I quite adore this Regency series. After the last romance with the intense and highly intelligent Lord Christmas Gale and several murders at the center, I wasn’t sure what awaited me here with this couple.
Yes we were given glances of the pair in book 2 but I wasn’t quite prepared for the dry and funny opening here. Honestly, it reads like a Tale of Two Twits, albeit very well dressed and well bred ones.
But this is Rock and Henry , so the twits at hand who are about to make their debut and have their first Season , have a rivalry that starts to spiral immediately into a story of personal growth, a bit of sexy romping about, some madcap adventures and finally true love.
Yes our lovely boyish twits of fashion and the Tonne become young vulnerable and often poignant men who, after some introspection and advice, find the lives they’ve lead a bit lacking in kindness and decide on a new path, together. Happily.
It’s really a kind, sweet, story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Plus it sets up one I’ve been dying to read. That of Lord Soulden. That’s next up in A Sanctuary for Soulden.
This a just a remarkably great and romantic series, each story contains bits of the others and their characters who are truly noteworthy.
Read them in the order they are written for a simply splendid romantic Regency journey. I recommend all those releases to date.
Series – The Lords of Bucknall Club
A Husband for Hartwell #1
A Case for Christmas #2
A Rival for Rivingdon #3
A Sanctuary for Soulden #4. – coming soon
Synopsis.
He must marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Loftus Rivingdon is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. If only he could find the right hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Loftus has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Loftus knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his way.
He must also marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Morgan Notley is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. And he has just found the perfect hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Morgan has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Morgan knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his w—
Damn it all to hell.
Their ambitions collide.
When Loftus and Morgan both set their sights on Soulden, the rivalry of the Season begins. Their mutual hatred escalates into spite, sabotage, and scandal, as all of Society eagerly waits to see which diamond of the first water will prevail. Except the course of true loathing, just like true love, never did run smooth. The harder they try to destroy each other, the closer they come to uncovering each other’s deepest vulnerabilities—and the more difficult it becomes to deny the burning attraction between them.
A Rival for Rivingdon is the third book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance. The Lords of Bucknall Club can be read in any order.
It’s officially hockey season again and I’d thought I’d celebrate by reviewing a hockey romance by a favorite author who loves this sport and it’s athletes as much as I do.
This sport seems to attract wonderful writers who are just as obsessed by its fast paced athleticism and unbelievable drama on ice as it’s gorgeous international teams of talented, intense athletes.
Lucky us, the readers!
Risking the Shot is the fourth story in Aislin’s Side Stick series, a fantastic group of hockey romances if you aren’t familiar with it yet. Mostly centered around a certain group of LGBTG players in various stages of coming out, finding love, and what the ramifications are for their careers in the NHL, it’s a great and varied journey.
Taylor “Tay” Cunningham, a forward for Toronto is bisexual and at ease with his sexuality. However, he’s ready to come to come out to the public,tired of hiding his truth. It’s a matter of timing. There’s his team’s run for the playoffs, his college courses, and then the new guy he’s seriously crushing on, the single dad from the Foundation.
Tay is such a likable, well rounded character. Easy to picture, so relatable and adorable. The issues he has that become clear? They are ones people see in other families and can connect to.
The man he’s crushing on? Single dad and part-time baker Dakota Cotton, brother to another NHL player in Burlington ( we will see him later). Dakota comes with a realistic and absolutely adorable 4 year old boy, Andy.
The relationship and work the men do on themselves, the trust issues, communication channels, goals for themselves and as a couple… we watch it all get worked through with so much love and care. With a great amount of very hot sex thrown in. Fans self. Plus the added joy of a growing family dynamics with Andy who has his own abandonment issues because of his mother.
I love this little family group so much.
The wonderful addition of the quirky, fascinating characters flowing around them is just that depth of storytelling that gives this series that spice and oomph to make it stand out.
I’m really not ready for book 5 to roll out, not if it means an end to another hockey series. Sigh. I mean the season just got started.
Yes I’m highly recommending this and the series. Start reading in the order they are written. And enjoy!
On an aside note. If you love scotch, this is also a wonderful tour through some of the best scotch brands out there. I’m a scotch person myself and while the author listed many I was familiar with and had tasted, she had some that were complete unknowns and had me making notes. Ty, Amy Aislin!
Synopsis:
Time for distractions? Hardly.
A chance at making the playoffs? It’s a dream for NHL forward Taylor Cunningham that just might come true. If he can keep his eyes on the ball—ahem, puck. And study for midterms. Dakota Cotton, eleven years his senior, isn’t just a distraction, though—he’s everything Tay’s ever wanted.
Dakota has no interest in introducing someone who might not stick around to his four-year-old son. Been there, done that, with the divorce to prove it. But there’s something about Tay that hits all of the right buttons and has him wanting to take a chance.
As things heat up between them, and the pressure to succeed hits an all-time high, will they risk a shot at happiness or choke?
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.
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?
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.
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
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
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!
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.
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
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.
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
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 