Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1) by Katherine McIntyre
@kmcintyreauthor
@authorkmcintyre
@PixieRants
One disaster bi single dad. One sexy plumber on a house call. One hot-as-hell romance….
Rhys
If I was a hot mess before becoming a single dad, my life’s pretty much an on-fire garbage can now.
Okay, maybe that’s a tad melodramatic—my bestie/baby momma/ex-girlfriend is still awesome, currently in the throuple of her dreams. And my kiddo Sammy’s amazing, albeit exhausting. I’m the one who’s too intense and rambling, too obsessed with random trivia, too liable to set dinner on fire. Essentially, too much for any relationship.
However, when a hottie plumber drops by to fix our toilet—thanks, Sammy—and gives me his number? My luck might just be turning around.
Cole
After my dad moved to a retirement community, he left me with the big, old house I grew up in and a whole lot of loneliness.
I thought by now I’d be settled down, but no one’s looking for the guy who likes long hikes with his dog, stargazing, and fixing shit around the house. They want fun, entertaining, flashy—not me.
Except when I give Rhys my private line for an emergency house call, I show up for the job to discover it’s a date. It seems like I might’ve met the one man on earth who’s just as interested as I am—if only we can find the guts to admit it.
Sweat Connection is a high heat, low angst M/M single dad romance with trivia nights, Star Wars rants, and light primal kink that reads as a standalone
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5 out of 5 (exceptional)
SWEAT CONNECTION is the first book in the Hot Under the Collar series, and I am already loving this series! Nope, there are no billionaires, no shifters, no vampires. What you have is low-angst 'normal' people with found families joining their lives together.
Katherine McIntyre is simply exceptional at character-led stories featuring found families. There's just no two ways about it! And in this one, there are so many characters that need stories! But for now, I'll stick with Rhys and Cole because, man oh man, are they worth talking about!
Rhys is one of those that has a nervous energy about it, all the time. Cole is one of those that puts people at ease, all the time. Together, when opposites attract, sparks fly! Cole provides the stability and grounding that Rhys needs, whilst Rhys gives Cole the enthusiasm and energy he might otherwise be lacking. I loved how their relationship was so loving and tender in ways an outsider might miss. That's the good part of having a story from the first perspective! We get to see both Cole and Rhys' worries and apprehensions and also see what the other person is thinking.
The connections are not just between Rhys and Cole though. Oh, no! Those tendrils spin out and connect Rhys' friends to Cole's dad and best friend. And let's not forget Sammy who made me laugh so many times. Luckily for me, my two have outgrown those years but I can look back now and laugh.
This was is 5-stars all the way. It simply couldn't be anything less. And from just two sentences in the epilogue, I am looking forward to Lex and Theo's story! Absolutely brilliant and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Strong women. Strong words. Katherine McIntyre is a feisty chick with a big attitude despite her short stature. She writes stories featuring snarky women, ragtag crews, and men with bad attitudes--high chance for a passionate speech thrown into the mix. As an eternal geek and tomboy who's always stepped to her own beat, she's made it her mission to write stories that represent the broad spectrum of people out there, from different cultures and races to all varieties of men and women. Easily distracted by cats and sugar.
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