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A review by kp_hobbitreads
Hardwood by K.M. Neuhold
4.0
#1 Caulky: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
#2 Nailed: ★★★★✮ | 4.5 stars
#3 Hardwood: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
As a general rule, I don't love romances with a closeted main character because you know that the climax of the story is going to be a coming out moment, and those can be pretty hit or miss for me. And, I don't love the shame that is placed on the other character that has to “hide.” However, I think this book balanced all of those issues pretty well, and I still ended up really enjoying it.
Everett has spent 44 years in the closet, but after his divorce he’s finally ready to admit to his ex-wife and his friends that he’s gay. And, hopefully find someone to spend his life with. It just so happens that he develops a massive crush on his daughter’s music teacher.
I adored Watson and his bowties. And, I appreciated how endlessly patient he was with him even when sometimes I wanted to shake Ev. But, Watson never rushed him or guilted him into coming out before he was ready. Their romance (outside of the coming out angst) was really sweet, and I liked the focus on their friendship. And, yes, I got a little tired of Watson worrying about Ev sowing his wild oats or not being an experiment, but at the end of the day I think those were really valid worries for him to have. And, I really wanted to hug him when he finally drew a line in the sand.
Three Thoughts:
1. Ev’s ex-wife making his coming out about her (even though she immediately recognized that she was doing it) grated on me just a bit.
2. I really did appreciate the positive representation of co-parenting after divorce. No, evil exes or parenting drama, just two adults putting their daughter first and working hard to maintain their friendship.
3. The sex toy mishap was hilarious. And, I literally cannot imagine the horror Ev must have felt in that moment.
Ultimately, this is not my favorite book in the series, but I do love both these characters and I'm glad they got their HEA.
content warnings: sex (on page), infidelity (past relationship), coming out scenes
#2 Nailed: ★★★★✮ | 4.5 stars
#3 Hardwood: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
As a general rule, I don't love romances with a closeted main character because you know that the climax of the story is going to be a coming out moment, and those can be pretty hit or miss for me. And, I don't love the shame that is placed on the other character that has to “hide.” However, I think this book balanced all of those issues pretty well, and I still ended up really enjoying it.
Everett has spent 44 years in the closet, but after his divorce he’s finally ready to admit to his ex-wife and his friends that he’s gay. And, hopefully find someone to spend his life with. It just so happens that he develops a massive crush on his daughter’s music teacher.
I adored Watson and his bowties. And, I appreciated how endlessly patient he was with him even when sometimes I wanted to shake Ev. But, Watson never rushed him or guilted him into coming out before he was ready. Their romance (outside of the coming out angst) was really sweet, and I liked the focus on their friendship. And, yes, I got a little tired of Watson worrying about Ev sowing his wild oats or not being an experiment, but at the end of the day I think those were really valid worries for him to have. And, I really wanted to hug him when he finally drew a line in the sand.
Three Thoughts:
1. Ev’s ex-wife making his coming out about her (even though she immediately recognized that she was doing it) grated on me just a bit.
2. I really did appreciate the positive representation of co-parenting after divorce. No, evil exes or parenting drama, just two adults putting their daughter first and working hard to maintain their friendship.
3. The sex toy mishap was hilarious. And, I literally cannot imagine the horror Ev must have felt in that moment.
Ultimately, this is not my favorite book in the series, but I do love both these characters and I'm glad they got their HEA.
content warnings: sex (on page), infidelity (past relationship), coming out scenes