Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Luke
SERIES: Learning to Love, Book 3
AUTHOR: Con Riley
NARRATOR: Cornell Collins
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 9 hours and 3 minutes
RELEASE DATE: March 7, 2023
BLURB:
Can Luke learn to love the man who left him?
Headmaster Luke Lawson is committed to saving his boarding school before a cash crisis sinks it. He’ll do anything to keep it afloat, even if that means accepting help from the man who broke his heart at uni.
Nathan’s offer to teach for free could be a blessing as long as Luke can harden his bruised heart. That’s tough when they’ll need to share living quarters and have a history of hook-ups. But Luke knows being compatible in bed isn’t enough to build trust. It can’t be when Nathan has always left him before morning.
This time around, it feels different. Nathan’s work overseas has changed him. Touched him. Opened a locked chamber in his heart that Luke is beginning to think must have been bruised in the past too.
As pressure mounts, can Luke trust that Nathan’s committed this time—not only to his school but to a shared future with him long term?
Contains mature themes.
REVIEW:
Each book in Con Riley’s Learning to Love series is a gem, and even moreso in audio form where the mesmerizing susurrations of Cornell Collins’ voice enrapture. It’s quite easy to learn to love all of them and the rich characters Riley brings to the fore in each story. And while they are all exceptionally well plotted, written, and executed, Charles, Sol, and Luke present unique experiences for the listener. Luke is the latest audiobook, the third in the series, and juxtaposed with the second book, Sol, its subtext resonates.
Sol (which I reviewed here) is a love letter to the arts, a missive about the importance of the arts in education—the beauty in creation, of sights and sounds that resonate and heal. Luke, however, presents the other side of the coin. Here, Riley gives us the story of the enigmatic Glynn Harber headmaster, and what Luke’s story reveals is the ugliness that lurks beneath the surface. Luke and his estranged best friend and lover, Nathan, paint portraits of who they are and hide behind them. That outward picture masks trauma and open wounds still in need of healing. Pain drives Luke and Nathan apart, but also brings them back together. It also drives Luke and Nathan to help others, especially children, who need to heal. That is the mission of Glynn Harber itself, and Luke is at the helm, determined to keep the school alive.
Riley surprises with the poignancy of this story and her reveals about Luke himself. Indeed, I found Luke fascinating and so endearing, he rivals Charles as my favorite of the series. Luke’s service, sacrifice, and selflessness make him easy to love, all while he helps others, and even himself, learn to love again within the found family of the school, its staff, and students.
Luke also establishes Austin’s character and shows how Glynn Harber calls him home. He’s essentially a new character (with only brief appearances in Sol as Sol’s ex-boyfriend), yet Riley folds him into the seamless flow of the story like he’s been there since day one.
On text alone, Luke will hook you and not let go. However, Collins is simply astounding in his vocal performance. I could listen to him all day and night. His voice is textured, vibrant, and emotionally present, yet so fluid and effortless that it’s soothing even when the content is gritty and challenging. Collins becomes these characters, and his portrayals are intuitive and consistently delivered with exquisite care. Perhaps most importantly, he is a superb storyteller so he knows how to capture the nuances of Riley’s text.
If you’ve not listened to Collins before, you have plenty of choices because he’s narrated all of Riley’s books. Although not strictly necessary (Riley does a fantastic job of providing all the context you need within the pages of Luke), I recommend you read the Learning to Love series in order, starting with Charles, where Collins is nothing short of brilliant.
Luke is must-listen material. It’s a standout audiobook highlighting Riley’s lyrical writing, gorgeous imagery, and intricate storylines that Collins spools out effortlessly within Riley’s vivid fictional world. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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