Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Sundays with Oliver

SERIES:  Hearts & Crafts

AUTHOR:  Kelly Jensen

PUBLISHER:  Riptide

LENGTH:  312 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 12, 2022

BLURB:

Two empty-nesters. Two bruised hearts. One chance to make things right.

Oliver expected to miss his daughter when she left for college, but he’s surprised by the size of the hole she leaves. Or maybe he hadn’t expected to spend his days watching grass grow and making sad cookies. Or to lose his job. Meeting Nick—the uncle of his daughter’s roommate—is a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy forecast. Nick is focused, talented, and as beautiful as the dollhouses he builds. Being near him might bring light and purpose to Oliver’s life.

Nick expected to miss his niece when she left for college, but he’s still figuring out how to cope with her absence, when his brother reappears after twelve years, complicating the emotional puzzle. Then there’s Oliver, the sweet, calm, and competent man who looks at Nick like no one ever has. Spending Sundays in Oliver’s company is the balm he needs, though Nick is waiting for Oliver to decide their relationship is too much work.

But just as Nick begins to get comfortable, Oliver’s need to provide for all of the people he loves threatens to pull them apart. If their relationship is to survive, they will have to learn to let go. For Oliver, this means asking himself what he really wants, this time around. For Nick, it means letting himself grieve the people who can’t come back and love the people who always will.

REVIEW:

Oliver is at a crossroads. His daughter Danica has gone of to Tisch.  He suddenly loses his job.  His family seems to need him more and more.  He’s baking like there’s no tomorrow.  And now he’s at loose ends with an empty house.  And he hasn’t told anybody about the job loss.

Nick has been the guardian for his niece Emma since her mother died three years earlier.  He makes dollhouses and miniatures that he normally has commissions for and then sells.  It’s solitary work on a rigid schedule – which works for him.  He lost his parents when he was a child and had his older brother and sister there for him.  Emma is Dani’s roommate at Tisch.

Oliver and Nick meet when they move the girls into their dorm room.  Things go pretty well and one weekend they both show up in NYC to see the girls and well – they aren’t available.  So Nick and Oliver end up spending the day together.  Then they make plans to see each other again.

Nick visits Oliver and meets Cam, Nick’s brother who has shown up unexpectedly right after Emma has left.  He’s definitely protective of Nick 🙂  The date doesn’t exactly to as planned, but they do end up having a good time and agreeing that they’d like to try a relationship.  The next date also doesn’t go as expected thanks to another unexpected visitor.

Oliver needs to figure out what he’s going to do and Nick gives him some ideas.  His best friend Gray is also there for him.  There are plenty of obstacles to overcome for sure.

What a lovely warm story!  I have been a fan of this author for some time, and this book is a perfect example of why.  The characters are well drawn.  The journey of these two men was paced really well.  Nick’s quirks and Oliver’s obvious interest – in at least friendship are a interesting mix 🙂  The family dynamics – of both men’s families – contribute a lot to their relationship a well.  Both Emma and Dani play their part in this budding relationship as well.  There are of course obstacles in their way, but these two really human and flawed guys work their way towards a future together.  I loved the way the author allowed the men to feel their way forward after neither had been in a relationship for some time.   The empty-nester syndrome was significant for these two men although in quite different ways.  Each phase of this story just flowed and I loved how realistic the issues were that these guys dealt with.  The secondary characters were especially good as well and I am looking forward to learning more about Cam and Gray 🙂  Definitely recommended for fans of romance particularly with more mature characters who manage to fit a new relationship into their lives when maybe it was kind of unexpected.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon