Hockey star Diego Ferguson says he knows about the grind, but he’s about to learn that his new personal trainer, Callan, gives the word a whole new meaning.
Everyone in Chicago has been following the news about Diego's injury and the last season spent on the bench. It doesn’t hurt that he's got a major sexy brood going on in every picture I see of him these days.
The last place I expected him to show up was Sweat. But he's looking for a personal trainer to help him get fully back in shape before the season, and I'm just the guy for the job.
It figures that he's straight, but that doesn’t mean I can't enjoy the view while I help get his fine backside ready to get back out on the ice. He's also desperate for some bro time in between workouts, and I'm more than qualified to be the guy for that job too.
Maybe he's not as straight as he claims. Maybe he just needs a little fun to get his confidence back up after last season. Maybe I'll let myself indulge in a harmless fling with a cocky, bi-curious hockey player as a little treat. I work hard after all, and I deserve a little fun too.
We both know it can't last, but puck it, a summer fling is always a good time.
K.M.Neuhold has long since been a romance junkie. When she’s not writing she’s reading or spending time snuggling with her husky or her husband. She fell in love with M/M romance last year and hasn’t been able to turn back. There’s nothing she loves more than love in all its forms.
The audacity of pretty much saying, "I'm straight —but I'm down if you want to suck my dick." then slowly but SURELY doing increasingly un-straight things until it's him proposing to do the sucking lmao. Diego, my good man(deeply unserious person).
Love that Callan wasn't having it with the baby steps.
"There's nothing to figure out. It's a cock, not a bloody Swiss watch."
Man said touch me already and do it robustly, not these feather-light strokes. If you're in it, be IN IT💀
Get that bi-awakening on the express lane, we're not getting any younger 😂
I enjoyed these two. To be fair, I usually enjoy a good bi-awakening so no surprise there. I don't know why I keep weaving in and out of this series. I really should get my shit together and read it in it's entirety.
They're a good match. They're sweet with each other and nobody commits any egregious crimes, also rare where there's a bi-awakening.
I have zero complaints.
Well. One. More of an observation. Is it just me that feels like Kirt Graves has an upward lilt towards the end of some of his sentences that has them sounding like questions even when they're not? Am I losing my mind? Every time I listen to him, I hear it.
Still. Good book. Good narration. Good big ass man titties that make his tank top look like a thong. Good hairy hole. What's not to like?
I do enjoy KM Neuhold's writing style and I immediately connected with the characters in this book. Both MCs are adorable and I enjoyed the wider cast as well. I didn't love Diego's initial insistence that he wasn't gay, he didn't seem to realise he could be bi, even tho bisexuality had been mentioned he still couldn't seem to apply it to himself. To be fair he did adopt it quickly when he realised it was an option, but it seemed to take forever, I suppose the series isn't called Gymbos for nothing. The book was fun, with high heat and low angst, and I was thinking a solid four stars all the way through until the very end, (spoilers ahead). I'm loath to copy paste the text as it's the final paragraph of the book, but the gist is that Diego has come out to his team but doesn't plan to come out publicly, although he has a plan in place for if it gets out. Obviously nobody is required to come out but the reasoning for this makes my head hurt. He wants to set up a hockey camp for queer youth, and doesn't want to make a spectacle by coming out and distracting from the real issue of queer inclusion in sport by publicly being a queer man in sport. The fact that coming out would make things easier for queer inclusion seems to pass him by, and it seems obvious that someone will let it slip eventually, so why not do it on your own terms and make it clear that it's something you're proud of rather than something you tried to hide? I also resent the implication that someone coming out and hoping to live their life authentically is in any way wanting a spectacle or the drama associated with it. I assume the author plans to have him come out or be outed in a future book, which is fine, but just the reasoning and the way the issue is couched seems very hypocritical and disingenuous and honestly leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I had been hoping for a grand gesture, sure, but I would have been satisfied with him planning to come out after X event or something like that. The bravery of coming out to the team and then stopping halfway, along with the bullshit hypocrisy about not wanting to distract from the real issues, was very anticlimactic and pulled the very nice 4 star review down to a rather disheartened 3 star. It's amazing how much one paragraph can ruin an otherwise great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This felt like it was shorter, everything happened a bit quicker than in the previous romances, but it was still the same lot of fun and gym antics.
Callan and Diego were a nicely matched pair, although I never felt like we got as much information about either of them than with the first two books in the series.
As with book one though, the sexual awakening was done well, I felt like Diego was really opening up to having an attraction for Callan and it not seemingly coming from nowhere.
They had fun together with their competitive natures and the personal training element did a lot of heavy lifting in driving the attraction.
This is an easy and fun read. There’s no angst, no twists, and no depth, but you do get a good quantity of smut.
However, the romance here is driven almost entirely by lust; they never have any real intellectual conversations. Furthermore, Callan is particularly disappointing—he lacks any sort of background story or potential for future development.
The good thing is that it’s short. If you’re looking for a quick, low-effort read to relax with, this is it, just don’t expect too much.
A nice and easy read. I had higher hopes or maybe it’s the timing who knows. Diego is a hockey player recovering from an injury, his stupid teammates send him to our favourite gym Sweat as a prank. Little did they know they made him a favour, cuz he found his Callan. Let me tell you Callan is a PT and super nice easy going guy. It’s not long before sparks are flying and a nice bi-awakening is happening for our boy Diego. He was maybe freaking out a bit too much, or it was absolutely appropriately, don’t know or care. We get a nice and sweet happy end. The epilogue was meh 🌸
Diego is a professional hockey player recovering from both an injury and the betrayal of his girlfriend of 10 yrs, who left him while he was injured for the team’s goalie.
Diego and Callan meet one night watching sports at a bar and then Diego ends up somewhat randomly going to his gym to workout. They meet again, Callan becomes his personal trainer and friend, and then they quickly move on to friends w benefits.
Diego is conflicted/confused about his ‘gay-for-you’ feelings toward Callan but eventually decides he doesn’t care. There’s moderate angst as they each assume it’s short term and Callan fears that Diego won’t want to deal w his bi-sexuality long term/when the season starts.
❤️No third act breakup. 🗣️Communication - there is no miscommunication driving the story, but they also don’t really talk about how they’re each feeling either. 👬🏽MM - Callan - out/gay; Diego - Bi awakening/gay for you. Never had romantic feelings for another man 💪🏼Professional Hockey player and big athletic professional trainer. Both have muscles for miles 🫣No OM/OW - both possessive and jealous in a cute way. His ex girlfriend never makes an appearance and he’s clearly over her. We know that Callan hasn’t been in a relationship and also seems to pick unavailable men and/or previously straight men who use him for fun. 🐶Dog - drooly pug named Slapshot 🏠Found family - Diego has a sister who plays a small part in the story and is supportive. There are also the various gym guys from Sweat. 🌶️Spice - starts early and continues throughout. Almost too much. Open door; vers. 👥Dual POV; 8 month layer epilogue; Diego is out to his team and they are living together.
Classic 3 star fun story. I was little frustrated by the gay awakening/closeted professional hockey player story line. I feel like it’s just been done so many times; but this one ended fairly well, so props for that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
6/10 Якось ця частина не дотягнула, хоча я обожнюю атмосферу іх залу, компанію, весь антураж🤼♂️🏋🏼♂️🏆Якось ці всі джимбро позитивно впливають на мене. Тому мило, але перші більш ржачні, десь серйозніші⭐️ а, і ще тут прям на початку російські прізвища, бо хокей 🏒 же ж. Якщо це тригерить Вас
**I was gifted an arc copy of this book** K.M. Neuhold is the queen of feel-good MM romance. I already loved Jacked and Pumped, so I went into Grind fully expecting to love it—and to absolutely no one's surprise, I did. I devoured it in one sitting!
Callan and Diego were such a sweet couple. I loved that they first met at a straight bar and bonded over their shared love of sports, only to run into each other again when Diego ends up at Sweat for rehab after an injury. Watching their relationship develop from friendship into something more was so much fun. Their constant friendly competition and banter kept me smiling the whole time.
Callan was immediately attracted to Diego (and admittedly a bit of a fanboy), but one of my favorite things about him was how patient he was. He never pressured Diego and gave him the space to figure out who he was and what he wanted on his own. He would have accepted friendship if that was all Diego had to offer and never pushed for anything Diego didn't ask for (consent king!).
Diego's inner monologue as he slowly realized he was attracted to Callan was both entertaining and believable, and I thought the pacing of their relationship was really well done. Once they finally got together, their chemistry was incredible, but what I loved even more was the emotional connection they built first. Diego fit seamlessly into the found family at Sweat, and I loved that he embraced the group long before he fully understood his feelings for Callan. Jen was also a great side character, and I appreciated how supportive she was as Diego worked through everything.
The only reason this wasn't a full five stars for me was that the final third of the book felt a little rushed. I loved their story so much I wanted more! I would have loved more time watching Callan and Diego settle into life as a couple- to see how they navigated their relationship during hockey season since that was such a concern for both of them. That said, I absolutely loved that once Diego accepted his feelings, he was all in. Seeing him come out to his team and choose to love Callan openly was such a satisfying conclusion to his journey.
If you love friends-to-lovers, bisexual awakening, low angst, found family, witty banter, and plenty of spice, you'll definitely want to add Grind to your TBR.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
ᕙ(˃ ᵕ ˂‶)ᕗ The Gymbos are back with Grind, hockey player x trainer romance ⚡︎
I get so happy going back into the Gymbos world and reuniting with my fave gym trainers who couldn't be more lovable. I can easily say that this is such a good series and could recommend it to anyone who loves romance. I love and have enjoyed every one of these books and can't wait for the next one whenever I finish the most recent one.
Last night I read basically the whole thing - I couldn't stop! I slept until 2 am because I wanted to know how this would end. While it does have some good miscommunication and an end date trope in the horizon, it's pretty light on the angst! I did cry because whenever it went to Callan's POV and him thinking this was gonna end either way because he didn't know Diego wanted more, etc, I was feeling sooo sad for him *cry* He has always been the secret in the hook up or the experiment in the relationship and now here you have a sexy hockey player who is perfect and he tells you the same thing. OH I WAS FEELING IT HARD FOR CALLAN.
Even though it does feature the miscommunication trope mainly in the way of them not knowing what the other is feeling because they're afraid to ask, they do have good communication lmao. In the end, they always ask for what the other wants and go from there. I feel like I'm contradicting myself but you'd understand me if you read it lmaoo it does have the trope but also they have good communication 💪🏼
More microtropes: ⚡︎ Lonely hockey player finds a best friend and falls for him ⚡︎ "Is it gay for you to give me a blowjob" ⚡︎ Hockey player has a very cute pug ⚡︎ JEALOUSY SCENESSS ⚡︎ Bi-awakening
This is a friends to more romance, featuring Diego Ferguson and Callan, and is book three in the Gymbos series.
After a season-ending injury, Diego hires Callan, as his perineal trainer, to help him get back in game shape, but their workouts quickly turn into an undeniable attraction and lead to something more.
I frigging love this series and this one was a low angst, sweet and spicy read. Diego and Callan were so good together, great chemistry, curiosity and both of these two crushing hard. I loved how they moved from friends to FWB to more and the found family vibes are top tier. LOVED THEM!
Things to expect in this book are: Book 3 in series MM romance Personal trainer x hockey player Pet dad: Dog (slapshot) Hurt / Comfort Injury recovery 80s movie enthusiasts Friends to more Bi awakening Spicy times First times Public s*x Voyeurism Rough play & ass play Jockstraps & slutty socks Calls him Fergie Coming out Found family HEA
I loved this so much. This felt like such an authentic rep for a bi awakening. Diego had been through a lot so I loved seeing him find happiness in an unlikely place. Also loved seeing Brody get at least a little of what he deserved. Callan was so sweet and I loved how he forced Diego to really think about the joke and ultimately challenged him to stick around. This was great.
Grind was such a refreshing love story! Diego and Callan finding their way to each other felt natural, genuine, and just so damn satisfying. I especially loved how well they communicated—it made their connection feel even stronger.
And the spice? 🥵🔥 These two had CHEMISTRY. The tension, attraction, and heated moments definitely delivered. Watching them fall in love while bringing all that heat made this one such a fun, sexy read. Diego and Callan had me smiling one minute and fanning myself the next!
Highly enjoyable, easy to read, friends to lovers between a hockey player and a personal trainer.
These two were too cute. Loved them both. Poor Diego’s doing it a bit tough. He’s recovering from surgery and having to deal with the fact that one of his teammates stole his girlfriend while he was on bed rest. As his time healing comes to a close he knows he needs to start focusing on getting back in shape if he wants any chance to keep playing the game he loves. Enter Callan, personal trainer extraordinaire!!
Callan is a PT at a gym, gay, and is just a genuinely nice dude with plenty of friends and a killer bod. When he meets Diego he’s immediately attracted but figures Diego’s straight so while he’s happy to help get him back in shape he accepts that that is all it’ll likely be. Except Diego can’t quite keep his eyes off Callan and he’s asking an awful lot of not so straight questions…
I read this book in one day. Absolutely flew through it. I enjoyed both MMCs, the side characters and the whole friends to lovers set up. Although this is the third book in this series it can be read as a standalone - I haven’t read the other two books yet and had no trouble following along or figuring out who was who in the side character department.
Low angst, hot to trot, bi awakening with a pet pug to boot? What’s not to like!? Grab this one if you’re in the mood for something a little lighter, a little fluffier and a little sweeter.
ARC copy received as part of authors ARC team. This is my full and honest review.
Diego is an injured hockey player, and It’s been six months since he had surgery. When he got injured he also lost his girlfriend, who ran to the next hockey player. He needs to train more to get back on the ice. A teammate suggested Sweat.
The first time he saw Callan, it was at a bar. They talked, and Diego had a great time. Entering Sweat, Diego understands his teammate made a joke. Because Sweat is part of the rainbow. Would Callan be gay? Callan calls him out: ‘What’s the joke?’
Callan will be Diego’s personal trainer. They work out together, and spend private time together. Diego’s mind makes overtime thinking about gay things. He believes it isn’t gay if a man sucks your dick. Right? One of the other trainers told him. Ha! when he felt Callan’s mouth, his mind blacked out. Maybe he should explore a bit more with Callan, until the season starts.
While they have fun, Callan knows there’s nothing more to expect; it’s just getting off; he’s not stupid. They are getting more and more involved, when Diego is back on ice, this will all be over, and it’s gonna hurt like hell. What he doesn’t know is Diego is struggling too. Is there hope?
Both their workouts and private time are entertaining. Ditto with exploring in the bedroom. Of course, we meet other guys from the gym again, a bunch of awesome people. Overall, it was a lovely read, angst-free, comfortable, and with kind characters.
GRIND by K.M. Neuhold was such a fun, sexy addition to the GymBros series. Book three follows Diego, a professional hockey player recovering from an injury and desperate to get back into shape before the next season. Enter Callan, a personal trainer at Sweat who Diego can’t seem to stop thinking about. What starts as workouts and “bro time” quickly turns into friendship, attraction, and a whole lot of questioning. I really enjoyed watching Callan and Diego’s relationship develop. Their friendship felt natural, and I loved the progression from friends to something more as Diego navigates his first real attraction to a man. The bi awakening was one of my favorite parts, especially watching Diego slowly realize that maybe his attraction to Callan is a little more complicated than he initially wants to admit. We get hockey player x personal trainer, friends to lovers, bi-awakening, forced proximity, and plenty of spice. Callan and Diego had great chemistry, and I was genuinely invested and rooting for these two. This was a low angst romance with plenty of heat, humor, friendship, and those classic GymBros vibes.
This was a great addition and I’m excited to see if we get some more books in this series. In the meantime, I’ll have to check out more from KM Neuhold.
Diego and Callan!! Oh, my stars, I love them. The bi awakening was one of the best books I have read with it, to date. Diego has had a tough time between his injury and his girlfriend cheating on him while he was out, he deserved so much better and he found that with Cal. I loved that Cal didn't let Diego get away with anything or push him into anything. He was happy to just be in Deigo's life, even if that was as a friend, as long as they were together. There was that little bit of pining, but it didn't take Diego long to start questioning everything. I was so happy that the news of them was fairly easy, compared to some books, and they could just be. AND TAKE THAT BRODY!
What more can you ask for - another bi-awakening at Sweat! Diego's rehab blooms a friendship and then so much more when he reconnects with Callan after talking at a bar and then hanging out between gym sessions...
I appreciate the low angst story and the slow build from strangers to friends to friends with benefits to more... and I love the way Callan continuously checks in with Diego. I would have liked to see this story continue (maybe a bonus short) as Diego continues to navigate his return to hockey and his teammates... but I do appreciate the place this ended...
Another great addition to the gymbros series, Callan and Diego have great chemistry. Worthy of their double meet cute, first at the bar being bros and drinking beer while watching baseball and second when Diego is sent to Sweat on a homophobic "joke" by his teammates.
Callan shows great patience and keeps up proper boundaries of their friend/client relationship develops and is curious Diego that initiates the breaking of some of those boundaries. A love that builds out of friendship and support.
💜 Hockey Player x Personal Trainer 💜 Strangers to Friends to Lovers 💜 Bi-Awakening 💜 Secret Relationship 💜 Found Family 🔥 Locker Room S*x, Frotting, Rimming
I liked this a lot, probably more than any other gymbro book so far! I didn't love the tension about whether or not what they had was temporary, and I thought it was wrapped up a little fast at the end. But it was really hot and sweet. Their competitive spirit made it really fun to read!
The Gymbros series has been so much fun to read. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy with low stakes. Diego and Callan’s story still plays into the light-hearted vibe while also being in the world of pro sports!! Diego’s thoughts and Callan’s feelings really jump off the page, and I wasn’t ready for their story to end! It was a bit abrupt in the last few chapters, but I absolutely loved it. Thank you, KM Neuhold, for the ARC!
This was everything! I love the story and and the returning characters! Super spicy and cute. It actually supriesed me how sweet Callan was with Diego. I love every minute of this book 🥰
Grind by K.M. Neuhold Gymbos #3 Length: 259 pages Source: Author-direct Publication date: July 3, 2026
5 ⭐
WHAT TO EXPECT Hockey player x personal trainer Bisexual awakening There's begging And a cute dog Competitive gym bros
AUTHOR'S BLURB Hockey star Diego Ferguson says he knows about the grind, but he’s about to learn that his new personal trainer, Callan, gives the word a whole new meaning.
Everyone in Chicago has been following the news about Diego's injury and the last season spent on the bench. It doesn’t hurt that he's got a major sexy brood going on in every picture I see of him these days.
The last place I expected him to show up was Sweat. But he's looking for a personal trainer to help him get fully back in shape before the season, and I'm just the guy for the job.
It figures that he's straight, but that doesn’t mean I can't enjoy the view while I help get his fine backside ready to get back out on the ice.
He's definitely as surly as his pictures, and twice as arrogant. Turns out he's also desperate for some bro time in between workouts, and I'm more than qualified to be the guy for that job too.
Maybe he's not as straight as he claims. Maybe he just needs a little fun to get his confidence back up after last season. Maybe I'll let myself indulge in a harmless fling with a cocky, bi-curious hockey player as a little treat. I work hard after all, and I deserve a little fun too.
We both know it can't last, but puck it, a summer fling is always a good time.
MY THOUGHTS Gymbos just keeps getting better and better! This is my favorite so far. I love the connection between Callan and Diego and the dynamic between them as they get to know one another. And once they're a couple? Lord help me, they are the sweetest thing around! Equally down bad, the MCs are two competitive peas in a pod, truly. They have so many things in common, and their desire to win keeps things interesting. To top it off, they're each others' biggest cheerleaders.
Though I'm not a queer man, Diego's sexual awakening feels extremely realistic in the flow of the story. He doesn't try to deny it, but he doesn't immediately go "Welp, guess I'm bi." He's genuinely questioning and tries to understand how he didn't know until now. He's honestly baffled in the beginning as to why Cal makes him feel the way he does.
I also like that Cal calls him out on his unconscious biases of being gay or queer, seeing as he's coming from the NHL, where homophobia abounds in all the locker rooms that Diego has ever been in. Cal's direct questions and responses rub off on Diego in such a positive way, and I think that helps him understand his awakening even more.
As I've come to expect, there are adorable and hilarious little cameos from past characters, and the found family of our gym bros leaves me smiling.
BOTTOM LINE Yeahhh, you know what I'm going to say. Kyleen is one of my very favorite authors, and this latest series is fantastic.
–A🩷
Thanks to K.M. Neuhold for an eARC of this book. All opinions are mine. Reviews posted regularly on StoryGraph, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, BlueSky, BookBub, and Fable.
4.5 stars Diego Ferguson is a defenseman for the Chicago Huskies who has been off for hip surgery and a bit lost. His longtime girlfriend left him, and he is worried about getting back on the ice and about teammate dynamics. He's broody, kind of depressed, and in limbo.
When one of his teammates refers him to a trainer at an outside gym, he had no idea it was just a joke, and he sent him to a very gay friendly gym. But there he stumbles upon Callan again. They had previously met one night in a bar and enjoyed a bit of bro-like teasing.
Callan is a personal trainer. He is friendly, fun, competitive, and motivating, and is just who Diego needs to kick him into the training zone.
They start to train, hang out, and crush a bit. It is confusing for Diego who has always identified as straight. And Callan has a history of falling for closeted athletes who never want a real relationship with him. But Diego's getting more curious and tired of overthinking, and Callan can't resist letting him explore. As they cruise into a fling and situationship, the reality about a set timeline and the start of a new season is looming over them.
I loved these two together. They have such fun banter, competitive spirits, passion, and motivate and inspire each other. Diego feels seen and understood by Callan, but also cannot cause any kind of drama coming back to his team. And Callan knows he is probably heading for a fall, but cannot help himself. The bi-awakening component was done well and Diego's hockey career added complexity to the situation.
It brings back the guys from previous books and teases Fender's story. This series is fun and steamy, and I love the dynamics of the gym crew.
Here's KM Neuhold's latest: "Grind." It's the third novel in her new Grind series.
["Hockey star Diego Ferguson says he knows about the grind, but he’s about to learn that his new personal trainer, Callan, gives the word a whole new meaning.
Everyone in Chicago has been following the news about Diego's injury and the last season spent on the bench. It doesn’t hurt that he's got a major sexy brood going on in every picture I see of him these days.
The last place I expected him to show up was Sweat. But he's looking for a personal trainer to help him get fully back in shape before the season, and I'm just the guy for the job.
It figures that he's straight, but that doesn’t mean I can't enjoy the view while I help get his fine backside ready to get back out on the ice.
He's definitely as surly as his pictures, and twice as arrogant. Turns out he's also desperate for some bro time in between workouts, and I'm more than qualified to be the guy for that job too.
Maybe he's not as straight as he claims. Maybe he just needs a little fun to get his confidence back up after last season. Maybe I'll let myself indulge in a harmless fling with a cocky, bi-curious hockey player as a little treat. I work hard after all, and I deserve a little fun too.
We both know it can't last, but puck it, a summer fling is always a good time."]
UGH! All of the bro-ing, all of the challenges, all of the 80s movies, all of the grilling. All of the falling from friendship to more. This was fluffy and filled with all kinds of fun. It was flirty and adorable. It was honest and careful. So much found family, and re-finding your found family. It was beautiful.
I loved how easy this book was. There was just enough angst to get you to continue reading (and for some serious character arcs), but there wasn't anything crazy stressful. Their friendship was easy, their relationship was easy. They communicated like a dream (they read each other like a dream).
And here's to Slaps. You go, boo!
Trigger Warnings: sports related homophobia, minor internalized homophobia, and more.