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SERIES REVIEW: Mafia Bound Books 1 & 2 by K.M. Neuhold
Mafia Bound: Deadly Little Sparrow – K.M. Neuhold
Is there such thing as love at first bar fight?
I may be small and pretty, but what I lack in intimidation factor, I make up for in violence.I made a vow five years ago that the motorcycle club responsible for my brother’s death would pay the price, and I’m finally ready to collect. May God have mercy on the men who hurt my brother, because I don’t plan to.
Accidentally breaking the nose of the deadliest man in the city wasn’t my best move. Xaviaro Saviano, trigger man for the Moretti Crime Family… and now my own personal stalker. But if I have to go through him to deliver well-deserved justice, so be it.
As strange as it sounds, Xaviaro seems to want to help me more than he wants to hurt me. I can’t shake the man no matter what I do. Threatening him feels like foreplay, tying him up only turns him on… I could play nice, but that’s never been my strong suit.
I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t starting to grow on me, especially when he calls me his Deadly Little Sparrow from his knees. I’ve never met a man who could handle me, let alone one who can’t stop begging me for more.
Can love and revenge live in the same heart? I guess there’s only one way to find out…
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Submit
Artist: Brek Milo
Album: Submit
Mafia Bound: Beautifully Savage Butterfly by K.M. Neuhold
Being savage in the ring is one thing. The way Elio Moretti craves my violence outside the ring is another.
I feel like I’ve 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 can’t 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 can’t 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?
He’s 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 that’s starting to seem. Can I really fall in love with a Mafia underboss? Is it even possible to walk away?
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Blow
Artist: Ghinsu
Album: Blow
Mafia Bound by K.M. Neuhold is a dark, gritty mafia romance series that dares to put mafiosos on their knees.
Deadly Little Sparrow opens the series with a revenge story and an unlikely romance between the avenger and the hitman stalking him. Sparrow, real name unknown, is out to exact vengeance against members of the motorcycle club who abused and murdered his brother.
Xaviaro Saviano, the most notorious hitman of the Moretti Family, spotted him at a bar and, after getting off the wrong foot, began stalking the smaller man. Partly as part of Moretti business crossing with the targeted MC, partly due to his strange but undeniably strong attraction to the deadly little Sparrow.
The plot didn’t delve deeply into the characters’ backstories. There is just enough barebones information to give credence to how Sparrow went from a former billionaire’s son to a highly skilled killer able to take down dangerous men twice his size.
Xaviaro was already established as not only the top hitman but also Enzo Moretti’s best friend and one of the Moretti boss’s inner circle. The thing to know about Xaviaro, he’s feared on the streets, submissive in the sheets. And he was quick to recognize the dominance of the smaller man. Sparrow took unholy glee in topping from the bottom.
The story did its best to be consistently intense. There’s a lot of focus on the kink and while the dynamics were enjoyable, there were moments that I tuned out because they were too blah.
Beautifully Savage Butterfly is Elio Moretti, underboss to the Family, obsessing over undefeated MMA fighter, Orion Barros. Orion couldn’t understand why one of the top Morettis kept coming to his locker room after his fights until Elio showed how willing he was to get down on his knees for him.
The MMA fighter is working overtime to pay Moretti debts and earn money to keep his paraplegic brother, Jack, in a good nursing home. When things took a turn for the worse, Orion had no choice but to make a deal with Elio, something he promised his brother he would never do.
I feel this was better executed than the first story. The backstories were more complete and the various threads were concluded more convincingly, even Jack was given his little HFN. The boss/brat dynamics wasn’t my favorite but Elio and Orion’s chemistry was sizzling!
This was also pretty intense and atmospheric throughout. You could almost smell the blood and sweat, and images of dimly lit alleys and shaky camera shots come to mind.
Another compelling part was the Morettis and Orion working together to stop a child trafficking ring. This was resolved in a suspenseful rescue mission while leaving an opening for future installments.
Mafia Bound is a mixed bag for now, but it’s mostly good. The Morettis as MCs are something I’m really excited about. They are a head-turning bunch, and here are the rest to watch out for:
Salvatore – I bet he’s next. He was tasked to look after the sassy night club dancer/hacker Dante and they played a significant part in the child trafficking investigation
Alessio – guy’s flirty with Dante but it’s mostly harmless. Not much is known about him yet other than he’s part of the inner circle and is a cousin
Enzo – ooh, this one I’m looking forward to the most. The big boss occasionally shows his softer side. There’s a mention of a rival Irish gang leader so hmm….
P.S.
Mafia Bound is best read in order. You can read Deadly Little Sparrow and Beautifully Savage Butterfly as standalones but the Morettis are worth knowing from the beginning.
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DEADLY LITTLE SPARROW: Kindle I Audiobook
BEAUTIFULLY SAVAGE BUTTERFLY: Kindle I AudiobookIf you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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One Line Reviews Of Some Books I Read This Year (July – December 2023)
This is a round up of the books I read on the 2nd half of this year that I’m too lazy to do a full review.
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RELEASE BLITZ: Dirty Daddies Pride 2022 Multi-Author Anthology (Giveaway)
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LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(May 25, 2022)
Here are the rules:
Take your current read and compare it to what you reading this exact time last year. Which one do you like better? What is different about the books? Any special facts/things you want to make note of or bring attention to?
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One Line Reviews Of Some Books I Read This Year (January – March 2022)
This is a round up of the books I read on the 1st quarter of this year that I’m too lazy to do a full review.
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COVER REVEAL: Dirty Daddies Pride 2022 Multi-Author Anthology (Giveaway)
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One Line Reviews Of Some Books I Read This Year
This is a round up of the rest of the books I read this year that I’m too lazy to do a full review.
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REVIEW: Screwed by K.M. Neuhold
Four Bears Construction: Screwed – K.M. Neuhold
I’ve had my fair share of less than proud relationship moments, but waking up married to my brother-in-law’s best friend is a new low.
A drunken wedding to a man who already rejected me once? Check. A hefty bet about how long it will last? Check. My feisty new husband, determined to make our friends pay up? Double check.
I’ve never managed to make a real relationship last nearly a year, there’s no way Daniel will stick around long enough to win this bet. The only problem is the longer he stays, the more the lines blur between what’s real and what’s for show. Does he feel it too or am I totally screwed?
***Screwed is a woke up married, faking it to their friends but also totally hooking up, sweet, STEAMY love story that happens to be the fourth book in the Four Bears Construction series. There are no bear shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears.
We finally get to Ollie’s story!
We know Ollie as that hopeless romantic teddy Bear who’s too sweet for his own good. He’s always falling for the wrong man. I’ve been rooting for him since book one, Caulky, because you couldn’t help but feel for the poor guy as he watched his friends find their Mr. Right one by one while he’s saddled with one bad boyfriend after another. Fed up with it all, he made a decision to give up dating entirely.
K.M. Neuhold did a great job setting up Ollie and Daniel’s story since the previous books. Here and there, we get mentions of interest from Ollie or Daniel sticking up for him when his best friends were teasing him about his pathetic love life.
Screwed starts with Ren and Cole’s bachelor party in Vegas. All the Bears and their boyfriends as well as their apprentice, West and his date, Sawyer, and Daniel were there. I wasn’t that engaged with this part of the story yet but things started to pick up after Ollie and Daniel woke up married.
The way the author brought them together, through a drunken Vegas wedding, was perfect. It was such an Ollie situation. And I am dying to know how drunk Ollie convinced drunk Daniel to tie the knot.
They could have gotten it annulled right away but Daniel’s tendency to defend Ollie was what started their crazy marriage life. The guys were making fun of Ollie for yet another wedding. They started making bets on how long it would last. Daniel’s very determined to stick it to the guys. So he and Ollie challenged the Bears that they would make it past Ollie’s record of 8 months. Later, they both agreed to divorce after the time was up.
The Bears were being assholes here, going as far as talking their new employee, Miller, into hitting on Daniel knowing he and Ollie were already married. There’s still a lot of silly pranks and razzing. Almost everyone got their page time except for Ev and Watson. I wished they had more appearances.
I wouldn’t have picked Daniel as the guy for Ollie. He’s not a relationship guy, preferring to hook up with different men and never staying long enough to get attached. He’s very cynical about love. He thinks sappy rom-coms have brainwashed people into believing in true love. I was skeptical at first but K.M Neuhold totally made it work! I was left with no doubts Daniel was the man for Ollie.
They slow-burned their way through months of undeniable chemistry just bursting with sexual tension. Both are acutely aware this is best relationship they ever have and it’s not even real. The romantic development was executed really well here. It was paced just right and flowed smoothly. It gave time for Ollie and Daniel to form a real connection.
You could clearly see how they fit into each other’s life seamlessly. They helped each other grow. There’s Ollie realizing he doesn’t need another person to complete him, especially after seeing how confident Daniel is on his own. Daniel, almost 40, finally had the courage to start school again and pursue his dream job after Ollie’s encouragement and support.
I liked that they were able to establish a solid friendship while developing romantic feelings for each other. The way they fell in love happened naturally. It was sweet and low-angst. It felt comfortable yet exciting.
It took a string of bad relationships, three failed marriages, years of bad jokes, one too many tequila bottles, a Vegas wedding he couldn’t even recall, a hefty bet and one feisty fake husband realizing his true feelings but at long last, our Ollie got what he deserved. If there’s ever a Bear worthy of grand gestures and rom-com-perfect HEAs, it’s him!
P.S.
Screwed might not be the last book in this series. We still have West and his hopeless crush on Sawyer, the bartender. Miller is also a promising new character. I want their stories too.
Four Bears Construction is best read in order. Check out my reviews of the first three books:
Caulky
Nailed
HardwoodRating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Can’t Believe The Way We Flow
Artist: James Blake
Album: Assume Form
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to get your copy of Four Bears Construction. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
You can also use my Bookshop affiliate links to buy paperback copies and help support independent bookstores.
Caulky | Nailed | Hardwood | Screwed
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REVIEW: Hardwood by K.M. Neuhold
Four Bears Construction: Hardwood – K.M. Neuhold
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’m super eager to get to poor Ollie’s story but first, Ev gets his happily ever after.
Everett is known as the only straight guy among the Four Bears. He’s a divorced single dad who adores his daughter, Livi. Unknown to all his friends and family, Everett has been struggling to come out for years but couldn’t find the courage to do so. He has long resigned himself to a life of solo Thanksgiving dinners. It took one fabulous and cuddly music teacher with a penchant for cute bow ties to make him realize, he could have so much more. If only he could embrace his true self.
I’m not particularly fond of in-the-closet stories because they usually involved a lot of lies and cover ups. Everett had to constantly do it to his friends and ex-wife, Val. As a result, it felt a lot like he was cheating. And him dragging his ass dragged the story down too, especially at the middle part.
The group banter was missing for most of the story, which I think was another reason why it felt kind of meh. Also, I know they were meant to be funny but the awkward situations Ev got himself into in his alone time were more cringey than amusing.
These sad vibes aside, I think the coming out part was handled pretty well. I keep expecting the caught-in the act plot twist but yay! we were spared such cliches. And sure, it took a looong time for Everett to do it and it hurt his boyfriend to be treated like a dirty secret but I appreciated how the story emphasized that coming out should be on one’s own time. It was also important that Ev and Wats were honest with each other from the start.
I expected the Bears’s and Val’s reactions to be anti-climactic, like they would say, they already know. I enjoyed how the plot surprised me on this point too. Most especially, I loved how supportive and understanding Watson was, hurts and all. He was the best character here!
Four Bears Construction is notable for featuring mature MCs. Ev is 44. He could have easily become a Daddy for a much younger love interest so I’m happy that Wats is 40. All too often, characters above 40 end up in age-gap romance. Good job to the author for taking a different route.
The story picked up after there were more interactions with the other Bears. Ev was spurred into action and roped the guys in to help him bust a move. Damn right, because after what he had been through, Wats deserved some major wooing.
Hardwood was mix of highs and lows but ended on a strong note. The book certainly held true to its promise of delicious tension. The chemistry between Everett and Watson was fantastic from the get go! Their journey together was not easy but it was worth the fight. Wats went from flirty friend to first boyfriend, all the while holding Ev’s hand as he went through his awakening. Ev gifted him with his many firsts, something Wats will always treasure. He gets the forevers too.
P.S.
Four Bears Constructions is a series full of winning characters you couldn’t help but root for. While the books can be read as standalones, I recommend meeting all the Bears properly by reading the books in order. Read reviews of the other books here.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Truth
Artist: Bloc Party
Album: Four
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to get your copy of Four Bears Construction. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
You can also use my Bookshop affiliate links to buy paperback copies and help support independent bookstores.
Caulky | Nailed | Hardwood | Screwed
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REVIEW: Nailed by K.M. Neuhold
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:
Too cute not to post Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Absolutely Cuckoo
Artist: The Magnetic Fields
Album: 69 Love Songs
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