Books › Things We Left Behind
Things We Left Behind
783 pages
A fiery, banter-filled collision of small-town charm and high-stakes emotional baggage.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like watching a thunderstorm roll into a cozy, sunlit valley. It perfectly balances the comforting, quirky warmth of a tight-knit small town with the crackling, high-voltage tension of two people who have spent years pretending to hate each other. The pacing is brisk and addictive, driven by razor-sharp banter that masks deep wells of shared trauma and vulnerability. As the defensive walls crumble, the mood shifts from playfully antagonistic to intensely passionate and emotionally raw. The prose is snappy and accessible, designed to keep the pages turning while delivering both laugh-out-loud moments and genuine heartache. It is an absolute feast for readers who love a fiercely protective, brooding hero and a heroine who gives as good as she gets.
- Mood
- steamy
- cozy
- emotionally charged
- crackling
- Tone
- witty
- angsty
- swoony
- playful
- intense
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- healing from childhood trauma · enemies to lovers · found family · overcoming emotional walls · the burden of protection
- The writing
- Snappy, dialogue-driven, and highly accessible, balancing laugh-out-loud banter with moments of raw emotional intensity.
- The arc
- Moves from sharp, defensive hostility to vulnerable, scorching intimacy as deep-seated fears are finally dismantled.
- Who it's for
- Romance readers who crave high-heat enemies-to-lovers dynamics, small-town charm, and a brooding, fiercely protective hero.
Content notes
- childhood abuse (recounted)
- domestic violence (recounted)
- explicit sexual content
- kidnapping/danger elements
About the book
Lucian Rollins is a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. On a quest to erase his father’s mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building an indestructible empire. The more money and power he amasses, the safer he is from threats.
Except when it comes to the feisty small-town librarian that keeps him up at night...
Sloane Walton is a spitfire determined to carry on her father’s quest for justice. She’ll do that just as soon as she figures out exactly what the man she hates did to—or for—her family. Bonded by an old, dark secret from the past and the dislike they now share for each other, Sloane trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body.
When bickering accidentally turns to foreplay, these two find themselves not quite regretting their steamy one-night stand. Once those flames are fanned, it seems impossible to put them out again. But with Sloane ready to start a family and Lucian refusing to even consider the idea of marriage and kids, these enemies-to-lovers are stuck at an impasse.
Broken men break women. It’s what Lucian believes, what he’s witnessed, and he’s not going to take that chance with Sloane. He’d rather live a life of solitude than put her in danger. But he learns the hard way that leaving her means leaving her unprotected from other threats.
It’s the second time he’s ruthlessly cut her out of his life. There’s no way she’s going to give him a third chance. He’s just going to have to make one for himself.
Description from Open Library.
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