Small town romance lovers rejoice! THE ONE I LEFT BEHIND is a gender bent Sweet Home Alabama with extra pizazz sprinkled within. This is the start of a new series, Plain Daisy Ranch, and my first book by this author duo. I can confidently say, this will not be my last!

❥ 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓅𝓁ℴ𝓉
The One I Left Behind follows Ben Noughton, fresh off of retirement from his professional football playing days as he returns to his hometown in hopes of figuring out his next step in life. He won’t deny his desire to reunite with the woman who still owns his heart after all these years since high school, so he could chase his dreams.

Gillian is a single mother preparing to take the bar exam to jump start her career in law with the hopes of getting out of small town life in Willowbrook. When she hears of Ben’s infamous return home, she vows to steer clear of him without being dragged through more heartache of their shared history. After an event forces them to work together, will she be strong enough to resist the pull of a possible second chance with her first love?

❥ 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽ℴ𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈
I absolutely loved this story! Watching Ben & Gillian’s paths continually cross with fate intervening constantly, really served up the tension and apparent chemistry these two still shared when near each other. This also had SO MUCH humor I was laughing out loud on multiple occasions!! That’s not even an exaggeration. I cackled so many times and ate this baby uppp.

One thing I love about small town romances is how the characters come together in times of need. This proved true within this story during a few scenes and it made my heart soar! Not only that but the friend group & family conspiring to bring them back together in various ways had me giggling and kicking my little feet 🤭🥰

I highly recommend this, especially you want these vibes—

✨small town
✨second chance
✨single mom x ex pro footballer
✨a hero that’s down bad {TTPD}
✨lots of laughs
✨banter
✨found family

Read it and thank me later ༞