Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Hot Conduit
SERIES: Hot Under the Collar
AUTHOR: Katherine McIntyre
NARRATOR: Dylan Rockwell
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours
RELEASE DATE: February 26, 2023
BLURB:
Lex can’t stand Theo. Theo thinks Lex is a dick. Except one dating app mishap is about to bring them so much closer together.
Theo: I’ve dated every shade of shitty guy imaginable, yet I keep boyfriending them. Mostly because my empty house doesn’t align with the happily-ever-after fantasies I’ve had since I was a kid.
No more. After my last boyfriend cheated on me, I’m flings only, even if temptation dangles my way. And when Lex shows up to fix my wiring issue, he’s pure temptation—at least until he decides to randomly hate my guts. Luckily, the sexy guy I’m talking to on the CoffeeDates app is the perfect chance for a one-night stand—no drama, no betrayal, and most importantly, no boyfriending.
Lex: I avoid rich assholes at all costs. One broken engagement later, I learned they’ll never stick around for blue collar guys like me. Even though Theo flips my switches, the holier-than-thou upper-class attitude is enough that I’m keeping my distance. Until I find out the guy I’ve been falling hard for over the dating app is none other than Theo. All that chemistry between us explodes, and one night turns into another and then another. But he’s not looking for a boyfriend, and I am—and there’s only so long this can last before one of us ends up brokenhearted.
REVIEW:
This is a good enemies to lovers story that starts with a lot of projections/assumptions by Lex, best from of Cole from the previous book in this series, Sweat Connection.
Lex shows up to assist Theo, one of Rhys’s best friends with an electrical issue right after he’s returned to town for a new job with the local utility company. He helps him out and when he leaves, Theo doesn’t shake his hand. He’s got issues with germs/dirt and Lex’s hand is very dirty after working on the electric fix. Lex’s ex-fiance was a rich guy who ended up treating him terribly and so Lex has a readymade trigger of assuming he’s being judged because he’s a blue collar guy. Which is too bad, because he’s glimpsed a little bit of a submissive vibe from the big and built Theo which is totally his jam.
Now that Rhys and Cole are together, the two find themselves being thrown together regularly. Whether it’s the scheduled friends game night, helping Rhys and Cole move in together or other miscellaneous gatherings, they keep meeting and rubbing each other the wrong way. They are each on an app looking for casual hookups since neither has been successful long term. When they are surprised to find that they have been talking to each other, well Lex goes for it. Might as well right? I mean they each bothered to clean up and meet up. So they have a quick hookup that leads to a lot more.
Theo has pretty low self-esteem after a stream of awful boyfriends. He badly wants someone permanent but he really seems to choose badly. Lex sure isn’t looking for a rich boyfriend. But their chemistry is off the charts. They still banter and rip each other, but the sex is too good to pass up – as long as they are keeping things casual and on the DL from their friends.
Of course you know where this is going – they both catch feels. And when either of them is being mistreated, the other is quick to leap to their defense which should be telling them something 😉 Eventually of course they have to start being honest with each other and themselves. Thankfully this comes at just the right time 😀
I enjoyed this second book in the series. These guys are real opposites, but it turns out that they are very compatible in the ways that count. They bring out the best in each other eventually. I really liked Theo’s family. I also was happy to revisit the rest of the friends group here in this book and get a glimpse of the next story, I hope 😉
Dylan Rockwell did another good job performing this story. He hit the right tones with Theo’s embarrassment over his issues with germs and dirt and other things. Lex was a great cocky by vulnerable man. The steamy scenes were fire. The voices from the past story were consistent so I didn’t wonder who was speaking either. Another good job and I can’t wait for book 3 😉
RATING: 
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