Plumbing, cleaning, stone work, painting. Whatever the task, these men have just the right tools for the job. Need something buffed or polished? You’ve come to the right place. From light and sexy fun, to smoldering passion, to life-changing transformations, it’s all in a day’s work for these blue-collar studs. When it needs to be done and done right, trust a professional… mechanic, dry waller, construction worker, firefighter, or snow globe repairman. These guys know if you’re going to work, you might as well work hard. Tag along with them as they show off their special skills—on the job and off.
Coffee Run by Jess Roth The Last Snow Globe Repairman by Allan Jay Of Scribes and Kings by Bryl R Tyne Executive Decision by Alice Archer Flat Packed by Henrietta Clarke Moonshine by Charlie Tannen Love on the Tarmac by Quinn Dressler The Stonemason by Terry Rissen Hot Cross Buns by Ginger Streusel How to Build a Shed by Kim Dias
This collection was received free of charge in exchange for a fair, honest review.
There are ten m/m stories ranging from contemporary to science fiction to historical to paranormal. All the stories contain at least one main character who works with their hands, from stonemasons to plumbers to electricians and more. I honestly loved this collection and definitely recommend it to m/m romance fans. I would also recommend it to anyone who is new to m/m romance as this isn't overly graphic. My overall rating would be 4 out of 5.
"Coffee Run" by Jess Roth. Alex is covering for his ill mother as cleaner in the office building where Emmett works. Emmett is cute, easily flustered, and a serious science fiction fan. The story is short, and so very sweet. Emmett is earnest, awkward, and adorkable. Alex is, as Emmett observes, hot. He's also a good man. 4 out of 5.
"The Last Snow Globe Repairman" by Allan Jay. Tom watched as a new man moved into his neighborhood, his van announcing he repairs snow globes. They run into each other again at a horror film at the local theater. Matt is more than just a repairman, but how will Tom deal with the reveal? I was a little worried at first when Tom grabbed Matt's wrist, invading his personal space. Luckily my concerns were baseless. There's so much going on in this story, so many threads to explore. Missing parents, spirit catching, gay ghost, a lake full of spirits. It deserved a much longer format, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. 3.5 out of 5.
"Of Scribes and Kings" by Bryl R. Tyne. Ken called his apartment complex's maintenance man to repair some minor items. But he has an ulterior motive. Okay, this relationship really is beyond creepy. Ken traced the other man's IP address to move near him. He sabotages things to get Carr to come to his apartment and stay longer. This is more a slasher stalker porn flick setup than a true romance. We don't even know the first name of Ken's stalkerish affection, only that of his father and his gamer name. Then there are Ken's other issues, such as he never leaves his apartment, even to shop. He downs three beers in rapid succession to fuel his courage. When they do have sex, it is as their gaming alter egos. This isn't healthy, it isn't romantic, it is dangerous. Role play is fine, but not until after a couple has already connected. 2.5 out of 5.
"Executive Decision" by Alice Archer. Dar Riley saw the offworlder watching him build the wall, day after day. Pierre Catalan is a busy man, one who is fiercely in control of himself and his environment. That changes when he receives bad news while with Dar. What a contrast between our two heroes. Dar is unable to control much in his life. Pierre is too much in control. He needs someone like Dar who can take over the reins, give him permission to step back. I'm always in favor of good science fiction romances, whether m/f or m/m. Science fiction isn't all monsters and space ships. Subtle touches make a good story into satisfying sci-fi and Archer knows just how to paint the scenes. 4.5 out of 5.
"Flat Packed" by Henrietta Clarke. David Porter, in town for his sister's wedding, is enjoying teasing Louis King, the man of honor and Hayley's best friend. But Louis has the wrong take on David's travels, one that causes friction between them. Both men are good guys, I'm sure that the sex was fantastic. But I worry that there is too much against them as a couple. Still I hope for the best for both of them. And that, dear readers, will always be the mark of a good writer, when you care about the characters. 3.5 out of 5.
"Moonshine" by Charlie Tannen. It was an unusual request. Charles wants a fast car, all in black, lightweight to help increase the speed, but with a large storage compartment. Oscar is intrigued, not only by the machine that he's building, but by Charles himself. Set during Prohibition, this may be my favorite of the collection. It is a period that isn't seen often in romances, but one I enjoy. Oscar's worry about Charles' criminal activities is well thought out. The attraction and love between the two men jumps off the page. And the ending? Exquisite! 5 out of 5.
"Love on the Tarmac" by Quinn Dressler. Captain Matt Bowman rescued Cooper Austin from his homophobic First Officer. Coop, like most everyone else, has a crush on the handsome pilot, but didn't think he had any chance. Until Matt joins him for a burger. Another favorite setting of mine, airports and flight personnel. There's a heroic pilot, a cretin First Officer, and an alert rampie who saves the day. I almost got a combination CABIN PRESSURE and WINGS vibe from this tale, in all the best ways. 4.5 out of 5.
"The Stonemason" by Terry Rissen. Russell Grant had run from his once all encompassing art when it dried up on him. A new job, a new name, a new life, yet still dealing with the art he loved, only this time as a custodian in a small art museum. Then one night something extraordinary occurs. Sad and exciting and heartbreaking and wonderful. Thank heavens for the epilogue or I don't know if I could've survived the story. Even knowing that art, good art, art that pulls at your soul, can be born out of pain, I wanted Russ to have his happily ever after. 4.5 out of 5.
"Hot Cross Buns" by Ginger Streusel. After a rough resuce, firefighter Cole is wandering the streets at night when Johnny invites him into his family's diner for some hot chocolate. Cole is blaming himself for not being fast enough, believing that the child he rescued wouldn't be struggling in the hospital otherwise. Johnny seems to help lift the weight off his shoulders. A sweet little tale of fire and food. Cole will burn out if he doesn't learn to accept that all he can ever do is his best. Luckily Johnny can help him through that. 3.5 out of 5.
"How to Build a Shed" by Kim Dias. They met at the library and it was immediate attraction for both men. Shawn, a librarian, was younger and, according to Gabe, too goodlooking to be for him. Still Gabe wanted to see Shawn again, so he makes up a story about needing books to help him build a shed. A desperate lie thought up on the fly as Gabe is actually a construction foreman. Poor Gabe. Poor Shawn. Lies and misunderstandings play havoc on their fledgling relationship. Adorable and beyond sweet. 3.5 out of 5.
Of the 10 stories there were only 2 I didn't like.
Coffee a run by Jess Roth. - Cute. 4* The Last Snow Globe Repairman by Allen Jay - Well, that was unexpected. Far too much going on in a short story. I'd have been interested in reading this in a much longer format. Unfortunately the author doesn't seem to have written anything else. 3.5* (because it didn't fit in a short story) Of Scribes and Kings by Bryl R Tyne - Creepy, stakerish behaviour, spit for lube, fantasy roleplay before they even know each other. Not to mention I found the beginning difficult to follow. 2* Executive Decision by Alice Archer. - Thought I was going to struggle with this at first but the more it got more into the interaction between the characters, the more I enjoyed it. Well written. 4* Flat packed by Henrietta Clarke. - I really wasn't ready for this story to end. In fact I've written a summary of their next 12 months together. Not in my head but on paper. Damn it, I could turn this into a novel. 4.5* Moonshine by Charlie Tannen - Having seen all the other reviews for this I thought this would be poorly written but it's not. Apparently nobody likes historicals. I thought this story, set during prohibition, was excellent and I felt for Oscar during his quandary when he found out how Charlie made his money. My only complaint: the title. Talk about taking all the suspense out of the story. 4.5* (Gutted I can find no other work by this author). Love on the Tarmac by Quinn Dressler - This time it's the turn of ramp agent and wannbe mechanic to get his hands dirty. A cute story of a ramp agent who gets to save the day, the airline, and the pilot he's been crushing on, and kick some homophobic butt in the process. 4* The Stonemason by Terry Rissen. - This was written well but it was, strange, to say the least. In fact it reminded me of this book that I've read recently https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... But with a different kind of happy ending. 3* Hot Cross Buns by Ginger Streusel. Didn't feel anything for these characters or their relationship. The final fire was telegraphed from the get go and had no impact. Cole probably wasn't cut out to be a fireman, who throws water on a stove fire rather than look for an extinguisher? 2* How to Build a Shed by Kim Dias. - Adorable. A little white lie. It can't do much damage, right? 4*
How to Build a Shed by Kim Dias – Shawn is in the middle of putting away books when he sees the man of his dreams. Gabriel thinks Shawn is beautiful but much to young for him. Not that that’s going to stop him from asking Shawn out on a date.
Love on the Tarmac by Quinn Dressler – Cooper Austin works for an airline company as a rampie. He’s being harassed by First Officer Pratt, when Captain Matt Bowman comes to his rescue.
Flat Packed by Henrietta Clarke – Louise is stuck with his best friends brother, David while shopping for furniture at IKEA. Things wouldn’t be so bad, but these two guys just don’t get along.
Coffee Run by Jess Roth – Alex is helping his mom out by doing her cleaning job while she’s out sick. While on the job he meets cute, awkward Emmett.
Hot Cross Buns by Ginger Streusel – Cole meets Johnny after a terrible night fighting a huge fire. Johnny, a cafe worker, offers Cole a cup of coco.
Moonshine by Charlie Tannen – Charles hires Oscar to build him a car. Oscar has no idea how a man could afford such an expensive thing, but he plans to find out.
The Last Snow Globe Repairman by Allan Jay – Matt, a Snow Globe repairman moves in across the street from Tom. Tom thinks things may go well between them. Well, that is until he finds out there’s more to Matts job than just fixing Snow Globes.
The Stonemason by Terry Rissen – Russ works as a custodian for a museum. He used to be a big hotshot painter until one morning he woke up and had lost his love for painting.
Of Scribes and Kings by Bryl R. Tyne – An online gamer who has set his sights on the maintenance man for his building.
Executive Decision by Alice Archer – Dar is a stone mason. He has spent many years building walls, he loves his job but hates his boss. Pierre is the CEO of a company. He never has time for anything, but when his father dies, Dar is there to help him get through it.
It has taken me a couple hours to come up with something to say about this anthology. And I absolutely hate that I have to say this, but this one really disappointed me. There were only a few stories that actually appealed to me, and some of them left me with a big WTF-did-I-just-read by the time I finished them. Which truly bums me out, because I love anthologies. But Bare Studs just didn’t do it for me. However, this is just my opinion. You may love them all or hate the ones I loved. I guess that’s up to you, but this set of stories just weren’t for me.
Overall, I would give the anthology as a whole 3.5 stars. There was something for everyone in this anthology, from science fiction to contemporary to fantasy.
Coffee Run: 3.5 stars. A short and sweet story about a man that is filling in as a janitor for his sick mother and the adorable man that he meets at the office he is cleaning.
Of Scribes and Kings: 2 stars. Sorry, this one just had a creepy stalker vibe that I couldn't get past and there didn't seem to be any connection between the MCs other than sex.
The Stonemason: 2 stars. I didn't care for the tone of this story; it was very vague and didn't paint a very good picture between the MCs, in my opinion. This could be me, though, since I don't usually like fantasy stories.
Flat Packed: 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this story of a man attracted to the annoying brother of his best friend. There is just a small touch of angsty misunderstanding between the MCs but it is quickly resolved.
Moonshine: 2 stars. I think my problem with this story is more a matter of taste. I don't care for historical stories as a rule and I didn't think the resolution at the end was very satisfactory.
How to Build a Shed: 4 stars. This was my favorite story of the anthology, with an older MC falling for a younger, more vibrant man and being so afraid of approaching him that he told a small white lie to get his attention. Very small amount of angst/drama at the end and a whole lot of sweetness.
The Last Snow Globe: I won't rate this story since I only finished half of it. It just didn't grab my attention.
Love on the Tarmac: 3 stars. Somewhat predictable story of a perfect MC that has everyone, including the other MC, in love with him. I felt that the characters were a little 2 dimensional, especially the boss and the protagonist. Everything was just a little over the top at the end.
Executive Decision: I won't rate this story since I didn't read it. I am not into science fiction stories and wasn't able to get into the first few pages that I read. Just a personal preference.
Hot Cross Buns: 3.5 stars. I really liked this story of a firefighter that has trouble returning to the job after rescuing a little girl from a fire. He meets a baker that same night and begins to fall in love. Sweet with just a little angst mixed in.
Coffee Run by Jess Roth 3*** The Last Snow Globe Repairman by Allan Jay 3*** paranormal Of Scribes and Kings by Bryl R. Tyne 3*** Executive Decision by Alice Archer 4**** Sci-Fi Flat Packed by Henrietta Clarke 3.25*** Moonshine by Charlie Tannen 2.5** historical 1st-person Love on the Tarmac by Quinn Dressler 3.5**** The Stonemason by Terry Rissen 3.8**** paranormal Hot Cross Buns by Ginger Streusel 3.3*** How to Build a Shed by Kim Dias 3.1***
Quality-wise, this was your average mixed bag anthology with some stories being great, some being blah, and some being bad. I was surprised that for an anthology about things like carpenters, mechanics, etc., I got several stories with aliens, ghosts, and magic. Sometimes the fanciful stories worked out, sometimes the shorter span made them suffer. Regardless, there were a few favourites I had in here and as an overall this was an enjoyable read.