Right Where We Left Us is a dual POV forced proximity romance centered on Temperance and Duncan. The two are constantly thrown together (Temperance’s older sister is married to one of Duncan’s brothers, her best friend is marrying another brother). While they had a brief relationship at 18, now 14 years later they are stuck in a pattern of wanting each other, casual hookups, and angsty separation.

This book just didn’t hit right for me, but I can be a mood reader and maybe it was just not the right book at the right time.

Positives: it was beautifully written, Jen Devon really had a way with words! If you enjoy a lot of angst and tension between romantic leads, this one will have you hooked with the back-and-forth.

Negatives: the pacing kind of dragged. I love a good slow burn but this one felt mostly just slow, no burning. 🤷🏻‍♀️ The first few chapters were an overload of secondary characters being introduced, all friends and/or family and a little difficult to sort out and keep track of (maybe not a problem for people who had read the previous book).

Read dates: 05/06/2024- 05/08/2024
Goodreads review: 05/08/2024
Instagram review: 05/09/2024
Blog review: 06/08/2024

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Right Where We Left Us is the first book I have read of this author's and I learned after I was picked to review an advanced copy that this is the second book of a series. So I will preface this review with the fact that I have not read the first book.

This book opens and takes place in a small rural community. The female lead Temperance (can I stop here and say that Temperance is not a great name and is a real mouthful?) is a pediatrician and the male lead helps run his family's winery. The couple dated in high school then broke up for reasons that are revealed later in the book. However, in true Second Chance romance novel fashion, the couple continues to have sexual chemistry and some one night stands over the years. All this is complicated by the fact that her sister is married to her brother and her best friend is marrying his other brother.

Positives
From very early in this book it was clear that this author is an excellent writer. Her descriptions of both surroundings and feelings are gorgeous and poetic. I don't really expect this with contemporary romance novels and I found myself highlighting many passages.

This was from a outdoor scene where a storm was approaching

The storm’s agonizingly slow approach felt almost sexual, an elemental edging. A familiar lick of adrenaline lit through her veins, prickling her skin with goosebumps and raising the roots of her hair. Her body felt like a blood and bone barometer.

Then

All at once, the sky ruptured wide, unloading rain like a belly split with a blade.

Or this conversation as she's telling her the other women her complicated feelings for the MMC.

Temperance closed her eyes. “It’s like I’m looking into a clear lake, and I’m confident I know is the depth, but after I dive in, the bottom isn’t where I thought it was. So I sink. And sink, and sink. Then when I start to drown, I realize it wasn’t a lake at all. It’s an ocean, and I’ve already fallen so far in that I’m never getting out again, because it’s so much bigger than me. Indifferent to my smallness. And I belong to it now, sinking forever until I’m just—” She swallowed hard and opened her eyes. “Bones.” “Holy shit,” Maren said. Arden said, “Is Duncan the ocean, or—?” “I think it’s a metaphor for love,” Mercy said. “Deep,” said Frankie. “Yeah,” Temperance said. “So’s my salty ocean of feelings.” “Do you want to know what I think?” Arden pulled a brush through her hair. When Temperance nodded, she said, “I think, when someone makes you feel those big feelings, that’s your heart telling your brain to let them.”

This is just some of the beautiful language. Even the smutty scenes have amazing prose!

The couple does have great chemistry, and I liked all the characters. No one acts totally out of character to move along the plot and there aren't any dumb miscommunication plots. I liked how the book ended and liked the HEA.

Negatives

For a contemporary romance there was a lot of world building and details included that didn't really matter. I get that there is a book before it and maybe just giving some background could help the reader but there was way, way more background and random details in the early parts of the book. At certain points it got confusing. I get that these types of series have lots of characters but it became hard to keep track of who was who.

The MMC had multiple abstract dreams that are pretty bananas. Not just dreaming about the FMC but super complicated ones that distress him to the point where he wakes up in a cold sweat. I don't see why he has such strange dreams or why they are added to this book.

While it was very clear how the MMC felt about the FMC and why they broke up on his end, it never felt really clear to me why the FMC was so terrified of getting back together with him. While he did break her heart in high school, they reconnected and continued to have strong feelings and great sex. He is obviously in love with her and wants to commit to her. The reason for her reluctance just never felt clear to me.

Despite these negatives, it was hard to put this book down and I really all the other aspects of it. Easy 4 stars.

I really loved book one in the series, Bend Towards the Sun, so I was thrilled to read this sequel. Temperance (TJ) and Duncan have always been in each other's orbits. They dated when they were younger, before separating. Now as they find themselves back in the same place for a summer wedding, sparks fly between them. Can TJ and Duncan find a way back to each other?

Right Where We Left Us is a charming second-chance romance. Jen Devon balances the large cast of characters with ease, creating a strong sense of family (both blood and found). Duncan’s struggles with getting his family to take him seriously and to follow his own dreams were very relatable. TJ also has her own family struggles, including finding the balance between making her parents proud and living her own life.

TJ also deals with a chronic and rare disease called ITP, which seemed thoughtfully written and researched. The diagnosis never stops TJ from pursuing her dreams and she uses her knowledge to help as many people as possible. I enjoyed the cameos from book one and I love the affectionate chaos of the Brady family. I really love the distinct characters that Devon has created and I hope to see more books in this series! I hope Mal and Frankie are next! Readers who enjoy second-chance romance, lovable characters, and a strong sense of family will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Jen Devon, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

TJ (Temperance) Madigan and Duncan Brady have a history of getting it wrong. Wrong place. Wrong time. But for one summer when they were eighteen, they had everything right. Fast forward a decade and a family wedding at the Brady vineyard forces TJ and Duncan into close proximity- and they must navigate hidden feelings for one another, years worth of rejection and doubt, and interfering friends and family members.

The basis of this story is good- friends to lovers to enemies to lovers. A second chance romance. Small town vibes. A big cast of supporting characters that know both main characters well. That being said, it wasn't apparent at first that this is actually book 2 in a series of books. I kept reading with a nagging feeling that I was 'missing something': there are A LOT of extra characters in this book, and their interwoven storylines is really confusing. I think this may have felt different if I had of read book 1 first (although it is not called book 1) Bend Towards the Sun. I just felt like I was walking into a family reunion and didn't know anyone-but was expected to keep up with the drama and storylines of multiple people.

Duncan Brady was instantly loveable- he seemed like a big softie, pining over a love interest from his youth. Temperance (TJ) is a hard working medical professional with a desire to make everyone proud- unfortunately, the opinions she cares about are those of people who shouldn't matter. I found it a bit frustrating that she could have someone right in front of her who is wonderful and cares about her and she has chemistry with and just not notice him. Or reject him continuously, for reasons that remain unclear.

In the end, this book held my interest. I had to 'ignore' the competing storylines and this may cause a problem when additional books in this series come out, but TJ and Duncan were enough for me!

Bend Toward the Sun, Jen Devon’s debut novel, chemically altered my brain and became the book that both defined my 2022 reading year and the one I recommend to everyone.
I’m adding Right Where We Left Us to that pantheon of stories in my head that are everything I want in a love story.
When they were eighteen, Temperance and Duncan’s story was the brief, beautiful flare of a comet.
Fourteen years later, there is a well of pain and hope between them.
There has never been anyone else for either of them.
Read it. Read it. Read it.

This was my first book by this author; I sadly was not aware that there was a book before this with the same characters. From other reviews that I read, I understand reading that one first was a must. I did feel at times that there were too many characters, too much history and stories to keep track of. I had to skim back a few times to reread a section to grasp what had occurred, and I normally don’t find myself doing that while reading.

The main focus was on Temperance and Duncan for this book, with their very, very complicated past. At times, the pace of their relationship was frustrating. I loved the idea of the second chance romance and their lives being so entwined that it was almost destiny for them. The characters themselves were good leads. I just wanted more from the romance between them; I got lost at times from the battle of it all.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

Right Where We Belong is a second chance romance about Duncan and Temperance. It takes place after Bend Toward the Sun, which centered on Duncan’s brother, Harry and Temperance’s best friend, Rowan, who are getting married.

Another angsty slow burn from Jen Devon. Like Bend Toward the Sun this made me smile over and over again but it also had me tearing up, tense and frantically turning pages to see when these two would finally get it together. Like with my first visit to Cloud Tide, this hurt me then healed me. It was painful and beautiful and hot. I wanted to scream at these two and make them tell each other how they felt a billion times but the progression and pacing made sense for the story. I would have loved to have seen some more fleshed out flash backs to their summer falling in love but it also worked keeping things in the present and didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

I loved seeing Harry and Rowan in their major conflict free lovey dovey era. Harry being obsessed with calling Rowan “my wife” sent me. I am in love with the Brady Family. I cannot wait for Frankie and Mal’s book, which seemed to be heavily hinted at, and am really hopeful that after that we get an Arden book???? Please?!

I don’t know how Jen does it but her prose really speaks to me. If I were highlighting a physical copy, I would have needed to replace my highlighter.

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this but it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters and found it took me a long time to finish the book because I couldn’t stay interested. I will try others from this author though.

I LOVED Bend Toward the Sun and I was so so excited to see there was a second book from Jen! I enjoyed this one a lot!! I am a sucker for second chance and this one was angsty and lovely.

Our hero Duncan is so damn KIND and full of pure goodness. Overworked to the bone, I just wanted to give him a million hugs!

Temperance, a little but stuck and a lot full of kindness, she just wants to be loved and wanted for who she is.

Seeing Harry and Rowan so happy was a delight! I loved being back with the large and lively Brady fam!!

Thank you NetGalley and SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Right Where We Left Us” by Jen Devon is a captivating romance that tugs at your heartstrings from the very first page. Devon weaves a tale of love, missed chances, and second chances that will leave you breathless.

The story revolves around Temperance Jean Madigan (TJ) and Duncan Brady. Their relationship has been a rollercoaster ride since they shared a secret summer together at the tender age of eighteen. Despite their undeniable chemistry and TJ's close ties with Duncan's family, they've spent years as on-again, off-again lovers. Now, they're practically strangers—masters of adversarial banter, awkward small talk, and the occasional messy hookup.

When a wedding at the Brady vineyard brings TJ back for the summer, their mutual avoidance strategies crumble. TJ wants nothing more than to escape Duncan's heated glances, while Duncan can't afford the distraction of having fiery TJ constantly nearby. Forced proximity begins to chip away at their emotional armour, unearthing buried tensions and old wounds. As their past resurfaces, they're faced with a once-in-a-lifetime love that demands one last chance to finally get it right.

Devon's prose is immersive and achingly beautiful. She paints vivid scenes of the vineyard, making you feel the sun on your skin and the breeze in your hair. The chemistry between TJ and Duncan leaps off the page, leaving you rooting for their happily ever after.

The characters are imperfectly perfect. TJ's vulnerability and Duncan's brooding intensity create a magnetic pull that keeps you invested. Their banter is sharp, their passion palpable, and their emotional journey utterly compelling.

“Right Where We Left Us” is a searing and unforgettable romance that will leave you breathless. Jen Devon has crafted a love story that lingers long after you've turned the last page. If you're like me and a total fangirl of Carly Fortune and Lucy Score, this book is an absolute must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Jen Devon’s follow up to Bend Toward the Sun. This book was full of tension and I loved seeing beloved characters from the first book again. Looking forward to more from Devon!

This was an adorable sweet second chance romance. I loved Duncan he is so selfless and sweet. You can't help but want them to get together and get past all their issues. I liked the flow and how this story played out. It was very realistic and I felt like I could really see myself in this story. Super cute.

✅ dual POV
✅ forced proximity; Temperance and Duncan have been on again off again for years, and now her best friend is marrying his brother
✅in their mid 30s
✅ so much angst
✅ no third act breakup
🌶️: yes

This is book 2 in a series, I haven’t read Book 1 - the couple from Book 1 shows up here, so if that’s a spoiler for you, read them in order.

I wanted to love this book as much as I loved its predecessor but for some reason, this book just didn't hit the right notes for me. Jen Devon's writing continues to be lush and lyrical and evocative. But I think the pacing was a little off in this book and for a second chance romance, I wasn't quite sure what it was that kept these two apart for as long as it did. I can understand their first time at bat, they were both very young and incapable of understanding what it took to make a relationship work, especially with her lousy parents and their interference. But it took so long for them to come back together and why?

Also, the way that Duncan is presented in the first book is such a departure from how he's presented in this one and I'm not saying that it's bad to give the hero more depth, that's obviously good and necessary. I guess the internal angst that kept these two apart for so long didn't work as well for me.

Finally, Duncan keeps a pretty big secret for TJ for much of the book and it's a pretty big doozy. The way that secret is revealed and then resolved seems to happen very very quickly and I felt that didn't work as well. Again, that's a pacing issue. However, I'm still keeping this author on my list of must reads and am super excited for what I hope will be the pairing in the next book.

Content warnings: toxic parental relationships, sickness, hospitalization

I’m not usually a second chance girlie but the blurb made me request it and it did not disappoint! Maybe I’m a second chance girlie now??? I thought this was so well executed and the author did such a fantastic job of portraying the characters! I will 10000000% be buying a copy for my shelf when it releases!

I liked Jen Devon's debut a lot, but it didn't sink into me in the way that it did for so many of my reading friends. For me, Right Where We Left Us is that book. The craft in making me feel the entire weight of the protagonists past without deploying very many flashbacks is extraordinary and the FEELINGS of it all, resonated so beautifully. The book also takes the stale familial meddling trope and executes it in a way that actually feels the familial warmth and love that's more often said told but not shown. If the book has a flaw, it's that the cast of characters is SO large and it has been some time since the previous book, so jogging my memory as to how all of these characters are connected was sometimes a challenge. But again, the author gives you what you need, so you can figure it out as you go along. Loved reading this very much and looking forward to future works in this universe and among this family with eagerness.

The beginning of this book felt confusing. After looking up the author’s work, this is the 2nd book in a series but can be read as a stand alone. It’s not marketed as a sequel. But their small town family has so many people/different relationships, I was having a hard time keeping everything straight. It would be easier had I known about book 1.

It was a great combination of deep and thoughtful while also being romantic and sweet. Felt like literary fiction AND romance.

That being said, I couldn’t get into it. Too many descriptions. Wanted more plot and less atmospheric details.

I can see how another reader may enjoy this one more. It just found me at the wrong time.

I received an arc of the book through NetGalley. I gave this book 4 stars.

This book is about Temperance and Duncan, who found love at a young age then life happened and they couldn’t be together anymore, while pining after another for many years.

It took a little while for me to be invested in Temperance and Duncan’s relationship. I was confused for some of it, like why they wouldn’t be together as adults and what happened as kids. I started feeling their chemistry about halfway through the book.

I loved the Brady family. Everything about them was wonderful.

There was a lot of describing in this book. It sometimes took me away from being hooked. It was definitely a slower read for me because of this, but I still definitely enjoyed it.

Thank you to @smpromance for a digital ARC. Right Where We Left Us is a second-chance romance where plenty of time has passed. There is so much tension between Temperance and Duncan. I could feel their pain in this story, they are two tortured souls who so desperately want to be together but think they can't. I'm glad that I read Bend Toward the Sun first because the Brady family and friends are really all set up in the first book. I thought the contrast between the Brady family and Temperance's parents was interesting. I really loved the friendship between Temperance, Rowan, and Frankie. I'm a reader who loves dialogue, so I did feel like there were some parts that were slow because there are a lot of inner thoughts from both main characters. Overall, I enjoyed the tension-filled romance where these two just can't stay away from each other. Also, there is a tattoo discovery that melted my heart.

Duncan and Temperance fell in love at 18. They've been on-again off-again ever since. With Duncan's brother getting married and Temperance's many ties to his family, she ends up staying at the Brady's vineyard for the summer. Fourteen years later, there is still a pull between them. The more time they spend together the stronger that connection becomes.

Duncan and Temperance's relationship was messy and complex. There was a constant back and forth which made for some delicious tension between them. I ate up every second of it. There were reasons that kept them apart, but it was so painfully obvious they were meant to be. It was frustrating at times when it seemed like the scene was finally coming when they would commit to each other. But then something would happen and pull them apart again. But it was frustrating in a good way because I loved all the angst it created. I'm so glad this was written in dual POV because it made the pining for each other feel so real. I ached for them to find their forever.

In my opinion you must read Bend Toward the Sun before this book. I read it when it was released two years ago and it took me some time to get all the characters straight again. Once it all came back to me and I settled in, everything was all good but I probably would have benefited from a reread.

Beyond the romance, I enjoyed the setting, close family vibes and the author's beautifully descriptive writing. The next book was set up and I can't wait to read it.

4.5 stars