TLDR: It was so good to be back with the Brady family again even if it wrecked me a little bit. So happy Duncan and Temperage got their long awaited HEA.

I fell in love with Devon’s writing in BEND IT TOWARD THE SUN. It’s descriptive and poetic. It’s not your typical prose and I find it quite refreshing. Second chance romance can be a hit or miss for me but thankfully this one was a huge hit. I love Duncan and Temperance’s story. I was immediately sucked into the story and could not put it down. I felt like I was watching a movie and needed to know how it ended. Their story broke my heart. The time they missed together made me so sad, but the HEA for this was so satisfying. The epilogue and last scene had me all in my ooey gooey feels.

Tropes + things
second chance
first loves
forced proximity
best friend’s brother
family dynamics
found family

While I really tried, I just didn’t find myself engaged in this story. I think it just wasn’t for me, but I think many will enjoy.

The thing that really reels me in and hooks me when it comes to books, especially romance books, is the emotional aspect (what I like to refer to as emotional spice), and this book reached about 0.5/5 on the emotional spice-o-meter, which meant I really struggled to finish. A sweet story overall and I liked the characters, but whew boy.

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for my ARC! This was a new to me author and a wonderful second chance romance. I read that this is somewhat of a follow up to another by this author, so am excitedi to continue exporitn g!

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⋆
There is something about Jen Devon’s writing that just completely and entirely pulls me in. And if I wasn’t already acutely aware of it - me actually full-tilt panicking and yelling “Nooooooo!” as my NetGalley refreshed in the eleventh hour to it being archived was very clear evidence.

This title shares some plot / characters from Devon’s other novel, ‘Bend Towards the Sun’, but it definitely stands alone both in readability and individuality. While both romance novels, this one is more about the undeniable love and connection between two people that never ceases to exist once established. This is a story about two people who learned how to love, and never stopped loving - it’s romance at its finest. It is also a touch spicy, but ( dare I say it? ) more so in the vein of passionate versus naughty. It’s written in such a way that it aptly conveys the intensity of both needing and wanting another, in conjunction with inherently knowing the other.

This book also has one of my favourite tropes, found family. Both books orbit around the same family, but definitely offer up unique perspectives amongst the characters, and showcase this concept of knowing that people can be your home.

This was such an enjoyable read, and while I don’t often ( / rarely / almost never ) listen to music while I read, I had Zach Bryan playing at a very low level while I was consuming this book and it paired so entirely perfectly that it just added to the experience.

Reading this was like a one-way ticket to understanding Emily Brontë when she wrote “Whatever souls are made from, his and mine are the same”. AKA, go read it.

~ 👩🏻‍🦰

This is a solid, sweet second chance romance that's a little too angsty for a four star, but I will definitely be picking up the next in the series.

This book was an enjoyable romance! Temperance & Duncan were great characters that I enjoyed following along! I felt like there were too many communication issues between them for my taste and the story felt really slow at times and repetitive. Overall it was a fun read that I definitely recommend trying out!

Right Where We Left Us by Jen Devon is the second book in a series, but it functions well as a stand alone. The trope of the second chance is explored here, and I will definitely look to read more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

This book completely blew me away. There was just so much detail. This book has just a massive cast of characters and every character was completely fleshed out. They almost felt as if any character could be a main character in their own book. I realized halfway through reading that this book was actually a sequel, I’m definitely going to have to go back and read “Bend Towards The Sun” when I get a chance. The two main characters of this book are Temperance and Duncan. These two characters had been in each other’s orbit since they were teens, had a brief relationship when they were eighteen, broke up and spent fourteen years wanting to be with each other but the circumstances never were quite right. This book takes place while Duncan’s brother is marrying one of Temperance’s best friends. While Duncan and Temperance are working together to try and get his family’s massive property together for their wedding, they find themselves unable to avoid their chemistry. Will they be able to play for keeps this time? You’ll have to read to find out!
I really loved this book! It’s very angsty, it’s very much a slow burn, but I found myself rooting for Temperance and Duncan the whole time. I like the message about how the right person will make you want to be better. Both Temperance and Duncan have important story arcs that sort of play to that message. Another thing I loved about this book is that the world seemed completely real. It makes me want to work at the Brady Brothers winery and move to Linden.
All in all, this was a great book and I enjoyed every page. I would definitely recommend it!

I loved this book so much . It was everything I expected it to be abd more. It was such a fast and easy read. I really enjoyed it. The characters had so much depth to them . I recommend reading this book. I will go and read the authors other books because I'm in love with her writing style.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for sendin me an arc of this book.

Devon’s follow-up to Bend Toward the Sun amplifies the issues I had with her debut, delivering an overly angsty and illogical second-chance romance. Duncan and Temperance, the tortured leads, are weighed down by years of deceit, misunderstandings, and secrets that make little sense. The plot feels heavy-handed, and the abundance of clichéd platitudes from various characters only adds to the frustration. While angsty romances can be compelling, this one fell flat for me, and it’s clear this author’s style just doesn’t work for me. Two stars.

Temperance has the best found family. She loves them all desperately even if she's learned to steer clear of Duncan, the love of her teenage life. But they've has a falling out and, while he's tempting to keep coming back to, she doesn't understand what broke them in the first place. Her career is facing a fork in the road and she has a big decision between pursuing what she's passionate about and falling in line with her parents and financial security. Duncan has never wanted to stand in her way but the relentless pull of his feelings is hard to resist.
I have a big love for Jen's writing style. The way she pulls at emotions and brings out the chemistry between her main characters is a bit magical. My only hurdle is the heavy amount of foul language saturating what could be perfect (absolutely a "me" preference). I love a good second chance redemption and Jen delivers it with a lot of angst. It was a delight to be back on the Pennsylvania vineyard with the Brady family.
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed revisiting these characters after liking Bend Toward the Sun earlier this year. Romance stories with lots of family dynamics and history among the characters really work for me so this was great for that. Right Where We Left Us is a solid second chance romance with great banter and character development.

It took me a while to get into this book. It’s third person POV, which isn’t my favorite in contemporary romance.

Duncan and Temperance had a second chance romance, but it was more of a will-they-or-won’t-they situation. They obviously had feelings for each other, but there was many outside factors keeping them from truly being together.

Both characters had their own “problems” and went through personal growth. And I did like how this ended.

But this book had so many characters, I couldn’t keep track of them all. And I don’t know what it was, but the story didn’t really keep my attention. So while I didn’t love this story, I didn’t hate it either.

Jen Devon just has this amazing way with words and chemistry, and Right Where We Left Us is an excellent follow up to BTTS. So much angst, so much pinning, so much tension! One could just about self-combust reading this slow burn! TJ and Duncan fell in love years ago, but have been messily avoiding each other, snarking, and hooking up ever since. A wedding brings them back together and gives them a chance to get things right. If you love a contemporary romance that feels big and sweeping, with a cast of well-developed side characters and a lot of page-turning tension, this one is for you.

Right Where We Left Us is a well-told second chance romance. Devon creates a storyline that plays out vividly in the reader's mind as well as feeling strong emotions for the characters. Not rated higher due to dislike for the miscommunication trope and wanting to shake the MC at times, but will continue to read anything Jen Devon writes because she's brilliant.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC, opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Right Where We Left Us by Jen Devon!

Unfortunately, I ended up DNF this book. It had such a cute concept, but it just wasn't hitting, for some reason??? Possibly just not for me. Had no desire to keep reading/pick this one up, despite trying multiple times. Finally deciding to move on to other things.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and the author for the eARC. This is my honest opinion.

jen devon can do no wrong. this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and it did not disappoint. I NEED MORE JEN DEVON IN MY LIFE.

This was an amazing second chance romance. I didn’t particularly like all the misunderstandings and hidden secrets; however, Jen Devon did an amazing job explaining why they happened. This just shows how good of a job Devon does with her writing and storytelling.

I can’t wait to get the next Brady sibling’s story.