Rating: 4 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Volunteering at a homeless shelter is not Adam’s idea of a good time. In fact, he loathes it and the very idea of the people he is supposed to be helping. Sure, Adam is good looking, but he’s vain and rude and out of touch. His thoughts are that he is so much better than all of these people and he’s going to prove it.
Tork also arrives at the shelter reluctantly, although for a different reason. Tork is homeless. He lives by a set of carefully constructed rules designed to bring some type of order to his life. While Tork is witty and clever, he’s living precariously on the edge and he hits his own rock bottom before he gathers the courage to visit the shelter.
Adam is immediately intrigued by Tork and his green hair as Tork challenges everything Adam thought he knew. And while the men both begin to seek the other out, they have many obstacles to overcome to reach common ground.
This story was published almost three years ago and every time I see the title again it intrigues me. The TBR Pile Challenge for Reading Challenge Month was the perfect opportunity to finally get to it.
When Tork is introduced, he’s about as low as he can get. He has been on the streets for a while and he’s lost hope. While he’s good looking and smart and kind, he lives by these rules he has created designed to protect himself, yet the rules don’t allow him to reach out and ask for help. When he finds scraps of paper, he leaves origami figures so if he were to disappear, a little piece of him would remain.
Adam is volunteering at the homeless shelter only for the recommendation it can provide him. It’s a departure from his designer world where he is the center of attention and he’s a tough guy to like from the start. He’s determined to show the visitors to the shelter that he’s better than them all. Yet Adam doesn’t expect Tork as Tork voluntarily offers Adam assistance and their initial attraction turns to friendship with the hope for more as Tork takes steps to reclaim his life.
We don’t learn about Tork’s background or what led to his being homeless, yet he remains a dynamic character. His behavior could also hint at mental illness, but that also is not further explored. The characters are a bit cliched with Tork being homeless and having a good heart compared to Adam having had a solid life while being abrasive and unkind. Since the story was shorter, Adam had less time to truly make changes and that part of the story suffered for me. Ultimately the story offers hope as the end ties into the holiday season and meeting Tork was worth the read.
When this review was written, The Invasion of Tork was available for free on Amazon, iTunes and the Beaten Track Publishers website.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Adam thought he had a great life. From the outside it may have been shallow, but it all worked for Adam. When Tork enters his life, Adam begins to think differently, but Tork lives in assisted housing and is certainly not impressed with Adam spending money on him.
Adam is attracted to Tork and everything feels better and feels right when they are together, but Adam has to overcome the fact they come from different worlds. Part of Adam still wants to be out partying and hooking up, but that doesn’t feel right anymore because all he can see is Tork. Tork wants to be with Adam, but his past is still there and he’ll have to take steps to work through it and meet Adam on the other side.
This story picks up right after the first one and it was great that the authors decided to expand the story of Tork and Adam. Tork is off the streets and trying hard. He’s thinking of a future, going to therapy, and even has a cat. Yet, he still thinks it can’t be permanent as he still sleeps on the floor and visits the garage that he used to seek shelter in when he lived on the streets. Adam is trying as well. He’s still a bit abrasive and still mouthy, but he cares for Tork and catches him when he stumbles.
We learn more about Tork’s past here that fills in the missing pieces although we never do learn his full name. The authors are able to execute a full story here in a shorter number of pages that feels real and complete as the guys push each other to be their best selves. I would have enjoyed seeing some of the more emotional and intimate scenes between the two of them a bit more on page as it would have only added to their connection.
The book is about finding your strength and challenging yourself while finding the person that makes the ride that much sweeter.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for TBR Pile Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win a fabulous prize from NineStar Press. Four lucky winners will each receive a $25 NineStar Press gift card. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a loaded Kindle fire filled with DSP books!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on TBR Pile Week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more about the awesome prizes!
I love those books so bad. I liked a little bit more Tork because is so much emotional. Tork is a lovely character. Both books are really great. I love the authors.
Tork is a great character!
This sound alike my kind of story. I just bought another book, Dear Mona Lisa, by this author duo and I can’t wait to read them both.
I’ve been eyeing that one as well. Enjoy them both!
I haven’t read this one but it is recommended to me on GR by a friend. Thanks for bringing this up again and reviewing it. Might check it out after all…
Tork is still available for free so it would be a good time to take a look at it. Thanks!
I’m pretty sure I have this on my old Kindle, but positive I haven’t read it. I need to go look it up. 🙂
I read The Invasion of Tork for my TBR challenge read since it had been sitting on my Kindle for well over a year. It will be interesting for me to read the Invasion of Adam since I’d like to learn more of his story. Adam was definitely not a sympathetic character for much of the Tork story, and I’d say he has some issues as well. Unlike you, I hadn’t thought he was at the center simply for the recommendation. Somehow I’d thought he was there because he had to be there; I was thinking of mandated community service! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Michelle.
With his attitude it was difficult to think he chose to be there but in the book at 19% he talks about it being voluntary work for a college reference.
Oh I’ll be curious to hear your review on Friday!
Hadn’t heard of this book before, but it sounds interesting, I picked up the first book as it was indeed free. I like the idea of exploring the homelessness or people who ended up in that situation for whatever reasonÂ
One of the romances on my keeper shelf (in paper, no less) is A Note in the Margin by Isabelle Rowan, where an abrasive bookstore owner meets up with a quiet, kind homeless man who’s dealing with mental health issues. My love for that absolutely wonderful book means I automatically perk up at the idea of these two stories. I love the idea of people being featured in romances who are often ignored in real life. All of us deserve attention and happy endings. So I’m happy to add these ones to my TBR thanks to your reviews, Michelle. It was some time in the last week I read about these two authors and now their stories come up agin. Must be time to get to know them.
The books, especially the first one, don’t go into too much depth about either of their issues. A little more is explored with Tork in the second one but the books are shorter in length. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
I read these books a while ago and i think i’m in the minority because for some reason i didn’t really like them. And the strange thing is i can’t really say why this wasn’t for me because it ticked my boxes when i read the blurb. Well i guess you can’t love them all 😉
Not every book is for every reader for any number of reasons. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Even though the loose ends might annoy me a bit, this does sound like an intriguing series!
Man, the titles of these ones are really cool!
The titles caught my attention too.
Ok, I got the first one just now and put the second on my wish list.
Cool!
Thanks for the review. I have Tork in my TBR but haven’t read it yet.
Thank you for the review. I’ve been meaning to give this book a read since Claire Davis and Al Stewart write such interesting stories. They always manage to keep me invested in the story.
I didn’t pay attention to this series, to tell the truth I don’t think I ever read any of the authors. But I’m going to give it a go because the plot sounds just like my cup of tea.
This was an interesting review. I’m thinking about reading them next week, since these are new to me authors.
I have never heard of these books before. I think I’ll check them out.
Thanks for the reviews. I actually have Tork in my tbr, and good to see the sequel is just as good, /c I like to see how a relationship evolves. I also like the set up of this one. I too volunteer, in my case I tutor GED students who have, for whatever reason, find themselves without a diploma, but wanting to improve themselves. Nothing to look down upon at all. So that aspect in this story interested me.