Sweat Connection

Hot Under the Collar, Book 1

By: Katherine McIntyre

Narrated by: Dylan Rockwell

Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

One disaster bi single dad. One sexy plumber on a house call. One hot-as-hell romance.

Rhys

If I was a hot mess before becoming a single dad, my life’s pretty much an on-fire garbage can now. Okay, maybe that’s a tad melodramatic—my bestie/baby momma/ex-girlfriend is still awesome, currently in the throuple of her dreams. And my kiddo Sammy’s amazing, albeit exhausting. I’m the one who’s too intense and rambling, too obsessed with random trivia, too liable to set dinner on fire. Essentially, too much for any relationship.

However, when a hottie plumber drops by to fix our toilet—thanks, Sammy—and gives me his number? My luck might just be turning around.

Cole

After my dad moved to a retirement community, he left me with the big, old house I grew up in and a whole lot of loneliness. I thought by now I’d be settled down, but no one’s looking for the guy who likes long hikes with his dog, stargazing, and fixing shit around the house. They want fun, entertaining, flashy—not me.

Except when I give Rhys my private line for an emergency house call, I show up for the job to discover it’s a date. It seems like I might’ve met the one man on earth who’s just as interested as I am—if only we can find the guts to admit it.

©2023 Katherine McIntyre (P)2023 Katherine McIntyre

Single Dad Romance

This is a super sweet single dad romance. Both guys are adorable and love their families while wanting a romantic connection. This is a cute book you should definitely read.

such great low angst high heat story

love this book so much Rhys and Cole are just a comfort so sweet to one another than fire behind closed doors.

Dylan Rockwell is a new to me narrarator and he rocked it! just made this story even better than when reading it. highly recommend to give this a try!

Wonderful, real characters

I absolutely adored Rhys and Cole and their dynamic as a couple. Both of these guys are real, you know people just like them - the frazzled parent trying to get through the day and juggle all the responsibilities with occasional time to wonder if this is all there is in terms of any personal life until their child turns 18 and leaves home and the stable, caring man with an aging parent who's getting to live in the retirement community but now has the daily responsibility of caring for the house he's been left, making enough money to survive and also wondering if there's anyone out there who just wants to settle down and enjoy a life of comfort, security, love and the everyday joys of being together. Neither one of them really thinks that's going to happen but they are definitely a couple who will be forever grateful to a clogged toilet. This is one to read and reread when you want to remember that there are good people and wonderful relationships out there. Dylan Rockwell does a wonderful job of keeping these characters real and grounded. You hear their exhaustion and frustration but also their joy and telief when they find someone to share their life with.

ᑕᑌTᗴ!!

Perhaps not my favorite narrator, but that’s subjective.

𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 is an adorably sweet, real life kind of story. I enjoyed it in both formats.

Personal Connection

‘Somehow, this man achieved the impossible, and my mind actually…quieted. I just sank into the bliss of his hold on me, the firm caress of his mouth, how he made me feel like everything was taken care of for the first time in far too long.’

Wonderful story told by an amazing narrator!

Rhys had ‘turned into a shell of himself lately, just consumed by work, parenthood, and adjusting to my new normal, but tonight with Cole, I felt like a fing man again.’

Two souls find a connection through…plumbing, in Katherine McIntyre’s Sweat Connection, book 1 in her new Hot Under the Collar series.

Rhys’s relationship with his best friend-baby momma changes when she moves out to pursue her own new relationship. While amicable, Rhys feels lost and finally feels a missing spark when Cole comes to fix a plumbing issue for him.

Cole is instantly attracted to his client, but realizes this is a work related relationship- until it becomes personal for them both.

Kat writes stories that will fill your heart with joy and steam your glasses at the same time!

Great Story & Listen🎧 Heartwarming & Steamy!

I have lots of love for this book, my first written by Katherine McIntyre and I enjoyed her writing style and the fabulous story she created, a story that grabbed my attention right from the start and captivated it the entire time. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, it was easy to care about them too. Single dad Rhys has some plumbing issues thanks to his adorable son, Sammy, and calls a local plumber to help clear his pipes. He was not expecting a hunk of a guy to show up, Cole, and when he gave him his number to call, he did just that. I loved how these two wind up getting together for their first date. The chemistry between them was smoking hot, and it was great to watch them get to know each other and watch their relationship grow and morph into something more. I also enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning their backstories. This heartwarming and wonderfully plotted story has the perfect balance of drama, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. Katherine McIntyre, thank you for this great story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Dylan Rockwell did a great job bringing these characters to life and story to life. He understood the characters he was portraying, giving each their own voice, making it easy to follow along and tell who was who. Rockwell set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for the great listen.

I liked it

Sweet Connection is my first audiobook from this author/ narrator team. I liked both characters and the trope, the story is light, low angst, but romantic and sweet. Narrator has a pleasant voice and did a very good job telling this story. I am excited to listen to other books in this series. Overall this was an enjoyable listening experience.

Some sweet, drama-free romance

If you are looking for some sweet, short, drama-free read, “Sweat Connection” may be a good pick for you. But please, be aware that there really is no drama and the main problem was easily solved.

Rhys is a single father, whose son is as cute as a button, and Cole is a plumber who was hired to fix Rhys’ toilet. Insert some insta-attraction, a bit of disaster and a small dose of miscommunication, and you have a perfect first date. I truly enjoyed Rhys’ inner voice and I could feel his pain and anxiety.

The pacing of the novel was rather slow, mainly because both characters had to face their own inner demons. As a result, everything was a bit repetitive. Well, Cole, I remember about your dad, please don’t explain it for the seventh time, my memory isn’t so atrocious. But my main problem was the length of the book. The author wanted to include too many different things in the book, so that everything was treated very superficially, especially difficult topics like Rhys’ anxiety and Cole’s dad's accident.

As for the narrator, I think that Dylan Rockwell did a great job. In the beginning, Rhys felt a bit too forced, his cheer sounded a bit strained. But maybe it was a deliberate decision. And some of the spicy scenes were a bit cringey for me. Maybe it was the curse of slow listening instead of fast reading and skipping all those moans and f-words.

Enjoyable Story

Really enjoyed the differences in these characters. Rhys is a bit chaotic, and Cole is kind of a loner. But the two, by accident, start dating. This is a relatively low angst story with a good amount of heat. Really enjoyed when Cole let loose. This was my first Dylan Rockwell audible. Loved his voice of Sam; really brought the kid and story to life. Will enjoy more from both author and narrator.

Great listen

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was great and I felt a real connection to the characters in the book. The narrator did a fantastic job with this book. I enjoyed the way he told the story.