Wicked Cool by Val Kovalin

Title: Wicked Cool
Author: Val Kovalin
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance/Mystery/Suspense
Length: Novella (77 PDF pages)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A guest review by Lily

Review Summary

Engaging story about two men trying to form a relationship when one of them is keeping a secret. A fun, sexy read with a good dose of action as well.

BLURB

Junk removal specialist Stu Van der Meer has been burned before in love affairs with corporate professionals who underestimate him as a blue-collar guy who’s good with his hands. When he meets property manager Brian Hawthorne, Stu knows he shouldn’t get involved with him, especially since he senses that Brian might be in serious trouble.

Stu, however, can’t ignore their immediate sexual chemistry. He also can’t deny his curiosity about Brian’s secret past, specialized knowledge, and unusual accent. Brian has something to hide, and it tests the limits of each man’s willingness to trust the other as Stu pursues the truth.

Is Brian a criminal? A victim? Is he only using Stu as a distraction from his fears? As their relationship deepens, Stu must decide what risks he will take to protect them when Brian faces a threat from the past…

REVIEW

Stu Van der Meer and Brian Hawthorne meet when Brian hires Stu’s junk removal company. The men are attracted to each other but neither is ready to act on it due to their working relationship. When the job is done though all bets are off and they began to see each other. As they spend time together feelings develop but their new relationship will be tested many times by Brian’s secretiveness and Stu’s need for the truth. Will Stu be able to trust in Brian despite not getting all his questions answered and when Brian’s past finally catches up with him will they survive it?

Wicked Cool is a well written and fast paced story. Stu and Brian are likable and interesting characters and their story kept me engaged throughout. Since it’s told in Stu’s third person POV he’s the more well drawn of the two but that works well to keep Brian’s mysterious past a mystery. I particularly enjoyed the fact that they don’t immediately fall into bed instead the author lets them get to know each other a bit before they get physical. But when they do, watch out, it’s smoking hot! Another thing I enjoyed was the humor throughout the story. Stu’s obvious enjoyment of Brian’s Boston accent and some of their interactions had me chuckling, especially an early scene with the men and a potato bug.

The mystery of Brian’s past was handled well and while it’s not too hard to figure out the truth the actual reveal and suspenseful action scenes at the end came together really well. If there’s one complaint that I have about the story is that I would have really liked to have seen them dealing with Brian’s real life together but I’m sure that was more a product of word count requirements than anything else. I did enjoy the quick peek of them a year later but I would have liked more.

Overall I found Wicked Cool very entertaining and from beginning to end I was engaged in Stu and Brian’s story. Despite being only novella length the author did infuse a lot of details as well as emotional depth into the book. This is Val Kovalin‘s second published work and I eagerly look forward to reading more from her in the future. Recommended.