At 47, Oren Walker isn’t looking for love. When he knocks on Pete Higgins’ door, all he wants is to thank him for helping his mom after she broke her femur. He never expected that one look at the man would make his knees weak and heart flutter.
Pete is happy, albeit a bit lonely, after divorcing his wife of twenty years and isn’t looking to replace her. But when Oren shows up, all grateful and handsome and in that fancy suit, the longing for the deep connection of a relationship flares up inside him.
As the leaves turn yellow, Oren and Pete spend a lot of time in honest conversations. Their attraction grows. Will the two men recognize the promise of new beginnings, and take the chance to find the happiness they both deserve?
Karen's rating:
I have a soft spot for mature MCs...
and yes, it might be, at least in part, because I fall into the mature category when talking about age...so let's take a minute and talk age...
I know for some when it comes to their MCs...age is the least of their concerns and for others...it's a big deal and then there's that in between group where it matters but it's not a deal breaker. I think for the most part that's the group that I fall into and while my reading experiences have covered a fairly wide age range, I have to admit to having a bit of a soft spot for mature MCs and 'Of Autumn Leaves and New Beginnings' has definitely touched that soft spot with a sweet story of not one but two men who are approaching the big '50' and while each man may have had his share of relationships they also find themselves at a point in their lives where neither of them is in or looking to be in a relationship...it's not that they're opposed to it...they're just not looking for it.
Oren's a bachelor with a successful career that unfortunately involves some travel but he's still very much involved in his mother's life.
While Pete works from home, is divorced from his wife, but still friend with whom he's raised 2 kids and spent the past twenty years sharing a life with.
Oren just wants to thank his mom's neighbor for helping her out when she broke her leg and when he knocks on Pete's door both men quickly realize that they just might be open to something happening between them after all.
This is a sweet and little to no angst story about two mature men, who while comfortable with their lives and not actively looking for anything more...when opportunity knocks, each is willing to take a chance and open the door to see what's waiting for them.
I'm not usually a fan of short stories and at only 60ish pages "Of Autumn Leaves and New Beginnings" definitely falls into that category but I think in this case the author has made the right choice in giving a sweet but short story that moves at a steady pace holding the readers interest rather than trying for something that's long and drawn out and possibly fails to hold the readers attention.
Sometimes it's good to take a short break from reading longer stories that are action packed but emotionally draining and give something a chance that may be shorter but at the end has you smiling and feeling like your batteries have recharged and leaves you thinking "Wow! That was really nice".
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An ARC of 'Of Autumn Leaves and New Beginnings' was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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Reading gives us someplace to go, when we have to stay where we are. (Mason Cooley)
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