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One Greek island.
Two broken hearts.
Three little words.
Four meddling family members.
Five Sunsets.
...One happy ever after?

Newly divorced and jobless, Jenna Forester has come to the luxury resort her brother manages on the Greek island of Crete to multi-task running away from it all with also getting a tan. Out here she can forget how much she misses her work as a sex and relationships columnist. Out here she can forget how much she craves the good sex that was lacking in her marriage for so long. Out here she can maybe try and decide what she's going to do for work now she's so poorly qualified to do the job she loves.

There's sunshine, there's her stack of erotic romance novels, and there's... Irishman Aiden "Marty" O'Martin, a man thirteen years her junior who could potentially solve one of her problems; the absence of back-breaking, bone-shaking, deliciously hot sex. He is the ultimate holiday fling and she's not at all mad about it.

But trainee chef and college dropout Marty is not looking for sex. In fact, he's deliberately trying to avoid it after the year he's had. 

Marty's also trying to get his life back on track. He still doesn't know how he'll get over what happened, but a free holiday may help. Even if it means waking up at the arse-crack of dawn everyday so his father can drag him around Crete on a racing bike. Even if it means his Ma is there – always there! – wanting to put sun cream on his back and a self-help book in his hands. Even if it means risking Carpal tunnel from holding his sister's phone as she records hours of social media content for her hundreds of thousands of followers.

However, when Marty sees Jenna's freckled skin glow in the sunset, everything changes. He feels something and it's not just acid reflux from one too many sugary mocktails. It's a spark, it's curiosity, it's hope.

But they only have five sunsets together. How are they going to make them count? 

433 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 14, 2022

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About the author

Frances M. Thompson

17 books134 followers
Frances M. Thompson writes stories about bisexual disaster heroes usually getting the HEAs they deserve in her spicy contemporary romance... but sometimes getting into a lot of trouble in her suspense thrillers.

Originally from London, UK, but now based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Frances is the author of the contemporary (and steamy!) romances, Five Sunsets, The Moon Also Rises, and Let Love Rule, sapphic romances Hummingbird and Butterflies, three short story collections (Shy Feet Short Stories Inspired by Travel, London Eyes Short Stories, and Nine Women: Short Stories), a collection of poetry called Lover Mother Other, and the London Killing series of fast-paced urban thrillers, including The Wait and The Weaker Sex.

To find out about Frances' upcoming books first, sign up to her newsletter.

You can find copies of her books (and more!) in her shop.

Frances also works as a freelance writer and blogger. You can read her (oft-neglected) blog, As the Bird flies. She is also the creator of WriteNOW Cards, positive affirmations cards designed to help writers build and enjoy a writing practice they love.

Follow Frances on Twitter @FrancesMTAuthor, on Instagram @francesmthompson or on TikTok @francesmthompson.

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5 stars
78 (45%)
4 stars
64 (37%)
3 stars
25 (14%)
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4 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Frances Thompson.
Author 17 books134 followers
September 7, 2022
BECAUSE WRITING THIS BOOK BROKE ME AND PUT ME BACK TOGETHER AGAIN. And made me laugh too. A lot.
Profile Image for Laurie Enos.
146 reviews30 followers
June 16, 2022
I am in love with this book! I loved Jenna and Marty together! They made me laugh, cry and feel all the feels! Jenna and Marty have an age gap and emotional trauma, but despite that, they connect on all levels. I couldn't put this book down and enjoyed it immensely!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a love story with spice! If you enjoy Colleen Hoover books, you will definitely love this story!
Profile Image for Jezabel Nightingale.
Author 5 books28 followers
August 15, 2022
Wow! I savoured every minute of this book and would have read it in one sitting if I hadn’t been with family all weekend.

This was a phenomenal story. It dealt with love, grief and sexuality in such a beautiful way, especially the bisexuality of one of the main characters. There was no ménage, or triad (as much as I love those kinds of books too) but instead a stunning portray of love.
Profile Image for Kristin.
1,631 reviews18 followers
April 24, 2023
DNF 40%. Reverse age gap. Summer/vacation romance. Bisexual hero. Older woman.

I’m trying to figure out why this didn’t work for me. It’s very wordy/slow and it takes a long time for anything to happen yet fast burn at the same time. I didn’t understand what Marty saw in Jenna. I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Marty sounds like an old man’s name. He was supposedly very sexually attracted to her but I didn’t buy it. He just came across as a ?recovering sex addict who would have sex with anyone. They play a bit of cat and mouse in the beginning: talk a lot but don’t say much of substance and evade each other. When he finally tells his sob story about his dead boyfriend I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t get how he could go from dating a young man to an older woman. Also this book commits one of my least favorite tropes - she orgasms the second he enters her. Please.

I found the side characters of Jenna’s brother and Marty’s family annoying whenever they were on the page and just wanted to get back to the main couple. This book is definitely written in that British style I always associate with Bridget Jones’ Diary.

This could’ve worked for me if it was shorter, had more plot, or maybe as an audiobook. I so wanted a fun holiday romance but this was too sad and dragged. The cover is beautiful.

Also I think this is falsely advertised as plus size rep. It’s not.

Edited to add I spoiled the ending for myself. There’s a five year time jump and he wants her to try getting pregnant in her 40s???
Profile Image for Lauren McCombe.
Author 2 books9 followers
September 9, 2022
okay - i adored this book 🥺🥰
i’ve been on my own journey of healing after a traumatic relational/sexual event and thought it would do me some good to read a romance/spice novel. i especially wanted to support an indie author and wowwow, i’m really happy that i did!

you can tell how much heart and soul the author put into this work. so much research, so many references, a full immersive experience with Spotify playlists and mocktail recipes, portions of the book profits going to the Irish Cancer Center, it’s very well crafted and you can tell how much she cares about her work.

as for the storyline/characters: — SPOILERS!!!
thompson is fabulous at writing family relationships. the dynamic between jenna/jake & then marty and his family is very believable and has a sense of warmth to it, even the tricky family dynamic parts. the dinner scene? so. intense. so. real. so. well. written. i was reacting to it out loud.

i really appreciated jenna’s sex & relationship knowledge throughout the book. i liked all of the scientific and chemical parts intertwined with how love works. it really added to the wisdom she has as an older woman. a very strong female character, which i think is hard to find sometimes in romance novels. she knows what she wants, asks for what she wants, puts people in their place when needed, and does what’s best for her and others even if it’s hard.

the spice 👏🏻🔥 it happily got me in the mood, which was my goal for reading this genre. i’ve seriously been so numb these past 4 months that being able to get in the mood brought so much relief and even joy. i especially loved how well both characters communicated effectively and how RESPECTFUL they are throughout all of their activities (including the bonus scenes), it’s what the bedroom world needs more of. it was such a good balance of spicy and intimacy. it felt real. it felt believable. it felt comfortable. very well written 👏🏻

finally, i read the last 160 pages in about 3 hours. it really hooked me in and i actually think the part that had me so invested was the sunsets during those five years (i GASPED at that heart wrenching twist myGOD). just seeing the two grow and become the best versions of themselves all the while still missing each other struck a chord. marty’s loyalty to arnie/jenna is valued high. to see a 24 year old wanting to commit to someone with such enthusiasm, with a SECURE attachment style, is something you don’t see a lot with this generation (the dating world is TOUGH), so it warmed my heart to see his insistence on wanting to be more than just a holiday fling. yay for marty! i’m happy that throughout all his struggles he still had an open heart for love and commitment. i shed a few tears when the birthday postcards were revealed.

there’s something about the hope that both characters had for healing that clicked with me. everything about the loss and grief of relationships and sense of self was so very relatable. it gives me hope that i’ll be able to have some of my own sunsets with someone one day 🥺🥰 this book was a delicate read, all the while fun, romantic, and spicy.

very invested in thompson’s writing journey as she continues to venture on with her words! definitely would recommend 👏🏻🥰
2 reviews
July 25, 2022
I read 'Five Sunsets' as it's by one of my favourite writers, Frances M Thompson. She usually writes about travel and in short story format, but recently branched out into crime writing and full length novels. 'Five Sunsets', the first in a trilogy, is another branching out for her. This time the branch is one of erotic romance. Romance and eroticism are genres I don't often read (tbh the most 'erotic' books I've read were probably those by Jackie Collins back in the day). But I'm always keen to give something new a go and I was confident that any writing and storyline by FMT would be good, regardless of the genre, I found myself getting into this story straight away, trying to guess the backstory of the characters and wondering what twists there were to come (there's always a twist to the ending of FMT's writing and I never manage to guess what it will be). This didn't disappoint. In any other book, the twist would be that the female character is a woman in her late 30s and the male a man in his early 20s and they fall in love rather then just having a fetishistic age difference holiday fling. That would be far too predictable for FMT and you have to wait until well into the book to get any idea of what the twist will be. The first part of the book is a smouldering lead up to the middle when the sex kicks in. Lots of sex, All kinds of sex. It is erotic romance after all. The sex scenes were well written (and not cheesy or sleazy) but I did get a bit bored with them and want more story. That's says more about me and the type of books I like than it does about the writing in 'Five Sunsets' though. If eroticism is what you're reading it for then of course you're going to want lots of sex. Another reason for wanting to read this book is that it's set in Crete. I like to read books set in places I've been. The setting was mainly a luxury hotel complex however and could really have been anywhere. So I wouldn't recommend this as a book to particularly read if you're going to Crete and want to read novels with a local setting. However, it would make perfect reading if you just want a book with a holiday backdrop to read whilst you're on a beach holiday. So did I like it? Yes. It hasn't switched me onto the genre but even though it's not one of my fave genres the writing is good enough to make that not matter and I'm looking forward to the next two in the trilogy.
Profile Image for Justine.
262 reviews51 followers
August 2, 2023
I have written reviews on Instagram and Tiktok already for this book and it seems that every single time, I find new ways to convey my absolute love for this book.

Marty and Jenna meets on holiday and what is supposed to be an easy fling between a grief-ridden 24 year-old hot man and a 37 year-old divorcée will actually end up being the love of their life and the journey of a lifetime.
But before we get to the HEA, you will absolutely suffer !

This book was one of the saddest and most joyful I have ever had the chance to read, and I loved both laughing and crying at reading this in equal measure. And God, did I cry ! These characters felt so honest and raw, their love and their grief felt so relatable. I enjoyed a lot that all the dialogues could have happened in real life. There were no moments were they felt "too much" or "too scripted". Frances did an amazing job at leaving the reader to interpret the meaning behind the words, without writing "in your face" emotions. I don't know how to describe how subtle everything was and yet how absolutely wrecked my soul felt. Just writing this review is giving goosebumps and tears in my eyes at how beautiful this book is. I wish everyone I know would read it.

The fact that it was spicy was honestly a "relief" because of how intense I felt the emotions going through the characters. And let me tell you that Frances writes spice like the rest of her books: honest, raw and real. And long ;) Each scene was chapters look, alternating between the MMC and the FMC and primarily focusing on seeing these acts through the eyes. There was nothing clinical there, it was pure emotion again and I think that also helped me connect even more with the characters and their love story.

Now, I also need to give a mention that the MMC is bi and this is the best bi man I have ever been given the chance to read. He was complex, and the fact that he is bi does not define who he is at all. I enjoyed that his bisexuality was "normal", as a bi woman myself, I enjoyed reading a sexuality close to mine without feeling like it is a plot line. That was beautifully done, and even without understanding and relating to the characters, I think that's what authors that want to write different sexualities should strive for (and most do, which I love to read).
Profile Image for Dana.
65 reviews4 followers
November 8, 2023
Jenna and Marty ❤️

A nonconvential reverse age-gap romance that gives all the feels. 37 year old, recently divorced Jenna visits a Greek resort where her brother is the manager, meets 23 (almost 24) year old Aiden "Marty" on vacation with his family a year after losing his boyfriend to cancer. They instantly are attracted to each other and spend 5 days (sunsets) getting to know each other and falling in love (its less cheesy and more believable than it sounds IMO). However, given all of the grief and recency of their trauma....SPOILER...



Jenna suggests that Marty experience more life and they'd meet again in 5 years at the resort where they fell in love if they felt the same way. Jenna insists everything will be ok. And indeed it is, albeit different.

From here my heart was in my throat as they experience five years of living without each other and at times it feels they're slipping away. I was on the edge of my seat and its almost like you lived the 5 years with them and felt the maturity and how it affected their older selves. Like two different stories leading to the HEA. I absolutely loved these characters and the depth of their stories. So many emotions reading this. The writing is thoughtful and the author really connects you to the world. Can't wait to pick up the second book in the series! Oh and the spice is not only 🔥 but hits you in all the feels hence leading to falling in love. In addition to their amazing connection, of course. There's just so much in the book including fun side characters and banter that a review cannot do it justice.
Profile Image for Cassondra.
58 reviews
May 10, 2023
Wow where do I even start? This was such a well written book I felt like I was there… like I WAS Marty and Jenna. I haven’t been totally engulfed by a book in a long time but this really did me in.

So much to be said. I love the reverse age gap.. I never see that in books and this one was perfection.

The banter and joking was chefs kiss. I literally laughed out loud through most of this book.

I (a very heterosexual person) loved that the main character was bisexual and the author painted it in such a beautiful way.

The way she wrote about loss, addiction, familial problems etc was all done tastefully and in my opinion accurately.

The time jump at the end subsequently killed me and saved me.

I wish I could reread this for the first time again.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,048 reviews9 followers
March 8, 2023
This book was everything! I laughed at all the witty banter and jokes. I swooned at the all the flirty moments. And I cringed at all the awkward family encounters. The positive representation of bisexuality made my heart squeeze with happiness. Jenna and Marty were so perfect together. Their personalities meshed well and they seemed to understand each other in all the important ways. It’s only a bummer that they weren’t in the best situations when they met. Because, while I understand what Jenna was doing at the end and that it was ultimately best, I hated it just as much as Marty did. Yet I’m so glad I pushed through because that HEA was totally worth it all.
Profile Image for Jenny Allen.
1 review
August 5, 2022
This page turning beauty would be a guilty pleasure if it weren't so thoughtful, intelligent and utterly whitty and fun! It's just an absolute pleasure. I was drawn in and desperate to get to know the two main characters from the first pages and read the book in a week having not read any fiction for years. This playful but meaningful love story is wonderfully uplifting, full of emotion and packed with passionate love scenes, embracing and celebrating everything that falling in love is. A perfect holiday read that I absolutely recommend.
Profile Image for C.J. Lucci.
Author 1 book19 followers
January 31, 2024
This is one of my favourite books of all time.
As a writer/author, I'm not sure how it is perceived to rate other people's work so I'll only rate the books I truly loved and this one is so special to me. I read it last year after Frances gave it to me. I'm so fortunate to live close by and have met her. She is genuinely one of the nicest humans I know and her books set my soul on fire but this one takes the cake.
It made me laugh, swoon, sweat and cry. I annotated it like crazy. I love every single page.
I hope more people could read it :)
Profile Image for Ash Jayy.
5 reviews
June 18, 2022
This was an absolutely fantastic book!!

It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time while also being mouth-wateringly sexy. The connection between Marty and Jenna was so deep and their love was so strong, it was beautiful to read!!

I cannot recommend this book enough, you simply must read it!! 💗
Profile Image for Lola Akinmade Åkerström.
Author 5 books729 followers
July 14, 2022
Well, this was incredibly delicious! First, one of my favorite tropes - older woman/younger man, who also happens to be a rugby player, to boot! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and falling in love with both lead characters. So steamy that one particular scene spans several chapters! Frances is such an evocative writer and I’m looking forward to more of their work in this genre!
Profile Image for Shaztwirl.
3,027 reviews35 followers
February 3, 2023
Oh My Gosh, So Good.

First off, this is listed as a rom com and while there is a bit of banter going on, I would not class this as a comedy.

It is however, a beautiful romance. A romance that had me shouting at my kindle around 80%, crying into my pillow at 81% and holding my breath for the next 15% after that. But it's oh so worth it. Such a lovely story.
610 reviews3 followers
May 17, 2023
Age-Gap Romance

Marty and Jenna were very special people. Both were recovering from a loss. They fall in love after five days and then separate for five years to find themselves. The sex scenes were wild and their romance was sweet. Book held my interest and I would recommend it to a friend.
Profile Image for leena.reader.
280 reviews13 followers
June 12, 2022
Jenna and Marty. Marty and Jenna. A holiday fling with a great ending. Lots of tension. Lots of desire. And a lot of sunsets.

Loved the way these characters dealt with all their complex emotions, loved their maturity and the way they could both let loose (in more ways than one).
Profile Image for Vanessa.
Author 1 book
January 14, 2024
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, but I was pleasantly surprised! This was a really emotional story with well-developed characters who both go through a lot of growth. The backdrop of dreamy settings in the book was just the cherry on top.
Profile Image for Alty.
5 reviews
October 23, 2022
Love a bisexual MC!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Amber 1206.
54 reviews3 followers
December 7, 2022
This book has got to be my favorite read of this year. It was so good. I haven't had real tears from a book in a long time. This story pulled them out of me. Love, love, loved it!
6 reviews
March 16, 2023
Heartbreakingly good!

I love this book! Full of trauma, love and grief. It broke my heart and put it back together ❤️
Profile Image for Karina.
52 reviews
August 11, 2022
This book is sweet, super sexy, and hilarious in places whilst heart wrenching in others. The mental health rep is really lovely to see and gives a depth to both the story and characters that keeps you rooting for Marty and Jenna. I loved the side characters - family members - as well and can’t wait to find out more about them in the next books!
Profile Image for Amy Malek Concepcion.
1,342 reviews70 followers
March 23, 2023
Five Sunsets

I am a huge fan of older woman and younger man (reverse age- gap) story’s. This one really hit all the emotions. As the end of their time together on vacation came to a close I didn’t know what was going to happen (and definitely didn’t think what did happen) but it worked out. Highly recommend
Profile Image for Bex &#x1f98b;&#x1fa75;.
Author 0 books12 followers
June 1, 2022
4.5 stars!!
Wow oh wow. I fell in love with this book from the first chapter.
This second chance, reverse age gap summer romance is needed on everyone’s TBR this year.
Marty and Jenna meet on a summer holiday in Crete and immediately hit it off but they both have things to work through before they can give themselves fully to one another.
The laughs, the adventure and the spice were all brilliant! I’d rate the spice a 3/5.
I had at least two near asthma attacks from laughing at scenes in this book.
Definitely recommend to read this summer.
Profile Image for Mariana Lemos.
130 reviews11 followers
September 10, 2023
And like the sunset, this book was also one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen.
And like the sunset, we could also feel all the emotions with it.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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