Book Title: As the Sun Sets by RJ Jones

Published: February 24, 2017

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A sea change could be just what the doctor ordered.

Doctor Scott Penney used to be a Paediatric Oncologist—until he burned out. Watching children suffer and die took its toll on his mental health. To cope, he used anonymous sex as an emotional crutch, thinking it was better than hitting the bottle. But that inevitably destroyed his relationship with the man he loved.

With his tail between his legs and a year’s worth of celibacy under his belt, Scott accepts a position as an Accident and Emergency consultant, leaving his career in oncology and London behind.

Ben Jenkins is a pediatric nurse who loves his seaside city, his job, and his faithful old Labrador, Happy. When he meets the new doctor, Ben falls for Scott’s kind-yet-reserved personality—not to mention his good looks. Scott is great with the children who come through the hospital, but Ben senses there’s more to Scott than meets the eye.

Scott tries to resist Ben’s sunny charm—Scott’s not boyfriend material, after all—but it’s impossible not to fall in love with the sad looking old dog and his charming owner. As Scott and Ben get closer and the weather heats up, tragedy strikes, and Ben is left wondering how much of Scott’s history he actually knows.

For them to move forward, Ben must show Scott that no matter what happened in the past, a beautiful day can always start after the sun sets.

I’m currently reading the web novel “Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends from the Trash Bin,” and it’s mostly plot-centered with the romance moving at a glacial pace. That puts me in the mood for a lighter and more romance-centered story. One glance on my TBR list and I know that As the Sun Sets is that book. Picking this up is like hitting two birds with one stone — I’ll get my fix, and then I can finally put the Love for the Seasons Series in the finished list. My reading experience turns out to be more about hurt and comfort than a warm and fluffy read.

Thoughts

I loved the first 2 series, though Books 2 & 3 features tricky characters. Markus and Scott are depicted as the “people who get in the way of the main couple” in the first book. But, at least, with Markus, I’m interested in his special circumstances. Scott doesn’t intrigue me or even get a bit of sympathy out of me. He is first introduced in As the Leaves Fall as Noah’s (one of the MC) cheater ex-boyfriend. Just from that (and the fact that he did that to my fave Noah), Scott is not the character I’d like to read after what he did.

Here, burned out from his job as a pediatric oncologist, he moves to another town and changed to A & E department where he meets the nurse Ben.

The story and their romance have a slow start because of the many issues Scott has. His confidence level in a relationship after having a rocky one with Noah. On top of that, there’s still his struggle to face the burden of losing patients. I hate to admit it, but that’s probably what makes Scott real to me. He’s just as endearing and deserving of love as the first two MC of the series. I’ve seen healthcare workers be affected by what happened with their patients.

I know I said I wanted a light and fluffy read. At this point, I realized that this is the wrong book lol. But I just couldn’t stop turning the pages. The charm of the story lies in Scott and Ben’s friendship. It’s not the instant attraction that pulls me in, more like the ease of friendship that they have. Slowly, they get to know each other. More than anything, Scott needs the stability and security that Ben offers. While I do love the characters and think that they suit each other, I’m not “OMG I want them to be together” like I feel for other pairings.

Who Would Like It

While this works as a stand-alone, I think it is important that you read, at least, the first book to get the whole picture of Scott’s “cheating.”

Related Books

As the Leaves Fall (Book 1)- Scott has a brief appearance here.

As the Ice Melts (Book 2)