Cougar from Hell

Hellman Brothers, 4

By: Marika Ray

Narrated by: Kyle Mason, Angelina Rocca

Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

I have my fresh start in a new town, this time a widow with a preteen daughter who rolls her eyes enough to make them stay that way. Too bad my past mistake is also here to greet me.

Daxon Hellman. Town a-hole. Hot young contractor hired to build my house in the woods.

It's only when I'm face-to-face with him for the first time that I realize he's the mystery man from two years ago. It's a long story of too many drinks, grief that made me resort to acting out, and an encounter in the dirty bathroom of a bar. Try as I might, I can't forget that night.

Daxon growls at me . . . I irritate him with my constant social media posting. He orders me to do things . . . I trample all over his ridiculous commands with a smile and a choice finger in the air. We fit together like rain and exposed drywall.

Daxon and I reach a truce: to let our bodies do the talking and keep our hearts locked down. I'm older than him, which means I'm smart enough to keep a clear head. Until I realize when it comes to love, age and common sense do not go hand in hand.

This crazy town has more surprises up its sleeve to drive us apart, which makes me think this might not be our forever home after all . . .

©2023 Marika Ray (P)2023 Tantor

A hot grumpy cinnamon roll of a Hellman brother - yes please

I loved, loved Rita and Dax’s age gap, single mom with a side of hot construction worker romance. It is full of passion, sweetness, acceptance and love. This author is a master at writing hilarious romcoms that are also heartwarming and have emotional depth. Daxon is one of five brothers. He works as a general contractor in the small town of Auburn Hill. Rita is a widow and single mom to 12 year old Ruby. Dax is building Rita’s new house. When they meet on the job site for the first time, they realize they had a nameless steamy encounter in a bar bathroom two years ago. One neither of them had forgotten. Thus their journey to their HEA restarts. The book does a phenomenal job of taking us on the journey of Rita and Dax as they struggle to transition from their painful pasts, including their individual fears and insecurities, into learning to trust and depend on each other. I also loved Ruby’s character. She was a wonderful and integral addition to the story rather than a flimsy story prop. The story has plenty of steamy scenes, sweet moments, laughter, crazy and quirky townspeople, and simmering and overwhelming feelings, all wrapped up in swoony heart squeezing love. The story was well written with witty dialogue, relatable characters with depth who grow, and an engaging storyline that made me feel all the things. I cannot wait to read the last Hellman brother’s story.

Kyle Mason and Angelina Rocca did a wonderful job narrating the story and characters into life with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite well.