Title: Right Where We Left Us
Author: Jen Devon
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Temperance Jean Madigan and Duncan Brady have never gotten it right. After one radiant, secret summer together when they were eighteen, they’ve been on-again off-again ever since. Now, despite red-hot chemistry and TJ’s closeness with Duncan’s family, they’re virtually strangers, only capable of adversarial banter, awkward small talk―and the occasional messy hookup.

When a wedding at the Brady’s vineyard lands TJ there for the summer, their mutual avoidance strategies prove impossible. The last thing TJ wants is to be under those angsty, heated glances Duncan thinks he hides. And for Duncan, having fiery TJ constantly close is the ultimate distraction that he absolutely can’t afford. When forced proximity begins to chip away at their armor, buried tensions resurface, old wounds urge confrontation, and once-in-a-lifetime love demands one last chance to finally get it right.

I didn’t realize I’d read the previous linked standalone book before I started this, so seeing familiar characters was a nice surprise. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Temperance and Duncan a lot, but the entire Brady family was almost as engrossing as these two. Bonus points for the Mr. Darcy/P&P references, too. I enjoyed this read and read it straight through in one sitting. Definitely recommend it for a solid weekend read.

Jen Devon lives in Ohio. Right Where We Left Us is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Once again, as with her first book, Bend Toward the Sun, I was sucked into this book by the author's compelling ability to render her setting and her plot. The book centers around a second chance love story between Duncan Brady, a member of the large, welcoming Brady family that owns the vineyard where the book is set, and Temperance (TJ), whose sister married one of Duncan's brothers when TJ was 14, and is now considered an honorary family member.

Duncan and TJ fell in love in their senior year in HS with the intensity of first love and all of the accompanying angst, mixed in with a fair amount of immaturity on both their parts. For various reasons, they ended up breaking up, but over the intervening years, every time they end up in the same room, they can't seem to stay away from each other. In the past, though, it ended badly every time, with TJ typically the one to push Duncan away. At the start of the book, they find themselves together yet again as the Bradys get ready for Rowan and Harry's (book 1) wedding, but Duncan is determined this time to finally take a stab at resolving the issues that tore them apart.

I think I'm finally admitting that the second chance trope is not one of my favorites. While I adored the writing, definitely felt all of the yearning between them, and I liked TJ and Duncan both individually and together, I couldn't help but feel like they would have saved themselves a whole lot of time if they just would have had a few honest conversations once or twice in the intervening years. For two seemingly smart people, both of whom which are described as having a lot of emotional intelligence, their reasons for not getting together sooner seemed a bit lacking to me. I enjoyed the book, but not as much as the first one. On the other hand, assuming the next book features the couple that were teased throughout this book, I have a feeling I'm going to love that one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

If you're reading this and questioning whether you should DNF it, you definitely should. This doesn't say it's part of a series but it reads like it is. You're thrown into a world and characters that make no sense and no matter how many pages you read you won't be convinced to care.

I liked Devon’s first romance, Bend Toward the Sun, which I listened to on audio, not my favourite form of reading. But I loved her second, Right Where We Left Us, because it was a better novel, tighter narrative, better focus on the romance, with less meandering and, kiss of romance novel death for me, no keeping hero and heroine apart for months. I also really really really loved what she did with the romance dark moment.

So what is Devon’s romance about? We meet heroine Dr. Temperance Madigan on a beautiful May morning on the Brady family vineyard helping prepare for her bestie’s wedding, heroine of Devon’s Bend, Rowan McKinnon to Harry Brady. Temperance’s relationship with the Brady clan goes back to when she was eighteen and in love with Harry’s brother, Duncan. After their teen break-up, Duncan and Temperance alternated among avoiding each other while being hyper-aware of each other, occasionally sharing intense love-making, and side-eying each other at family events because, it turns out, Temperance’s older sister, Maren, married Duncan’s brother, Nate. ‘Tis a tangled family web and its inhabitant spiders turn out to be Temperance and Maren’s parents, monied do-gooders with negligent parenting skills. Temperance has found, in the Bradies, the kind of family she’s always wanted; unfortunately, the man she can have it with is nemesis, lover, antagonist, and brother-in-law, but not husband. She is still in love with him. Duncan? Tall, handsome, strong, funny, charming, hard-working is filled with regret over the way things ended with Temperance: he wants her back, he still loves her, and he’s no longer willing to settle for their sporadic, love-denying, mind-blowing “hook-ups”.

Over the summer’s course and moving towards Rowan and Harry’s wedding date, Temperance and Duncan make their way back to each other. Right Where We Left Us second-chance romance premise is perfection. A second-chance romance works when there is a deep element of poignancy to the couple’s relationship coupled with (intended pun) a vibrancy to present exchanges: as these two moods interweave, the romance narrative is at peak goodness (witness Austen’s Persuasion). And Right Where We Left Us is “peak”. Why? Because Devon is a good writer, a truly great example of show, don’t tell, as the schoolmarms advise. And, more importantly, exposition is at nil from page one to the last. From the get-go, as she establishes what Temperance and Duncan are about, she varies too. She does metaphor: “After nearly twenty years, she was attuned to the man’s presence the same way a songbird knew it was about to storm”. Devon can get her reader to understand what her couple is about with well-turned phrases: “…they had more than a decade-long record of messy behaviour whenever they found themselves alone together like this. Prolonged contact tended to result in verbal battles, hastily discarded clothing, or their tongues in each other’s mouths. Sometimes all three at the same time.”

Devon can do banter, witty and droll banter, and when she combines it with the poignancy inherent in the second-chance trope, it makes for everything a romance should be. Witness Temperance and Duncan’s conversation which starts out banter-ish about his beard: ” ‘So is your beard essentially your entire personality now or what? ‘I have a reason for this beard, you know.’ Lightly, she said, ‘Cosplaying Aquaman on the weekends? Khal Drogo?’ ‘My beard is better than Momoa’s. I’m also far more charming…I have no idea what cosplaying is,’ Duncan said. ‘Costume play.’ ‘Is it a sex thing?’ ‘It’s — ah, performance art,’ she said. ‘You create costumes and dress up like characters from pop culture–‘ ‘Sounds like it could be a sex thing.’ She sighed up at the sky. ‘Why do you do that? You always do that.’ He tipped his head. ‘Do what?’ ‘Make a joke. Or make it about sex. There always has to be this — this friction between us–‘ ‘Friction feels good, Temperance…Does feel kind of selfish of us, when you put it that way.’ He squinted out at the lake. ‘Do you really want to know? Why I do jokey shit?’ ‘Yes.’ He looked at her for a long time before he responded again. ‘I keep it shallow with you because every time I go deep, you disappear on me.’ ”

One of the keys to great second-chance romance is a shift in the patterns hero and heroine set themselves: whether that’s after a long absence, or like Temperance and Duncan’s “friction”. Then, Devon does what every good romance writer of second-chance needs to do — fill in the missing narrative pieces with flashbacks as vibrant and visceral as the present. The reader, in this case, has to be a reverse Theseus, following the author’s Ariadne thread to the HEA (isn’t romance great? no one has to be sacrificed.) If there’s a Minotaur, it’s Temperance and Duncan’s past: their raw eighteen-year-old selves and their mistakes; if there are villains, they’re Temperance’s wealthy parents and Temperance’s illness, which they used to manipulate Duncan to stay away from her. For Duncan, there needs be a redemptive ARC, not a grovel. He systematically works to regain Temperance’s trust, her love he’s always had. Temperance has to let Duncan in. When the dark moment comes, instead of splitting the hero and heroine apart, it brings them closer. Everything I’d anticipated happening didn’t and I loved that. Like Center’s Rom-Commers, Devon knows the romance conventions, can do the romance conventions, but even better? Devon can subvert the romance conventions and still write a fully sigh-ending romance HEA.

Jen Devon’s Right Where We Left Us is published by St. Martin’s Press. It released on June 18th. I received an e-galley, from St. Martin’s Press, via Netgalley. The above review is my honest and AI-aid-free opinion.

This one picks up right where Bend Toward The Sun leaves off so I highly recommend reading that one first.

I absolutely love the Brady family and was so excited to be back with these characters. Everyone has so much depth and it's fun to see how all the dots connect from book one. The vivid details of the Cloud Tide B & B and Winery made me feel like I was right there. And oh how I wish I was.

TJ's and Duncan's long-standing, on-again, off-again, relationship drove me crazy in a good way with all the tension. Whew! So swoony!!

Read If You Like:
Second Chance Romance
Slow Burn - Sexual Tension
Childhood Sweethearts
Vineyard Setting
Witty Banter

So excited to see what Devon has in store for us next! I feel like the ending here was set up nicely for this series to continue.

A N G S T! Yep, allllll capitals! I love Jen's writing style and her follow up novel rises to the occasion you all. Read book 1 and jump into book 2. You will not be disappointed! The characters and the story are not lightly written. There is so much to their lives and the plot that you feel these are real people. It's just that good!

Temperance and Duncan are trying their best to get along while helping Duncan's brother and Temperance's best friend prepare for their wedding. No one knows that they had an intense romance back when they were 18 and this forced proximity is rather uncomfortable for them because there is definitely still chemistry and feelings they can't ignore. Oh, the ANGST.

I have to be honest and admit that Right Where We Left Us took me a bit to get into. I was unaware when I started this book that Jen Devon has an earlier book related to this one. I had to figure out how the characters connected and get a little of Duncan and Temperance's back story before I could start to enjoy it. While I understood some of the reasons why they broke up, I really wasn't sure why Duncan and Temperance took so long to get their act together. I enjoyed the writing style and the author's description of the setting. The dual points of view were helpful to get more insight into what was going on in their minds. It also made me crazy because I wanted them to get to communicating and move on. I liked the writing well enough that I'm interested in reading her next book, especially if it is about Mal and Frankie. I wanted more about them!

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Right Where We Left Us and I have given my unbiased opinion of it in this review. 3.5 rounded up to 4

4.5/5⭐

I loved this! I absolutely adored Bend Toward the Sun and returning to Cloud Tide vineyard and the Brady family in this follow up was such a joy.

I think I've used these words before to describe Jen's writing, but it is so lush and descriptive - it's so easy to get entirely immersed and lose yourself in the setting and characters. Cloud Tide is a real place and you can't tell me otherwise!

Jen is also the master of slow burn angsty romance, which is one of my favorite subgenres. And combined with my all time favorite trope, second chance romance? Oof. The love story here is achy and messy and sexy and I loved it so much. Although sometimes I did just want to shake some sense into them!

The only reason this isn't 5 stars is that I felt like there were some things from their past that were hinted at but never fully explained, and the shift from "we can't be together" to "I want to be together anyway" wasn't quite as satisfying as I wanted it to be. I still love it like a 5 star book though!

This technically can be read as a standalone but I HIGHLY recommend reading Bend Toward the Sun first! Not only is it amazing, but you'll appreciate the Brady family so much more. The timelines even slightly overlap, which I loved.

Don't miss this one, friends!

This was DNF for me because the backstories and characters are very difficult to follow. Maybe if I read the first book I would have enjoyed this better.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized this is the second book in the series. The beginning was a bit confusing, likely because I didn’t read the first book.

Out of respect for the author, I will not post this review on social media.

“Second chances are for when you weren’t ready for the first.”

Temperance and Duncan had an instant connection when they met as teens. But for unknown reasons, they weren’t meant to go the distance. Most couples would move on, but since their families and friends are so intertwined, they too have reluctantly remained connected.

Although the attraction they had for one another never went away, they still try to keep up a facade when around their loved ones. Of course, the only ones they’re fooling are themselves. Coming together at Duncan’s family vineyard for a wedding only manages to push those feelings even more to the forefront.

Although Duncan and Temperance both acknowledge their mutual attraction, they never really talk about what went wrong all those years ago. But the more time they spend together the more each wonders if this is another opportunity to get it right.

Right Where We Left Us is the second novel by author, Jen Devon. I didn’t realize this was a sequel of sorts to her first novel, Bend Toward the Sun until I started reading. Looking back on my review of that book I noted how I hoped the side characters would get books of their own, and I’m glad they did. As secured by her sophomore effort, Devon consistently writes love stories with tremendous amounts of palatable angst and longing, but still weaves in bouts of believable banter. Second chance romance readers will rejoice in getting to know not only these characters, but Devon’s burgeoning body of swoon worthy romances.

Right Where We Left Us is the second novel by Jen Devon. Following on the beauty of her first novel, Bend Towards the Sun, this novel continues to follow members of the large Brady family, in particular Duncan. In the beginning of the story, Harry Brady asks Duncan to help him pull off a beautiful proposal to Rowan McKinnon. He also asks Temperance Madigan, Rowan’s best friend, for her help, pairing Duncan and Temperance for the task. It seems many family members are trying to play matchmaker with Duncan and Temperance without realizing they are definitely playing with fire.

Duncan and Temperance spent a scorching summer together when they were 18 that came to an abrupt end as a result of her new health issue and her controlling parents. Due to the elder Madigan’s interference and keeping the two separated, miscommunication and rumor, the rift between Temperance and Duncan becomes almost unbridgeable. Now, 14 years later, the only thing they show towards each other is hostility. How will that hostility play out after a summer together to prepare for Rowan and Harry’s wedding?

Jen Devon is a master of merging imagery with emotions. The manner in which she juxtaposes weather and emotional situations is skillful. It’s been a long time since the environment of a story I’m reading draws me into the plot so thoroughly that I am almost surprised when I get to the end of the chapter and find that the storm is only in my imagination. Her character studies are well defined and her plotting is filled with unexpected turns. I very much enjoyed this second book, as I did the first, and wholeheartedly recommend it!

Oh, the Angst!!!
Right Where We Left Us is a small town second chance romance that has it all. Duncan and Temperance had a fiery love when they were young that fell apart due to circumstances shared throughout the story. They never stopped being in each other's orbit and due to their friends and brothers finding love, Temperance and Duncan kept finding themselves thrown together at various events. Cut to present day...there isn't truly anything holding them back from one another any longer and the journey they went on to find their way back to one another was a great ride filled with angst, banter, sweet moments, family and friends. I got swept away in their story!

3⭐️ for the story and an extra .5⭐️ because I really do love Devon’s writing style.

Duncan Brady and Temperance Madigan had a love that burned hot and bright when they were 18 before their relationship crashed and burned. They’ve spent the last decade and a half hooking up in secret. Unfortunately for them, they can never actually quit each other. Temperance’s sister is married to Duncan’s brother and now this summer her best friend is also marrying one of Duncan’s brothers. The forced proximity is destined to bring their simmering tension to a boiling point.

What a joy to be back at Cloud Tide Winery with the whole Brady family. I continue to love Jen Devon’s writing style. It’s so descriptive and atmospheric (literally in this book. So much rain!), and she certainly knows how to create tension!

While I enjoyed lots of individual moments throughout the book (mostly driven by the writing), I did not love these characters together. Temperance never once has the moral high ground, and is quite often simply awful to Duncan. If this is how they treat each other at 34 after having “grown up”, I don’t even want to imagine how they treated each other at 18. Mostly though, Temperance doesn’t seem to know herself at all, and I can’t understand how Duncan could possibly still love her. For me, there wasn’t enough growth for me to believe in their happily ever after.

Warning this is marketed as a standalone book, but if you don’t read Bend Toward the Sun first you will be extremely lost. Must be read in order.

Many thanks to NetGally and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #RightWhereWeLeftUs

A second-chance, slow burn romance with two characters who both struggle with their own issues and families.

This book had a lot of potential and beautiful words, but was a struggle to get into. There are so many characters in the extended Brady family that I wish there was a flow chart — and the author’s descriptive writing was sometimes so beautiful, but mostly too wordy/flowery.

I’m usually fine with a “slow burn” romance storyline, but this book dragged on especially in the first half. I kept waiting for something to happen between the two main characters. I really wanted to root for Duncan and Temperance, but the angst and longing was just too long for me.

I didn’t know there was a first book to read before this one, and I wish I would have known that before I picked this one up on NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC opportunity.

I loved Bend Towards the Sun, and Right Where We Left Us had the same components I loved…the writing was deft and emotional, the characters felt real and well developed. I love Duncan's family and Temperance’s found family dynamics. It made me laugh, swoon and made me a little teary. Teenage love to 2nd chance is always interesting to see how these people have changed in the time apart and do they still fit together. And why weren’t they together the whole time?

I really enjoyed the concept of the story...but there was just something off structurally on how it all came together. At times the jumps ahead or even to next morning felt abrupt and disjointed. It seemed to drag out the drama and put off conversations that should have happened logically in the last scene when they were last together…like they were in a spot alone, and the scene just ended…it didn't say why they didn't have that talk then, or how they even got home.

In the end, a solid 4 star read and I can't wait to read the next story..hopefully Mal and Frankie.

Thank you to net galley for this eARC! I loved this cute, second chance romance! It reminded me of a Carley Fortune or Emily Henry book. It took me by surprise how much I enjoyed reading it!

I had no idea this was the 2nd book in the series but you can definitely read this as a stand alone. I was fully invested in Temperance and Duncan’s relationship and the dynamics of both of their families. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments along with very heartfelt ones — this was such a fun, easy read!

Holy chemistry Batman! This second chance romance was full of palpable tension. It got frustrating when Duncan and Temperance would start kiss (or more) and then not talk about it, but they both had their things to work through. I need to read Rowan and Harry’s story asap too because I enjoyed their wedding.

Right Where We Left Us-can be read as a standalone

By-Jen Devon-new to me author

Publication date 6-18-24 , read 6-21-24

📃 Page count: 359 kindle

🌎Setting-Linden and Vesper Valley, PA

Quick Summary: Temperance "TJ" Madigan and Duncan Brady were childhood sweethearts @18, and now 14 years later they are on again/off again lovers. The Brady family opened their arms to TJ and her BFFs Rowan and Harrison "Harry" Brady(Duncan's brother) are getting married, which means TJ and Duncan will be forced to see each other. Will they settle for being friends or will they finally get it right?

🤷🏾‍♀️ What to Expect:
⭐ ️contemporary romance
⭐️ women's fic
⭐️ 2nd chance romance
⭐️ right person/wrong time
⭐️ childhood sweethearts
⭐forced proximity
⭐found family
⭐h has chronic illness


🤔 My Thoughts: Full disclosure I didn't read Rowan and Harry's book "Bend Toward the Sun," but didn't feel like I missed anything. The Brady family was a gift not many people got. TJ and her sister Maren grew up being second to their parents' love for each other. They didn't care for the Brady's, even offering the Nathan and Duncan money to stay away from Maren and TJ. It didn't work for Maren, as she married Nate and they had three kids. The Brady's were so welcoming to the sisters and TJ's BFFs Frankie & Rowan. The family scenes was hilarious. From the parents Gia and Will, to the five brothers and sister, they were very involved in each other's lives. Harry and Malcolm pushed TJ and Duncan together because they knew they belonged together. The angst and pining was madding at times because I just wanted them together. They had some steamy scenes too, all very hurried and passionate. I loved Malcolm and hope he gets book, can't wait!

Rating: 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice level 4/5 🔥🔥🔥🔥

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC💜! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

This is NOT a standalone, please read the first book in the series (Bend Toward the Sun) first or you'll have regrets. More characters and emotion than active plot, but that's okay- particularly if you're already familiar with them from the first book! The characters and the setting MAKE THIS BOOK. Even if half the time I wanted to bop both of them on the head and say 'you're your biggest enemy, get out of your head!'

Such a joy to read!

Duncan and Temperance have been through life side by side, but not ever quite together. FWB, sure, friends of the family as well, friendly at all times, but never going all the way to declaring a relationship. A situationship that has Duncan feeling very frustrated and ready to finally call it, one way or another.

This author's amazing writing style sweeps me up every time I open one of her books. The descriptive writing is sublime, the family histories are impressively fleshed out, and there are just so many great lines throughout! Like the first book, it takes place over an extensive time period, letting the reader grow with the characters as they weigh each event and opportunity to see just what can be done to resolve the ever-present tension between them. This sweet exchange really highlights the conflict and inner confusion on Temperance's behalf:

“I want to kiss you,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to look so mad about it,” he whispered back.

There's so much going on in this book, covering all aspects of the Brady family and extended family. Temperance is already tightly woven into the Brady clan, with her sister married to one of Duncan's brothers and her best friend engaged to another. Her struggles for identity and purpose are very relatable. Duncan, too, is ready to branch out beyond his family's expectations, and his friendship with Temperance gives him all the courage he needs.

This is top-tier contemporary romance, a book and series that I highly recommend. This author will always be on my top-ten list. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.