Banger by Kiki Clark (Blue Collar Hearts book 2)

Kiki Clark brings us the second Blue Collar Hearts book and it follows directly from Laying Pipe...  

From the Banger blurb:

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*

Heather's Review:

Sometimes trust comes quickly and other times it takes a lot to build it and Banger takes that a long way... Kevin has a lot of trust issues and well... issues to overcome before he can even look at Hank, especially when he thinks he was ghosted.

Hank is patient and caring and willing to move into Kevin's world by baby steps - which means this is a very slow burn book... but it works!

Rating: 4 Stars

Angel's Review:

I haven't read Laying Pipe yet, that's the book that came before this one. Even though I didn't read that one first, I still really enjoyed this story, although I did get a bit lost at times. However, me getting a little confused didn't detract from the story at all!

Phew, what an explosive book! Kevin despises Hank after what he did to Kevin's best friend, Kevin holds a grudge against him for what he did. Until the night of Lukas's engagement when things get a little heated between both men. And what  riles Kevin up even more is the fact that after their steamy night, Hank doesn't even acknowledge it happened. 

Hank knows Kevin doesn't like him, yet after Lukas's and John's engagement night he seems even more angry with him. What did he do? And how can he make it better?

This book was full of animosity between Kevin and Hank, although most of the hatred came from Kevin. As Lukas's best friend he has to be the one to hold a grudge against Hank, yet he can no longer do that after seeing how much Hank has changed. 

I liked the characters that were front and center in this book, Hank was determined, caring, and passionate. He wasn't going to back down, or walk away from Kevin. And Kevin was stubborn, strong willed, and fiesty. You wouldn't think these two would work well together but they really do! They compliment each other well. The writing was really great, even though this was a shorter length book, it didn't feel as though anything was missing.  I really enjoyed how many descriptions there were of both characters appearance's, that helped to envision the characters and the detail was great. 

Even though a lot of miscommunication happened, these two were able to figure it out and were better for it. I do hope that Steven eventually gets his own story, I would really like to get to see more of his character.

Also, what Kevin found written in the book is totally something I would do.  Want to know what my favorite part of the book was? The ending! It was so, so sweet! Overall this was a fantastic read, and I definitely recommend it.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Banger is available in paperback and e-book formats and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.