Reviewed by Lesley
TITLE: Simplicity
SERIES: Oakley’s Crew Book 1
AUTHOR: Nicole Dykes
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 186 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2024
BLURB:
Walker
There are several principles of landscaping, but my favorite has always been simplicity.
I’m a go with the flow and keep it simple kind of guy. Always have been. Always will be.
It’s how I do my job and how I live my life.
Of course, as luck would have it, it only takes one job and one indescribably hot stranger to change everything for me.
Because one thing Dutton Collins is not . . . simple.
Dutton
I should have sold the house. I shouldn’t be here in the middle of nowhere Kansas.
My grandmother didn’t care for me when she was alive, something she made sure I knew. So now I’m struggling to understand why she’d leave me her home and all her possessions when she died.
I miss the city and was heading back home, ready to give up, when Walker Murphy barreled into my life and complicated the hell out of it.
How am I supposed to leave this all behind when he’s showed me the beauty in the simple life?
REVIEW:
This is the first book in a new series about a garden landscape company in rural western Kansas. In it we’re introduced to Oakley’s crew. Oakley was a high school football player who now runs a garden landscaping company along with his fiancé Travis. This is the first book in the series and is about Walker a landscaper in Oakley’s crew and Dutton a big city photographer from California.
Dutton has moved to this small town because he inherited his homophobic grandmother’s house. He’s not sure why she left it to him as she just disowned him when he came out, turning the home that had been formally full of loving memories into a house that has nothing but horrible associations. Fortunately, she also left him a big bank account that nobody was aware she had so he can afford to do the place up before deciding to stay or leave.
Dutton doesn’t think that he really wants to stay in the area that has such bad associations and worries that being gay in small town Kansas will not be accepted. Meeting Walker and the mostly gay employees of Walkers Crew helps alleviate the acceptance concerns at least. The instant attraction he feels for Walker also starts to sway his feelings to the area especially after Walker manages to convince him to stay for six months to see what it has to offer.
This story is really well written and the storyline like the title is simplicity itself. City boy falls for country boy and discovers himself and what makes him happy along the way. Add in a big, loving welcoming family and small town acceptance and it goes to show that you don’t always need a book full of angst, anguish and drama to have a lovely love story.
I am looking forward to the rest of this series and finding out more about Gabe, Archie and the other employees of Oakley’s Crew.
RATING: 
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