Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Crankshaft by K.M. Neuhold

1 review

galleytrot's review

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

READ: Jul 2023 
FORMAT: Digital 

BRIEF SUMMARY: 
In this contemporary romance, Steele is fresh off another breakup, seemingly incapable of giving his revolving door of partners any leeway for their shortcomings. When a vaguely familiar and rather attractive man shows up at the bar looking all frazzled from a long and difficult day, Steele sets his sights on him and takes Porter home – with a very unexpected outcome from what either of them had in mind. Driven by their respective businesses, neither man has the time in their lives to pursue any sort of relationship beyond a casual fling; but when fate keeps crossing their paths together, their unexpected chemistry only solidifies and grows. 

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.25 / 5⭐ 
So while I’ve jumped into this series without first reading anything from its sister series, leaving me feeling like I’ve missed some degree of setup (more on that in the next section of my review), I still had a pretty good time on this book as it is. It leans into unresolved sexual tension for a while which, in my opinion, can often plague a romance making it tedious and frustrating to read. Here, it felt playful and fun and it never left me unsatisfied. 

Steele has been going through boyfriend after boyfriend, but none of them have been able to spark any emotion from him, leaving him looking for any excuse to dump them and move on. His business is his priority, his husky puppy demands a lot of his attention, and his brother is an additional thorn in his side; these commitments drain his time and energy away from personal pursuits. 

Similarly, Porter has come to own a small veterinary clinic and, as the sole owner, it falls to him to keep the business side of things operating smoothly. A large veterinary corporation has been showing interest in buying him out, leaving him to operate under their banner, but selling out isn’t a part of his vision nor would it align with his practices, despite the potential benefits. The strains of practicing while balancing the business side of the clinic leaves him just as unwilling to commit to a steady relationship as Steele is. 

Their shared aversion to a relationship should make for an easy arrangement in theory, but the two men begin to fit into each others’ lives almost effortlessly. Brother troubles, meddling coworkers, dogs without boundaries, greasy corporate vultures; nothing that would typically put a gravestone on a relationship seems to hold the power it typically would. 

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4 / 5⭐ 
So I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two. There wasn’t a whole lot going on to their story relationship-wise; the majority of the conflict in this book comes from outside sources. What I gather from this book, being that it’s my introduction to Neuhold’s works, is that this author has big potential to provide me with that good good brain candy that doesn’t force me to think too hard or feel too much angst. Sometimes these endorphin factories are all I need, and this book whipped up a very pleasant batch. 

I can’t offer up enough praise for this: well-written dogs are a freaking treat! Too often, authors will write pets and young children horribly wrong, often by overly-humanizing the former and missing the mark on the age-appropriate maturity of the latter. This is a massive pet peeve of mine, and usually causes me to roll my eyes when a pet or a child get introduced. Not only was Denali an extremely believable dog, she was appropriately portrayed as a young Siberian husky with a foundational (but incomplete) understanding of obedience. Her behaviours, with a big nod to her vocalization, match the breed so well, and it fills my heart to see it done right! 

I do have some light criticism that’s largely a me-problem. When I’m browsing for new books to read, and I discover a new series, and I specifically grab the first book of that series so that I can avoid cameos from couples established in the previous books of the series, it’s extremely annoying to be tossed half-a-dozen couples’ cameos from a separate sister-series that I never knew about. Yes, these books CAN be read as standalones, but now I feel like I shouldn’t continue on with this wonderful little series I’ve picked up without first reading through that other sister series. I was thrown just so many names that were supposed to mean something to me, and I promptly forgot them the moment they left the page. I don’t even actually know if the same cameo characters showed up multiple times in this book, because I assigned no frame of reference for them. 

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.25 / 5⭐ 
I’m on board for this series. I’m on board for this world. I’m on board for these men, and I am excited to see more of them. I just wish the Ber’s series didn’t feel like homework I need to complete in order to better understand this Bulls series, but I do plan to course-correct and read the older stuff before continuing on with the newer. 

This book has representation for gays, bisexuals, and lesbians. If there was any diversity to be found beyond that, I failed to clock it. 

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
This book contains: alcohol use; vomiting (hangover); animals in medical distress; animal cruelty (cat declawing absolutely counts as cruelty; there is a reason most of the world has made it an illegal practice); mention of animal death; implication (but not confirmation) of cancer; and, using vice to drown out grief.
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