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

 

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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. 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Drilled is a sweet and funny romance by KM Neuhold. The seventh book in the Four Bears Construction, it can easily be read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed read in order. 

Apollo and Ridge's story is heartwarming and absolutely riveting. I love these charming men and became addicted to their story from the start. 

They're former best friends turned enemies, setting up a fun enemies to lovers romance. And as part of the construction team, you know there will be plenty of laughs throughout.

Poor Ridge was once engaged to Apollo's sister, but when he broke things off with her, he lost his best friend too. The poor man realized that he was gay the night before his wedding, and that he was in love with his best friend. Ouch!

Fast forward more than a decade and the two are stuck working together. Everything that follows is as good as you'd expect from this author and series. 

The setting of an abandoned campground is great, with plenty of cabin and woods moments. 

I absolutely love this big group of guys, and the way they set Ridge and Apollo up with a long stretch of formed proximity. The group of the Four Bears men and their significant others makes for non stop fun, banter, and antics. They definitely get each other into some HOT moments. Love it! Omg, I couldn't stop laughing at times. 

Written in alternating first person pov, the author easily draws us into these men and their emotions. I'm usually uncomfortable with present tense, but KM is one of the authors who can write this way and still keep me riveted. Somehow KM writes without any awkward moments, which I find impressive. 

Drilled is a perfect addition to this world of Four Bears Construction. I love every moment of this KM Neuhold story. And the ending is so good!

Reveal (Men of Hidden Creek - Season 4, #4) by H.J. Welch

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Blurb

“I wish this were real with you.”

Geeky Jason Miller has never really been with a man, and his bullying colleagues at NASA know it. But when an innocent white lie gets out of hand, Jason never would have guessed his gorgeous-but-straight childhood friend would leap to his rescue.

Firefighter Channing Forster saves people every day, so when protecting his former next-door neighbor turns into faking a relationship for a work getaway, he doesn’t hesitate. As the weekend goes on, though, Channing starts to think that he doesn’t just see cute Jason Miller as a buddy anymore.

Are Channing’s feelings for Jason real enough that he could be his first? Jason needs to accept his true self before he can love another. But when his colleagues and boss discover his many secrets, will he lose everything forever, including Channing?

Welcome to Hidden Creek, Texas, where the heart knows what it wants, and where true love lives happily ever after. Every Men of Hidden Creek novel can be read on its own, but keep an eye out for familiar faces around town! This book contains not-so-fake boyfriends, a stowaway kitty, and enough fireworks to out-shine the Fourth of July. 

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

It's no surprise that I love Reveal, HJ Welch's contribution to Hidden Creek, season four. A combo of Hidden Creek and HJ Welch had me very excited, and this one was everything I was hoping it would be.

A pretend boyfriend relationship starts, as Channing volunteers to act as Jason's boyfriend to his homophobic co-workers. Friends when they were young, they naturally get along well, and fall back into old comforts.

Poor Jason is an extremely likeable and sympathetic character. He's so down on himself, and Channing is the perfect man to help him find some self confidence. The development from friends to lovers is perfectly done, with a natural feeling and a whole lot of emotion. Channing's sexual awakening is wonderfully done.

The writing is superb, with a strong storyline, strong characters, a great flow, and fantastic secondary characters. Of course, the author perfectly captures the small town feel we've gotten to know throughout this multi-author series. 

The building team is a large part of their development, and these scenes are very entertaining, with both men learning a lot during them. They are also fun of some fun humor.

Reveal is a romantic and entertaining slow burn love story. It's riveting and everything I look for in a good fake relationship book. I highly recommend this HJ Welch romance. You have nothing to lose with this hot firefighter and his nerdy lover.

Whole Again (Orchard Ridge Omegas #1) by Braylon Black

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Goodreads Link

Blurb

What will it take to mend two broken hearts?

Houston Emery said good riddance to his small hometown of Orchard Ridge ten years ago. After a furious blow-up with his father, the 18 year old omega couldn't take it anymore. He impulsively packed his bags and moved as far away geographically from his little mountain town as he possibly could, hoping to start a brand new life free of the baggage of his painful past.

Now, a decade later, Houston is happy and successful. But after receiving word of his estranged father's illness, he decides to return to Orchard Ridge to face his demons, and somehow try to fix the broken relationship with his only living relative-- before it's too late.

Emmett Brown, Houston's next door neighbor and secret childhood crush, never left Orchard Ridge-- except for the couple of years he spent in the military. After experiencing a series of heartbreaking tragedies, the rugged alpha has completely closed his heart to anyone who might try to get in. He's perfectly happy living a solitary life on his sprawling ranch, with his faithful dog Jupiter as his only company. Or so he tells himself.

When Houston and Emmett encounter each other again, old memories come rushing back to the surface. As teenagers, the two were head over heels in love with each other-- but both kept their feelings a closely guarded secret. No one confessed, and no one acted on it. Now, what was once “if only” suddenly becomes “what if”?

But Emmett has built iron-clad walls around his heart; and Houston finds it hard to believe he could find his happily ever after in a town that once brought him so much misery.

So how do you heal two broken hearts? By bringing them together and making them whole again...

Whole Again is a stand-alone friends to lovers / second chances 62k non-shifter gay mpreg romance! Contains high heat, plenty of angst, a lovely HEA, and lots of heartwarming pregnancy/baby scenes. You'll fall in love with Houston and Emmett and all the quirky characters introduced in the charming small town of Orchard Ridge, Oregon.

Review 

My Rating - 4 Stars!

Braylon Black's Whole Again is the first book in the new Orchard Ridge Omegas series, a non-shifter mpreg series. It's a good second chance romance between neighbors.

Houston's reunited with his former friend, and former crush, Emmett, when he moves back home to care for his father. Ends up that Emmett also had a crush on him. Ahh... second chances!

Both men are damaged and carry a whole lot of baggage. Their issues are wonderfully developed throughout, as they've suffered loss and disappointment and are just trying to survive.

Theirs is a story of overcoming one's past, getting over one's past demons and instead using them as motivation for a better life. The details are raw and ugly at times, but the end result is beautiful. Houston's relationship with his father is not an easy read, but it's written with compassion and understanding. Emmett's pain and emotional scars will leave up wiping your eyes, as they're written with understanding and care. 

This story contains some ugly words, the path to forgiveness, and the healing of relationships. There's some great tension, want and desire, along with some amazing chemistry. I love these two together.

Overall, I enjoyed Whole Again a lot. I'd definitely recommend this one to any mpreg fans.

Never Let Me Go by Elaine White

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Goodreads Link


Blurb


We were everything to each other, once. Now we're basically strangers. The most I get from Bradley, as we pass in the hall, is a glare or a shove against the lockers.
The problem is that I don't mind.
I'd do anything, be anything and give anything, to be with him. Even if he is arrogant, crass, and the sexiest man in school. He's also dominant. Over me. Only me. And I love it.
I was waiting for graduation. Until we'd left school and the constant rules, the judgments and gossip. I was waiting until I had the guts to ask Bradley to be my Dom for real. Forever.
I just never expected him to make the first move.


Warning: be prepared for no explicit content, teen drama, snark galore, and a whole lot of tension between strong Dom/sub personalities. These boys know who they are and they aren't about to hide it.



REVIEW
My Rating - 3 Stars


Never Let Me Go is an interesting Young Adult, coming of age romance by Elaine White.

Rory and Bradley had been best friends until Bradley openly denied Rory. Now years have passed and Bradley wants back in Rory's life.

It took me a little while to accept that Rory would allow Bradley back into his life. But, as the story progresses, it either started to make sense to me, or I just no longer cared, as I was enjoying the story enough to not care. Somehow, it just worked.

The story itself remained a little off to me, as both young men seemed to act beyond their years.

But, overall, I still enjoy the story as a whole. Rory and Bradley work well together and their romance made for some interesting moments.