Right now, I have at least 4 house projects in process. A handyman or woman sounds pretty good right about now!

 

Here are some wonderful heroes and heroines in Romance that we could call up!

 

My lists are never in any particular order. Like the projects that takes all the fun out of it and is a bit too much effort.

 

1. Gabe by Lori Foster

 

Gabe Kasper, heartthrob of Buckhorn County, could have had any woman he wanted— if he'd had a mind to settle down. Which he didn't. The freedom of being a jack-of-all-trades with no one to answer to suited him just fine. And then a prickly, uptight, red-haired college woman showed up.—

 

Elizabeth Parks needed Gabe to complete her thesis on heroism, but he didn't seem to think saving a couple of lives made him a hero. She was inclined to agree that he seemed like the exception to the rule. Until he rescued her heart and soul with his fearless passion.

 

2. The Bad Boy of Bluebonnet by Jessica Clare

 

Emily Allard-Smith enjoys running her tiny bed and breakfast in quiet Bluebonnet, Texas. The only problem? It’s haunted, and she’s got no one to call when things go bump in the night.

Enter Jericho Lozada. He’s tall, sexy, mohawked, and good with his hands. He’s also not scared of Em’s ghost. And just when Em decides that she needs a man in her life with lots and lots of tattoos…her ex shows up again.

Now Emily has to figure out if she wants to keep a hold on the ghosts of her past…or look into a future with Jericho. But does Jericho even want a future with her?

 

3. Mr. Fix-It  by Crystal Hubbard

 

Although he is only a super for the Boston brownstone she lives in, Carter Radcliffe is just the eye candy Khela needs; so she asks him to escort her. What Khela does not know is, one, Carter is more than a super; he actually owns several buildings, including the one she's in. And, two, he has been infatuated with her since the day she walked into the lobby, some three years ago. This is his opportunity to get away from their normal setting so she'll have to deal with him as a man, and hopefully think of him on a more personal level.

 

4. Stay a Little Longer by Dorothy Garlock

 

Rachel Watkins has her hands full. Her mother had been the town midwife, but after her daughter Alice died under her care, she refused to assist in a childbirth ever again. Since then Rachel has assumed the work. She also takes care of Alice's six-year old, Charlotte, because the child's father was lost in World War I. But Rachel's principal job is running the boardinghouse that is the family's main source of income. One day, Charlotte befriends a stranger ill with influenza, a man who has taken refuge in an old cabin in the woods nearby. Although badly scarred by wounds suffered in the War, he is strong and slowly recovers. When he gradually takes on odd jobs around the house, Rachel accepts his help. She is drawn to him despite his disfigurement, and his voice is comforting, vaguely familiar...

 

5. The Redemption of Matthew Quinn by Kathleen O'Brien

 

Ex-con Matthew Quinn has plenty of trouble in his life right now. He doesn't need to take on more. And there's no question that Natalie Granville—with her crumbling mansion and her canceled wedding—is capital-T trouble. But that doesn't stop him from accepting a job from her.

He can handle it. All he needs to do is follow some rules:
Remember she's your boss, nothing else.
Don't start letting the arrangement get all cozy and domestic and personal.
Don't notice, don't want, don't feel and definitely don't touch.

But apparently, when it comes to Natalie, rules are meant to be broken….

 

6. Waltz This Way by Dakota Cassidy

 

Left without a partner...

When former ballroom champion Melina Cherkasov found out that her famous husband was cheating, she was devastated, especially since she was informed by a sleazy reporter on national TV. Thanks to an ironclad prenup and a scumbag ex, Melina has to pack up her dog and her dignity and take refuge in her dad's retirement community in New Jersey.

...it's time to take the lead.

To make ends meet, Melina puts her dancing shoes to use as an instructor at Westmeyer-a private school for boy geniuses. Teaching a bunch of hormonal teenagers to waltz is trying, but the school's sexy handyman provides ample distraction. Drew McPhee is perfect, except for one thing: He doesn't like dancing. Thankfully, the finesse Drew lacks on the floor is more than made up for by his skills in the bedroom. And after one steamy night, the ballroom diva is the one getting swept off her feet...

 

7. Cover Of Night by Linda Howard

 

Cate Nightingale owns and operates a struggling guest house in a small community; occasionally enlisting the help of Cal Harris, the shy, enigmatic local handyman. To Cate's shock, Cal proves much bolder than expected when a trio of thugs invades her home, demanding the possessions of a guest who vanished some days before. Though Cal manages to run off the intruders, the men soon regroup and shut down phone access in the village, holding its citizens hostage. In a desperate bid for survival, Cate and Cal strike out on their own, determined to solicit help from a neighbouring town. But as Cate witnesses Cal's astonishing evolution from reticent carpenter to fearless protector, she begins to wonder if there is more to Cal than meets the eye

 

8. A Man Worth Keeping by Molly O'Keefe

 

Delia Dupuis has found the perfect place to take cover. The secluded inn on the banks of the Hudson River is the last place her ex would think to look for her. Here she can plan her next step, then move on with no ties.

Too bad the inn's handyman, Max Mitchell, is making her rethink leaving. His steady ways and his indulgent treatment of her daughter tempt her to stay, to explore this heat between them. But can she risk endangering him with the secrets she carries?

When those secrets catch up with her, Delia discovers Max is a good man worth trusting with her daughter, her life…and her love.

 

9. Sanctuary Island by Lily Everett

 

When Ella’s sister decides to reunite with their estranged mother, Ella goes along for the ride—it’s always been the two Preston girls against the world. But Sanctuary Island, a tiny refuge for wild horses tucked off the Atlantic coast, is more inviting than she ever imagined. And it holds more than one last opportunity to repair their broken family—if Ella can open her carefully guarded heart, there is also the chance for new beginnings.

 

Grady Wilkes is a handyman who can fix anything…except the scars of his own past. When he accepts the task of showing Ella the simple beauties of the island that healed him, he discovers a deep sense of comfort he thought he’d lost. But now he must convince the woman who never intended to stay that on Sanctuary Island, anything is possible—forgiving past mistakes, rediscovering the simple joys of life, and maybe even falling in love.

 

 

10. How Sweet It is by Sophie Gunn

 

Single mom Lizzie Bea Carpenter learned long ago that no white knight was coming to save her. A hardworking waitress at the local diner, she's raising her daughter to be like the independent women in her "Enemy Club"--high school rivals turned best friends, promising to always tell each other the whole truth and nothing but!

Yet part of Lizzie wishes she did have a man's help, just for small stuff, like fixing up the house. Her fairy godmother must have been listening, because Dante "Tay" Giovanni soon appears. He's sexy, kind, and offering assistance--no strings attached.

Slowly, steadily, Lizzie's heart opens. But the grip of the past is fierce, and nothing in life is ever really free. Tay has his own tragedies to overcome, but if he can, he'll fix more than Lizzie's home. He'll show her just how sweet it is to be loved by him.

 

 

Did I miss your favorite Handyman in Romance? Let me know!

 

 

To vote for the best of the best go to my Goodreads list: Fix: Handymen in Romance

I have no memory of where or who introduced me to worth keeping but I have to say thank you. On a stormy night at the top of the cliff we meet Nick. A sad, lonely lost man. He has experienced serious abuse in his childhood and survival even though he's an adult Is still a challenge. Owen comes into his life one night and things change. As these to come together there are highs and lows and even when they become a couple the words, I love you do not solve their problems. When they are together, when they're trying to be there for each other it's incredibly sweet and moving. There is angst but it's well-placed and it's the whole nightmare know they have to overcome or become strong enough to handle ugly memories. Don was a really great father and a great character. I also thought there were the right amount of light funny, humorous moments to balance the heavy tones of the story. The pet was a nice little addition to the story but didn't overshadow the main characters.

I read this author's Waiting for Rain and enjoyed it a lot.
This book couldn't be more different, but it was just as engaging and held me captive.

it was a dark and stormy night.. really, it was, the night Nick's life would change forever.
He finds Owen washed up on shore and saves him, although I think it could be argued, they saved each other.
Owen is just what Nick needs.
To say Nick had a horribly abusive childhood and trauma would be an understatement and his boyfriend Brad just added to that.
He's resigned to living, existing, he has friends and a very loving adoptive father and the great Socks, his pet monkey.
But he's not happy, he has a lot of dark times and thoughts, self harm and thoughts of ending it all.
Owen is getting over his lover's death, but something about Nick has him sticking around, even when Nick does his best to get rid of him.
They love each other, but is that enough?
Their road is bumpy and a little rocky, then add in Brad que JAWS music and they have a lot to overcome.
It was sad and difficult at times, but I got the pay-off I needed to make it worth it.

A good story about overcoming an abusive past and finding self worth and happiness. I haven't read a lot of hurt/comfort stories and this seemed like a pretty intense or extreme situation. Some of the word choice in describing things put me off a bit when I think the author's intent was to be arousing. Overall this had a good amount (maybe too much ) conflict and steam with a HEA.

Dnf at 50%.

I really tried to finish this one, just to prove Loeder “certain people” wrong. But let’s face it, I can’t.

I’m tired of authors who employ the theme of male sexual abuse as a mere plot device and/or for a dramatic effect only. It sounds.. sick.

The plot: suicidal man meets suicidal man. After their double failed suicide attempt, their first thought is to be in each other’s pants. Sure, why not? But there’s a problem (life can’t be easy, you know). One of them never bottoms nor tops and the other doesn’t swallow..



In a vain attempt to give depth to the abuse theme, the Author is proud to let us know that Nick, raped horrifically as a boy, has gone through several therapists and psychological counselling.

They were called active sexual therapists. They would teach you about sex by doing it with you, teach you about how ways to give and receive pleasure in a way you were comfortable with. Based on how you reacted to men or women they tried to guide you into a path that felt right for you

I hope this a product of the Author’s wicked fantasy, because the thought of sending a teenager rape victim to a brothel concealed as a sex clinic really scares me to death. Please, tell me it isn’t true.

Oh, but there are a few hilarious moments, meant to lighten up the atmosphere, like when Owen spots a boy who’s gone to the lighthouse with his teacher and classmates on a school trip.

The boy reached down inside his trousers and started stroking himself. He was fairly hidden by the shade of the ridge of pine trees that fringed the hillside and no doubt thought he was out of sight. Owen nodded. “I take it you were enjoying the scenery then?” His eyes travelled down to the boys groin where the ridge of his erection could be clearly seen. The teenager glared at him. “And if I was? What’s it to you?”
Owen gritted his teeth at the teens attitude. “The man you were just wanking yourself off to happens to be my boyfriend. And while I’ll admit he’s a perfectly good male specimen to wank off to, I have a problem when someone else does it.”

I’ve been a horny teenager, but I never "chocked the chicken" in plain sight during a school trip. It wouldn’t have helped my (already low) popularity amongst my school friends. Am I the weird one?

And the evil ex-boyfriend was simply ridiculous.

As a friend of mine once said, time better spent doing grocery shopping .

Let's quickly forget about this one.