Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Laying Pipe
SERIES: Blue Collar Hearts Series Book 1
AUTHOR: Kiki Clark
NARRATOR: Kirt Graves
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 5 hrs and 49 mins
RELEASE DATE: January 29, 2021
BLURB:
Being in love with your dad’s best friend is a recipe for loneliness.
Trust me, I know.
But I can’t help it. How can I not fall for someone as sweet and caring and attractive as John? Especially after he comes and fixes a leaking pipe in my basement. No questions asked. Just shows up, flashes his knee-weakening smile, and leaves.
Afterward, I notice John watching me with heat in his eyes sometimes. John, who’s only ever dated women, can’t seem to figure out he isn’t supposed to stare at certain parts of my very male body.
I know my dad won’t like it if he finds out, but we’re both adults. If there’s a chance I can have something real with John, I have to go for it.
Right?
Laying Pipe is a low-angst, contemporary romance full of heat, laughs, and a guaranteed HEA.
REVIEW:
Laying Pipe is a sweet, low-angst romance from new-to-me author Kiki Clark. Coupled with the always solid narration of Kirt Graves, it makes for an audiobook worth your time. I’m undecided, though, as to whether I’d recommend Laying Pipe in ebook format without the companion audiobook. The story has flaws that distracted me significantly enough that it took me out of the story. But with the audio to help smooth over the distractions, it made it easier to engage with a really endearing couple who have some hot, steamy scenes wrapped in an overall heartwarming romance.
The Book:
Ms. Clark has packed her story with romance tropes that work together to tell the story of lonely divorcée John Butler and young, twinky vet-tech Lukas, John’s best friend’s son. You’ve got:
- Age gap
42-year-old John falls for the much younger 26-year-old Lukas. The age gap is a source of minor conflict, mainly internal for John. John has some body/appearance insecurity vis-a-vis the much younger, gorgeous, fit Lukas. However, John doesn’t seem too hung up on it and seems to work through it quickly.
- Opposites Attract
John is a burly, bear of a man who’s hot, in shape, but not ripped. He’s got a sedate, calm, introverted disposition. In contrast, Lukas has a young, twinky, exuberant vibe. He’s much more outgoing and fun-loving. John and Lukas are similar, though, in their views on many things. For example, love of animals and respect for the environment. (Who knew reusing and recycling plastic utensils could be such a turn-on?)
Also, while Lukas may be young, like John, he knows his mind. He’s responsible and wants to settle down with a lifelong partner who he loves unabashedly and unrestrained. For Lukas, his ideal has always been John, who he has crushed on for over a decade. But Lukas believes John could never see Lukas as anything other than his best friend’s kid. Oh and there’s that minor detail that John is straight, or so he thinks …
- Forced Proximity
John’s burgeoning attraction to Lukas drives him to finally take action when the two of them are holed up together in a cabin at an annual family vacation. John and Lukas both display hesitation and restraint borne of the Best Friend’s Son/Father’s Best Friend and age gap dynamics. Further, they don’t run in the same circles so they lack reasons to interact with each other unless they create them. Close/forced proximity therefore does the trick to overcome their reservations about taking things to the next level. Like two magnets, put in close enough proximity, attraction will bring them together.
- Bisexual Awakening
This trope presents the main flaw in the story. John’s sexuality and self-discovery are a primary part of the plot. It’s the reason why John and Lukas didn’t get together long ago. Yet there’s not much of an “awakening” per se. John’s shift in sexual identification is rapid and without angst or turmoil. It’s like he figuratively shrugs his shoulders at the whole issue, like it’s not really a surprise and no big deal. By no means am I intimating that this isn’t or couldn’t be a true scenario in real life. But this is an oft-used M/M romance trope for a reason. There’s plausibility in confusion, turmoil and potential trepidation about acknowledging that your sexuality is different or broader than what you thought for a good part of your life.
John is 42. He was married to a woman for 7 years. He’s always steadfastly identified as straight and never had reason to question it. Yet here, he’s attracted to a man for the first time, but doesn’t have any internal angst over it. Further, he has zero experience with men but demonstrates expert sexual prowess, and no insecurity or embarrassment about all of these sexual first-times, dirty talk and some kink proclivities heretofore unknown. About halfway through the book, John jests, rather dismissively, that he is, “Not straight … Late-blooming bisexual.” John says it as a throw-away comment, with levity, and it landed wrong with me. The whole set-up just felt false, so it was a significant distraction from my enjoyment of the story.
- Best Friend’s Son/Father’s Best Friend
The main plot driver in Laying Pipe is the Best Friend’s Son/Father’s Best Friend trope. John is a long-time colleague and best friend of Dave, Lukas’s father. They initially met while John was working as a plumber on jobs where Dave was the contractor. Over the course of their 15 year friendship, their relationship solidified into one resembling family. John has weekly dinners with Dave and his wife and they invite him to the annual family vacation every year as well. Lukas, who now lives on his own, took part in these interactions when he lived at home, but even now, he more often than not attends. When the book begins, Lukas and John have a relationship that’s not quite friendship, but is comfortable and familiar enough that Lukas doesn’t hesitate to call John for help.
As John and Lukas’s relationship grows, so does the fear of repercussions when Lukas’s father finds out about their relationship. It causes John and Lukas to hide, for months, their growing attachment and love for each other. Yet when the denouement arrives, the resolution is so rushed and neatly tied up that I wondered why the story made me get invested in the conflict, when the conflict turned out to not be that big a deal at all. That disconnect between the build-up and the sum-up detrimentally impacted my opinion of the story. That being said, I did really like the pseudo-epilogue and the solid HEA. While those also felt rushed, I left the story feeling warm and fuzzy about a couple that I really liked and wanted to see together.
The Audio:
The audiobook is a good addition to this story. It doesn’t really solve the story deficiencies, but it does keep the reader better engaged through the distractions. Kirt Graves does a great job here. The characteristic I like best about his narration is that he knows how to tell a good story. There’s a naturalness and ease to his voicing of the characters that allows him to melt into the background so we hear John and Lukas, not Kirt Graves reading John and Lukas’s lines.
He’s also thoughtful and accurate in his vocal choices for the characters’ voices. John is confident and calm, older, more seasoned, patient and a bit resigned. To reflect this, Mr. Graves imparts a lazy, laid back style to John’s voice. It’s also deeper with a bit of a rumble which is a perfect match for how I picture the older bear of a man. In contrast, Lukas is a young twink. He’s colorful and energetic. Mr. Graves gives Lukas a higher pitched, smoother, more rounded voice and delivers his narrative with a faster pace than what he gives John. That pacing is a match for Lukas’s attitude and exuberance.
Mr. Graves is also able to consistently and distinctly characterize a number of other characters. No matter who he is narrating, he infuses the words on the page with emotion, color and complexity, bringing you into the story.
* * *
Overall, I enjoyed Laying Pipe better with the audio than without, and for that reason, I recommend the audiobook. The story itself, while flawed and frustrating in some respects, is on the whole an enjoyable read, particularly bolstered by Mr. Graves’ deft skill at smoothing over the distracting story gaps.
Laying Pipe is a story best consumed with a healthy side of suspension of disbelief. If you’re able to let what doesn’t make sense roll off you and focus more on the loveable John and Lukas and their interactions rather than the story arc as a whole, I think this is an audiobook listen that will leave you satisfied.
RATING: 
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