Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Crankshaft

SERIES:  Big Bull Mechanics, Book 1

AUTHOR: K.M. Neuhold

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH:  249 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 3, 2022

BLURB: 

I don’t have time for a relationship, not even with the adorably dorky vet I can’t seem to stop bumping into… *sigh * pass the oil and lube

Between running a garage full of beefed up, gear head mechanics and bailing my idiot brother out of trouble every other week, the last thing I have time for is a relationship.

I’ve tried it too many times, and the ridiculous reasons I always find to end it have become a running joke around the garage. But I’ve learned my lesson. No. More. Boyfriends.

I don’t care how many times Porter falls asleep drunk in my bed or how cute he looks covered in oil smears while I teach him how to fix up the vintage car he has rusting away in his garage, I’m not going to fall for him.

Even if I did, what do a mechanic and a veterinarian have in common anyway?

It’s better if we’re only friends… friends who occasionally fiddle with each other’s crankshafts…

REVIEW: 

Crankshaft kicks off K.M. Neuhold’s Big Bull Mechanics series, the long-awaited spin-off of her Four Bears Construction series.  Crankshaft has the Four Bears feel to it and we get to visit with the Four Bears couples as well.  But Crankshaft still maintains its own identity, with a new group of characters who are endearing, wacky, sexy, and sweet.  Neuhold’s trademark storytelling is on display with plenty of feel-good found-family dynamics, super hot sexy times, playfulness, rowdy behavior, bawdy language, and irreverent antics.  It also showcases swoony declarations as only she can craft them.  You know you’re in a Neuhold book when “You could steal all my pickles” is a love declaration. TL;DR:  If you love Four Bears, you’ll love Crankshaft.

Steele owns Big Bull Mechanics, the series’ titular auto repair shop. Steele is buddies with Dare, Stone’s husband from Nailed, the second and arguably funniest book in the Four Bears Construction series.  Dare owns the other auto repair shop in town.  One of the Big Bull Mechanics, Auggie, is Demetri’s neighbor.  Demetri is Miller’s boyfriend, from Stripped, Four Bears book six.  Miller and Demetri have frequent BBQs and gatherings that the Four Bears guys and the Big Bull mechanics attend.

Steele is “tall, bearded, and beastly” – to quote Porter.  But despite his very burly, tattooed, bear-ish appearance, he’s all heart.  He’s a guy who protects and fixes.  He needs to make things right for the people he cares about, like his prodigal brother Gates, even if that means his own needs and desires take a backseat.

Porter is the town’s veterinarian.  He just recently passed the boards and has taken over his childhood next-door-neighbor/mentor/family friend’s veterinary practice, so he’s feeling in over his head.  He’s stressed over owning his own business while also feeling the inevitable insecurity that comes from being a new vet.  Porter is a study in contrasts.  He’s a self-described “average-looking, mildly adorkable man”.  But his twinky, slightly nerdy, often frazzled appearance belies his dirty talking aggressive streak in the bedroom.  He’s a twink that tops and big burly bear Steele is more than happy to let him.

Steele similarly struggles under the weight of owning a small business, although Big Bull is established and doing well. Nevertheless, he’s pulled in a million directions by work obligations, his brother Gates’ problems, and the general need to protect and take care of his family and friends.  Perhaps it’s Steele’s split focus that makes him somewhat oblivious. He doesn’t know who Porter is even though they’ve met several times before at gatherings at Miller and Demetri’s.  It leaves him vulnerable to the not-too-subtle machinations of the Big Bull guys to get him together with Porter. Thankfully, their maneuvering, Steele’s soft heart, and Denali, Steele’s rambunctious husky puppy/unwitting bunny assailant, combine to bring Steele squarely into Porter’s orbit.  The rest, as they say, is history.

In Crankshaft, Neuhold tells a virtually no angst, sweet story of two mature, responsible men falling in love in the real world.  Steele and Porter are immediately attracted to each other and they’re forthright about it. There’s nothing difficult about the falling. The character journey for these men involves priorities and balance.  They are both self-sacrificing men with too many commitments and responsibilities. They help and support each other and together, find a way to carve out space for a lasting relationship and love. They learn that the ups and downs are all better when shared with a partner who’s got your back as well as your heart.

Crankshaft has lots of laugh-out-loud, sweet, silly moments, and the Big Bull crew are as zany as their Four Bears counterparts. These are a bunch of tough guys with hearts of gold and a healthy amount of naivete that Porter doesn’t have the heart to dispel, even when it comes to their willful blindness about cute furry animals and the perils of nature.

I wholeheartedly recommend Crankshaft.  It’s a fun, frisky, easy read that will have you eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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