This was second in series and if you didn't read first I think you would be lost. TJ and Duncan fell in love when they were 18. They split up and since then they have been hooking up but never really making a serious go of the relationship. They have been trying to keep the distance to avoid ending up but forced proximity brings these two together again.

This has a lot of innuendos which I thought were funny. This was a second chance romance with family drama tossed in. Spicy!

I read the first 25% of the novel and then skimmed the rest due to many reasons I will cover in my review.

My introduction into this story was a bit chaotic. This is mainly because we are bombarded with so many side characters in the first two chapters. It doesn’t help that they are all siblings and best friends, so it is hard to keep them straight. So this was a let down and made me hesitate to read the rest of the novel.

As I read on, the scenes were super boring and seemed to just happen rather than being strategically planned to progress the plot. And the conversations between the characters lacked any substance and were pretty tiring to read.

I was irritating that TJ and Duncan kept hinting about their bad relationship but took forever to reveal why they broke up but kept hooking up every once in a while. It just seemed weird. I think this novel should have been planned out where the first half was them in their younger years and then it flashed forward to where the novel starts.

Overall I was not pleased with this one. I wish I would have known own their was another book that tells about TJ’s best friend Rowan who is getting married in this book. Maybe this would have helped me keep characters straight and made the plot more interesting.

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Temperance and Duncan are two high school sweethearts who had a volatile breakup only to be forced back together for a summer when their best friend and brother get married.

This book had a lot of great romantic troops, but ultimately fell a little flat to me. Unfortunately, some of the writing had really beautifully created lines, but then others felt forced and a little too metaphoric, and I felt I often didn’t get lost in the pages as much as I normally would in other books.

I think the main characters were flawed, but genuinely compassionate and caring individuals. I just wish we saw more of their backstory and got a little more depth as to why they were unfit together as teenagers because I feel like the animosity they had towards each other later on wasn’t incredibly justified. The situation with her parents was a plot that really caught my interest and I think the family dynamic was really well done. I also love the Brady family I think their clan was so fun to read, especially the little outings that they had.

But I did get a little jumbled at points with characters and some descriptions dragged on a little bit for me personally but I think the romantic and steamy scenes are just the right amount of description. The second chance romance didn’t hit as hard as I’d hoped, and maybe I wished there were more flashbacks to their times together at 18 as well as the “bonus” hookups they had throughout the years. Not a bad read if you’re looking for second chance enemies to lovers found family tropes.

Tropes:
Found family
Second chance romance
Exes
Small town
Found family

I tried to read Jen Devon's first book, got a few pages into it, and was like "I guess the writing is polished enough, but I don't care about this character's angst or anything to do with this greenhouse or really anything else that's going on here", and noped out. The description of this one sounded much more interesting, though, so I figured I'd give the author a second chance and requested it. This time I got maybe 10% of the way in before I just couldn't, because my GOD did it drag, and also there was like a Bridgerton cast's worth of relatives and supporting characters to keep track of right off the bat, and again I didn't care about any of these people! The author needs to make me care about the main characters first, and unfortunately I just... didn't. (Also what is it with Taylor Swift lyrics in romcom titles now? That really didn't help with my disconnect either, because this book reads more like women's fiction rather than the vibe the title and cover seem like they're trying for.) Suffice it to say, I suspect this author just isn't for me, but thanks regardless to St. Martin's for the ARC in return for my even more honest than usual review!

I recall giving Devon's debut novel Bend Toward the Sun a generous review despite a number of reservations. While those reservations didn't sit well with me at the time, there were definitely aspects of the first novel I appreciated, and I wanted to see if a second book would change how I was feeling about this author's writing. Well, the problems I had with the first novel are unfortunately amplified tremendously in this follow-up book. The Brady family is the center focus once again with Duncan Brady as the tortured hero. Temperance, Rowan's best friend from the first book, is the tortured female main character and the love of Duncan's life, as well as perpetual thorn in his side.

This book attempts to review the long, painful history of Duncan and Temperance to explain why these long-lost lovers can never be together. The reasons are exhaustively long and illogical. They do further my deep-seated belief that second chance romances are not a trope I enjoy. Duncan is a tragic soul, misunderstood by his family, the rock in every relationship he has, but never truly appreciated. Not to be outdone, Temperance too is a tortured soul, misunderstood by her family, hardworking to a fault, and forced to hide secrets that she mysteriously feels she cannot share with anyone. Hidden secrets are in abundance, even when the reasons for bottling them makes no sense. From the first pages, the romance is overladen with years of deceit and misunderstanding. Aside from disliking this type of heavy handedness, I struggled to empathize with their failed relationship. I also greatly disliked the platitudes that are shared by all sorts of people throughout the book. At one point I started highlighting them but then stopped because there were so many. Taken out of context as I go back and look at my notes, the inspiration words of wisdom spewing out of so many characters' mouths seem even more absurd.

Angsty romances can be so wonderful, but I think they take a deft hand to pull off. Clearly this book rubbed me the wrong way, and I think given my hesitance about her first one, she's just not an author who works for me.

Temperance and Duncan have known each other most of their lives, but after a brief go at a relationship when they were young, things fell apart and they were left alternating between explosive chemistry and uncomfortable forced proximity. Now grown adults, Temperance & Duncan are pushed back together as her best friend marries his brother.

Initially this book hooked me. I love, love, love the title and the first scene was written with such fantastic description you feel like you're standing in the greenhouse with the characters. You immediately understand the tension as they're clearly estranged but also still attracted to each other. I love a second chance romance so I was 100% in at that point.

At some point about halfway through, though, the detailed descriptions when from the thing I liked best to the thing I liked least. There was way, way, way too much description across the board. In a story with so many characters and so much back story, that really slowed the book down. I also didn't really love the reason they were trying to stay apart; clearly they were both interested in and attracted to each other consistently and the reason given wasn't great. I would have preferred if explained it by saying they needed to do some growing up apart rather than the very, very archaic reason given.

That being said, it's a cute story about a cute family and it had the appropriate amount of spice. I would definitely read more from this author and see how it goes.

Returning to the Brady family felt like returning home. You get to see the whole family and big life moments for Rowan and Harry while still diving deep into Temperance and Duncan's love story. Similar to the first book, you're treated with Duncan's quick wit with lines like "you can't stick a flower in an a**hole and pretend it's a vase ma" and more. Loved getting glimpses of how life was for Maren and Temperance/TJ pre-Brady family and why their bond is as close as it is.

Bring on Frankie's story!

the story is very slow with a lot of world building that becomes confusing to the story line. the last two hours seemed to be the full story. also confused what was flashbacks and what was current time. the story itself was cute even if it was buried under MANY layers

If you like second-chance, meant-to-be, opposite sides of the tracks romance with incredibly detailed descriptions and a huge cast of characters, this book is for you.

Temperance Jean and Duncan have known each other all their lives and the connection between them is undeniable. Except they keep denying it and finding reasons why they can’t be together. When his brother and her friend get engaged and plan their wedding, the two of them try to put their past behind them and get along. The pull between them is too strong and, surrounded by his large family and even more townspeople, they find themselves back where they always do: fighting against their undeniable bond.

The dense description and attention to detail often got in the way of the core story, with so many characters to keep track of and irrelevant insights provided about other’s activities and motivations. The world-building could have been much simpler while just as enticing for the reader to continue the series. There were definitely times that it would have been nice to cut to the chase, the end is all that these two could have hoped for.

3.5 stars rounded down. I really, really wanted to like this one more than I did. When approved for this title, I went back and read Jen Devon's first in the series, BEND TOWARDS THE SUN to make sure I had all the character backgrounds (and I love small town romances). In the first book, I chalked up the "meh" feeling I had about the main characters in the first book as the reason I didn't quite enjoy it, and the I loved the tension between Temperance and Duncan and really looked forward to reading their second chance story. I also love the Brady family! Unfortunately, I think this is just a stylistic issue for me in that I felt the author's descriptive writing, while very beautiful, takes away from necessary plot development and advancement. RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT US felt slow, drawn out, and the miscommunication elements didn't seem severe enough to warrant the back and forth between the characters. I appreciate a slow build, but being 2/3 of the way through the book, I was still waiting for the pace to pick up. I think all the elements of a five star romance were there for me, but the execution fell short.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an advanced eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Temperance & Duncan
✨Second Chance Romance
✨Multiple POV
✨Found Family
✨Childhood friends to lovers
Temperance pretty much spent all her youth around Duncan and his family. His family has a gorgeous large house on a winery that is the family business, which Duncan is the most involved from all of the siblings. Temperance is a resident doctor and so her & Duncan are drowning in their workload.
T&D have always had this flow and spark between each other but aren’t “together” after years of stuff. Well one of the brothers propositions to Duncan that they should become “friends”.

💗Temperance, Frankie, & Rowan💗 Every girl needs a friend group like them. I love that fact that everyone is intertwined in this book. It adds to the intrigue of the book.

This book is very well written. I enjoyed that the author Jen Devon kept me engaged the entire time. The words she uses to convey her story and help you feel like you’re actually seeing it firsthand. It’s cute, sweet, and funny. A love story between friends that are like family, and childhood best buds.

Right Where We Left Us was a quick and enjoyable second chance romance. I absolutely loved the dual perspectives. It had a good blend of humor, romance, and also some steamy moments. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable contemporary romance!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Temperance and Duncan are like two planetary objects, drawn to one another due to a consistent, intense magnetic pull. At times they come too close for comfort, temporarily colliding before drawing back into a safer, more comfortable orbit. <b><I>Right Where We Left Us</I></b> is a story of the reunion of childhood sweethearts at a family wedding and a chance at second-chance love.

Our FMC and MMC had a whirlwind childhood romance which they kept hidden from both of their families. When an accident leads to an ultimatum, Temperance and Duncan try to untangle their lives despite having seemingly interwoven destinies. Fourteen years later, when Duncan’s brother is set to marry Temperance’s best friend, the two childhood sweethearts are set back onto a path of an inevitable head-on collision, the final opportunity to see if they can mend what was broken all those years ago.

I was completely smitten with this book. The writing style of Jen Devon is one that I rarely find in romance books these days: a true mastery of scene and plot development, coupled with the ability to build staggering tension between our FMC and MMC which had me completely engrossed in their story. Her skill of establishing a scene based on all five senses was so intoxicating that I wish all books could be written in the same way, though I doubt my feeble heart could handle it! This book was incredible, and I highly recommend it to all who are looking for a romance with slow-burn tension, delicious spice and redemption.

Tropes in this story:
✨ Second-chance love
✨ Childhood sweethearts
✨ Tattooed, brawny MMC
✨ Intelligent, doctor FMC
✨ Chronic illness
✨ Misunderstanding and dishonesty in past

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley, but my review is all my own.

This book has a solid second chance romance plot line. But my favorite thing about it, by far, was the Brady family. Meddling siblings and a whole group of people who love the main characters endlessly is what truly makes this story. I was thrilled to see Temperance and Duncan get there happily ever after, turning found family into forever family.

i was SO HAPPY to be able to read this (early)!

i read a goodreads review when i was a couple chapters in; the person has dnf’d, saying it was too “messy.” i will agree, it is messy, but worth it in the long run. second chance really needs to be done well for me to enjoy it. the first half (third especially) was kind of slow going for me. i even considered quitting at one point.

BUT, i LOVED… and i mean LOVED devon’s debut — the first book in this series. her writing is so warm, funny, and readable. so, i stuck it out, and the part four really sold me.

i especially CAN’T WAIT for book three, which i’m HOPING is frankie x mal, based on some of the setup here. fingers crossed!

#netgalley

I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

I hate giving bad reviews, especially when it’s an ARC. When I read the description of this book I thought it would be so cute and so amazing. I was wrong. This book was not my cup of tea. Almost every other sentence I got second hand embarrassment. The wording was terrible. Usually I don’t judge character names but come on, Temperance. Really, when I opened it I thought that character was a guy. Overall I hope that this book is liked by people but I just wasn’t for me.

Oh this hit right in the feels!I devoured this in one sitting!absolutely beautifully written second chance romance! will definitely recommend and can't wait
to read more by this author! 10 stars!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early arc in exchange for an honest review*

I didn't realize that this book was part of a series. I wish I had read the first book before this one because you're kind of just thrown into all the characters and I was often confused by who was who. I also didn't love the overly descriptive writing and would have preferred more dialogue instead. I didn't feel a ton of chemistry between Duncan and Temperance, and they just fell a little flat for me. This one wasn't my favorite, but I would be willing to try another book by Devon.

Wow! What an experience! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Netgalley and boy am I extremely grateful 🫶🏻🫶🏻😍😍!

Like the first book- which I loved completely 💗💗- this takes place at the Brady family’s vineyard and involves Duncan and Temperance. Their story is a second chance trope- one of my favourites- and it didn’t disappoint. The author has an amazing way with words and I was once again captivated by these flawed, vulnerable characters that you can’t help but root for!! 🫶🏻

Duncan, like his brother Harry, is such an amazing guy -book boyfriend worthy! He hides so much of himself yet at the same time isn’t afraid to go after what he wants. Temperance is a person who knows her own dreams but keeps boundaries around her heart. Both have hurt each other but they have the ability to heal each other as well. 💗💗
Would highly recommend this book and if you haven’t read the first one, what are you waiting for? 😊. Well done ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved it!!