Never Hollowed By The Stare

Four Bears Construction: Nailed – K.M. Neuhold

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 is the second book of Four Bears Construction, a contemporary series that grabbed me from the get go and had no plans of letting go soon. This is a story of a gallivanting dog, an underwear-eating goat, a grumpy mechanic and one annoying neighbor who was very determined to like and be liked by said grump.

Stone and his neighbor, Dare started off on the wrong foot. Since then, Stone deviced devious pranks just to push the other man’s buttons. Usually, these involved causing a ruckus early weekend mornings. Once, he even rented a petting zoo for one of the Four Bears, Everett’s daughter’s birthday party. A goat wandered into Dare’s yard as he was berating his neighbor. He was only wearing boxers…

I was annoyed by Stone’s antics but I couldn’t help but be amused by them too. He’s one of those people who can make you laugh despite yourself. He is goofy, charming, kind-hearted and yeah, quite intrusive. He had Dare’s dog, Rudy, microchipped without Dare’s permission to keep the dog from getting lost.

Rudy is the star of the show. He doesn’t do leashes. Rudy likes their neighbor and the man clearly loves the dog. There’s no stopping the mutt from going over next door where he’s very welcome. So you could see Dare’s dilemma here.

Dare leads a solitary life with only Rudy by his side. He restores bikes as a living, a job where he can work alone. People are not his thing. He has anger management issues that had long ago earned him a record. Dare is your tough, grunty alpha male but also bit insecure. And a complete mush when it comes to his dog. The scene where he broke down when Rudy got injured, I was really feeling that.

The two men are in their 40s but sometimes they come across as younger or should I say, immature. There is misunderstanding in the story but it happens off-page. It started in book 1, Caulky, when the Four Bears were helping Stone move in. Here, the two men squabbled while strongly feeling the USTs. Until Stone finally outright asked why Dare hated him. The answer was kinda dumb.

But, the romance was cute. It’s always fun to see grumpy guys melting bit by bit. I’m happy they took a chance at dating. For a relationship that started off with miscommunication, Dare and Stone was able to connect and fit seamlessly into each other lives. You wouldn’t think two very different individuals would make it work but K.M. Neuhold was able to put the two together in an endearing way that left no room for doubts.

I love the Four Bears! I enjoyed the way they razzed each other. Cole is pretty much very committed to his honeybee, Ren. Ev continues to be the doting dad while poor Ollie, the hopeless romantic, found himself in yet another failed relationship. I feel sorry for the guy because his book comes last.

Dare’s nephew, West, shows up on his doorstep. He was thrown out of the house by his homophobic dad. West is a bit of a smart ass. I hope he gets his own book.

Nailed is a fun book. I liked it better than Caulky. Dare and Stone are two older men who gave up on relationships long time ago. It took a free-spirited dog for them to find love in the unlikeliest person. Rudy is now living with his two favorite people. Good boy!

P.S.

Nailed can be read as a standalone but this series is such a blast! Best start with Caulky and find out why Cole calls Ren his honeybee. Review here.

Dare and Rudy: