series, see Four Bears Construction 7 books.
Is it possible my straight best friend had a sudden stick shift?
I made peace with my hopeless crush on my straight best friend, Journey, years ago. It helps that heās never in the country long and our relationship consists of sporadic texts and video chats at odd hours.
Now Journey is back. Back in the country, in my space, sharing my bed, and something is changing between us.
Neither of us has a clue how to run the small farm his uncle left him, but Iām willing to be the idiot standing next to him, figuring it out. Learning how to shear an alpaca or keep a rogue mini cow out of the kitchen looks easy compared to navigating the sudden change in Journey.
Is he looking at me differently? Is he touching me more? Straight guys donāt normally kiss other men, right? I donāt know whatās happening between us, but Iāll put things in gear and floor it all the way.
***Stick Shift is a bi-awakening, best friends to lovers story with farm animal shenanigans, nosy mechanics, and all the steam and sweetness you can handle
I have been looking forward to this new release since the authorās announcement at the end of The Four Bears Construction series. Thatās where we met the men of Big Bull Mechanics Shop, the other automotive shop in town, other than Dareās, husband to Stone, one of the Four Bears.
Steeleās the owner of Big Bull Mechanics and half of the two POV narrative. Heās weighed down by the responsibilities of small business ownership, itās long hours and his own feelings making it hard on relationships . Plus, the fact heās always tasked with bailing out a 40 ish irresponsible younger brother.
His companion, his Husky puppy, Denali.
Dr. Porter Grant, Veterinarian, is our other perspective. Heās a character from Four Bears Construction series. There a intern , now heās graduated and a Licensed Vet with his own clinic . But Porter is also someone suffering from overwhelming issues hitting him. First time vet, beginning small time business owner, no social life. And a big corporation wanting to buy his clinic or threatening to put his small veterinary clinic out of operation. Thatās so much to handle on his own.
Nuehold makes us understand and completely relate to both men and the circumstances they find themselves in.
A one night stand that turns into awkward, clumsy meetings afterwards? Yup. Dates that donāt go as planned because one or both are just too exhausted to mentally or even physically show up? Yes. Nuehold gives us, and her wonderful characters, a firm foundation in every day reality. Steeleās late? Heās also covered in the appropriate grease and grime associated with working in a busy garage. Porterās on call with animal emergencies that sound exactly right for the season. Lost dogs found overheated from running around in the hot summer day.
Love this that both men are defined so perfectly by their personalities and refined by their love of their jobs.
Even their romance, halting as it is as they work their way through layers of responsibilities into a relationship, is worked out in believable steps, one small barrier crossed at a time. Even their sexual relationship, when they actually have time to have it, is extremely hot!
I found myself absolutely connecting to this couple, and their romance.
Plus each comes with a host of friends that can be considered found family. For Porter, heās adding a new one that Iām sure will have a story later on. Steeleās friends and brotherās books will follow as well. They are a interesting and wonderful bunch.
Iām looking forward to each and everyone getting their HEA!
Start here . Itās one Iām highly recommending.
I donāt have time for a relationship, not even with the adorably dorky vet I canāt seem to stop bumping intoā¦ *sigh * pass the oil and lube
Between running a garage full of beefed up, gear head mechanics and bailing my idiot brother out of trouble every other week, the last thing I have time for is a relationship.
Iāve tried it too many times, and the ridiculous reasons I always find to end it have become a running joke around the garage. But Iāve learned my lesson. No. More. Boyfriends.
I donāt care how many times Porter falls asleep drunk in my bed or how cute he looks covered in oil smears while I teach him how to fix up the vintage car he has rusting away in his garage, Iām not going to fall for him.
Even if I did, what do a mechanic and a veterinarian have in common anyway?
Itās better if weāre only friendsā¦ friends who occasionally fiddle with each otherās crankshaftsā¦
š¹Connected to The Four Bears Construction Company series.
Itās been a while since the first novel where I encountered Harlow (he of the movie Meet Cute) and Teddy but it only took a sentence or two before the effervescent Low and the steadfast Teddy came happily alive once more.
This time the now together pair is leaving sunny LA for the snowy temps of Minnesota and a Christmas with Teddyās family. Itās Lowās first time meeting them and at a major holiday at that.
What could go wrong?
Neuhold brings us a delightful heartwarming story, filled with family, Holiday gathering and festivities, as well as a bit of angst when Teddyās mother slow to warm up to Low. Neuhold gently explores a realistic,loving mother/son relationship and the changing dynamic when one brings home their āforever loveā. I so enjoyed watching the family, Tedās mother and the men navigate what could have been a awkward holiday but instead turns out to be a very happily memorable Christmas.
Operation Meet the Parents is a well written holiday romance centered around an established wonderful couple, two highly delightful men, each with a secret mission and special gifts for each other. Thereās so much laughter, tremendous characters,some sexy fun, and a ton of love of all types, romantic and that of family.
In short, just a terrific story and a great Christmas sequel for Low and his Teddy Bear. Iām really hoping that Neuhold will give us their wedding and a welcome reunion with both families and friends.
Both books are just a delight and Iām absolutely recommending both. Read one, then this heartfelt lovely Christmas tale.
Operation HEA series:
Operation Meet Cute #1
Operation Meet the Parents #2
Synopsis:
Teddy is ready to pop the question, but can he find the perfect movie-moment proposal for Harlow? And more importantly, will Low survive meeting the parents? Oh, the joy of Christmas.
A missed connecting flight, inappropriate winter attire, and a kitchen fireā¦it wouldnāt be Christmas without some complications, right?
I know Harlow is desperately trying to impress my family, but Iām a lot more concerned about coming up with a proposal worthy of his Hollywood dreams. That is if he doesnāt burn the house down first.
Thereās nothing like the holidays with family. Fa la la la laā¦.
***Operation Meet the Parents is a 25K word novella companion to the full-length novel, Operation Meet Cute. Donāt miss this warm and fuzzy, all-the-Christmas-feels, steamy story.
Here it is. The final story and the end of a series I really donāt want to say goodbye to. Hmmm perhaps the author will give me a path to potentially seeing them all againā¦.
Anywayā¦ back to Drilled . Itās that wonderful best friends to enemies to lovers story we all love to read.
What? Thatās 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 groupās company many pranks, and in the Friday night Wollseyās 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 heās building within the company. Not that heās admitting that.
The new guy? Thatās forty year old construction builder Ridgeway āRidgeā Tanner. Heās recently returned to Wisconsin, a place he formerly called home. Still, heās shocked to see standing in the office of the company thatās just hired him a man he hasnāt 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 wonāt tell Cole and the rest of the company why thereās bad history between Ridge and himself. Ridge wonāt 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 Apolloās fallback measures. All in full force.Until Ridgeās efforts to make Apollo listen to him finally make the past and the events that broke them apart make sense.
Itās a fine line here between what should be revealed and spoilerville. Itās 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. Iāll just say the anticipation leading up doesnāt 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 whoās not, but all those weāve basically followed from meeting to HEA. Even Miller and Demetriās childhood camp past was briefly mentioned but happy mostly , puking incident aside.
But this is the first story where the past severely impacts the menās 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. Itās 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, itās not the happiest of environment youād 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 thereās 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. Thereās humor, because this series is full of laughter. Thereās 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, Watsonās 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 heāll 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 (Demās 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. Canāt wait to see them again and maybe one will be Porterās bunny man. I can always hope.
So while normally Iād be bereft at having to say goodbye to these amazing people and their joy-filled, sweet, heartwarming love stories, Iām 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. Iām sure Iāll be revisiting them at some time.
Because as Stoney would sayā¦
āNonsense makes the heart grow fonder.ā
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 itās just more fun to see the progression that way.
So hereās the list:
Four Bears Construction series and their animals:
šµCaulky #1: Cole and Renās bees
šµNailed #2: Stone and Dare: Rudy and Nard Dog
šµHardwood #3, Ev and Watson, Hedgehog
šµScrewed #4 Ollie and Daniel: Monty the Python
šµStud #5, West and Sawyer: Huey, Luey, Duey, Darkwing
šµStripped #6, Miller and Dem,
Mars and at the end Shelldon, omg so adorable. Yes tortoises!
šµDrilled #7 the finale. Apollo and Ridge, cat Log and family. Iāve been waiting to see a cat tbh.
šµGoats Like Cake Too: Four Bears Construction Series Epilogue- free story linked on Drilled.
A month in a remote cabin with the last man I ever expected to see again? I canāt 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 thatās what I keep telling myself. But when we end up being sent to a remote campground alone to spend a month rebuilding the cabins, itās 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 otherās tools.
Itās 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
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, weāve 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 Dareās (Stoneās mechanic husband),has been a great character throughout the series. Heās been supportive, funny, all the while going through his own amount of personal growth as a young man and craftsman. Heās amazing. So Iāve 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 Wooleyās, the bar he inherited from Gus , itās previous owner, snd the gangs favorite hangout.
In Stud, Sawyerās past , as astonishingly does Gusās in a remarkably poignant story element, comes into focus. We see exactly why heās held West at a distance for so long despite his feelings, and the turmoil inside him when West declares heās 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 Iāve adored in each book has been the great pet/animal(s) per couple. I have sometimes forgotten to mention it. Shame on me because itās a terrific part of each story and couple.
So hereās the list so farā¦.
Four Bears Construction series animals:
šµCaulky #1: Cole and Renās bees
šµNailed #2: Stone and Dare: Rudy and Nard Dog
šµHardwood #3, Ev and Watson, Hedgehog
šµScrewed #4 Ollie and Daniel: Monty the Python
šµStud #5, West and Sawyer: Huey, Luey, Duey, Darkwing
šµStripped #6, Miller and Dem,
Mars and at the end Shelldon, omg so adorable. Yes review to come. Yes tortoises!
šµDrilled #7 the finale. Apollo and Ridge, cat Logā¦ been waiting to see a cat tbh. Review to comeā¦
How do you not love a series that folds in such great animals along with sensitive and funny romances?
Thatās easy to answer. I do. I do love them.
Each different and great couple, each amazing path to love and HEA.
I donāt have many left. Sort of dreading saying goodbye. But not yet. A few to go.
What a wonderful, heartwarming and joy filled journey itās been so far.
Like all the others, I hope youāre 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 whoās way too young to keep asking me out with that adorably earnest smile ā¦
Itās 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 ānoās and a way-too-good-to-be-real kiss. Heās fifteen years younger than I am; it can only lead to trouble.
Of course, now heās running through people off dating apps like itās 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 shouldnāt sabotage his dates, but Iām only human. I might not be ready to admit that I want him, but Iām definitely not ready to let anyone else have him either.
Heās too perfect, too hot, and I am in way too much troubleā¦
*** 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 theyāre a lot more fun together!
Once again this series goes into a different direction with Everett Aldridge and his road to HEA.
We have had Cole who wasnāt 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 Ollieās story in Screwed #4 but I wonāt spoil how wonderful that turned out here. But there are definitely inklings about.
Nope. Hardwood, double entrendreā intended, is all Everett. And what a story it is. Because itās not just a romance but also Evās path towards coming out of the closet heās sealed himself into for decades. Itās about letting go of his fears, finding himself as a gay man later in life.
Thatās a lot to unpack.
Especially if youāre 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.
Thereās a LGBTGiA crew and work family that are comfortable with themselves and their sexuality youāve known for years thats clueless youāre gay. Now Everett needs to tell them who he really is. Because no one really knows who he is. Maybe even himself.
Thatās 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 thatās a format of this series works beautifully to give us real insight into Everettās emotional state and situations as he decides to reveal his sexuality and come out as a gay man.
Itās poignant, frustrating as he vacillates at points on deciding when is exactly the right timing, his fears and excitement on his āgay firstsā. 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 isnāt 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. Heās 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 Evās ex wife , Valerie, gets here. Sheās 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.
Everettās journey from closeted divorced perceived āstraight dadā 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 š Iām highly recommending it and the series.
Synopsis:
Iāve spent forty-four years of my life telling the world Iām a carpet man. Is it too late to admit to myself and everyone else that deep down Iām really all about the Hardwood?
It took me over thirty-five years to admit to myself that Iām 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 daughterās music teacher. Itās really not my fault, have you even seen those cute bowties he wears?
After everything itās 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.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 