Audio Review: Elements of Retrofit by N.R. Walker ~ Narrated by Nick J. Russo

Title: Elements of Retrofit

Series: Thomas Elkins: Book One

Author: N.R. Walker

Narrator: Nick J. Russo

Publisher: Love Lane Books

Run Time: 3 hours and 10 minutes

Category: Contemporary Romance

At a Glance: Russo was a fantastic choice for the narration. His delivery is so pleasant and smooth for the most part, and his pacing and inflection are excellent. I’m excited to jump into book two! I’ve no doubt it will be another enjoyable listen.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: Generation versus generation, traditional versus contemporary, these men are about to learn a lesson in architecture and love. Can they prove that the old and new can be the perfect design?

A successful New York architect, Thomas Elkin almost has it all. Coming out as gay and ending his marriage before his 40th 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 thinks he knows everything about architecture, about life.

Cooper Jones, 22 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 architecture industry, but Cooper is about to teach Tom what it means to live.

Review: I know… I’m extremely tardy to the party with N.R. Walker’s Thomas Elkin series; but with the release of the audio this spring—read by one of my favorite narrators, Nick J. Russo—I knew it was time for me to finally get on board. And, neither Russo nor Walker disappointed. Elements of Retrofit, the first book in the series, introduces us to Thomas Elkin and Cooper Jones. Elkin is a partner in a top NYC architecture firm, and Cooper is his new intern. But not only that, Cooper is also Thomas’s son Ryan’s old friend from high school, and is half Thomas’s age. “It’s complicated” barely begins to cover it.

May/December romances are totally one of my jams, so I was super excited when I saw that it was an age-gap story. However, when I realized the love interest was the son’s friend? Not gonna lie…I was worried there would be too much of an ‘Ewwww’ factor. I’m happy to report that Walker handles it nicely, and I was not weirded out. Cooper is obviously an old soul, and is so sincere in his love of architecture, and his interest in Thomas, it really did feel quite natural between them. And, speaking of architecture, I loved all the scenes where Tom and Cooper are talking shop. Their discussions about the various buildings in the city, and design, and Thomas’s drafting expertise were so good. Apparently a man in a suit is also one of my jams. 😉

Overall the story was very sweet—also very steamy—and fairly angst/drama free. There were a couple of understandable conflicts to work through, but they were dealt with quickly. Cooper was funny and sassy, and Thomas was sexy as hell and clearly smitten with his talented intern. I also loved the running gag with Thomas’s doorman, Lionel, and his attitude toward Cooper; I hope that bit keeps going through the next two books! Elements of Retrofit was a nice introduction to the characters and the series. And, Russo was a fantastic choice for the narration. His delivery is so pleasant and smooth for the most part, and his pacing and inflection are excellent. I’m excited to jump into book two! I’ve no doubt it will be another enjoyable listen.

A quick afterthought… I read along in the e-book with the end of the audio, and it should be mentioned that there is an outtake at the end of the book, from Cooper’s POV, that isn’t included in the narration. It’s not a major scene, and isn’t necessarily important to the plot—it’s really just a little peek at things from Cooper’s perspective—but, thought it was worth noting for anyone that’s read the book previously and was interested in listening, that it’s not on the audio.

You can buy Elements of Retrofit here:
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