“I’ve never thought of calling a man Daddy before, but I can’t think of a word that fits Vale better. He’s my Daddy, and I’m his pup.”
Broken and bruised, there’s nothing I won’t do to protect Adrian. I picked him up and made him whole before, and I’ll do it again. Adrian is a sweet pup with a smile full of sunshine and a heart made for love. A sweet pup needs a gentle hand, and that’s exactly what I intend to give him.
There’s nothing quite like slipping an expensive pair of high heels onto Adrian’s feet and watching him light up. If he wants a fairytale, I’ll happily be his Prince Charming.
*** Heel is the second book in the Working Out the Kinks series but can be read as a stand-alone. This book contains a scene of domestic violence. This book also contains an adorable man who loves to be a puppy, fabulous high heels, and the happily ever after Adrian deserves.
K.M.Neuhold has long since been a romance junkie. When she’s not writing she’s reading or spending time snuggling with her husky or her husband. She fell in love with M/M romance last year and hasn’t been able to turn back. There’s nothing she loves more than love in all its forms.
Super adorable Daddy/puppy romance with Vale and Adrien as very lovable main characters, even if they were a bit bland. The plot, unfortunately, was rather uninspired or at least, the execution of the premise didn't live up to the potential it had, so I was fast-reading through the pages a lot until at the end I didn't care much anymore.
„I don’t need you to be perfect,” I tell him honestly. “I just need you to be mine. And I’ll be yours.“
Just as sweet as book one, maybe even sweeter, this book gave me all the feels!! The connection between Adrian and Vale was deep and so beautifully written. You could really feel how much they meant to each other, and it just worked so perfectly.
There’s a trigger warning for domestic abuse, and while the scene isn’t long, it hits…showing just how fast someone can turn on the person they claim to love. But what made this book so special was Adrian’s support system. He wasn’t alone, and he had the chance to go back to the one man who saved him all those years ago, the man he never stopped loving.
Vale is almost twenty years older, but honestly? The age gap didn’t even matter (for me even less since I’m fine with that). He’s such a natural caretaker,and watching him finally allow himself to love the boy he once thought was too young for him, was everything. It’s the kind of love that heals and you could feel just how much they belonged together.
There is puppy play here, but not as much as in the first book and maybe I should add that their dynamic also slowly formed to a daddy&handler/boy&puppy one. But yes this book was more about the love and care between the MCs than diving fully into the kink aspect, even tho it had a significant role in the story. Vale just finally accepting that Adrian was always meant to be his!!
Just as cute as book one in the series, if not more so, there's a deep connection between Adrian and Vale and it's clearly demonstrated throughout the book.
Be aware of the trigger warning, this doesn't mess about with a scene of domestic abuse which, while brief, demonstrates just how quickly someone can turn on those they're supposed to love.
However, for Adrian he has an excellent support network and he's also able to return to the man who first rescued him from the streets when he was just 18 and the one man he's never been able to forget.
Vale is almost two decades older but, to me, the age gap was never an issue. Vale just is a natural carer and nurturer and it was joyous to see him finally get the chance to love the boy he felt was too young for him.
There's puppy play here but not as much as there was in the first book, this one is more about the care and the love which is allowed to grow when Vale accepts he's always wanted Adrian and should never have let him go seven years earlier.
I love how KM writes her characters when they're in puppy space, it's a definite distinction between their every day behaviour but with characteristics which make it clear they're the same person both in and out of the hood and equipment.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review
This is a nice hurt/comfort story with some daddy kink and puppy play. Even though I'm not a fan of puppy play, I didn't mind it here.
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I liked this one more than the first book. There was much less focus on the puppy play (not always my favorite kink), and more on the healing Adrien needed to do after having been in an abusive relationship.
This was such a loving, adorable book. Just what I needed with all the bullshit reality going on around us.
I adored Adrian (and Diva!). I loved his mannerisms and how he always kept a positive attitude, even when his life was in shambles. The wonderful support system he had, the amount of doms looking out for him made my heart sing.
Vale...oh Vale. Such a kind, caring and loving Daddy. He cherished the shit out of his pup, never pushing him and overall being a Very Good Man. My only problem with this character was maybe that he was TOO perfect.
I don’t usually like when my MC’s know each other previously. But this really worked for me. I don’t know, it was just so fucking SWEET and all the right words and that true love kind of feeling and 🥰🥰🥰
This wasn’t a perfect book. But it did have age-gap, Daddy kink, lite BDSM and puppy play, so of course it’s gonna work for me. It complimented my gloomy mood perfectly (I just started my period), and KM is just perfect for a comfort read.
I think this is the first time I’ve read a puppy play book. I think. I’ve read books that had side characters who were into puppy play but I don’t think I’ve read one where the MCs were into puppy play. Anyway, semantics...not important..meh...
I guess I was harping on it just a little because it’s something new to me. I don’t know if it matters why people are into puppy play or not. And it isn’t addressed in this book. It’s just an interesting point of view, I suppose.
Adrian was definitely sweet. And I love how much Vale adored him. I’d love to have actually seen all of Adrian’s clothes or heels or even nail polish. It all sounds so adorable!
This was a low angst, not too sickly sweet romance story. I enjoyed it 😊
Heel is the second book in K.M. Neuhold’s Working Out the Kinks series, following the delightful first story, Stay. While Lars and Jonah are side characters here, and we met both Adrian and Vale in book one, I think you can easily jump into this story as a standalone. However, both books are filled with the same type of sweet story, lovely romance, and charming puppy play, so if you enjoy one, I think you will like the other as well.
As I said, these books are incredibly sweet. That seems strange to say about a book that starts with domestic violence, and obviously the situation with Nathan is serious (and it is presented as so). The first violent encounter between Adrian and Nathan happens off page, but we do see the second instance of abuse, as well as Nathan being threatening toward Adrian at other times. So be aware if this is a trigger for you. However, the story as a whole has a much lighter tone and not much conflict overall. Once Adrian has moved away from Nathan, we get to bask in watching him pampered and adored by Vale. It is clear that Vale dotes on Adrian and just loves everything about him.
I didn't enjoy this as much as I expected. 😔 I didn't really like Adrian. He acted like such a child. He actually asked Vale to stay with him until he fell asleep, which is something my 4 year-old asks me on a regular basis and is not something I find attractive in a partner. And he was doing things like this all the time. I guess Vale was into it. 🤷♀️ There was an age-gap and slight daddy kink.
I can’t really put my finger on why, but I didn’t quite like this one as much as book 1. I don’t know. So much felt anticlimactic to me. I’m not really sure what I was expecting. I was disappointed in how shitheadassholethe ex was dealt with. I’m a bit bloodthirsty. Sue me. 🤷🏽♀️. That really tempered my enjoyment. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it never happened.
I do hope there will be more books in the series. I would love to see Seb get his man (or maybe men?).
Adrians Freund hat ihm im Streit die Hand gebrochen und das ist der Punkt, an dem Adrian fluchtartig die Wohnung und die Beziehung verlässt. Vale hat ihn vor einigen Jahren vor der Obdachlosigkeit gerettet und auch jetzt steht Vales Tür für Adrian offen. Trotz Gefühlen füreinander ist damals kein Paar aus ihnen geworden, auch wenn sie einen ausgefallenen Kink miteinander teilen. Vielleicht bekommen sie jetzt eine neue Chance.
another great one about puppy play. This one features Adrian, who is just getting out of an abusive relationship (CW for on page violence scene) and who is trying to find safety and security again. He finds it in his friend and hero who helped him originally get off the streets as a teen. This is a friends to lovers, age gap, minor d/s power exchange with puppy play.
DNF - got sucked in to Adrian’s character in book 1 and wanted to know what happened with the abusive partner. Probably got about half way through and then skimmed to the end but I didn’t want to negatively rate it in case It’s simply that puppy play/daddy kink isn’t for me. I found I didn’t engage with the characters or writing.
I enjoyed the story a lot but i found some sloppy ends and editing here and there. They mentioned twice to get tested they never did and they never went to the police just mentioned in the epilogue they filed charges for assault. They mentioned PTSD and in the epilogue say puppy ply never substitutes therapy but adrian never goes to therapy himself. The eay he deals with his trauma is to make Vale kiss it all better which is all good and well and what we all hope to see. But it also doesn't sit well with me dealing with my own chronic ptsd. So it took me out the story multiple times the way things got handled.
K.M. Neuhold has a way of writing that brings depth and emotion to every story she tells. On the surface this is a cute kinky novel, but underneath there is a real, raw, and heartbreaking back story. Adrian and Vale are adorably perfect together. I can’t wait for the next novel in this series.
I loved this it was so sweet and I loved The way vale took care of Adrian and Gave him time to heal and I liked the dynamic between them and even though Its not something i would try i enjoyed the puppy play so all in all a sweet and steamy Romance if you like kink
2.5 ⭐️ rounded up. Unlike the other books I’ve read from KM Neuhold this started off with darker themes but didn’t fully delve into them enough. The first half I enjoyed, I liked seeing the characters from stay and I felt the tension and chemistry between the mcs. I also felt slightly on edge and angty which felt appropriate for what was going on. But something happened around 60% where it fell flat for me. I expected some more intense drama with Nathan and I expected more details about how Adrian overcame his trauma. It just went all mushy and smutty. The second half didn’t feel in line with the story. The end was very bizarre, something traumatic happens and Adrian laughs and then they end up having sex. I just don’t feel it was appropriate for what had just happened. So I had to skim read the last 10% because I’d signed out. That being said I did like the positive kink rep and the writing style is still enjoyable but this one wasn’t fully for me unfortunately.
First there is a trigger warning for this book that includes domestic violence. This is a hurt/comfort Dom/Sub relationship love story with puppy play and Daddy Kink.
This is the story of Adrian who has a terrible Dom/boyfriend who he happens to be abused by. He is rescued by his friends Jonah and Lars from book one. He has always had a crush on a guy named Vale. Vale has always had a thing for the sweet pup Adrian who has a smile full of sunshine and a heart made for loving. The minute Adrian goes to stay with Vale they are meant to be. This book is sweet and does have puppy play and Daddy kink. Adrian and Vale are great together as a couple. I love how Vale was there for Adrian after being abused in his past relationship. I loved reading this book.
This was just the sweetest. Pet play is one of those kinks that seemed so foreign to me, but as I read more about it in this book and others, I'm increasingly starting to appreciate it. Adrian is a true puppy both in play and his daily life- excitable, affectionate, and so eager to please. He literally is the cutest and I just wanted everything good for him. Seeing him regain his strength and confidence after being in an abusive relationship was so rewarding. And Vale was the perfect person to guide him, so patient and loving. I knew I would love him the minute I saw he had Adrian as a contact in his phone as "Sunshine." This book made me smile and swoon and I loved it.
Adrian finds himself in a bad relationship but when the relationship turns violent he finds himself broken. While trying to put back all the pieces of himself together he once again finds himself seeking Vale, the person who helped him stand on his feet before.
Can Vale help Adrian find all the parts of himself, especially the parts that make being a puppy so much of a joy for Adrian?
This book felt so good. The entire time I was reading it, I was just so happy. Despite the fact that at the beginning of this story, Adrian is not in a happy place, the story always feels good. So even when things are bad you know it will all work out in the end. I didn't know how much I was craving that feel-good factor that this book has in oodles.
Adrian is a pup who finds himself in a tough position when his boyfriend turns violent but he gets himself out of the situation and puts himself back together slowly but surely. I really liked his spirit despite the fact that he is beaten up he finds in himself the strength to show up and be strong. I admired Adrian a lot once he was on the path to recovery he grows brighter every day till it is almost infectious and I loved seeing him happy.
Vale is amazing, amazing. I remember him from the first book and he was a fascinating character even then. I'm glad he found everything he was looking for.
It is so delightful to see these two together. They are perfect for each other. I loved how Vale treats Adrian and how he helps him get all his confidence back. This story does justice to these two amazing characters.
The pacing of the plot is, however, a bit irregular. When the story starts things just keep happening one after the other which really got me invested in the characters and the plot but then somewhere at the three-quarters mark in this book absolutely nothing is happening and the worst part is that you know the story isn’t finished so you are just on high alert waiting for something to pop up and I didn’t like the feeling of having to wait for something to happen while reading a book. Then towards the end, the author brings up two big plot points that needed to get solved and proceeds to do it in the last 15% of the book. Personally, if the author had taken one of the plot points and solved it earlier while making us aware of the other, I would have enjoyed the story more especially during that part three-quarters into the story where there was a significant lull in the plot.
All things said and done, I needed this book and its highly hopeful tone. I really loved Adrian & Vale and their story. Also, it was so much fun seeing Jonah and Lars again. I really loved them in the first book and it was good to see them all settled in this one.
The cover art by K.M. Neuhold is gorgeous. Even before I knew that the collar on the cover is actually Adrian’s collar in the book, something about that collar just screamed Adrian to me. It’s weird how much that collar can help you get an idea of who Adrian is. Also, everything aside that cover is still gorgeous even if it didn’t tie in as perfectly as it does with the story it would still be pretty but this way it is perfect.
We were introduced to Adrian and Vale in Stay, book one of ’working out the kinks’. Adrian was a very sweet person, and pup (Diva), who clearly deserved better that his cheating, cruel boyfriend Nathan. Vale was the older pup and handler trainer who seemed to have a fondness for Adrian. At the start of Heel, Adrian is in the hospital emergency room as a result of his abusive relationship, with a fractured wrist, absolutely no self esteem, and a deep fear of Nathan. You can’t help but feel for this lovely kind, happy man, Vale’s nickname of ‘Sunshine’ is very apt, whose joy and sense of self has been almost extinguished. Thankfully Adrian has the support of Lars and Jonah when he needs it. This is the story of the reconnection and growth of the relationship between Adrian and Vale. It is as much also about Adrian rediscovering/relearning his sense of self and joy, with support and comfort from Vale. I’m not usually a fan of romances that are directly after one person leaves an abusive relationship. However in Heel, this does work, due to Vales support and space, Adrian’s strength, and self-awareness, and their existing connection and history. Also, lovely puppy play, and sex scenes that completely fit the characters and story, and glimpses of previous characters from Stay, and possible future stories.
Received an ARC copy from the author in return for an honest review.
This is only my second Puppy Play book I’ve read and I have to say, I think I have a new fav kink to read! Absolutely loved the dynamic between Adrian and Vale and how they already had a history so what happens in this book is built upon the foundations that were laid before. I haven’t had a chance to read Stay but even without reading it, I never felt for a moment that I was missing something vital. K.M. Neuhold did an amazing job of writing it in such a way that it’s both a stand-alone and part of a series.
Add in Daddy kink and amazingly hot sex and you have yourself a book that I read through in one sitting! I love how much more confidence Adrian got, how he was able to get back that special piece of himself that Vale fell in love with when they first met. Really liked how they didn’t immediately fall into bed together when Adrian broke up with his ex. How there was stuff to work through first. It really added that extra layer that just made this book even greater.
Absolutely amazing writing, you won’t be disappointed, definitely a one-click author and book 😍
Oh Adrian, I always knew I would love you and your story and you definitely did not disappoint! The second of this lovely puppy-play-based series, Heel focuses on the fabulous Adrian - who was such a help to Jonah and Lars when they were entering the pup world. When we met him in book 1 it was obvious he was someone we wanted to know better. It was also obvious that he wasn’t being treated the way he should have been by Nasty Nathan, his boyfriend. This book gives us not only a bit more reason to hate Nasty Nathan, but also a lot more of Adrian’s background and so many reasons to love this strong, bubbly, gorgeous man. We find out more about his daydream of Prince Charming, and when the wonderful Vale helps him out we start to see the potential for a happy ever after. And if anyone deserves one, it’s our Adrian 💕
I loved Vale and Adrian’s story! It was so sweet, with a wonderful friends to lovers slow burn that I didn’t want to put down. My heart hurt for Adrian and his struggles, coming out of an unhealthy relationship. I loved the way that Vale cared for him and just wanted to take care of him and show him his worth. Vale boosted Adrian’s confidence and helped mend his self confidence and see he was worthy. I loved the way that Adrian picked himself up and wanted to heal and rebuild his life. The two of them just gave me all the feels, and I loved their story. If you love a good friends to lovers romance, a bit of puppy play, and one of the sweetest characters in Adrian, then this is the read for you!
This was so much more than I ever thought it could be when I read Stay. These characters are fabulous and brave and HOT!
Adrian is the sweetest pup and needs to but wrapped up in a blanket and cuddled. I liked him in Stay but in Heel we get to see just how wonderful he really is and I want more of him and Vale.
Vale is brilliant, if a little hard headed. He does so much to help out Pups and I love it.
It’s hard for me to review the second book in a series since I tend to not know when to keep things to myself sometimes (I’m getting better though!) K.M knows how to write a sexy, hot book and I am addicted to her writing.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***