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Atrous #3
Code Word
Two years since Atrous disbanded and the spotlights have long faded to black, Blake Acosta has been coasting on the status quo. And after a reluctant week away, he comes home to find his best friend Luke Dougherty having a meltdown.
He takes Luke to the cabins, just the two of them, to rest and regroup, and Blake thinks things were going well. Until it isn’t, and Luke ends their friendship.
Blake is sent reeling and has no choice but to deal with the aftermath solo. Forced to look inward and face some hard truths, Blake hits rock bottom, and the only person he needs is nowhere to be found.
Luke needs time to get his head and heart in order, and he needs distance from the man he loves but can never have. But when Blake tracks him down, prepared to give him everything he dreamed of, it seems too good to be true.
Before they can have a future, they need to unpack the past. And to move forward, they need to first let go. Atrous no longer exists but the music remains, and even when the lights go out, some flames still burn.
He takes Luke to the cabins, just the two of them, to rest and regroup, and Blake thinks things were going well. Until it isn’t, and Luke ends their friendship.
Blake is sent reeling and has no choice but to deal with the aftermath solo. Forced to look inward and face some hard truths, Blake hits rock bottom, and the only person he needs is nowhere to be found.
Luke needs time to get his head and heart in order, and he needs distance from the man he loves but can never have. But when Blake tracks him down, prepared to give him everything he dreamed of, it seems too good to be true.
Before they can have a future, they need to unpack the past. And to move forward, they need to first let go. Atrous no longer exists but the music remains, and even when the lights go out, some flames still burn.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2025
149 people are currently reading
1038 people want to read
About the author
N.R. Walker
124 books5,342 followersAuthor also writes as A. Voyeur
N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn't have it any other way.
She is many things; a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who she gives them life with words.
She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things...but likes it even more when they fall in love. She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.
She’s been writing ever since...
https://www.facebook.com/N.R.WalkerAu...
N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn't have it any other way.
She is many things; a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who she gives them life with words.
She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things...but likes it even more when they fall in love. She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.
She’s been writing ever since...
https://www.facebook.com/N.R.WalkerAu...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
October 11, 2025
I don't remember much about Blake and Luke from the previous two books, so that may be the reason, but their story didn't give me any feels. This is yet another book with friends-to-lovers trope that didn't work for me.
So they are best friends, have been for years. Luke has been in love with Blake the whole time. Blake doesn't know. And he's straight. Pretty early on Luke has a meltdown and everyone starts telling Blake not only that Luke is in love with him, but also that Blake loves him back, just doesn't know it yet. After enough persuasion, Blake has an epiphany and realizes that everyone's right. So he follows Luke to Mexico to find him and tell him. That's it for the romantic development.
Becca. Luke's sister and Blake's girlfriend of two years. It wasn't enough that Blake was with her before Luke, but she also knew all along that Luke loved Blake. And she still went with it and dated Blake, knowing exactly what she was getting herself into. In her own words. Who does that? But she helps Blake and Luke get together and even discusses some intimate details with Blake, because she is cool like that. 🙄
As for the rest of the story, there was nothing too exciting – Blake being overly dramatic, repetitive scenes and dialogues, too much of Becca. I did like the get-together towards the end. And the narration by Nick J. Russo. Not sure I would have finished this if not for the audiobook.
So they are best friends, have been for years. Luke has been in love with Blake the whole time. Blake doesn't know. And he's straight. Pretty early on Luke has a meltdown and everyone starts telling Blake not only that Luke is in love with him, but also that Blake loves him back, just doesn't know it yet. After enough persuasion, Blake has an epiphany and realizes that everyone's right. So he follows Luke to Mexico to find him and tell him. That's it for the romantic development.
Becca. Luke's sister and Blake's girlfriend of two years. It wasn't enough that Blake was with her before Luke, but she also knew all along that Luke loved Blake. And she still went with it and dated Blake, knowing exactly what she was getting herself into. In her own words. Who does that? But she helps Blake and Luke get together and even discusses some intimate details with Blake, because she is cool like that. 🙄
As for the rest of the story, there was nothing too exciting – Blake being overly dramatic, repetitive scenes and dialogues, too much of Becca. I did like the get-together towards the end. And the narration by Nick J. Russo. Not sure I would have finished this if not for the audiobook.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2025
Read to 48%; skimmed the rest.
The idea of having sex with someone who's also slept with my sibling is utterly distasteful and disgusting to me. Just thinking about screwing one of my brother's ex-boyfriends makes my skin crawl. It's incestuous and no, nope, absofuckinglutelynot.
But ya know what's even worse? Getting together with someone you know is the love of your brother's life, which is what Becca did.
And she's supposed to be the hero of this story? Are you fucking kidding me with this bullshit??
This book was a disjointed mess, filled with browbeating, pining, sulking, and second-guessing.
The Atrous members and their significant others got so much page time, it was basically a family reunion with enough nattering to fill a church newsletter.
It took so long for Blake to come around, I wasn't entirely convinced he truly wanted Luke. Becca basically had to talk him through gay sex ffs.
Cute epilogue, but spreading icing on a pile of shit ain't gonna make it taste better.
The idea of having sex with someone who's also slept with my sibling is utterly distasteful and disgusting to me. Just thinking about screwing one of my brother's ex-boyfriends makes my skin crawl. It's incestuous and no, nope, absofuckinglutelynot.
But ya know what's even worse? Getting together with someone you know is the love of your brother's life, which is what Becca did.
And she's supposed to be the hero of this story? Are you fucking kidding me with this bullshit??
This book was a disjointed mess, filled with browbeating, pining, sulking, and second-guessing.
The Atrous members and their significant others got so much page time, it was basically a family reunion with enough nattering to fill a church newsletter.
It took so long for Blake to come around, I wasn't entirely convinced he truly wanted Luke. Becca basically had to talk him through gay sex ffs.
Cute epilogue, but spreading icing on a pile of shit ain't gonna make it taste better.
November 26, 2025
Safety info, content warnings and tropes down below.
My big issue with this story was the demi rep, as I'm currently a lot confused. Story wise it had really good demiromantic rep (at least it seemed that way to me initially). Blake has had many casual encounters in the past, even a long-term relationship, but he's very much new to proper romantic feelings. It was good to be in his head while he figured himself and his feelings out for the first time. Where I got confused was when they mention demisexuality in relation to Blake, twice. I'm not saying he couldn't be both, but demisexuality doesn't fit with his past frequent hookups. I don't know if it's just a case of swapping the words by accident or a mistake on what the individual terms mean, but it was unfortunate. It's so important to take any rep like this seriously and to use sensitivity readers to make sure there are no obvious mistakes or any misrepresentation.
I did enjoy a lot of the book initially, but the longer I've sat with my feelings on the matter the more upsetting it felt. It does give the vibe that the author used demi rep (which one?? Not sure even she knows) as a plot device to have the MC finally decide on 'the one'. Not a fan.
Not sure if the author doesn't understand demisexuality or just confused the phrase with demiromantic.
Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Best friends to lovers
Demi rep
Bisexual rep
Idiots in love
Life after stardom
Codependency
Cuddles
Pining
Unrequited love
The crook of his neck is the best place
Two dumbasses, one moped
"Did you just call me babe?"
Found family
⚠️ Spice menu ⚠️
Coming in their pants
First times
Frotting
"I've never done this before"
Watching porn together
Prostate orgasm
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Alcohol consumption
Off-page binge drinking
Vomiting
Explicit sexual content
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Both MCs are in relationships with girlfriends at the beginning of the story. Both relationships end quite quickly, and before anything happens between Blake and Luke. There is no action between the guys and their girlfriends, off or on page, during the story.
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, single
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 28 and 28
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 340
Happy ending: Yes
I went to him, put my hand on the back of his head, raking my fingers through his hair, and pulled him in for a bit of a hug. His forehead went to my collarbone, his hands by his side, and he sighed. “You’ll be okay,” I whispered.
When relationships and marriages fall apart, there’s a litany of sorry to hear thats and condolences and commiserations. Sometimes even a congratulations. But what about when friendships end?
I’d taken him for granted. And I’d hurt him so fucking bad.
Holding him was a relief I couldn’t explain. Like I could finally breathe.
Like my body finally felt peace.
Like he was a missing part of me.
I smiled at him, and he smiled right back at me. Something warm and lovely shivered through me, and his eyes . . . I couldn’t look away. Luke’s smile got all shy and his cheeks went pink. Fuck. I really fucking liked it.
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
My big issue with this story was the demi rep, as I'm currently a lot confused. Story wise it had really good demiromantic rep (at least it seemed that way to me initially). Blake has had many casual encounters in the past, even a long-term relationship, but he's very much new to proper romantic feelings. It was good to be in his head while he figured himself and his feelings out for the first time. Where I got confused was when they mention demisexuality in relation to Blake, twice. I'm not saying he couldn't be both, but demisexuality doesn't fit with his past frequent hookups. I don't know if it's just a case of swapping the words by accident or a mistake on what the individual terms mean, but it was unfortunate. It's so important to take any rep like this seriously and to use sensitivity readers to make sure there are no obvious mistakes or any misrepresentation.
I did enjoy a lot of the book initially, but the longer I've sat with my feelings on the matter the more upsetting it felt. It does give the vibe that the author used demi rep (which one?? Not sure even she knows) as a plot device to have the MC finally decide on 'the one'. Not a fan.
Not sure if the author doesn't understand demisexuality or just confused the phrase with demiromantic.
Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Best friends to lovers
Demi rep
Bisexual rep
Idiots in love
Life after stardom
Codependency
Cuddles
Pining
Unrequited love
The crook of his neck is the best place
Two dumbasses, one moped
"Did you just call me babe?"
Found family
⚠️ Spice menu ⚠️
Coming in their pants
First times
Frotting
"I've never done this before"
Watching porn together
Prostate orgasm
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Alcohol consumption
Off-page binge drinking
Vomiting
Explicit sexual content
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Both MCs are in relationships with girlfriends at the beginning of the story. Both relationships end quite quickly, and before anything happens between Blake and Luke. There is no action between the guys and their girlfriends, off or on page, during the story.
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, single
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 28 and 28
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 340
Happy ending: Yes
I went to him, put my hand on the back of his head, raking my fingers through his hair, and pulled him in for a bit of a hug. His forehead went to my collarbone, his hands by his side, and he sighed. “You’ll be okay,” I whispered.
When relationships and marriages fall apart, there’s a litany of sorry to hear thats and condolences and commiserations. Sometimes even a congratulations. But what about when friendships end?
I’d taken him for granted. And I’d hurt him so fucking bad.
Holding him was a relief I couldn’t explain. Like I could finally breathe.
Like my body finally felt peace.
Like he was a missing part of me.
I smiled at him, and he smiled right back at me. Something warm and lovely shivered through me, and his eyes . . . I couldn’t look away. Luke’s smile got all shy and his cheeks went pink. Fuck. I really fucking liked it.
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
September 29, 2025
Blake really is a dramatic little bean. I loved his level of drama and emotional angst. I’m not sure what this says about my personality but I do very much enjoy reading about beautiful musicians suffering heartbreak.
It’s been a few years since reading the first two Atrous books - Code Blue and Code Red and although I enjoyed them at the time I remembered zilch about them now. This was easy to pick up though without re-reading and a few things came trickling back into my brain. The friends to lovers story of two bandmates - one pining for over 10yrs and the other completely oblivious. A cliche I can’t help but get sucked into every time 🤭.
I loved the angst and drama in the first half. The pacing dropped off in the second half and became a bit too sweet and lovey dovey for me. I would have liked to experience some more of the pining moments on page, their early connections and to get Luke’s perspective as I was a little tired of being solely in Blake’s soppy head by the end. Still enjoyed it overall.
A nice fluffy ending to wrap up the series that I wasn’t expecting. Would recommend reading books 1 and 2 first for the full effect. This release was such a pleasant little surprise.
It’s been a few years since reading the first two Atrous books - Code Blue and Code Red and although I enjoyed them at the time I remembered zilch about them now. This was easy to pick up though without re-reading and a few things came trickling back into my brain. The friends to lovers story of two bandmates - one pining for over 10yrs and the other completely oblivious. A cliche I can’t help but get sucked into every time 🤭.
I loved the angst and drama in the first half. The pacing dropped off in the second half and became a bit too sweet and lovey dovey for me. I would have liked to experience some more of the pining moments on page, their early connections and to get Luke’s perspective as I was a little tired of being solely in Blake’s soppy head by the end. Still enjoyed it overall.
A nice fluffy ending to wrap up the series that I wasn’t expecting. Would recommend reading books 1 and 2 first for the full effect. This release was such a pleasant little surprise.
November 10, 2025
4 Stars
The friends-to-lovers, the double bi-awakening, the pining, the angst, the expressing one’s self through music… yeah, I ate this up. And it was all a bit of a shock to me, honestly, because I’d never really given Blake or Luke much thought—as characters, let alone as a potential couple—when they were mere background players in the previous Atrous books. For me, ‘Bluke’ came out of nowhere, but it turns out theirs is a sequel (and a trilogy round-out) that I never knew I truly needed.
This was some seriously addictive contemporary M/M reading, with Walker managing to balance the emotional drama and the fluffy romance unfolding between Blake and Luke quite satisfyingly.
The first half is all broody, juicy angst, as Blake begins to face his true feelings for Luke—his lifelong best-friend, ex-bandmate, current roommate, and BROTHER TO HIS GIRLFRIEND, who has been slowly pulling away, much to Blake’s confusion and heartbreak. I mean, that’s a situation and a half right there, especially when you’re as oblivious as Blake was when the story began.
I personally loathed the presence of said girlfriend (quickly ex-girlfriend) and sister, Becca. I disliked it on two levels. The first being that there is something seriously icky to me about falling for your ex’s sibling/sibling’s ex as a whole romance concept. I can take all sorts of taboo couple combos, but I get irrationally angry at the idea that someone would willingly go from fucking one sibling to another, with there not being some major familial fallouts because of it, which this story mind-blowingly overlooked.
Which leads to my second (and bigger) issue, in that Becca is painted as this saint of a sister (and ex), who supports the boys in their burgeoning relationship constantly throughout their story. But… but where was the outrage towards Becca?!? This chick KNEW FULL WELL, for YEARS, that her brother felt soulmate levels of love towards his best friend (and that said best friend probably loved him back without fully registering it), YET she went out with him anyway, for YEARS, breaking her brother bit by bit, never really apologising for the hurt she caused in it all, during or in the aftermath, and still, not a single person in this story ever thought that was contemptibly unforgivable behaviour on her part??? (Honestly, I’m blowing a fuse just thinking about it!!!)
Poorly handled sister (non) drama aside, I liked the boys quite a bit. Their feelings, once acknowledged, were palpable and all-consuming, leading to some lovely confessional moments and steamy first times. As a double bi-awakening, this worked for me. I really felt the depth of Luke’s pain and pining, even though we never got his POV (a shame, that). And although it took some suspension of disbelief to buy into Blake’s sudden and full-throttle shift to bi-and-madly-in-love-with-his-best-friend, I think Walker made it work well, creating quite a complex and emotionally gripping dynamic between the two that had me quickly invested and speeding through the pages—even when the story shifted halfway from heavy emotional angst, to sweet and sappy love story.
This probably would have been a 5-star read for me, had the sister not been a plot point at all—because, honestly, I feel like Luke’s pining and Blake’s realisations all could have existed and still been emotionally palpable WITHOUT the whole thing starting with Blake in a relationship with Bec. Sometimes what may be a little story element—and probably inconsequential OR even juicy to some—is just the thing that overshadows my potential epic love of a story. For me, the sister thing did that here, but I’m thankful that enough of the story worked for me that I still came out the other side mostly happy with the experience.
Atrous series
Book #1 - Code Red (3.5 Stars)
Book #2 - Code Blue (4 Stars)
Book #3 - Code Word (4 Stars)
The friends-to-lovers, the double bi-awakening, the pining, the angst, the expressing one’s self through music… yeah, I ate this up. And it was all a bit of a shock to me, honestly, because I’d never really given Blake or Luke much thought—as characters, let alone as a potential couple—when they were mere background players in the previous Atrous books. For me, ‘Bluke’ came out of nowhere, but it turns out theirs is a sequel (and a trilogy round-out) that I never knew I truly needed.
This was some seriously addictive contemporary M/M reading, with Walker managing to balance the emotional drama and the fluffy romance unfolding between Blake and Luke quite satisfyingly.
The first half is all broody, juicy angst, as Blake begins to face his true feelings for Luke—his lifelong best-friend, ex-bandmate, current roommate, and BROTHER TO HIS GIRLFRIEND, who has been slowly pulling away, much to Blake’s confusion and heartbreak. I mean, that’s a situation and a half right there, especially when you’re as oblivious as Blake was when the story began.
I personally loathed the presence of said girlfriend (quickly ex-girlfriend) and sister, Becca. I disliked it on two levels. The first being that there is something seriously icky to me about falling for your ex’s sibling/sibling’s ex as a whole romance concept. I can take all sorts of taboo couple combos, but I get irrationally angry at the idea that someone would willingly go from fucking one sibling to another, with there not being some major familial fallouts because of it, which this story mind-blowingly overlooked.
Which leads to my second (and bigger) issue, in that Becca is painted as this saint of a sister (and ex), who supports the boys in their burgeoning relationship constantly throughout their story. But… but where was the outrage towards Becca?!? This chick KNEW FULL WELL, for YEARS, that her brother felt soulmate levels of love towards his best friend (and that said best friend probably loved him back without fully registering it), YET she went out with him anyway, for YEARS, breaking her brother bit by bit, never really apologising for the hurt she caused in it all, during or in the aftermath, and still, not a single person in this story ever thought that was contemptibly unforgivable behaviour on her part??? (Honestly, I’m blowing a fuse just thinking about it!!!)
Poorly handled sister (non) drama aside, I liked the boys quite a bit. Their feelings, once acknowledged, were palpable and all-consuming, leading to some lovely confessional moments and steamy first times. As a double bi-awakening, this worked for me. I really felt the depth of Luke’s pain and pining, even though we never got his POV (a shame, that). And although it took some suspension of disbelief to buy into Blake’s sudden and full-throttle shift to bi-and-madly-in-love-with-his-best-friend, I think Walker made it work well, creating quite a complex and emotionally gripping dynamic between the two that had me quickly invested and speeding through the pages—even when the story shifted halfway from heavy emotional angst, to sweet and sappy love story.
This probably would have been a 5-star read for me, had the sister not been a plot point at all—because, honestly, I feel like Luke’s pining and Blake’s realisations all could have existed and still been emotionally palpable WITHOUT the whole thing starting with Blake in a relationship with Bec. Sometimes what may be a little story element—and probably inconsequential OR even juicy to some—is just the thing that overshadows my potential epic love of a story. For me, the sister thing did that here, but I’m thankful that enough of the story worked for me that I still came out the other side mostly happy with the experience.
Atrous series
Book #1 - Code Red (3.5 Stars)
Book #2 - Code Blue (4 Stars)
Book #3 - Code Word (4 Stars)
September 26, 2025
Absolutely flew through this one, couldn't put it down!
It wasn't as dramatic as I expected with Luke's sister but OMG my heart couldn't take it when Luke and Blake were apart 😭 Blake being so distraught made me cry and I was raging at Maddox and Jeremy for not seeing how much he was hurting.
Luke having hid his true feelings for so many years was really sad and his hesitancy to believe that he finally had the one thing he ever wanted made me want to hug him so much!!
I really liked Bluke as a couple, I just wish we'd gotten more of them because this book just felt too short for me!
I loved the scrapbook of photos and the newspaper article at the end though 😍
NOW it feels like this series is complete - it never felt right that the original two books ended with Bluke not being a thing, and knowing what they're all up to post band breakup really rounds out the series nicely.
It wasn't as dramatic as I expected with Luke's sister but OMG my heart couldn't take it when Luke and Blake were apart 😭 Blake being so distraught made me cry and I was raging at Maddox and Jeremy for not seeing how much he was hurting.
Luke having hid his true feelings for so many years was really sad and his hesitancy to believe that he finally had the one thing he ever wanted made me want to hug him so much!!
I really liked Bluke as a couple, I just wish we'd gotten more of them because this book just felt too short for me!
I loved the scrapbook of photos and the newspaper article at the end though 😍
NOW it feels like this series is complete - it never felt right that the original two books ended with Bluke not being a thing, and knowing what they're all up to post band breakup really rounds out the series nicely.
September 29, 2025
This book was really about nothing. Luke and Blake’s relationship drama dragged through the whole book. The first 40% is everyone blaming Blake for not knowing Luke was in love with him. And the second half was them trying to have sex or getting ready to have sex and Blake randomly screwing up his knee.
A lot of this plot kind of felt like Blake needed to be convinced he was in love with Luke, all while his “friends” really beat him down.
Becca was annoying and had too much part in the story. She’s written to have known since she started dating Blake that her brother was in love with Blake but that didn’t stop her at all, which is kind of trashy.
The guilting the guys did to Blake felt totally unfair. Right from the start to the end Blake was at fault for everything, when the guys came to check on him, they attacked him, talking in circles, but never really comforting him. Maddox somehow ended up being the victim in the story, Roscoe even told Blake that the fight Maddox and Blake had, set Maddox back 2 YEARS in his mental health issues. A horrible thing to put on someone, and absolutely not Blake’s fault at all.
This could have really been a novella.
A lot of this plot kind of felt like Blake needed to be convinced he was in love with Luke, all while his “friends” really beat him down.
Becca was annoying and had too much part in the story. She’s written to have known since she started dating Blake that her brother was in love with Blake but that didn’t stop her at all, which is kind of trashy.
The guilting the guys did to Blake felt totally unfair. Right from the start to the end Blake was at fault for everything, when the guys came to check on him, they attacked him, talking in circles, but never really comforting him. Maddox somehow ended up being the victim in the story, Roscoe even told Blake that the fight Maddox and Blake had, set Maddox back 2 YEARS in his mental health issues. A horrible thing to put on someone, and absolutely not Blake’s fault at all.
This could have really been a novella.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2026
3.5
While I overall enjoyed this book, I did not like how it started. I hate books that just drop you into a story with the characters already in love with eachother. I want to see them fall in love, not just get plopped into them already in love. Then after it started already in love, the book itself takes place over a short period of time. So while I enjoyed the story, I cant say I loved the pacing.
And I loved book 1 in this series, but this book made me not like Roscoe & Maddox very much. Kind of annoying for the author to have a book with characters I love then have another book that made me like them less haha.
But like I said, overall I did enjoy this.
While I overall enjoyed this book, I did not like how it started. I hate books that just drop you into a story with the characters already in love with eachother. I want to see them fall in love, not just get plopped into them already in love. Then after it started already in love, the book itself takes place over a short period of time. So while I enjoyed the story, I cant say I loved the pacing.
And I loved book 1 in this series, but this book made me not like Roscoe & Maddox very much. Kind of annoying for the author to have a book with characters I love then have another book that made me like them less haha.
But like I said, overall I did enjoy this.
September 16, 2025
This is finally Blake and Luke’s story. After all the Bluke speculation, obliviously in love, completely loveable men find their HEA. In typical NR Walker style it’s a story written to move you and I won’t be shaking off the effect any time soon, I don’t see myself wanting to.
Much more than a typical rock star romance this is life after the band, the worst parts do fame still lingering. There is a devastation to the start that is difficult to read the cracking of carefully built up walls and delusions of self preservation and coping mechanisms. What follows is raw unmitigated pain and loss of control. It was hard to watch, hard to read. The isolation when that crack comes jumps off the page and strangles you. NR Walker is a master at the vivid and tactile and this story is a full representation of that skill.
Hitting rock bottom, facing his loss gives Blake a new perspective and Becca shocking some sense into him gives him courage. Gosh the romance of him going on a quest to find his love… I almost died of swoon overload. Man oh man, so much pining and swoon and romance in this book and found family but the pining and the swoon nearly did me in.
Their relationship develops beautifully, evolves with all the fits and starts of such a seismic change in the foundations laid deep. From then on it’s sweet sailing, finding and building their new reality, letting the world back I , letting their friends back in. Maddox I felt so bad for, that’s a tough spot but I’m glad it worked out in the end, they all belong together
Becca is a rock star, so is Benny. I loved seeing Blake and Wes’s relationship evolve.
Highly highly recommend reading this book preferably after the first two but if not still read this.
Much more than a typical rock star romance this is life after the band, the worst parts do fame still lingering. There is a devastation to the start that is difficult to read the cracking of carefully built up walls and delusions of self preservation and coping mechanisms. What follows is raw unmitigated pain and loss of control. It was hard to watch, hard to read. The isolation when that crack comes jumps off the page and strangles you. NR Walker is a master at the vivid and tactile and this story is a full representation of that skill.
Hitting rock bottom, facing his loss gives Blake a new perspective and Becca shocking some sense into him gives him courage. Gosh the romance of him going on a quest to find his love… I almost died of swoon overload. Man oh man, so much pining and swoon and romance in this book and found family but the pining and the swoon nearly did me in.
Their relationship develops beautifully, evolves with all the fits and starts of such a seismic change in the foundations laid deep. From then on it’s sweet sailing, finding and building their new reality, letting the world back I , letting their friends back in. Maddox I felt so bad for, that’s a tough spot but I’m glad it worked out in the end, they all belong together
Becca is a rock star, so is Benny. I loved seeing Blake and Wes’s relationship evolve.
Highly highly recommend reading this book preferably after the first two but if not still read this.
October 4, 2025
Audio:
5 stars for Nick J Russo (currently on the authors website)
Book: 3.5 stars
I liked this but didn’t love it as much as the first two books.
I think that something was missing to make this higher than a 3.5 star.
5 stars for Nick J Russo (currently on the authors website)
Book: 3.5 stars
I liked this but didn’t love it as much as the first two books.
I think that something was missing to make this higher than a 3.5 star.
September 30, 2025
It breaks my heart but I was disappointed. I was looking forward to Bluke but this was not it. The repetitiveness of the story was so annoying.
I have to say....I loved the final get-togethers with the whole crew..Maddox and Blake making up and the crews finding their way back together was great. (Tears of Joy)
BUT
What I didn't know was how much I would hate Becca. What a BiTCH! She knew Luke was in love with Blake but still fucked him! DIABOLICAL!!. Who needs enemies with sisters like that?
She was the side character that wouldn't go away.
(She had 98 mentions by name.)
It was hard to see Blake and Luke together when she was always in the picture or being talked about.
It seemed like everything the MCs did was compared to what Blake and Becca did.
Ex: Luke: Your romantic ...You were never romantic with Becca......
Blake: I didnt want to be.
When Luke and Becca finally talked over the phone to clear things up. They also talked about her infrequent, "non-earth-shattering" sex with Blake. (awkward and gross) Luke's response to her was about how great theirs was so far which made me throw up in my mouth. I appreciated Blake's response to the conversation asking them not to talk about that aspect of their relationship.
Luke laughed it off and told Blake that he would let her know how "earth-shattering" their sex life was after it happened.
To top it all off, Becca was the one who told their parents, about Luke and Blake being together before they could! Really, was that necessary?
MCs kept praising her for taking the breakup so well but she could have kept her paw off Blake to begin with.
HONORABLY DISLIKES.
**Nothing says Romance and I love you more than watching porn together am I right.....WRONG.
**Everyone seemed to blame Blake for not realizing Luke loved him but no one tried to clue him in during those 10 years either.
**They slept with a lot of women - like a lot. .....(line was used more than once)
**Luke's shyness about sex in the book didn't line up with how often he and Blake discussed their conquests in the previous book. They made sure everyone knew how many women they slept with and what they did
** They made Becca their personal manager?! We couldn't bring Amber back?
**Of course Blake hurt his knee so they couldn't properly be together......on top of all the interruptions the other times.
I have to say....I loved the final get-togethers with the whole crew..Maddox and Blake making up and the crews finding their way back together was great. (Tears of Joy)
BUT
What I didn't know was how much I would hate Becca. What a BiTCH! She knew Luke was in love with Blake but still fucked him! DIABOLICAL!!. Who needs enemies with sisters like that?
She was the side character that wouldn't go away.
(She had 98 mentions by name.)
It was hard to see Blake and Luke together when she was always in the picture or being talked about.
It seemed like everything the MCs did was compared to what Blake and Becca did.
Ex: Luke: Your romantic ...You were never romantic with Becca......
Blake: I didnt want to be.
When Luke and Becca finally talked over the phone to clear things up. They also talked about her infrequent, "non-earth-shattering" sex with Blake. (awkward and gross) Luke's response to her was about how great theirs was so far which made me throw up in my mouth. I appreciated Blake's response to the conversation asking them not to talk about that aspect of their relationship.
Luke laughed it off and told Blake that he would let her know how "earth-shattering" their sex life was after it happened.
To top it all off, Becca was the one who told their parents, about Luke and Blake being together before they could! Really, was that necessary?
MCs kept praising her for taking the breakup so well but she could have kept her paw off Blake to begin with.
HONORABLY DISLIKES.
**Nothing says Romance and I love you more than watching porn together am I right.....WRONG.
**Everyone seemed to blame Blake for not realizing Luke loved him but no one tried to clue him in during those 10 years either.
**They slept with a lot of women - like a lot. .....(line was used more than once)
**Luke's shyness about sex in the book didn't line up with how often he and Blake discussed their conquests in the previous book. They made sure everyone knew how many women they slept with and what they did
** They made Becca their personal manager?! We couldn't bring Amber back?
**Of course Blake hurt his knee so they couldn't properly be together......on top of all the interruptions the other times.
September 29, 2025
Becca kinda screwed my opinion on this story if I’m being honest. Bc what do you mean you “knew what you were getting yourself into.” You KNEW your brother was in love with his best friend … so you decided to date him for two years knowing it would end anyways bc said best friend was also in love with him he just didn’t know it yet??? YOU ARE WEIRD THAT IS WEIRD
At the beginning when nobody was even giving Blake a chance to see if he could feel the same and made decisions for him on the matter I was just AGGHHH
I do love Luke and saw where he was coming from. I don’t know how he’s able to be around his sister but apparently we decided it wasn’t a big deal that she knew all his feelings yet fucked the love of his life regardless
Anyways
Not my favorite way to end a series
Also ALL of these books would have been so much better dual pov. I think it had some complex characters that required thoughts from both sides
At the beginning when nobody was even giving Blake a chance to see if he could feel the same and made decisions for him on the matter I was just AGGHHH
I do love Luke and saw where he was coming from. I don’t know how he’s able to be around his sister but apparently we decided it wasn’t a big deal that she knew all his feelings yet fucked the love of his life regardless
Anyways
Not my favorite way to end a series
Also ALL of these books would have been so much better dual pov. I think it had some complex characters that required thoughts from both sides
September 27, 2025
meh
This book is a kind of boring read. Not much plot, just the standard unrequited love story where the oblivious party suddenly realises they are in love when someone else points out. I have two main issues with this book. Firstly it annoys me that everything is seen as Blake’s fault - he should have know Luke loved him, he is made to feel bad for Maddox spiraling, etc. Secondly, the characters are never actually described in any detail. This is a theme in many of this authors books but I like to picture the characters when I read. There is zero description of Blake as it is all from his perspective. There are only 2 vague references to Luke’s appearance and they are contradictory - first mention is brown hair sticking out from a hoody. The next mention he has sandy hair and blue eyes. That’s it. I like a bit more descriptive writing personally.
This book is a kind of boring read. Not much plot, just the standard unrequited love story where the oblivious party suddenly realises they are in love when someone else points out. I have two main issues with this book. Firstly it annoys me that everything is seen as Blake’s fault - he should have know Luke loved him, he is made to feel bad for Maddox spiraling, etc. Secondly, the characters are never actually described in any detail. This is a theme in many of this authors books but I like to picture the characters when I read. There is zero description of Blake as it is all from his perspective. There are only 2 vague references to Luke’s appearance and they are contradictory - first mention is brown hair sticking out from a hoody. The next mention he has sandy hair and blue eyes. That’s it. I like a bit more descriptive writing personally.
Read
February 27, 2026The best part of this book was the ending with the photos and announcement of Blake and Luke's marriage. I almost wish this had been the epilogue of Code Blue and that Code Word didn't exist. Fuck Becca and her overshadowing of Blake and Luke's story. I love a good villain, and I love angst, but what was her purpose here? The time wasted on her and her continually horrible behavior towards Luke and Blake could have been used to add more depth to the MCs relationship, and the repairing of the relationships within Atrous. I was enjoying the whole unrequited love and the angst, but the conversations became repetitive, and Becca was inserted into Every Single Aspect of the story.
I was hoping Blake and Luke would get together since the first book, and was shocked at the end of book 2 with where things stood. I so wanted to love this book, but WTF with Becca? She was horrible, and everyone acted as if she were a victim or a saint. I’m sorry, but she goes into a relationship with Blake knowing her brother Luke has been in love with him for a decade and dates him for two years while saying she knew where she stood and that it would never work. Then she drives Blake to the airport and rah-rahs their relationship and is the best person in the whole wide world, even after she outed the MCs relationship to their families. I am so annoyed with her and the storyline that I’m probably not even making sense. I honestly was so irritated by her part in this story, that I don't even know how to rate it.
I was hoping Blake and Luke would get together since the first book, and was shocked at the end of book 2 with where things stood. I so wanted to love this book, but WTF with Becca? She was horrible, and everyone acted as if she were a victim or a saint. I’m sorry, but she goes into a relationship with Blake knowing her brother Luke has been in love with him for a decade and dates him for two years while saying she knew where she stood and that it would never work. Then she drives Blake to the airport and rah-rahs their relationship and is the best person in the whole wide world, even after she outed the MCs relationship to their families. I am so annoyed with her and the storyline that I’m probably not even making sense. I honestly was so irritated by her part in this story, that I don't even know how to rate it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2025
I had completely forgotten about this series and at first I couldn’t really remember what it was about, but I didn’t have any trouble getting back into it and I liked it. Well written, decent story.
December 31, 2025
alexa play eighteen by one direction
November 18, 2025
This book was cute and sweet, and it actually made my heart ache, but my God, it was so overly sappy. I do love and appreciate a corny, sweet moment, but the key word is moment, not half of the book. And I’m not saying that made me not enjoy it, because I definitely did. If I’m being honest, I started this book not expecting much since I never saw the possibility of Luke and Blake as a couple in the previous books, so I was extremely surprised when I found myself completely hooked at the beginning. I mean, I was maybe 17% in and I was already crying— like full on felt the pain— so yeah, I wasn’t expecting that. I started to think this book would actually be good, and it was, but…
I’m sad to say I just didn’t fully buy it. It was still really sweet and I did see the connection, but because they kept repeating and constantly telling each other how happy and in love they were, it just felt so forced to me. It felt like Blake was trying to convince himself. I loved how they talked through their inexperience and everything that happened, Luke expressing how much Blake unknowingly hurt him… everything was great. But then it just got sappy and repetitive, and it lost me.
I caressed his cheek with my thumb. “I want to write songs about this color,” I murmured. “On your cheeks when you blush. I want to sing about your smile or the line of your neck when you laugh.”
“Holding him was a relief I couldn’t explain. Like I could finally breathe. Like my body finally felt peace. Like he was a missing part of me.”
Look, I love when a book makes me suffer, ugly cry, and just feel, but I also love when that suffering stops and we finally get those moments where everything is better and the MMCs are happy and in love. With this book, though, I felt more when they were apart—I connected more with them during the distance. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that they ended up together and happy, and I loved watching them start to figure themselves out as a couple, but it was hard to feel as invested in them as I was with Maddox and Roscoe, for example. Luke didn’t feel like an MMC; he felt more like a secondary character, and even though the other two books are also told from just one POV, I still felt like I got to know both MMCs. In this one, I don’t think I did.
Not everything was negative, though—I really did enjoy it. I loved how everything played out, and my God, the way I felt Blake’s and Luke’s pain. I genuinely cried. It wasn’t just the unrequited love, it was the possible loss of a friendship, and that got me. I also loved seeing all the other members;
“When relationships and marriages fall apart, there’s a litany of sorry to hear thats and condolences and commiserations. Sometimes even a congratulations. But what about when friendships end? What exactly is the protocol for when a best friend decides it’s over? How does the one left behind deal with that? What the fuck was I supposed to do with my life without my best friend?”
I love the fact that this author always includes the songs the MMCs write throughout the book, it’s such a good detail. And in this one she added pictures too, which was incredible. And the songs always get me. I remember Code Red and the song Maddox wrote for Roscoe even before they got together, and Code Blue with Jeremy and Steve. But the Code Word song is definitely my favorite, those lyrics were heartbreaking and if that song were real, it would absolutely be one of my favorites.
Not a bad book at all. I enjoyed it, and I’m so sad it’s the last in the series. I’m going to miss these five guys and their partners. Such an incredibly good series from this author.
“I wish there was a way
For all the things I need to say
Without saying it loud
Without this being so hard
A code word that only I know
A code word for love
I’d say it to you every day
And you’d never know
I’d tell you in every way
Without saying the words
A code word that only I know
A code word for love
A word that has no meaning
A word with no weight
A word that means you won’t leave me, and
A word for love, a word for fate
A code word that I only know
So I could tell you”
I’m sad to say I just didn’t fully buy it. It was still really sweet and I did see the connection, but because they kept repeating and constantly telling each other how happy and in love they were, it just felt so forced to me. It felt like Blake was trying to convince himself. I loved how they talked through their inexperience and everything that happened, Luke expressing how much Blake unknowingly hurt him… everything was great. But then it just got sappy and repetitive, and it lost me.
I caressed his cheek with my thumb. “I want to write songs about this color,” I murmured. “On your cheeks when you blush. I want to sing about your smile or the line of your neck when you laugh.”
“Holding him was a relief I couldn’t explain. Like I could finally breathe. Like my body finally felt peace. Like he was a missing part of me.”
Look, I love when a book makes me suffer, ugly cry, and just feel, but I also love when that suffering stops and we finally get those moments where everything is better and the MMCs are happy and in love. With this book, though, I felt more when they were apart—I connected more with them during the distance. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that they ended up together and happy, and I loved watching them start to figure themselves out as a couple, but it was hard to feel as invested in them as I was with Maddox and Roscoe, for example. Luke didn’t feel like an MMC; he felt more like a secondary character, and even though the other two books are also told from just one POV, I still felt like I got to know both MMCs. In this one, I don’t think I did.
Not everything was negative, though—I really did enjoy it. I loved how everything played out, and my God, the way I felt Blake’s and Luke’s pain. I genuinely cried. It wasn’t just the unrequited love, it was the possible loss of a friendship, and that got me. I also loved seeing all the other members;
“When relationships and marriages fall apart, there’s a litany of sorry to hear thats and condolences and commiserations. Sometimes even a congratulations. But what about when friendships end? What exactly is the protocol for when a best friend decides it’s over? How does the one left behind deal with that? What the fuck was I supposed to do with my life without my best friend?”
I love the fact that this author always includes the songs the MMCs write throughout the book, it’s such a good detail. And in this one she added pictures too, which was incredible. And the songs always get me. I remember Code Red and the song Maddox wrote for Roscoe even before they got together, and Code Blue with Jeremy and Steve. But the Code Word song is definitely my favorite, those lyrics were heartbreaking and if that song were real, it would absolutely be one of my favorites.
Not a bad book at all. I enjoyed it, and I’m so sad it’s the last in the series. I’m going to miss these five guys and their partners. Such an incredibly good series from this author.
“I wish there was a way
For all the things I need to say
Without saying it loud
Without this being so hard
A code word that only I know
A code word for love
I’d say it to you every day
And you’d never know
I’d tell you in every way
Without saying the words
A code word that only I know
A code word for love
A word that has no meaning
A word with no weight
A word that means you won’t leave me, and
A word for love, a word for fate
A code word that I only know
So I could tell you”
Read
September 28, 2025DNF at 50%, because that's where I wanted the story to end. I don't know what nonsense N.R. Walker was going to throw at the MCs next but it didn't feel necessary when you know they're going to end up together, soooo... nah.
September 28, 2025
Rating: 2.5 ⭐️
I really loved the first book in this series but this one fell a bit flat for me. Blake was just kind of insufferable, I think I would have preferred this story from Luke’s POV. I mostly found myself super annoyed at him and how immature he was.
There also really wasn’t much happening in the story after they get together. And they got together so early, I was like how is there still more than half a book to go? Blake had his big running off to Mexico with nothing to find Luke scene, and then… just a lot of reassuring and talking about everything over and over and over again.
There wasn’t much initial buildup of their relationship either to get me invested, and I recognize maybe that’s because it’s been 3-4 years since I read the first 2 books, so I don’t really remember the details of them from there, but it made it feel like something was missing.
Something about the writing was also driving me a bit crazy, it was very repetitive. Like he’d say something to one character or in his head, then in the next scene he’s explaining the same thing to someone else… like we get it, you love Luke and want to stay in Mexico forever and buy a house together and etc, why do we need to keep seeing him tell ALL of his family and friends these things too. I was just kind of bored with the 2nd half of the book and thought about DNF-ing but wanted to see it through since I did enjoy the first 2 books.
I did enjoy the angst of Blake figuring things out and spiraling. And the epilogue was cute, it wrapped up the series nicely.
I really loved the first book in this series but this one fell a bit flat for me. Blake was just kind of insufferable, I think I would have preferred this story from Luke’s POV. I mostly found myself super annoyed at him and how immature he was.
There also really wasn’t much happening in the story after they get together. And they got together so early, I was like how is there still more than half a book to go? Blake had his big running off to Mexico with nothing to find Luke scene, and then… just a lot of reassuring and talking about everything over and over and over again.
There wasn’t much initial buildup of their relationship either to get me invested, and I recognize maybe that’s because it’s been 3-4 years since I read the first 2 books, so I don’t really remember the details of them from there, but it made it feel like something was missing.
Something about the writing was also driving me a bit crazy, it was very repetitive. Like he’d say something to one character or in his head, then in the next scene he’s explaining the same thing to someone else… like we get it, you love Luke and want to stay in Mexico forever and buy a house together and etc, why do we need to keep seeing him tell ALL of his family and friends these things too. I was just kind of bored with the 2nd half of the book and thought about DNF-ing but wanted to see it through since I did enjoy the first 2 books.
I did enjoy the angst of Blake figuring things out and spiraling. And the epilogue was cute, it wrapped up the series nicely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2025
So worth the wait
The story of Bluke has been a long time coming and so happy that these men decided their story needed to be told. Ten years of love taken away with the breaking up of Atrous. One man not knowing the depth of his love for his best friend, the other knowing and pushing it down to prevent a rift he feared. It takes hitting rock bottom and a soul searching trip to Mexico for all things to land as they were always meant to.
be prepared this is not an easy ride but wow is worth every single heartbreak to lead to the HEA these two always deserved. Thank you NR for giving us these words and yes the wait was worth it.
The story of Bluke has been a long time coming and so happy that these men decided their story needed to be told. Ten years of love taken away with the breaking up of Atrous. One man not knowing the depth of his love for his best friend, the other knowing and pushing it down to prevent a rift he feared. It takes hitting rock bottom and a soul searching trip to Mexico for all things to land as they were always meant to.
be prepared this is not an easy ride but wow is worth every single heartbreak to lead to the HEA these two always deserved. Thank you NR for giving us these words and yes the wait was worth it.
November 18, 2025
4.25⭐️
the romance was so top tier, i will never not love a best friends to lovers because of the intrinsic way the characters know/understand each other. on that same vein i will never be more wrecked than by a best friends to lovers romance ESPECIALLY if it’s unrequited and for a long ass time. absolutely bawled my eyes out during the first like 40% of the book and a wee bit towards the end but overall a lot of love. i do feel the pacing was a bit odd, the beginning went very fast and they got their shit together as far as admitting their feelings pretty darn quickly and then the second half was kind of just a slow exploration of what that all means which was good and i loved it but i found myself thinking “okay so what’s gonna happen the rest of the book?” my biggest critique (which is mentioned in so many reviews) was the sister of it all. to be so frank she did not need to be luke’s sister… like truly could’ve been a friend from their hometown/high school and majority of the plot points could’ve stayed the same. it takes the perfect set of circumstances for me to be remotely okay with siblings ex, but this one was like a 2 year relationship where she realized how they felt for each other and still proceeded to date him until it broke her brother… so don’t love her for that. but luckily i was forewarned by the reviews and it made it far more bearable to get through since i think it made me think it was worse than it ended up being. but moving on from that… i loved the exploration of blake’s identity post band and what he wants to do with his life and also the themes of adult friendships and how much work they take to maintain especially going from an isolated environment to so many different paths. that was incredibly well done. i wish luke had more of a big emotional beat like that because he really only went along with blake (in a very consensual, i want that too way) and felt guilty about his sister (so deeply unfounded considering she should be sorry but i digress). but overall this was a great conclusion to the trilogy and i love that everyone found their person and figured out what was next for them, very satisfying ending. #blukeforlife
😭*obligatory i bawled my eyes out LITERALLY SOBBING ON MY COUCH 😀*
the romance was so top tier, i will never not love a best friends to lovers because of the intrinsic way the characters know/understand each other. on that same vein i will never be more wrecked than by a best friends to lovers romance ESPECIALLY if it’s unrequited and for a long ass time. absolutely bawled my eyes out during the first like 40% of the book and a wee bit towards the end but overall a lot of love. i do feel the pacing was a bit odd, the beginning went very fast and they got their shit together as far as admitting their feelings pretty darn quickly and then the second half was kind of just a slow exploration of what that all means which was good and i loved it but i found myself thinking “okay so what’s gonna happen the rest of the book?” my biggest critique (which is mentioned in so many reviews) was the sister of it all. to be so frank she did not need to be luke’s sister… like truly could’ve been a friend from their hometown/high school and majority of the plot points could’ve stayed the same. it takes the perfect set of circumstances for me to be remotely okay with siblings ex, but this one was like a 2 year relationship where she realized how they felt for each other and still proceeded to date him until it broke her brother… so don’t love her for that. but luckily i was forewarned by the reviews and it made it far more bearable to get through since i think it made me think it was worse than it ended up being. but moving on from that… i loved the exploration of blake’s identity post band and what he wants to do with his life and also the themes of adult friendships and how much work they take to maintain especially going from an isolated environment to so many different paths. that was incredibly well done. i wish luke had more of a big emotional beat like that because he really only went along with blake (in a very consensual, i want that too way) and felt guilty about his sister (so deeply unfounded considering she should be sorry but i digress). but overall this was a great conclusion to the trilogy and i love that everyone found their person and figured out what was next for them, very satisfying ending. #blukeforlife
😭*obligatory i bawled my eyes out LITERALLY SOBBING ON MY COUCH 😀*
October 15, 2025
I think I'll edit this sometime soon, because this is SO unstructured and just a mess of my thoughts 😂
First of all, I love Bluke, Code Red & Code Blue are among my favourite books of the year, and I had quite high hopes. But while Code Red and Blue were super deep, highly emotional and just made me feel A LOT (don't get me wrong, Code Word also made me cry a little and I had a little flutter in my stomach when they kissed for the first time), this felt a bit different. Partly, it didn't even feel like an NR Walker book. And I'm not done with her backlist, but I know a lot of people prefer her older books over the latest releases - and the huge gap between the releases of Atrous 2 and 3 might correlate with that. It's still a (really) solid romance, but something was missing. I didn't get a good feeling for Blake and Luke, not as much as I did for the MCs of the other two books at least, and some things felt rushed, especially regarding the spice. I personally am not the biggest spice person, so I'm totally fine with less or even none, but the few scenes - besides the first, because the chemistry there was out of this world - felt like they were written by someone else. Also the ableist language a lot of people (myself included) use or have used in day to day life without even thinking about it kinda threw me off because I didn't expect this from NR Walker ("idiot", "dumb", "blind" (in a negative connotation)). And a big thing that bothered me through the whole book was that it's basically demiromantic rep, but it's labelled (and promoted) as demisexual rep. And that can be the case as well of course, but it's definitely demiromantic, and it would have been so cool if that was named somewhere in the book for more awareness that this exists.
Overall it was still super enjoyable, but not my favourite NR Walker book.
First of all, I love Bluke, Code Red & Code Blue are among my favourite books of the year, and I had quite high hopes. But while Code Red and Blue were super deep, highly emotional and just made me feel A LOT (don't get me wrong, Code Word also made me cry a little and I had a little flutter in my stomach when they kissed for the first time), this felt a bit different. Partly, it didn't even feel like an NR Walker book. And I'm not done with her backlist, but I know a lot of people prefer her older books over the latest releases - and the huge gap between the releases of Atrous 2 and 3 might correlate with that. It's still a (really) solid romance, but something was missing. I didn't get a good feeling for Blake and Luke, not as much as I did for the MCs of the other two books at least, and some things felt rushed, especially regarding the spice. I personally am not the biggest spice person, so I'm totally fine with less or even none, but the few scenes - besides the first, because the chemistry there was out of this world - felt like they were written by someone else. Also the ableist language a lot of people (myself included) use or have used in day to day life without even thinking about it kinda threw me off because I didn't expect this from NR Walker ("idiot", "dumb", "blind" (in a negative connotation)). And a big thing that bothered me through the whole book was that it's basically demiromantic rep, but it's labelled (and promoted) as demisexual rep. And that can be the case as well of course, but it's definitely demiromantic, and it would have been so cool if that was named somewhere in the book for more awareness that this exists.
Overall it was still super enjoyable, but not my favourite NR Walker book.
October 7, 2025
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.25 stars
If you’re a fan of the Atrous boys, then you’re definitely going to want to pick this one up. If you haven’t read the other two books in the Atrous series, then you could technically start here, as all the information you need is on page. But there is something emotionally extra having seen Blake and Luke in the background of the series and knowing the guys beforehand.
Blake is the POV character and it’s mostly his story to tell. He’s the one that has to go through the most changes and has the most realizations. The first third to half of this book is him figuring it all out.
I loved watching Blake’s growth and the happily ever after was very satisfying.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
4.25 stars
If you’re a fan of the Atrous boys, then you’re definitely going to want to pick this one up. If you haven’t read the other two books in the Atrous series, then you could technically start here, as all the information you need is on page. But there is something emotionally extra having seen Blake and Luke in the background of the series and knowing the guys beforehand.
Blake is the POV character and it’s mostly his story to tell. He’s the one that has to go through the most changes and has the most realizations. The first third to half of this book is him figuring it all out.
I loved watching Blake’s growth and the happily ever after was very satisfying.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
January 8, 2026
4.25 maybe 4.5 i can’t decide lol
did i finish this in 1 day? yes, yes i did. i didn’t realize this one was quite a bit shorter than the other two but i enjoyed this one a lot. i LIVE for best friends to lovers its a top trope for me. i actually liked that them finally getting together happened quicker than i anticipated and we got more time with them after and to see where they go from there. a lot of romance books kinda cut you off after they get together and i wanna see the after too.
imma miss this series i had a blast 🥹🫶🏼
did i finish this in 1 day? yes, yes i did. i didn’t realize this one was quite a bit shorter than the other two but i enjoyed this one a lot. i LIVE for best friends to lovers its a top trope for me. i actually liked that them finally getting together happened quicker than i anticipated and we got more time with them after and to see where they go from there. a lot of romance books kinda cut you off after they get together and i wanna see the after too.
imma miss this series i had a blast 🥹🫶🏼
October 13, 2025
I hated Becca with every fiber of my soul. What kind of woman dates a man for 2 years then admits she's known her brother has loved him forever. I feel like even if Blake didn't realize it, thats not an excuse. And then the rest of the band members treating Blake like a plague when Luke needed space was a pretty shitty move. Blake deserved better. Overall the story was lackluster.
January 28, 2026
I swear they kept having the same conversations over and over again. Got highly annoying and boring.
October 22, 2025
I read the blurb and it had tags I really like but oh boy, I skimmed thru this bc it was SO boring —didn’t like the narration, the characters were bland, I stayed up for nothing :(
I want to emphasize to authors the importance of describing their main characters appearance and age bc after all that childish-back and forth-suddenly realize i’m in love with my best friend of years- I had forgotten until the end of the book that this wasn’t a college aged romance and justifying why the were acting like that and instead was reminded they were about-to-be 30 grown adults
I want to emphasize to authors the importance of describing their main characters appearance and age bc after all that childish-back and forth-suddenly realize i’m in love with my best friend of years- I had forgotten until the end of the book that this wasn’t a college aged romance and justifying why the were acting like that and instead was reminded they were about-to-be 30 grown adults
September 29, 2025
Loved loved loved this book! Even though it made me cry a few times, at least happy tears at the end. I loved the songs and pictures there too. I loved Luke and Blake! So good, I was addicted to this book ;) !
January 30, 2026
Bluke
When l saw another Atrous book had come out I decided to do a reread of Red and Blue and I loved being back with the boys. I didn't know much about Blake and Luke other than they were minor support characters in the Atrous band but gosh l loved them in Word. It takes them 10 years to find their way and confess their love but it was sweet and worth the wait. I'm glad they lived life on their terms and returned to playing the music they love. While l love all the books this is my favourite.
When l saw another Atrous book had come out I decided to do a reread of Red and Blue and I loved being back with the boys. I didn't know much about Blake and Luke other than they were minor support characters in the Atrous band but gosh l loved them in Word. It takes them 10 years to find their way and confess their love but it was sweet and worth the wait. I'm glad they lived life on their terms and returned to playing the music they love. While l love all the books this is my favourite.
December 13, 2025
These guys just WRECKED me! All the feels. All. Of. Them. But then the sweetness and humour put me back together.
Man, what a ride! I could not put this down and finished in a few hours. Such a character journey and kinda refreshing to read a single POV.
I can count the number of times a book has made me sob on 2 hands. I needed quite a few tissues for this one. In the BEST way!
Loved it. Need to re-read the whole series now.
Man, what a ride! I could not put this down and finished in a few hours. Such a character journey and kinda refreshing to read a single POV.
I can count the number of times a book has made me sob on 2 hands. I needed quite a few tissues for this one. In the BEST way!
Loved it. Need to re-read the whole series now.
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