Banger

Blue Collar Hearts #2

by Kiki Clark

If there was one thing Kevin knew, it was that his BFF’s ex was bad news.

Hank is arrogant, a sloppy drunk, and a complete flirt. And he didn't treat Kevin’s friend the way he deserved.

Enough said.

It doesn’t matter that everyone else has forgiven and forgotten what happened between Hank and Kevin’s bestie. He won’t let himself fall for the older man’s sweet words or endearments.

Especially not after… that night.

Getting ghosted by a guy Kevin wasn’t even really interested in—okay, he maybe sort of could have been, but definitely not now—was the final nail in the coffin. Just because Hank wormed his way into Kevin’s life and friend group, doesn’t mean Kevin has to give him the time of day.

Too bad, Hank isn’t getting that message.

Banger is book two in bestselling author Kiki Clark’s Blue Collar Hearts series. It features an age gap, enemies (though not really, except yes because you annoy me so much but why am I so attracted to you?!)-to-lovers, clothes stealing, bookstore dates, apology bjs, and so much more.

It can be read as a standalone, but both main characters were first introduced in book one, Laying Pipe, so why not start from the beginning. *wink*

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, M M Contemporary, LGBT, Slow Burn

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2023

Reviews

[BookSafety Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

“Gorgeous,” Hank said, “I don’t think there’s a single thing I wouldn’t be willing to do to get you to smile at me.”

I didn’t like either Hank or Kevin much when reading Laying Pipe. Hank especially came off quite bad in most of book 1, but I ended up loving both of them so much, and I think I enjoyed this book even more than Laying Pipe. I love solid, believable character development that doesn’t happen overnight.

Kevin is super prickly and has some past trauma that makes it hard for him to be vulnerable, so it was super lovely to see him finally trust Hank and let his guard down.

Kiki is also one of those authors that can make me blush a little. Dirty talk usually makes me feel one of two ways: either ‘ew make it stop it’s so awkward’ and ‘meh, I don’t care at all’, HOWEVER, damn, the dirty talk in this worked so well. Sort of just Hank aggressively loving on Kevin, saying the hottest things.

I know many people love MM because there’s not so much a focus on marriage and kids, and that many feel it’s very heteronormative to include those things in queer romance. Queer men can also want the beautiful house, the loving marriage and a handful of kids tho, and I really loved to see that in this story. Kevin just wants to be a house husband, being spoiled and loved on by his man. I would totally read a follow-up story about them becoming/being parents.

All he had ever wanted was a partner to love him, kids to dote on, and a home that was filled with love and laughter and warmth. Other people dreamed of having a certain career or being rich and famous, but Kevin had only ever wanted the one thing he hadn’t had growing up: a stable, loving family.

Also, Hank is such a smooth talker. So many terms of endearment, and they all felt special and genuine. Beautiful, gorgeous, baby, etc. Who knew big and beefy guys in backwards baseball caps were the guys saying shit like this? ⬇️

“Let me wine and dine you a little bit, gorgeous. I want to do things right.”

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Greedy bottom
Age gap
Size difference
Slow burn (sort of)
Brief enemies to lovers
Breeding kink
Dirty talk
Possessiveness
Financial gap
Coming in pants
Crop tops
Makeup
Tattooed MC
Backwards baseball cap
Small town
Peen size difference
Hands-free orgasms

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Alcohol consumption off page (on-page intoxication)
Mentions of MC’s parent being an alcoholic (past)
Mention of death of parent (past)
Destruction of MC’s property
MC’s belongings stolen
Mention of MC’s parent drunk driving and permanently injuring someone (past)
Mentions of MC struggling with alcohol in college - been sober since
Brief and slight degrading and feminizing dirty talk (slutty hole, boy pussy)

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 26 and 35
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 227
Happy ending: Yes


Letting out a soft, broken sound, Kevin threw his arms around Hank’s neck and kissed him. Irresistible bastard.

“You nervous, gorgeous?” The unspoken Do you want me to stop? floated in the air around them, but he waited to see what Kevin would say, wanting him to only ever feel good in Hank’s bed. A little bit of nerves was okay, but too much and it wasn’t sexy anymore.

Kevin didn’t realize how loud his constant moaning had become until Hank chuckled hoarsely right next to his ear and said, “Fuck, you sound like such a slut for my cock right now. You always need it so bad, don’t you?”




You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...

[Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 fluffy, dirty talking stars rounded up because of Kirt Graves…

…whom I love when he narrates twinky characters.

And Kevin (whom we met in the previous book) is as twinky as it gets, even if his counterpart Hank (the guy depicted on the cover) is as non-twinky as you can imagine a guy to be 😅

The story is, again, very fluffy: Kevin has severe trust issues, and he’s annoyingly attracted to Hank, his bbf Lucas’ ex boyfriend. Luckily, the attraction is mutual, and Hank pursues him with relentless patience.

It’s not an exceptionally original plot, but I enjoyed myself nevertheless because of a few things that made it stand out from other ok ish plots.

Firstly, Kevin is a guy who doesn’t have any ambition when it comes to pursuing a career. His dearest wish is to stay at home, to have a family, with a man whom he loves and who takes care of him. And while I couldn’t imagine a life like that for myself, it suited Kevin perfectly, and he found the perfect partner for that in Hank.

Hank is older, the “blue collar” guy this series is about, and he wants a partner he can spoil and look after in every possible way. He’s so kind, and patient, without playing the daddy-kink-card. I’m genuinely happy they found each other ❤️ (isn’t it funny how we tend to get invested in fictional characters?)

And the other thing I loved was the dirty talk 🔥🔥🔥 i know it’s silly, and I’m so not into mpreg (and yes, this is a regular contemporary mm romance) but having Hank saying that he wants to “breed” Kevin and Kevin LOVING it was.. well. Hot. Very hot. Trust me. I know how it sounds 😜

Anyway. Cute, fluffy, hot, and well narrated - 4 stars from me 🥰

[Shelba · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you ignore the first half of this book, pretend Hank isn’t the same Hank that dated Lukas, and don’t get too upset that these guys are into breeding kink and we only get to see a glimpse of that… than this book is Okay TM.

Kevin hooking up with Hank while Hank is drunk seems very OOC to me for someone that has a lot of feelings about alcohol. Not to mention the consent issues.

Kevin also hooking up with Hank 3 months after Hank harassed Lukas with phone calls, and calling and showing up at his work place also doesn’t make sense to me. Same with him being full out in love with him 3 months after feeling blown off after said hook up, and going from thinking Hank’s relentless pursuit is creepy to charming.

I think if this has taken place 3 years after the events of Laying Pipe (same as the amount of time that’s passed since it was published), and Hank had grown, matured, reflected on his inability to accept rejection… maybe gotten therapy… than maybe I could get on board with this more.

But the author thinks these two are perfect for each other, so screw things making sense.

So, even though I disliked most of the book, it had some good parts, and I’m feeling kind of generous (even though I thought about DNFing this a bajillion times)… so 2 stars instead of the 1 star it probably deserves.

[Rin (indefinite hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up

I just re-read Laying Pipe and it’s prequel in preparation for this. It’s safe to say they are not created equal lol.

There are things I did like about it, but the things I didn’t distracted me so much that’s why I chose the rating I did.

Spoilers ahead I’m not hiding.

First, this book is about 70% repetitive internal dialogue. Some sentences were repeated just with different phrasing. It was absolutely bizarre.

Also, it’s one of the slowest burns I’ve ever read. Don’t expect anything until 75% in.

Hank used one of three endearments when talking to Kevin nearly every time he said something to him. 100 times he used them… that’s WAY too much. “How’s it going, gorgeous?” “What is it, beautiful?” “You’re stunning, baby.” Blergh.

And throwing in breeding kink in the only two sex scenes in the book was really bizarre for me.

I wanted to like them. There were some sweet scenes. But the writing was off and unbalanced.

I’ll probably read the next one but my expectations will be low.

[Janet (iamltr) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook Review

I'm not going to lie, I was not looking forward to a couple where one half of the main mcs would be Hank. I really disliked him when he was Lucas's boyfriend but man, did he get a wonderful redemption arc.

Slight spoilers

So in here we have Kevin, a young man in desperate need of help and also is Lucas's best friend.

We also have Hank, the ex boyfriend of Lucas who is now friends with both Lucas and John from the previous book.

This had no real story line, it was all about these two deciding that they liked each other and that was about it.

Lucas really didn't care that his BFF was with his ex which made this all angst free.

Hank, the total Daddy dom, was awesome to see become a good guy and I'm glad these two were happy.

Kirt did a good job, but a lot of the voices sounded the same so at times I wasn't sure who was talking, which did not take me out of the story, I still liked it.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laying Pipe is one of my top favorite stories from Kiki, so I'm so so excited she's getting back to this world and we're getting new stories.

First of all, this book is just full of my favorite tropes - 9 year age gap, size difference, possessiveness, and caretaking. Hank and Kevin were just so great together once they got on the same page, and I loved their chemistry. Between the hoodie possessiveness, the book buying date, Kevin just wanting to be a stay-at-home-dad and Hank wanting to provide that for him, this was just what I needed to read!

Another thing I really loved is that, even though for the most part this is just sexy, light-hearted fun, it also touches on some serious moments with Kevin's family past and his reactions to alcohol, and I think it was handled so well. I love how much Hank respected him and did what he needed to, to make sure Kevin felt safe at his home.

If you're looking for a low angst series, with lots of heat, I definitely recommend Laying Pipe and this story. I can't wait for the next one!

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Alex (HEABookNerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

BANGER had all the classic Kiki Clark elements -- character driven plot, low angst, high heat romance, dirty talking MCs, and great friendships. After reading Lukas' book I wasn't sure how much I'd like Hank since he made some pretty big mistakes with his ex Lukas; but it's obvious how much Hank has worked to improve himself and confront some of his insecurities. I liked seeing his growth and seeing how much he understood Kevin's needs.

Together Kevin and Hank had great chemistry and I liked that they dated and took a slightly slower approach to their relationship. I also liked seeing a character that wasn't super career oriented and instead wants to stay at home and take care of a family. These two were definitely a great combination of hot and sweet together.

Content Warning: past alcohol abuse; references to abusive and alcoholic parent

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:

“I think you do need somebody to take care of you. To pamper you. To adore the fucking ground you walk on. And I want a chance to prove that I’m the perfect man for the job.”

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.25~

Banger is better than Laying Pipe; it's floofy and sugary.

I didn't like Hank in the first book. He was a total dick to Lukas, but he's learned from his mistakes and treats Kevin like spun gold.

Kevin freezes Hank out for like half the book, but Hank, bless his heart, is persuasive. Hank wants to take care of someone, and Kevin needs someone to take care of him. It's a match made in heaven.

When these two finally go for it, the sex is off the charts hot (there's a bit of breeding kink, if you're into that).

Expect a nine-year age gap (barely worth mentioning) and mild enemies-to-lovers vibe (on Kevin's part at least), but this story is mostly drama free.

The heteronormative 1950s HEA was a bit weird. I understand why someone would want to be a stay-at-home parent, but a stay-at-home spouse? Like what do you do all day? But whatever. It made Hank and Kevin happy, so there's that.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Usually when an author writes a series where each book features a different couple, they make it work as a standalone. I didn't feel that was the case with this book. In fact, I read Laying Pipe, but I couldn't remember just what it was that Hank did to Lukas in that book to make Kevin (Lukas's best friend) hate him so much here. It took a long while before it finally came back to me. Without knowing that, it was hard to understand why Kevin was so dismissive of Hank when Hank was such a sweetheart in this book.

So, Kevin gave Hank the cold shoulder for the first half of the book, but after that it was instalove. Lots of sex and talking about sex. They were a cute couple, but there wasn't much to the story.

[25 Readings Or More · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

Banger was exactly what i needed in this stressful time: easy, short, low angst, fast paced and too damn sweet.
I just love a big possessive man who does everything for his lover.
Hank really redeemed himself in my eyes. And Kevin was a sweet little pie who really needed someone able to worship the hell out of him.

Just like the first one, Banger is the perfect read for a couple of hour of relax.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable. This author does write nice, emotional romance. Not as good as the Kincaid Pack series, but decent read. Slooooooooooow burn. Enemies to lovers trope. Hank was a little OTT on occasion with the endearment, but I guess in the end, Kevin loved it.

Some fun moments between friends as well. Can be read as a standalone even though 2nd in the series.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything this author writes, but this book was more emotional and romantic and I liked it more than the first one in this series.
Kevin works at a vet clinic and is very stressed about all the debts he has fallen into in the past. Also he carries a traumatic past due to his father being an alcoholic, but he's this cheerful, happy person that tries to live the best he can. And he is such a loyal friend, that's why he despises Hank after what he did to his friend Lukas. Hank is older than Kevin, has a business that is doing very well and just realised he wants to have a family and that he wants to have it with Kevin.
Kevin and Hank were so wonderful together. Hank had a lot of grovelling to do and Kevin was very stubborn at first, eventually they both found their way to each other. Once Kevin gave Hank a chance they started dating and taking it slow so they could get to know each other and I absolutely loved that. It was wonderful to witness how their relationship evolved into something beautiful.
There is so much good stuff in this book. I love how strong the friendships between the MCs and their friends are and how the author shows that there is not only one type of relationship as long as both partners agree and want the same thing. Hank took such good care of Kevin and I found it so sweet that Kevin just wanted to stay at home and take care of his family, because it's as valid a choice as any other in life.
So yes, I've enjoyed and loved this book so much. The MCs have a great evolution throughout the book, it's a slow burn romance that has great steamy moments. Kevin and Hank have a great chemistry from the beginning and they complemented each other perfectly, Hank always knowing what Kevin needed, and Kevin finally openly stating what he wanted in life.
It was romantic and sweet, and the scene at the bookstore had my heart soaring. Because nothing says "I love you" better than buying books for a book lover.

[❀ Jess ( Semi hiatus ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edit: “ But there was a clawing need inside Hank to be that man. To prove that even if he was a little older, a little soft around the middle, and with a touch of gray in his beard and hair, he was stable.” I’m sorry but where is the little soft around the middle in this cover picture? 🤔




This has so much that I loved but unfortunately there’s also a lot I didn’t like.

My biggest complaint is that there is too much telling, not enough showing, what we do get of the showing is really good! It just makes me sad that most of the story is telling. 🥲

A lot of the story is also filled with information about other characters, what’s going on with them, what the connection is and then there’s also some repetition about what happened in the first book.

There were times where a question would be asked and then there would be A LOT of internal thoughts or explanation about what happened to the point where I forgot a question was even asked and then we’d finally get the response to the question.

Like I mentioned before, it sucks because the parts that we actually get with the showing and when the MCs actually spend time together without the animosity, it was really good but it’s such a small part of the story it really gets bogged down by the stuff I complained about. 🙈

As for the characters themselves, I loved Hank. I loved that he just wanted to take care of Kevin. The breeding kink was really well done, I’m always surprised when I see this in contemporary 🤔

Kevin was very prickly at first, I liked him more when he finally gave in to seeing where things could go with Hank. I really didn’t care for how Kevin held a grudge against Hank for what went on between Hank and Lukas, Lukas understood and forgave Hank and they’re all friends so it felt childish to me, the author kinda aligns it a lot later in the book with it just being Kevin projecting some of his own baggage into the situation 🤷🏻‍♀️

At the start of the story we have Kevin taking a drunk Hank home. Hank is drunk enough that John has to help him into Kevin’s car. He’s not slurring his speech but his speech is slow and he also asks for help getting into his building. Was he asking cos he thought Kevin was attractive and wanted him to come inside? Even if that’s the case, he drank enough where someone had to help him into a car.

Now, we don’t know how well Hank and Kevin actually know each other. We know they have the same friends so it’s fair to say they have hung out in the same circle frequently but Kevin has always been not the nicest towards Hank because of what happened with Lukas ( i thought it was pretty mild but whatever 🤷🏻‍♀️) so when Hank is flirting with Kevin I didn’t see why Kevin flung himself at Hank? I HATE body betrayal syndrome and it felt like that a tiny bit because Kevin didn’t want to like Hank but he’s just sooo attracted to him. The whole time I was screaming in my head “ Stop! He’s been drinking ! 😩”

Thankfully it was just dry humping. Hank falls asleep immediately afterwards continuing to demonstrate how drunk he was, imo. Kevin has issues with alcohol and not once does it cross his mind that maybe he shouldn’t have done what he did with Hank because of the drinking. 🤷🏻‍♀️

3 months of radio silence later.
Has Hank messed around with anyone in those 3 months? Has Kevin? I think it’s implied that neither have but I wanted to know for sure, Kevin mentions the thought of being with anyone else repulses him so it’s a lot easier to see Kevin has not. Kevin has been stewing in his hurt/anger that Hank never reached out while Hank is oblivious to everything because he thought what happened was just a dream, especially since it’s not the first time he’s dreamt of Kevin, apparently.

Once they hash this out because Hank wants to clear the air, they share a steamy kiss. Again, Kevin is super reluctant but Hank is just soooo hot he can’t help himself but kiss him back 🙈

Hank says he’s interested in Kevin but Kevin decides he wants to avoid and ignore Hank completely. This works until Hank shows up to talk to Kevin.

Kevin is a Tsundere.

What’s a Tsundere? “It is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with an initially harsh personality who gradually reveals a warmer, friendlier side over time.

Tsundere is an adjective used to describe a person or character who swings between emotionally hot and cold, in particular when dealing with a love interest.”

Honestly, Kevin annoyed me for the beginning half of the story. Literally until he decided to give it a go with Hank. After they get together it feels like Kevin had a personality transplant.

I mentioned before, I LOVED Hank’s character. He wanted to take care, protect and he was a little possessive. All the good things!

I loved the intimacy between the couple once they got together, I liked that they were taking things a little slow. Hank’s obsession with Kevin’s thighs and Kevin’s obsession with Hank’s beard and his hat were all nice touches.

I literally live for cuddles,hand holding and temple kisses in my romance books 🥺

What I didn’t like in the second half was that it felt a little bit like a sugar daddy situation. 🙈 I keep saying I love that I love that Hank wanted to take care and spoil Kevin and it’s great that Kevin wanted to be a househusband, obv a great match but Hank paying off Kevin’s debt happened TOO SOON. 🥲

Hank handled Kevin’s oil change, Kevin was living with Hank. Kevin could’ve put all his earnings towards paying off his debt, at least for a while since Hank was taking care of all the financial stuff. And then maybe Hank could’ve surprised Kevin by paying off the rest of his debt. It just felt wrong that Kevin was accepting everything and we don’t see in what ways Kevin is spoiling Hank? Sure Hank has someone to spoil and take care of but I wanted it to feel more equal. Where were the scenes of Kevin making home cooked meals for Hank? Maybe surprising him at the job site with some tasty snacks? Anything to make Hank feel appreciated 🥺

I liked the little show of possessiveness at Kevin’s job towards the end. I liked that they both wanted to be more than boyfriends and we know Hank bought a ring but where is my proposal? 😭
. . . . .

After all my ramblings my conclusion is that what I did like, I liked A LOT and everything else I ignored to focus on the parts that I was enjoying.

I was thinking the next book would be Simon x Ford but it doesn’t look like it. It’s definitely Ford’s book so maybe Simon will come later? 🤔

My ratings always reflect my enjoyment of the story. ❀

[Steph (Teacups & Tropes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Kiki for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so low-angst and so absolutely needed after a couple of heavier and longer reads for me. It took me a hot minute to remember who Kevin and Hank were because it's been so long since I last read Laying Pipe, but Kiki does a great job at helping her reader's remember past events without making it this huge boring recap that some authors give you. And Hank and Kevin were so adorable together. Hank is possessive and caring and so infatuated with Kevin. And Kevin is not all sunshine and rainbows: he's a prickly, hissing kitten but Hank loves him all the same.

The two of them truly did get on like a house on fire, finding out they want the same things in their life. Despite their past and their differences, they were able to come together and WHEW do they ever come. Hehehehe.

Also sidebar: the way Hank is with Jasmine and Logan? Guh. Melted my heart, I loved it so much.

Also any book that has breeding kink in it? *chefs kiss* I'm here for it. Definitely pick this one up when it releases tomorrow!

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is my absolute favorite. It is a lovely series about finding love with someone unexpected and its just everything.

I loved this book, I felt it was very different from the first one and Kevin was just a hoot. Hank was amazing for him. I loved the growth he had from the last book. He really stepped up to the plate.

This was a great addition, not disappointment. I am ready for the next book in this wonderful series. I need all the characters to show up though because I need more friendship screen time.

[TC · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ✨

This was…fine. It got better in the last 15% so I’m giving it 3.25 instead of 3. I’m very generous like that. It was just really boring and slow for 85% of the book. Also, Hank buying Kevin a dog at the end felt so random. In the last book it made sense because Lukas was obsessed with animals, but Kevin repeatedly said he liked animals but wasn’t as obsessed as Lukas. They talked about wanting kids a ton, but Hank getting a dog as a surprise feels like it really came out of nowhere. Maybe I’m just anti non-consensual surprise pets.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: Blue Collar Hearts #2
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good

Who knew I needed a possessive but also extremely sweet romance! Hank may have made a bad impression in the previous book when he was dating Lukas, but in this book we really see how much he has changed since. Hank has realized he wants to settle down and have a family and wants that family to be with Kevin, Lukas’s best friend and someone who hates him for what he did.

I went into this expecting to only grudgingly like Hank because of his previous actions, but man he had changed his life around and was willing to actually admit his faults and work to be better. I really loved seeing the growth of Hank’s character and how he has changed his life. Hank was a determined man who wasn’t giving up on having a chance with Kevin. While I don’t usually like this kind of determination, I think Clark wrote it in a beautiful way that didn’t make Hank come across as a creep. Hank was just a giant sweetheart. I loved watching him take care of Kevin and show him it’s ok to want to be cared for and loved. Also he had such a dirty mouth.

Kevin was a man who made some bad choices during college and is now struggling under a mountain of debt. He has spent his life taking care of himself but all he wants is to be a househusband and be taken care of. I loved watching Kevin open up and get over his fears. These two started very rough but it quickly turned sweet and steamy once Kevin let Hank in and I loved it. Also who knew breeding kink could be so sexy.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable, low angst romance. I loved seeing Hank and Kevin fall for each other and start making a future together. I can’t wait to read more books in this series and hopefully see Ford fall next.

Trigger Warnings: alcohol abuse mentioned; references to an abusive and alcoholic parent;

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

[Steph (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going in I didn't think I was going to like this book. Kevin was the worst. He irritated me to no end. I did eventually warm up to him towards the end but he's still far from my favorite MC.

Hank more than made up for my Kevin dislike. I gotta be honest though. I have no idea why he kept persuing him. Kevin was down right hateful in his interactions with Hank. More than "cold" like described.

After Kevin finally stopped being a jerk and started communicating I was fully on board and tore through the rest of this book in about 45 minutes. Couldn't put it down.

My favorite part though was the shout out to my favorite mobster, Hopper. I effing love when books I love are mentioned in other books. Off to reread Distraction for the 20th time ✌🏼

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. I enjoyed this overall, but there were some things that made it lose stars. First, I hadn't read the first book in a while, so I completely forgot why we were supposed to not like Hank. It would have been helpful to explain all that again sooner, or in a prologue. It just seemed like Kevin was really overreacting when his friend (against whom the "offenses" were committed) had fully forgiven Hank. But given that Kevin *was* so mad about it, it's a bit weird that he let it go so soon after (this book takes place just a few months after the end of Laying Pipe).

Second, some of the sex talk gave me the ick. No shaming at all here—but there are certain things I am not interested in reading about. It might be nice to update the trope/content description so people can skip that part or whatever.

[Eric]

DNF

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

È stato molto divertente, dolcissimo e molto hot. 🥰
Kevin, migliore amico di Lukas e Hank, ex ragazzo di Lukas. 😅
💖💖💖💖

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look don't judge me for 5 star rating this smutty book because when I tell you it literally ticks all of my boxes I mean it. I read it in two sittings, over two days, I was fucking hooked. I cannot explain how much I LOVED Kevin and Hank: its dislike to lovers, and it's sO GOOD. Oh and also I need me a Hank though, imma be real: He buys Kevin books. BOOKS! He buys him BOOKS!

It's the sequel to Laying Pipe, where Lukas falls for his dad's best friend John, and John falls for him right back. In this book we meet Lukas' best friend Kevin, who's also gay, and we encounter Hank, Lukas' es boyfriend. It wasn't serious, but it sort of was. Anyway, Hank was a bit of a creep in this book (Lukas broke up with him and ghosted him and, understandably, Hank was very upset, but because he's never really had a long term relationship he clung to the /idea/ of Lukas, of a boyfriend, and kept pestering him to explain what went wrong). But his actions are explained to Lukas and John, and they come to forgive him and by the end of LP Hank is considered their friend. Regardless of this, kevin doesn't forgive Hank for being an ass to his best friend. And thus starts Banger, with Kevin hating Hank.. but also fancying him. Oh, and Hank fancies Kevin back. As their relationship progresses though, Hank works through all of the shit that he did when he was with Lukas, and Kevin opens up about all of /his/ shit and issues. By the end of the book the thing that broke Lukas and Hank up (when Hank refused to call someone to help Lukas when his house got flooded, because Hank felt ashamed he couldn't do the job himself), has been Uno Reversed, and we see Hank calling someone to come and fix Kevin's car, and later to help him build up the bookcases in the spare room, to help Kevin, even though he couldn't entirely do it himself. The CHANGE in this man!!

Their relationship feels so realistic throughout because they hook up at their friends engagement party, and then Hank thinks he dreamt it and Kevin thinks he's ghosted him, and it's a mess of them both still wanting each other but thinking the other doesn't. And when they eventually get together, let me tell you; it's /intense/ and it's /passionate/. They're perfect for each other. Kevin's got an issue with alcohol in his past, and Hank is so sensitive and respectful of that. And where Kevin desperately wants someone to take care of him, needs it, Hank is desperate to have someone to take care of - both financially and romantically. Hank just has so much love and money to give and Kevin has never had either, but the beautiful thing about them is that whilst this "taking care of you/looking after you" aspect of their relationship is important, they fancied each other /before/ that even came into play! Kevin's not a golddigger, it's not a bdsm relationship (though the breeding kink i am so here for oh my god that surprised me in the best way). It's a healthy, stable relationship, that developed into something codependent, which is what the both of them have been craving. it's the sort of relationship they both need, and it's 100% consensual. Even though Hank has money and KEvin doesn't, there's never any inclination that Hank would use this to control Kevin. hell, if Kevin left him, Hank would probably still continue to pay for all his shit, that's how whipped he is. But Kevin won't leave him.

God this book genuinely was so surprising and so good? Like, it wasn't cheesy, it wasn't cliche; it was tropey, sure, but it was SO good and well written! The smut was on fucking fire too, which i loved. And they're just so in love! Post-Sex "i love you"s?

Oh and also, getting to the end to see that Stephen and Ford are the next couple? I CALLED it! As soon as Ford was introduced and then we met Stephen I was like... I know what this means... Anyway, this is one of my favourite romance books I've ever /ever/ read, because the characters are so well written and I love them so fucking much.

[caffeinated.crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't read Laying Pipe, you need to electric slide your way on to amazon and get it, cause both these books are amazing and best enjoyed in order.

Banger is the story of Kevin and Hank.

Let me start by saying that in this house, we stan Kevin. He deserves everything he wants, and I love Hank solely because that's what he does - he gives Kevin everything he wants.

While the sex and kink and romance were *chef's kiss* and seriously well done, none of that happens with gusto until like 70% of the way through. Instead, we get to watch and learn about Hank and Kevin both.

My two favorite scenes:
💜 The bookstore

💜 When [redacted] calls [redacted] from the apartment after ------- happens. Seriously,  I was about in tears myself.

There was so much good in this story! I loved Kevin's real aspirations and how Hank wanted to accommodate them. I loved seeing John and Lukas from book one. I loved how much Hank grew as a character from books one and two. Honestly, it was like night and day!

I think I most loved just how perfect a match these two were. And they were CRAZY compatible in the sheets *y'all the dirty talk was surprising!*

If you're looking for second chances, finding love when you need it, size difference, 9 year age gap, respecting boundaries, sizzling around the house romps, simple dreams, and found family... look no further.

I truly can't recommend this series enough!

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

Banger is the second novel in Kiki Clark’s Blue Collar Hearts series. The first book, Laying Pipe, features Lukas finding love with his dad’s best friend, John. While this story focuses on a new couple in Hank and Kevin, I do think you will get more from this story if you read them in order. Hank incites a lot of the conflict in that first book, as not only does he let Lukas down in his time of need, but he also becomes relentless in pursuing him in attempt to win Lukas back. A lot of this story focuses on the aftermath of that for both Kevin and Hank.

I found this a nice installment in this series and it is an enjoyable follow up to the first book. We get to meet the leads for the next story here and I am looking forward to more in this series.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Kayla (cozyrosybookrecs on insta) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! I have been waiting for Kevin and Hank’s story and they did not disappoint!! Their story was everything I wanted as they moved from angst filled ‘enemies’ to fluff/spice filled lovers 😍 we got to see a lot of growth from Hank, who just wants someone to need him, and learn more about our strong, sassy Kevin, who just wants someone to care for him and help him with life burdens. A match made in Heaven 😍
There is some excellent dirty talk in Banger including breeding kink 👀, Kevin and Hank manage to give even the dirtiest of talk an element of just sweet care.

TW/CW: brief discussion to alcohol abuse, illusion to child abuse



Possible spoilers?
I really loved that Kevin just leaned into letting Hank care for him. I love a strong independent character but there is no shame in wanting to be cared for and wanting to have someone help your shoulder your burdens.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one ! Hank and Kevin were delicious. Their relationship definitely had Dom/Sub undertones. Hank was totally a caretaker Dom who wanted to spoil his sub, and I was here for it. Also for all the dirty talk, the size difference, the mild breeding kink, the terms of endearment, the book love, and the little easter egg of Hopper from Kelly Fox's series. Seriously, Kiki Clark needs to just embrace her kink side and write a full on BDSM romance.
.
The only thing keeping me from 5 staring was that I couldn't remember what Hank did for Kevin to be so angry at him, and the reason is actually not that big of a deal. Which kind of made Kevin's anger unnecessary. The hurt that followed Hank not remembering their first kiss , 100 percent justified.

Favorite Quote:

"Gorgeous," Hank said , "I don't think there's a single thing I wouldn't be willing to do to get you to smile at me."

[Lizzy (reviewsshewrote) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this might have been a case of right book wrong time

[The Secret Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4
Steam: 3

[A Damach · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6 ⭐

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this! Sweet and sexy.