Reviews

On Davis Row by N.R. Walker

llamallamacallurmama's review against another edition

4.25

**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers and general tags.  I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.** 

4.25/5

Audio (Joel Leslie)

* Summary:  When he receives a new parole officer (the optimistic and determined Noah) right at the end of his deferred sentence, CJ finds himself with an unexpected champion, friend and attraction - all while his beloved aging grandfather and abusive father complicate things.

* Stats: CR - Australia, M/M, open door, stand alone.

* Notes:  I really, really liked this… until right at the end which I just found too unrealistic - one parole officer bending over backwards for his clients is probably not going to be enough to completely “cure” recidivism, addiction and poverty for the area.  Anyways, I found both characters compelling, interesting and sweet, and really appreciated the complex and difficult problem of family abuse and how survivorship was handled.  The setting was detailed and felt real.  I enjoyed the complexity and gentleness of the romance.  The audiobook was fine - apart from one of the worst Italian (Italian Australian?) accents I’ve ever heard.

OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:

Power imbalance, Law enforcement mmc, parole officer mmc, mmc on probation, tobacco, substance abuse (side characters, meth), mechanic mmc, blond mmc, childhood poverty and food insecurity, a joke about suicide, incarcerated parent, aging/ill grandparent, kinship care, abusive parent, closeted mc, poverty, family estrangement, alcohol, pornography, child abuse (of an MC, in the past, briefly described), illiterate MC, fistfight (between MCs, mostly pushing, before they get together), incarcerated siblings, mentions of a variety of violent crimes, mmc kisses someone else (before the MCs get together), parental abandonment, parent with substance abuse issues (drugs - off page, alcohol - on page), death of family (car crash, dui of family member), grief, panic attack (brief), suicide (of sibling, brief mention), domestic violence - mmc is punched/beaten (in present, by parent, off page), mmc is caregiver for aging relative, mmc cries, mmc was arrested for breaking and entering/theft/drugs, dirt bike rider MMC, safe sex considerations, gentle touch, homophobic parent, lube use, condom use, anal play, anal sex, prostate massage, some angst around internalized homophobia, mmc is accidentally outed, death of parent (fire), police questioning, fire/description of a burnt house, 24M/? About the same M.

pixelflipsel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

5.0

angelashelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

4.5

p3tra's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

bettyswan_reader's review against another edition

inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

🌶🌶🌶

covert_knits's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

kunju_20005's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

acesarrows's review against another edition

2.0

Definitely not my favourite N.R. Walker. If this was just a fiction book about overcoming life obstacles and learning to become a better person it would have been a 4-star read, but for a romance, it seemed like it was missing something.

kaity_b's review against another edition

4.0

4 stars

I really enjoyed this book, while there were things that i wished were different, like the little miscommunication in the middle of the book was unnecessary, and some other small nit picky things. This book was very cute, sweet, and made me want a hug.

I felt for CJ, he had a rough go at it and man oh man did he try and show people that it wouldn't take him down. I was glad to see how Noah and him interacted the first few times and then how their relationship progressed.

I am now losing the amount of books from NR Walker's backlist. I have tried a few of them i haven't read and they weren't for me. so soon i don't know who my go to will be after this.

starfish422's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0