This is pretty much the perfect summer read. Stir together a bit of funny, cute and romantic; add the perfect dose of fluff to sweeten it a bit, but not too much, top it off with a teeny bit of “dramatic” and voilà you have one must read for the summer.

After the Sunset brings together Caleb and Ty. Both are actors but live on opposite sides of the country. They don’t know each other, when they’re notified that they’ve inherited half of the property of someone they never met or heard of.

But while Caleb falls head over heels in love with the farm and likes the idea of living and working there because for once in his life he feels necessary and useful, Ty just wants it all cleaned up so they can sell it as fast as possible. He’s not happy to be stuck there with Caleb. While clearing out the house though, they get to know each other and they also find out about Ezra, the late owner of the farm, and his life. As they go through everything on the farm, to decide what they can sell and what to just throw away, Caleb and Ty are drawn to each other.
After the Sunset also tells the story of the late owner and his lover Hugh, who died in the war, leaving behind Ezra and their dream of living and growing old together on that farm. Trying to solve the mystery of Ezra’s lover, Hugh, helps them to fall in love too.

Because of the length of the story, things happen quite fast – though not unrealistically so. The overall pacing was great, I just felt like the happy end was a bit too fast compared to the rest of the story. Otherwise though I have nothing to complain about and I’m happy I picked this up. I found it engaging, well written and just the perfect dose of fluff to make it a perfect summer read.

Even though I did end up thinking this was a sweet story, I was ultimately still somewhat disappointed. Not by the writing, or even the storyline, per se—I thought the premise was quite unique and cute—but, because that adorable, eye-catching cover lied to me! One of the reasons I snapped this book up was because on the cover, under the title, it says “a little romcom.” This book was in no way a romcom. It was much more a poignant look at lost love and loneliness, with another little love story built in.

When we meet Caleb and Ty, they are both struggling a bit. Caleb wants to keep fighting the good fight, but he’s growing weary of working his tail off only to keep getting gigs as the background guy in random commercials. And, Ty wants more than bouncing from soap opera to soap opera and questioning every new potential friend and relationship. So, when that letter comes in, saying they’ve inherited a farm in rural Washington from an unknown benefactor, they both jump at the opportunity to check it out.

Ty is a cranky bastard most of the time. His parents are producers, so he’s suspicious of basically everyone he meets, wondering if they just want to use his connections to get a leg up. His trust issues have led to the construction of a pretty big wall around himself. But, after just a few days on the farm, he feels the stones in that wall start to loosen up a bit. I loved this line:

He can see it: a life in this place, those beautiful misty mountains his everyday view, milking goats and collecting eggs his normal morning, Caleb’s dimpled smile his to keep.
Caleb was much more likeable. He’s fun, and sweet, very tenderhearted. Whereas it took most of the story for Ty to win me over, I connected with Caleb right away. And, how quickly he took to the farm was so heartwarming. At the farm, Caleb feels necessary. He loves the hard work, tending to the gardens, and taking care of the animals. He clearly felt an almost immediate connection to the place.

I enjoyed when the guys started working together to solve the mystery of Ezra, the man who left them the farm, and why he chose them, two strangers, to leave everything to. His story was beautiful yet heartbreaking. And, the way the author wove it into Caleb and Ty’s story was nice, creating a sort of love story within a love story. But, honestly, for me, the story just wasn’t long enough for me to really get invested in their relationship.

Like I said, After the Sunset was a good little book. Just not quite as advertised. I’ll probably read it again at some point; I think I didn’t get as much out of it as I could have, because I was looking for something else the whole time. Reading it without that filter of expectation I’m sure would give a different reading experience.

'After the Sunset' is the perfect little afternoon read. A short romantic story about two men finding themselves in a strange situation. Caleb is such a sweet enthusiastic man who then meets the more mysterious Ty and they try to figure out why they both get called out to a farm. Together they are so engaging to read about. Everything Lilah Suzanne writes just makes you want more. You wanna know more about the two men. There were moments where I laughed out loud at the farm antics. The only thing I have a problem with in this story is the fact that I just want more! I wanna know more and live in their world and discover all the answers. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a novella which tells two love stories.

Caleb and Ty are struggling actors, one bi and the other gay. One is based in Hollywood, the other in New York. They meet when a complete stranger leaves them a farm in his will.

While clearing the house prior to selling and dividing the money, they come across information about the late owner, Ezra, and his friend, Hugh who met up while serving in the Korean War.

Ty and Caleb slowly fall for each other but go separate ways after a misunderstanding.

In the end the situation is resolved and there is the promise of a happy future.

I really enjoyed this. It was well-written and there were only minor editing issues. The idea of the two stories worked. The main characters were engaging and nicely contrasted and the evolution of their relationship was natural. There is a little low-key sex and a little angst as well as flashes of humour.

My main criticism is about pacing which is always a problem in a short story or novella. Here the ending felt rushed after the gentle unfolding of the rest of the plot.

However I hope that the author will continue the tale in further book. I want to know more about Caleb and Ty- as well as Lois and the goats!