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Luke, book three in Con Riley’s Learning to Love series, is a beautiful and powerful second-chance, friends-to-lovers story full of the exactly the sort of emotional soul-searching and insight I’ve come to expect and enjoy from this author. As in the other books in the series, the glorious Cornish settings are vividly described and the characters are complex, flawed, likeable and easy to root for.
Luke Lawson, headmaster of Glynn Harber school in Cornwall, is drowning in problems – or rather, one single, massive problem. Ever since the school was taken over by the Supernus Group, there has been constant pressure on him to cut costs, and no matter that he’s already pared expenditure down to the bone, there’s just no way he can keep the school going in its present state if even more funding is cut. We know from the previous books that the school is a labour of love for Luke, and he’s passionately dedicated to Glynn Harber’s ethos of providing disadvantaged children with a safe space in which to learn and grow. The constant pressure to prioritise balancing the books over the learning and wellbeing of the children in his care is a heavy burden however, and one he’s shouldering almost entirely alone – but he’s determined to fight to keep the school open until the bitter end. And right now, that end is looking closer than ever.
Like, Hugo (see Charles) Nathan Ridd has spent a number of years working for aid organisations in some of the most dangerous places in the world. He was with Hugo when Hugo was injured in a shelling attack in Syria, and continues to come and go, returning to England for brief periods and then returning to continue his work overseas. Luke, Hugo and Nathan have been best friends since their university days, and there are strong hints in the previous books that Luke and Nathan were probably more than friends at one point, and even though we’ve seen very little of Nathan so far, the chemistry between him and Luke has been intense. Despite a youthful relationship that didn’t work out, it’s very clear that neither man has ever been able to get the other out of his system, and we discover that over the years, whenever Nathan has been back in England, they’ve been hooking up on the quiet. But Luke has always wanted more than that from Nathan, and has decided it’s time he stopped hurting himself by hoping for more from someone who so clearly doesn’t want it. Nathan is coming to Glynn Harber to give a career talk, and Luke will tell him he can’t handle casual any more and wants to go back to being friends… without the benefits.
But the Nathan who returns to Glynn Harber is… different. Quieter. Tired. Slower. And ready to stay. After so many years of loving Nathan and being left by him, can Luke trust that Nathan means it when he tells him he’ll stick around for as long as Luke needs him? And what if that’s forever..?
Luke is full of heartfelt emotion and intense longing that leaps off the page as these two lonely, damaged men slowly find their way back to each other and find their places in each other’s lives. It’s a story of forgiveness, personal growth and learning to let go as they are finally honest with each other – and with themselves – about what they want and what’s been holding them back. They’ve both been shaped by years of unprocessed trauma, experiences that have caused them to build thick emotional walls, and that they have both transcended their upbringings to become such selfless and compassionate men is testament to their massive resilience and inner strength.
Based on what we’ve learned of him prior to this, it would be easy to think of Nathan as a bit selfish and oblivious, but it quickly becomes clear that he’s not like that at all and that he’s serious about making things right with Luke. And Luke, who has seemed rather severe and stoic is, beneath it all, a warm, generous, big-hearted man who is utterly devoted to guiding the young people in his care towards becoming the best they can possibly be.
I really liked the way the author slowly drip-feeds the important information about Luke and Nathan’s history together through the novel, each flashback or recollection coming at exactly the right time. Their honesty and willingness to communicate their wants and needs is something that has stayed with me; it’s not easy for either of them but they know they need to do it if they’re going to break free of the unhealthy patterns they’ve fallen into, and I absolutely loved that Luke, who is such a staunch advocate of good communication for his pupils and believes passionately that they should be able to speak their truths, is prepared to put his money where his mouth is and apply the same principles to himself. The journey the on which the author takes Luke and Nathan – and the reader – is one filled with self-doubt and vulnerability, with friendship and compassion, as they learn it’s safe to let go of the past and that they’re finally on the same page at the same time and in the right emotional space to begin to make a life together.
The school community is an important part of this story, and I found myself wishing so hard that Glynn Harber was real, that every child could have the opportunity to go to a school like this where they’re allowed and helped to heal as well as to learn. The educational system here is so focused on exam success that the acutal kids are often forgotten in the rush to climb the league tables – but that’s a diatribe for another day. I can’t leave the subject, however, without saying how hard I grinned at the name of the bad guy in the story; take out one letter and it’s the name of probably the worst Education Secretary in living memory. I don’t know if that was deliberate or not, but nice one, Ms. Riley ;)
Passionate, moving and tender, Luke and Nathan’s story will make you smile, make you tear up and tug at the heartstrings in the best way. Luke joins Charles on my keeper shelf, and is highly recommended.
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Grade: A-
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 24/02/22
Publication Date: 02/2022
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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I found this a very intense read and found myself welling up many times. But I think that it’s the book’s intensity that gives it its strength.
It wasn’t just the scenes between Luke and Nathan that affected me this way, but also many of the scenes featuring the children.
The theme of healing was at the forefront of so much of the book and handled so terrifically well. Neither Luke nor Nathan’s backstories were what I expected – I was pleased that the author veered away from the expected in Nathan’s case.
I think that this book affected me so strongly because I taught young children for 40 years. My training in the 1970s shared the ethos of Glynn Harber and ‘child-centred’ education was the norm in state schools at that time, so I taught like that for the early part of my career. There was, however, a total lack of quality control and, rather than tightening up existing practice, this type of teaching became vilified and English education took a totally different direction with the advent of the National Curriculum and testing.
I very much doubt that the villain’s name was an accident. He was certainly the worst Education Secretary of my career, although I do also remember, much earlier, hurling screwed up paper balls at the tv when Baker was smarming on about something!
Anyway, I am very much looking forward to Austin’s story which I believe is coming next.
Yes, I think there’s a book for Austin in the works :)
Just over one third of the way through and loving it. Nathan’s comments about the casualties of war resonate so much given events over the last couple of days.
I get your comment about the worst education secretary but believe me every one we have had in Scotland over the last fourteen years is absolutely appalling.
It’s a lovely book and so very insightful. I did have to force myself to stop reading “Michael Gove” though – every time!
On my TBR pile!
Mine too but I haven’t read the previous book in the series (Sol) yet, sigh….
I actually think you could read this without having read Sol.
I loved Charles and I could tell Luke and Nathan were going to have their own story and I wanted it. It’s good to know that I could skip Sol but I’m not sure my mind can handle reading a book series out of order, ha ha!
Well… I reviewed Sol and gave it a B; it didn’t work as well for me as Charles did. If that happens for you, don’t let it put you off reading this one.
I like to read books in order too but I think this book would work as long as the reader has read Charles. Although Sol is set at Glynn Harber, a very important part of the plot takes place at The Haven, linking it more closely to His Haven, IMO. Sol has its moments but I think that Charles and Luke are much stronger books.
Thank you! I have read all of the His series. It’s so nice to get more confirmation that if I skip Sol, it will be OK!