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

Sometimes I find books like these to be cheesy but this one was well written. It is a second chance on/off again romance that was very believable. The characters were written with depth and it was an easy book to get though. So glad I was able to read this ARC. Thank you NetGalley.

This book is such a heart throbber! My emotions were all over the place and I loved it so much! I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for other to read it!

"...𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘤."

𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗨𝘀 is poetrrrry. The imagery was elegant and evocative of sweet summer mornings spent during a blissful childhood.

- ~ -

The story follows Temperance Madigan and Duncan Brady and in a second chance setting where they try to act as friends for a mutual wedding only their history suggests they could never be anything but lovers. With subtle matchmaking hijinks and oddly fitting analogies, Temp and Duncan realise they've grow up but not quite grown out of each other.

- ~ -

Duncan is a sweetheart. He deserves all the love. It was quite obvious even in the previous book he used humour as disguise for all that he hid underneath and it was a pleasure to read his story.

Temperance's fierceness towards her profession was abundant throughout but I fear she didn't add much to the story.

Above all, I wish to have Frankie and Mal's book in my hands soon. I just know she'll be a sassy queen and Mal'd be wrapped around her fingers.

3.97 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Right Where We Left Us is one hell of a romantic slow burn! Temperance and Duncan have always been in love, but time was never on their side, but when a wedding brings Temperance back to Duncan’s family winery from the summer, they’re forced to face the chemistry sizzling between them. Right Where We Left Us is all the things you want in a romantic novel. It’s angsty and nostalgic and wistful. Duncan loves so fully, and he is complex and dynamic. Temperance too has so much she wants to prove, and she’s smart and full of light. The slow burn sizzles and I just pined for these two to get together. Duncan is such a well written romantic hero; he’s kind and driven and sexy, and there’s just so much love he has for Temperance. And their chemistry is so strong. The story covers a good span of time, and I feel at times it felt a touch long, but the characters are so real and flawed. There’s no leaning on miscommunication; Temperance and Duncan are a team. They look out for each other, even when they’re mad at each other. This could be read as a standalone, but I think it works better if you read Bend Towards the Sun first since the background story there helps set this one up. This is a dreamy, angsty romance and I definitely recommend this as a summer read!