I ended up DNFing this book at 43%. This cannot be read as a standalone in my opionion, as I did not read the first book in the series and I didn't even know it was part of a series when I grabbed the galley. I felt like I was plopped in an already established storyline and it was hard for me to catch up. And because of that, I just didn't reach for it and felt an obligation to keep going as long as I did.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i really enjoyed this story that kept bringing tj and duncan back together and the forced proximity trope is working well here. sometimes the backstories confused me but the way devon winds it into one story was well done. i liked that the family gets involved trying to get them together but the family isn't the forefront and makes characters confusing.

Right Where We Left Us has great angst and I really liked Duncan and Temperance as a couple. Their chemistry was very present on the page and I always enjoy second chance romances because they guarantee some top shelf hurt/comfort. I think the author did a great job with the hurt aspect, but I missed the comfort and everything was just a giant miscommunication trope. The random two week time jumps after Temperance and Duncan had a highly emotional encounter without any sort of closure or discussion drove me nuts. The whole issue stems from Duncan literally not using his words or explaining anything. He is vocal about his love for Temperance, but he’s so close lipped and secretive I don’t understand how he could have any anger towards Temperance. The whole storyline was so frustrating - I wanted to bang my head against the wall. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!!!!!! Right Where We Left Us is just okay. I wanted so much more than just two adult children refusing to properly communicate and keeping things that aren’t even a big deal secret. There was so much potential between Duncan and Temperance, as I relatively liked their characters separately and loved them together. Unfortunately, this entire read was so infuriating I still want to pull my hair out just thinking about it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Griffin, and the author for providing me an early copy!

Jen Devon is the kind of author who will rip your heart out, crush it into a million pieces, and stitch it right back up again. Right where we left us is no different. Jen has been an auto-buy author since her debut. This is for fans of second-chance romances and stories filled with emotional depth, rooting for the characters to get it right finally, Jen Devon's writing is heartfelt and engaging, capturing the raw emotions and the sizzling tension between TJ and Duncan. It is such a passionate tale of two souls finding their way back to each other, proving that sometimes love deserves one more chance.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

After reading and absolutely devouring Bend Toward the Sun, I was really excited to jump right into this one and continue my time with the Brady bunch- and the women who love them. Originally, I didn’t realize this was a 2nd book and tried to read it as a standalone, and was SO confused during the first chapter that I figured out I had missed an entire book that would explain this all. I jumped into this almost immediately after finishing Bend Toward the Sun, which was extremely helpful, but I still found myself slightly confused by all the characters- especially ones who were given nicknames that I had to learn all over again. These books would benefit from a little family tree at the beginning of the books, honestly, as there are just so many brothers and spouses they are really hard to keep track of.
Anyway.
I was really excited for this book after loving BTTS so much, but unfortunately it was really a struggle. Devon’s prose is quite poetic and beautiful and quiet, and this was something I loved about Rowan and Henry’s story, but unfortunately I had a lot of trouble connecting to Temperance OR Duncan this time around, which made the slower, descriptive writing a bit of a struggle. I struggled to understand why these two weren’t together, after it being so abundantly clear that they were both madly in love with each other. Other than Duncan’s unfortunate situation with Temperance’s dad, there didn’t seem any reason for these two to stay away from each other.
While Devon’s writing is absolutely beautiful, I had a harder time connecting with this story and unfortunately did not relate to it the way I did with her debut. I will absolutely continue picking up her books in the future, but I won’t be picking this one up again.

Included as a top pick in weekly June New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

3.5 stars rounded down. I was happy to be back in the world of Bend Toward The Sun, and back with all of the characters, including Rowan and Harry and the whole Brady family. And I knew this was going to be full of angst, but... wow. There was so much tension, but I wasn't really invested in why Temperance and Duncan had so much tension? Maybe we just didn't get enough flashbacks, but there was just too much tension and animosity for me. At the very least, there was no third act break-up (though they didn't get together until the last 5 or so chapters, so I would have been MAD).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an eARC of Right Where We Left Us in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this author’s debut novel Bend Towards the Sun when I read it a year ago. This book picks up on the second chance love story of former high school sweethearts Temperance and Duncan, characters introduced in the first book, who are thrown together to help with their friends’/family member’s wedding.

I will say that I would have enjoyed this much more if I had read the first book more recently. The author beautifully fleshed out all of the main characters in the first book, but reading this as a standalone was confusing keeping the many characters straight. Perhaps because of this, the pacing seemed a bit uneven, especially at the beginning as I got my footing.

I liked that this author took some risks with her writing, using lush and evocative language to describe the gorgeous country setting. Her dual perspective style was effective in fleshing out the hidden emotions and thoughts of the two main characters. However, I had a hard time rooting for these characters to come together because I had no idea WHY they weren’t together already. That part of the plot seemed improbable and muddled to me. Unlike my experience reading the author’s first love story, I did not personally connect with these two characters. Sometimes that just happens when reading a romance story though. I’ll happily read Jen Devon’s next book for her quirky metaphors and the next chapter in the fun and loving Brady family.

Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this ARC.

This was cute and entertaining. It is a comfort read, and something I enjoy. I can’t say it was anything special or spectacular, but it was great for curling up in the couch and enjoying a restful
Reading experience.

I am a sucker for romance books, but when you add in tropes like forced proximity? I will stop whatever I'm doing to read those books!

The tension is just amazing! I swear you can feel so many emotions in a well written forced proximity book, and this was definitely a well written book.

This book reminded me exactly why romance is my favorite genre.

I felt like I was transported into the book, and I could see the scenes playing out beautifully.

Just look at all the good reviews available for this book.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book!

This book was a little too front-loaded with stories tangential to the romance, which kept it from pulling me in. When the main couple was together, I really appreciated the angst! I had read this author's debut, which is why I was eager to read this one, but I feel like the world of it is a little over-peopled and unwieldy for how intimate and intense the romance itself is.

mmm mmm mmmm this book is SCRUM-DIDDLY-UMPTIOUS! YUM.

In all seriousness, I loooooved this delicious second (third/fourth/fifth) chance slow burn; it was an absolutely captivating, atmospheric page-turner written by a highly talented and capable writer.

Set in the intimate universe built in her debut, BEND TOWARD THE SUN, this book tells the story of Duncan Brady and Temperance Madigan, and in a dual POV tight-tension journey, we experience the roadblocks keeping these fated mates apart, and how they ultimately choose long-awaited love amidst setback.

Not only is this book extremely hot, like HOT hot, it is also just so beautifully written. I got emotional throughout this book, and it wasn't just from the utter Feels™ I got from TJ and Duncan's story. The writing was so lush while still clearly crafted with care and intention. It's a higher-plane reading experience that I didn't want to end. And the tension, the pining, the heat: WOW. Excruciatingly next-level good.

I desperately hope we get more stories in the Brady-verse, especially ESPECIALLY Mal's story. I need *that* book immediately.

I can't wait to scream about RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT US -- it really deserves all the hype and I can't wait for more readers to fall in love with Brady and Temperance -- and with Jen's singularly special brand of storytelling.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT US is out now!

Duncan runs his family’s business. He is always busy. While he is great at his job he wants more. One of the things he wants is a chance at a relationship with Temperance. Temperance is a doctor who works too hard. Her parents are a constant thorn in her side but she feels she needs them to accomplish her goals. She has always wanted to be with Duncan but she doesn’t know how to make that happen. They spend a lot of time together because Temperance is part of Duncan’s family through marriage so they can’t escape each other. And now Temperance’s best friend is marrying into the family so they are thrown together to work on the wedding. Will they finally figure out how to make a relationship work?
I’m not going to get all detailed and crazy. This is a good solid love story between two adults who have always wanted to be together but they never felt like they could make it work. The author does a good job creating a world around them and showing how they fit into it. Duncan has an amazing and supportive family but there is also some tension because of expectations. At the end of the day they all love each other and want to support each other. I thought the confrontation between Duncan and his parents was good without going over the top. Duncan is working hard to make the changes he wants in his life. The author does a good job showing Duncan’s determination. Temperance is straddling between two families. Her parents use her to their advantage while Duncan’s family treats her as one of their own. Seeing the juxtaposition was really good. I could understand why Temperance was having trouble getting out from under her parents’ demands. I thought her desire to be with Duncan made sense and it made me sad for her. There is a big reveal moment near the end of the story that made me laugh. Given how the author developed Duncan, I can believe that he could accomplish what was revealed.
This book takes place in Pennsylvania in a small town. It is a second chance love story. It is also a family drama. There is no bad guy. If you are looking for a story that will make you believe in love, give this a chance. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

Synopsis:

Temperance ("TJ") Madigan and Duncan Brady have never gotten it right. After one radiant, secret summer together when they were 18, they’ve been on-again off-again ever since. When a wedding at the Brady’s vineyard lands TJ there for the summer, their mutual avoidance strategies prove impossible. 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.

Review:

This was an aaaaaaaangsty second chance romance between two people who don't have a choice but to be around each other because of their friends and family ties. It's a small town setting (which I love for romance) and I loved getting to know the warm and welcoming Brady family - but also appreciated that, as most family dynamics go, they weren't perfect. TJ was an ambitious and fiery FMC and Duncan is a hot, reliable and handy MMC. This is the first book I've read by Jen Devon, but it won't be my last!

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!