Reviewed by Vicki

SERIES: Thomas Elkin Books

AUTHOR: N. R. Walker

PUBLISHER: Totally Bound

BOOK #1

TITLE: Elements of Retrofit

LENGTH: 89 pages

BLURB: Even the strongest of buildings start out as plans on paper, and every architect knows that sometimes plans need to change. Sometimes, these lessons are learned on the job.

A successful New York architect, Thomas Elkin almost has it all. Coming out as gay and ending his marriage before his fortieth birthday, he needed to start living his life. Now, four years later, with his relationship with his son back on track, and after a few short-lived romances, this esteemed traditional draftsman thought he knew everything about architecture, about life.

Cooper Jones, twenty-two years old, is about to take the architect world by storm. Talented, professional, driven, and completely infuriating, Cooper is the definition of Generation Y.

Starting an internship working with Thomas, Cooper is about to knock Tom’s world off its axis. Tom can teach Cooper about the industry, but Cooper is about to teach Tom a few things about life.

REVIEW:

Thomas Elkin describes himself as “expensive, polished, predictable”. That does indeed sum him up! He is 44 years old, came out to himself and his wife and son at 40. Well educated, well respected, well off financially, and lonely. He’s had a few one night stands, and an attempted relationship, but really he’s just lonely. Maybe not unhappy, he loves his work, his condo, and his son, but there is something missing.

In to his life comes Cooper Jones, a 22 year old ball of energy and drive. Cooper is a friend of Ryan, Thomas’ son, and is interning at the architecture company Thomas works at. Cooper is ready. Ready to learn, ready to work, ready to start his post college life, and it turns out, ready for Thomas. Thomas describes Cooper as “Mesmerizing. Confounding. Amusing”. He is, and I would add hot, sexy and sweet.

This story is told by Thomas, so we don’t really know what is going on in Cooper’s mind, except from his actions. But he is the aggressor for the most part, pushing Thomas to get things moving. At one point Cooper leaves in a moment of frustration, comes right back and says “We should kiss”. Thomas spends the first third of the book resisting the temptation of the younger man, only to give in. And wow…. What a first kiss it is! So hot and sexy. Damn! When they really get busy, it is amazing.

They carefully move in to a relationship, slowly and smoothly, or so it seems. Then Thomas turns in to a control freak and nearly screws it up! The fight they have is as explosive as the hot sex. Thomas and Cooper are fantastic together. They are both very intelligent, and the quick banter between them is a joy to read. The dialog is just right, the age difference is obvious, but doesn’t seem to bother either of them.

I read this one when it came out and have reread it to review the whole series. It was great the first time, and possibly better this time! Great writing, great setting, great characters, and a great story!

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Totally Bound  :: ARE  ::  Amazon

 

BOOK #2

TITLE: Clarity of Lines

LENGTH: 103 pages

BLURB: Sometimes it’s not the two people in a relationship who fight falling in love, sometimes it’s those who love us that fight against it the most.

Finally together, forty-four year old Tom, and twenty-two year old Cooper, are ready to show the world they’re together. They’ve established their relationship is worth it, and want to share it with their families.

Both men thought accepting the age difference was their adversity to overcome, and theirs alone.
Their loved ones, however, will prove them wrong.

For their families, lines are drawn and start blur. Through a series of events, life shakes Tom’s foundations, the lines for him have never been clearer.

REVIEW:

So we met Thomas and Cooper in the first book in the series…. Thomas is a 44 year old architect, in love with a 22 year old brat named Cooper! Who is also an architect. A brilliant architect, but such a handful for Thomas! This story starts with them having a discussion about going to a Linkin Park concert, just the way the sophisticated Thomas wants to spend the evening. But of course he indulges Cooper in just about every way, so we can bet he’ll be going to a concert! (I read the concert scene outloud to my husband, who is older than 44. He says HE would go see Linkin Park! Thomas was probably NOT the oldest guy there!)

The first book is about the flush of new love between Thomas and Cooper. It is focused on them and identifying their relationship. This book focuses on the building portion of their relationship. And family. Thomas’ ex wife, son, and parents are a huge part of this story, as they all accept or don’t accept Thomas and Cooper’s relationship.  Cooper’s parents play a part as well, when they visit them in Chicago. They work hard in this one to build that relationship, despite the dissent. The romantic in me is pulling for them, but I have to say, as a parent, I’m not sure I wouldn’t react as Cooper’s parents do, if my daughter brought home a boyfriend older than me. I’d like to say it wouldn’t bother me, but I think it would. Which is why I like this series so well, it makes me think about my acceptance of things.

There is this wonderful, ongoing conversation/joke where Thomas asks Cooper to move in with him, but Cooper keeps telling him he isn’t asking right. I loved it, I loved Thomas’ frustration in trying to understand Cooper. Partly it’s the difference in their ages, but I also think it’s just Cooper. As Thomas repeatedly says, he is a little s***. There is lots of drama and stress in this book, I won’t give anything away, but there are some very serious moments. I got a bit teary eyed, but there is much love between these two men. They both have issues, but hang in there because they love each other.

I really liked the first book in the story, and I think I liked this one a little more. This has more drama in it, which I think added to the overall series nicely. On to the final book!

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Totally Bound  ::  ARE  ::  Amazon

 

BOOK #3

TITLE: Sense of Place

LENGTH: 127 pages

BLURB: Designing homes is easy. Finding home is something else entirely.
Thomas Elkin and Cooper Jones finally have the support of their families together, and their love grows stronger every day. Now living together, they thought nothing could stand in their way.
But there are outside influences trying to pull them apart.

Cooper encounters a man, closer to his age and with connections high up the property development chain. Tom encounters discrimination and a hidden agenda from a fellow senior-partner.

No matter what the world throws at them, Tom and Cooper are the real deal. Age differences aside, Tom has finally found his sense of place. His one true center, his home.

REVIEW:

Ahhh…. The continuing saga of Thomas and Cooper. They are now a well established couple, past the drama of a new relationship with an age difference, their family issues are somewhat settled, and they seem in a healthy place in their lives. But they just can’t get a break without some disruption! In this book it comes in the form of Xavier the rich brat, and Robert the homophobic ass. Both cause turmoil but neither Thomas nor Cooper let anyone get to them seriously, but it’s just another couple of issues for them to deal with. And another reason for Thomas to try and play the martyr, thinking maybe Cooper would be better off with someone younger. I was about ready to smack him for bringing it up again! But the more the world is against them the more it brings them together, as the familial dissention did in the last book

I don’t want to give anything of this story away, and this isn’t a big plot issue, but I want to talk about it so I am going to! In m/m romance of the contemporary variety, there are condoms, the use of them, the discussions about them, and the decision to not use them once the couple gets to a certain level of commitment. Sometimes that decision happens very early in a relationship, early enough that it makes me uncomfortable for them. It is handled beautifully in this book. Thomas and Cooper have both been tested and it’s clear that they want to some day be bare together, but they aren’t ready yet. I respect that decision, they aren’t jumping in to it after a short time together, and are holding it to be a special moment in their lives. Not being a gay man I don’t truly understand, but it seems to me there is a whole lot of trust needed to make that commitment, and it seems very reasonable and realistic that you would want to wait. And it is worth the wait….

This whole series is fantastic. Each book has a different plot, yet they continue to show the love building between these two men. In the first book, it was all young love, and I wanted them to be together despite the 22 year age difference. In the second book, I followed along with their families and discovered, much to my annoyance, that I did have an issue with the age difference. By the third book, I was past it and just wanted them to be happy and everyone to be nice to them and get over it! The ending of the book, and I assume the series, is exactly what I expected and wanted. Happy ever after. Just perfect.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Totally Bound  ::  ARE  ::  Amazon