What do you think?
Rate this book
The First Sunset
Betsy Anstead, a newly divorced single mother, is instantly smitten when she meets Gage Mendoza, a handsome widower and Minor League baseball coach. When her ex-husband sues for full custody of their children, Betsy’s lawyer warns her against getting involved in a new romance. But Gage is handsome and sweet. For the first time in years, she's not worried about what bad thing is going to happen next.
Gage doesn’t need romance even if Betsy makes him feel alive again after five dark years of grieving his beloved wife. He needs to focus on his dream — a Major League coaching position — the consolation prize for his former career. Walking away from Betsy is the right thing to do for his daughter and his career. Besides, true love doesn't come around twice in one lifetime...
This book can be read as a standalone or as part of the Bright Lights series.
Gage doesn’t need romance even if Betsy makes him feel alive again after five dark years of grieving his beloved wife. He needs to focus on his dream — a Major League coaching position — the consolation prize for his former career. Walking away from Betsy is the right thing to do for his daughter and his career. Besides, true love doesn't come around twice in one lifetime...
This book can be read as a standalone or as part of the Bright Lights series.
- GenresRomance
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2019
38 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 2, 2019
With her skill at depicting profound emotions and strong characters, Alstead returns with this highly engrossing series that’s sure to tug at readers’ heartstrings.
‘In One Last try,’ Jane Caulfield, an oncologist, returns to her grandmother’s Iowa farm to seek a new path in her life after a difficult phase in her personal and professional life and meets Jag Winchester, a successful movie actor with an unremarkable career, who is going through a personal crisis of his own. As they fall in love, painful secrets come to surface and threaten to destroy their relationship. Alstead brilliantly balances the sadness of a potentially fatal illness with the heartwarming bonds of family and true love, and the combination is sure to make readers’ hearts swell.
In ‘The First sunset’ Betsy Anstead, a newly divorced single mother, falls hard for Gage Mendoza, a handsome widower and Minor League baseball coach. But circumstances are not in the couple’s favor as Betsy is forced to fight a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband while Gage has his eyes set on a dream coaching position. Betsy and Gage are rich, engaging, thoroughly sketched characters, and Alstead’s writing shines.
‘Dance Me Home.’ another one in Bright Lights series which can be read as a standalone, possesses all of Alstead’s trademarks—thoroughly sketched characters, assured writing, crisp prose, gripping plotting, and profound emotions. Lovely Adrianna, a ballerina nearing the end of her career, arrives in Ohio to heal from an injury and falls for handsome Drew Mendoza, a lawyer, haunted by his past. But when it’s time to pick between her career and her love, Adrianna is unable to decide.
The way Alstead’s main protagonists’ feelings toward each other evolve while they navigate through their personal insecurities, fears and past demons, is marvelously developed, and the relationships that eventually develop between them seem gentle yet bursting with hope. Alstead gives tremendous depth to her characters, making the books more than your average stereotypical romance reads. With its diverse cast, stellar writing, and excellent plotting, this contemporary romance series has broad appeal, and it will please lovers of both contemporary romance and women’s fiction.
Readers can go ahead and pluck this series off the shelves in a heartbeat. They won’t be disappointed!
‘In One Last try,’ Jane Caulfield, an oncologist, returns to her grandmother’s Iowa farm to seek a new path in her life after a difficult phase in her personal and professional life and meets Jag Winchester, a successful movie actor with an unremarkable career, who is going through a personal crisis of his own. As they fall in love, painful secrets come to surface and threaten to destroy their relationship. Alstead brilliantly balances the sadness of a potentially fatal illness with the heartwarming bonds of family and true love, and the combination is sure to make readers’ hearts swell.
In ‘The First sunset’ Betsy Anstead, a newly divorced single mother, falls hard for Gage Mendoza, a handsome widower and Minor League baseball coach. But circumstances are not in the couple’s favor as Betsy is forced to fight a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband while Gage has his eyes set on a dream coaching position. Betsy and Gage are rich, engaging, thoroughly sketched characters, and Alstead’s writing shines.
‘Dance Me Home.’ another one in Bright Lights series which can be read as a standalone, possesses all of Alstead’s trademarks—thoroughly sketched characters, assured writing, crisp prose, gripping plotting, and profound emotions. Lovely Adrianna, a ballerina nearing the end of her career, arrives in Ohio to heal from an injury and falls for handsome Drew Mendoza, a lawyer, haunted by his past. But when it’s time to pick between her career and her love, Adrianna is unable to decide.
The way Alstead’s main protagonists’ feelings toward each other evolve while they navigate through their personal insecurities, fears and past demons, is marvelously developed, and the relationships that eventually develop between them seem gentle yet bursting with hope. Alstead gives tremendous depth to her characters, making the books more than your average stereotypical romance reads. With its diverse cast, stellar writing, and excellent plotting, this contemporary romance series has broad appeal, and it will please lovers of both contemporary romance and women’s fiction.
Readers can go ahead and pluck this series off the shelves in a heartbeat. They won’t be disappointed!
December 2, 2019
The story of Betsy Anstead and Gage Mendoza is one of two individuals that have experienced great losses in their lives, making it a very real story.
Gage lost his wife and his baseball career . Now a single Dad and minor league baseball coach, he still deeply mourns his wife. Betsy is divorced with four kids, as well as still mourning the child she lost and doing all she can to help a friend with cancer. Add that the fact that Betsy’s ex now wants full custody of the kids, and she is at end of her wits.
They meet when Gage goes to Betsy’s home to talk to her about one of his players. A meeting that did not go well.
The story is full of sadness, rediscovering themselves , and new beginnings.
But the road to happiness will be a very bumpy one.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Author’s Cross Promotion. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Gage lost his wife and his baseball career . Now a single Dad and minor league baseball coach, he still deeply mourns his wife. Betsy is divorced with four kids, as well as still mourning the child she lost and doing all she can to help a friend with cancer. Add that the fact that Betsy’s ex now wants full custody of the kids, and she is at end of her wits.
They meet when Gage goes to Betsy’s home to talk to her about one of his players. A meeting that did not go well.
The story is full of sadness, rediscovering themselves , and new beginnings.
But the road to happiness will be a very bumpy one.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Author’s Cross Promotion. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
November 24, 2019
Good story, likable characters, a book in desperate need of an editor. The story was difficult to follow in places due to incomplete revision and careless editing. In addition, the book is absolutely drowning in typographical and grammatical errors.
January 13, 2020
I have received a free copy of this book. I was a great story with strong characters. Betsy is a recently single mom and is trying to get her feet back under herself. Gage is a miner league baseball coach and a widower. This book is full of love, loss and growth.
February 29, 2020
Betsy Anstead, a newly divorced single mother, is instantly smitten when she meets Gage Mendoza, a handsome widower and Minor League baseball coach. When her ex-husband sues for full custody of their children, Betsy’s lawyer warns her against getting involved in a new romance. But Gage is handsome and sweet. For the first time in years, she's not worried about what bad thing is going to happen next.
Gage doesn’t need romance even if Betsy makes him feel alive again after five dark years of grieving his beloved wife. He needs to focus on his dream — a Major League coaching position — the consolation prize for his former career. Walking away from Betsy is the right thing to do for his daughter and his career. Besides, true love doesn't come around twice in one lifetime...
Gage doesn’t need romance even if Betsy makes him feel alive again after five dark years of grieving his beloved wife. He needs to focus on his dream — a Major League coaching position — the consolation prize for his former career. Walking away from Betsy is the right thing to do for his daughter and his career. Besides, true love doesn't come around twice in one lifetime...
November 23, 2019
Quite the emotional rollercoaster ride
Betsy, a struggling single mother and social work student, is surprised when Gage, Minor League Baseball Coach and single father, appears at her home to speak to her about the player she had been dating. As the story progresses they keep running into each other with prickly effect, unexpected actions by others draw them closer together, and a choice made could have disastrous consequences. Michelle Alstead’s The First Sunset is quite the emotional rollercoaster ride. Her characters face difficult situations and attempt to overcome things from their past and the sometimes harsh realities of their present. You will definitely need tissues present when reading, and your favorite comfort snack as you will not want to put this book down. I wonder if she has anything in store for any of the rest of this circle of characters and where they will take me.
I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
Betsy, a struggling single mother and social work student, is surprised when Gage, Minor League Baseball Coach and single father, appears at her home to speak to her about the player she had been dating. As the story progresses they keep running into each other with prickly effect, unexpected actions by others draw them closer together, and a choice made could have disastrous consequences. Michelle Alstead’s The First Sunset is quite the emotional rollercoaster ride. Her characters face difficult situations and attempt to overcome things from their past and the sometimes harsh realities of their present. You will definitely need tissues present when reading, and your favorite comfort snack as you will not want to put this book down. I wonder if she has anything in store for any of the rest of this circle of characters and where they will take me.
I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
February 27, 2020
A great read.
I thoroughly enjoyed both books. It invoked both happiness and sadness in the reader. Happy /sad tears flowed as I read this story about true love and friendship.
I recommend this to others readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed both books. It invoked both happiness and sadness in the reader. Happy /sad tears flowed as I read this story about true love and friendship.
I recommend this to others readers.
September 28, 2019
Verklempt!
You don’t have to read all of Alsteads’ books but my goodness it is a wonderful surprise when characters from previous stories show up. The 6 degrees of separation between new and previous characters is surprising yet relatable. Reading her books is like running into an old friend you haven’t seen in years and grabbing a coffee that turns into a 4 hour lunch. It’s like getting a dose of what you didn’t even know you needed. It’s that good
You don’t have to read all of Alsteads’ books but my goodness it is a wonderful surprise when characters from previous stories show up. The 6 degrees of separation between new and previous characters is surprising yet relatable. Reading her books is like running into an old friend you haven’t seen in years and grabbing a coffee that turns into a 4 hour lunch. It’s like getting a dose of what you didn’t even know you needed. It’s that good
December 9, 2019
Sad but sweet
The book was hard at first for me to get into but when I did man oh man what a story.
Betsy is a single mom fighting with her ex husband. Gage is a widower still grieving the loss of his wife. His cousin comes to town to help Betsy but he did not know that the woman he blasted for messing with one of his players was in a mess of her own.
Can they work through everything? I suggest you get the book and find out.
This is my honest opinion of the book.
The book was hard at first for me to get into but when I did man oh man what a story.
Betsy is a single mom fighting with her ex husband. Gage is a widower still grieving the loss of his wife. His cousin comes to town to help Betsy but he did not know that the woman he blasted for messing with one of his players was in a mess of her own.
Can they work through everything? I suggest you get the book and find out.
This is my honest opinion of the book.
October 23, 2019
Looking for a good book? This is it.
Enjoyed this book so much. The story was totally relatable to life. Moments of laughing out loud and moments of tears. The only criticism I have is there were a few too many uncorrected errors. The author stayed with the storyline and gave each character a place in the book. I loved it.
Enjoyed this book so much. The story was totally relatable to life. Moments of laughing out loud and moments of tears. The only criticism I have is there were a few too many uncorrected errors. The author stayed with the storyline and gave each character a place in the book. I loved it.
January 18, 2020
Great Read
This story held my interest from beginning to end. It is a lovely story. This story touches on many heartbreaking life situations , as well as many happy moments that everyone might face.
This story held my interest from beginning to end. It is a lovely story. This story touches on many heartbreaking life situations , as well as many happy moments that everyone might face.
September 24, 2019
(Bright Lights) 3. The First Sunset
A sad story but also a happy ending for a couple that both went through difficulties in their lives to come out the other end.
A sad story but also a happy ending for a couple that both went through difficulties in their lives to come out the other end.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews