Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: The Invasion of Adam

SERIES: Tork and Adam #2

AUTHOR: Claire Davis & Al Stewart

PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing

LENGTH: 75 Pages

BLURB:

College life, fun nights out, guys everywhere—Adam thought his life was perfect…

Until he met Tork.

Green-haired Tork creates origami models and reads Dickens. He lives in supported housing, and he is absolutely not impressed by money.

Adam and Tork come from opposite worlds, but even as Adam fights it, the attraction stays strong.

Will Tork win the battle to understand his past and be well? Is there another Adam beneath that polished surface? Can they overcome their differences, and will there be dancing at midnight?

Find out what happens in a year of Adam, Tork, and Dickens the cat.

Sequel to The Invasion of Tork but can be read as a stand-alone.

REVIEW:

The blurb says that this book could be read as a standalone, and maybe it could, but having read the first book before reading this one I have the feeling that you won’t appreciate the characters as much if you miss out on their first meeting and the unfolding of their relationship.

Tork has only just found his way off the streets and is now living in supported housing where he continues to sleep on the floor because he doesn’t want to risk getting use to a soft bed. He attends group meetings that are designed to help him get back on his feet and reluctantly finds himself making friends and adopting a stray cat. He’s scared that it can’t last and constantly battles the need to fall back into the old habits of hiding in a dirty old garage and cutting himself. Even Adam, the only person he truly lets close, knows less than nothing about Tork, and a lot of what he does know is learned from stealing looks at his private file at the homeless center where Adam volunteers.

I loved this story even more than the first one. Funnily, I would have said that this is a story that a lot of readers may not like. Tork is a kind of vague mystery that we somehow get to know without actually knowing much of anything. Adam is one of the most narcissistic characters I’ve ever come across. He’s so self-centered and judgmental that he’s almost a caricature. Add to that the lack of on page sex and the short length of both of these stories and I’m not even sure how the authors managed to pull this off. But they did, and in amazingly successful fashion judging from all of the glowing reviews they’ve received.

We actually learn more about both of these main characters in this book. Adam is still endearingly full of himself but both consciously and unconsciously he strives to be a better person for Tork. I love how real some of Adam’s reactions are. He’s always been focused on his looks and concerned about how others perceive him, so naturally he’s embarrassed to be dating someone who his “friends” would look down on. But deep down he feels that it’s him who’s not good enough for the brilliantly intelligent Tork. The way he secretly enjoys working with the homeless people at the center is sweet after his attitude in the first book. I appreciated that he hasn’t had a complete character reversal, he still has a huge superiority complex, but it’s tempered by a better attitude.

We also finally get some answers about Tork and he gets some closure on old wounds but, again, there was no magic fix for him. All of his steps back towards living the life he wants are won through sheer force of will and the unwavering support of Adam. One of my favourite aspects of this series is the way Tork sees beneath Adam’s prickly attitude and somehow puts his trust in him despite all signs screaming that Adam is a bad bet.

I guess this is the end of their story. I can see them living their happily ever after from here, although Adam will no doubt screw up a few times. However, if their tale does continue, I’ll be first in line with my hand out waiting for the book.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

ARe

Beaten Track Publishing