Luke

Wow! Another great book by Con Riley! And the narration was very well done. The development of the plot and the relationship between Luke and Nathan was well paced and I could not stop listening :-) I love the writing of Con Riley, passionate and emotional. Loved it!

Con Riley has a unique writing style and it flourished in this story epically. I absolutely loved the deep dive into Luke's psyche and emotions! The story of his love for Nathan is not without pain and angst, but it's also full of healing and picking new paths in life. I think that is my favorite in this series so far. Loved the performance of the narrator as well!

Wow! this was amazing

Each one of these books deals with different personal challenges and this one showed a culmination of all of the challenges the different characters in the series have faced and overcome, including dyslexia, feelings of inadequacy, found/inherited family etc and this one dives into childhood abuse, children in foster care, selective/trauma induced muteism and even more. Just like every other book in the series this one is filled with warm fuzzy feelings and a deep longing for love and a happy ending (which you will always get with Con Riley!) I loved watching the development of the side characters, such as the children and all of the couples from the past books. Con Riley creates gorgeous little worlds that you just want to go back to again and again. For me there isn’t a huge wow factor in these books, they’re just good, sweet books that leave you wanting more and more.

This entire series is gold, and Luke is no exception. Another beautiful, touching, deeply intimate love story from Con Riley. Cornell Collins is always an amazing narrator, and his performance here shines. 10/10 recommend.

I remember while reading the Learning to Love series the first time, I thought Luke was my favorite book of this wonderful collection. As I started back through the series a second time in close succession with each audiobook release, I doubted that assertion because I enjoyed each one so much. However, I was wrong. Less than halfway into Luke, I remembered just how special this book is. I love the relationship progression and character development over the course of the story. I love the inclusion of the secondary characters- both new and old. And I absolutely adore Luke and Nathan. The narrator for Luke does a great job at delivering a performance that imparts the right tone and emotion into the scene without detracting from the author’s wonderful writing. With a smooth delivery and pleasant voice, I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and found it easy to follow along as the characters interacted. Luke is one of those books that will always have a piece of my heart. It’s beautiful, emotional, and romantic- with a physical chemistry rivaled by the palpable emotional connection Luke and Nathan share. If you enjoy second chance love stories, this is an excellent listen that works as a standalone or as a part of a fantastic series.

Luke is absolutely the most incredible character to ever character. I adore him. His story is incredible. The writing is incredible. I want to live in his story forever. One should also note that narrator Cornell Collins is perfection. Cornell as Luke…a dream come true! *Original Review* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Luke is the headmaster of a struggling school. He’s been fighting tooth and nail to keep it going, to give his students a place that truly cares about giving them the best start in life, not just in test scores. For a place where his teachers can do what they do best and have a home too, a place to belong. He’s fighting for everyone. What he’s missing is for Nathan, the man he’s loved his entire adult life, to fight for him. He’s carrying everyone’s weight on his shoulders, but what he needs is someone, his someone, to stand with him. ‘He ordered his soft heart to harden on the way up to his study. Stood by the mirror once the door closed behind him, telling his insides to match his outside for once - stern instead of squishy’ The story that ensues is a masterclass in storytelling. The characters are vibrant and layered. Though told from the single POV of Luke, you feel just as connected to Nathan. The story is both heart-shattering and heartwarming all at the same time. It tears you apart from the very start, only to put you back together again, feeling stronger in the end. It tells the story, not just of love and romance, but that of forgiveness and healing, of finding strength in your worst moments. Of learning to lay down your hurts. Of trusting love. ‘“I didn’t run back to a place.” Nathan covered Luke’s hand over his key. “I ran back to my person”.’

My heart just aches for Luke and his stoicism through all his life’s struggles. Somebody needs to give Nathan a kick in the pants and tell him to use his words and acknowledge the deep hurt he’s caused. It’s a beautiful story and the narration was outstanding.

Summary: Luke’s trying to keep the boarding school he oversees afloat. So when Nathan, his “one that got away,” volunteers to help him by teaching for free, he can’t say no—even if protecting his heart means he should. Review: I listened to the audio version of this book, so I’m not entirely sure how much of my reaction is down to the narration by Cornell Collins as opposed to Riley’s writing, but I loved this book. The story of how Luke and Nathan finally come together permanently felt deep and meaningful. Luke has always had a soft spot for Nathan, never able to truly let him go even though Nathan never stayed. So even though he’s finally decided it’s time to harden his heart and tell Nathan no more hooking up, he caves almost immediately when Nathan says he’s staying and volunteers to teach a class for Luke for free. This seems like such a dangerous thing to do—to risk his heart again—so I love how Luke uses his observational and listening skills to read Nathan, to see that his recent experiences have made a lasting impact on him, which allows Luke to trust Nathan. I love how Riley brings together all of the threads of Luke’s life—his interactions with Nathan, his students, his parents, Austin—the accountant the company that owns the school sent. They all feed off of each other so that an interaction here helps him navigate a different interaction there. A reminder from his father might help him with a student, which then helps him with Nathan. Or his friend might make a comment about Nathan and that helps Luke see something he missed in Austin. And all of it is wound up in the mission of his school which is important to him because of his own history. All of this interconnection adds a depth to the story that made it hard to let go of it. I often found myself re-listening to things, not because I didn’t hear it but because I wanted to hear it again. Collins is an excellent reader--his voice is rich and deep. His inflections are just right. Between the story and Collins’ narration, I found myself inventing tasks or doing chores I would ordinarily put off so that I could keep listening. I haven’t read the other books in this series, but I want to now. Charles, Hugo, Sol, Cameron, Tor, and Austin are such intriguing characters that I want to get to know them better, and I want to spend more time in Glynn Harbor. And I love the idea of this school that is more focused on the mental well being of the students than their test scores or what colleges the students get into. If you like steamy, mm, second chance romances with low angst but a lot of heart, definitely read this one. I received a free review copy of this audiobook from the author. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

MM, Second Chance, Close Proximity, Contemporary, Romance. Can be listened to as a stand-alone but if listened to as part of the series it needs to be listened to in series order. A binge listen and one that I have listened to repeatedly. The story is full of angst, drama and passion throughout with so much deep emotion from their long friendship/relationship. All the characters are great, Fantastic narration that I found to be faultless. Guaranteed HEA.

This was my review when I finished this book in Jan of 2022… it was phenomenal and Cornell Collins’ narration added so much depth and emotion to an already emotionally charged and incredible journey! I just finished this book… it’s 1am and I’m utterly blown away by the brilliance that Con Riley possesses. Her series’ are interconnected and the way they ebb and flow together is literal perfection. Like you’ll have read something in one of the other books, not having a clue that it’s going to be so important in the life story of another main character in a different series! I can’t express enough how much I connected with this book, but mostly with Luke! Luke and Nathan have a history, it’s not always a pleasant history, but it’s definitely an explosive one. Their chemistry is off the charts and some stuff went down between them in their past that you learn about slowly through out the story and the pacing is perfect. Nathan is such a wonderful character. You think based on what you’ve read in the previous books that he’s super flighty and self absorbed, but when you really get to know him, get to see what makes him tick and how dedicated he is to making up for his past transgressions, you slowly fall in love with him. And Luke… I mean holy wow! Based on the previous books and those characters’ interactions with him, you expect quite a stern, hardened man who’s very gruff and emotionally stoic, but he’s really this big soft hearted teddy bear who wants nothing more than to do his best to save the school that helps so many children who’ve had trauma in their pasts heal and learn how to deal with the very tough things life can throw at you and prepare you to be the most successful and happiest person you can be. His past traumas break your heart but also the life he’s built for himself and his students and staff and the way they all love him says so much about him. Nathan and Luke’s lives, both together and separate, have been difficult and seeing how they progress and heal with each other and from things that have happened to each other was a roller coaster of emotion that was 1000% worth reading and waiting for. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Con’s writing, but I think she really outdid herself with this one. Charles’ story was amazing and he’s one of my favorite characters ever and I was glad to have seen so much of him and Hugo in this book, but something about Luke just drew me to him and made my heart melt for him. He’s so selfless and willing to do whatever it takes to not let his people down. He’s the type of person every one should aspire to be. I’m going to stop rambling but I also recommend this book to everyone. I’m calling this book hands down one of the best reads of 2022 and it’s only the 5th of January. That’s how much I loved this book!

I listened to the audio book. Amazing updated to the Glynn Harber. Main characters Luke the school Headmaster and Nathan an old flame, who has been working in war torn areas as a teacher. Second chance love. Great twist to this story. Updates on characters from the other books and new secondary characters mentioned. The narrator was awesome with a British accent. Can't wait to read this whole series. So good!!!