The One I Left Behind

Plain Daisy Ranch, Book 1

By: Piper Rayne

Narrated by: CJ Bloom, Robert Hatchet

It's the classic storyboy goes off into the world to fulfill his dreams and leaves the girl behind.

Not every boy returns home, and I wish Ben Noughton wouldn't have come back to our small ranching town at all after he retired from playing professional football.

I figure it's a quick layover for him. He always wanted out of this town and off his family's ranch. I just have to bide my time until he turns his back on all of us again.

Then he takes on the coaching position for the high school football team and starts milling around too much, bulldozing the protective walls I've built around myself. But he goes too far when he takes my son under his wing to help him be the best player he can be. Leaving me to protect not only my own heart but my son's too.

Because I promised myself a long time ago that I'd never be the girl in the rearview mirror again.

©2024 Piper Rayne Inc. (P)2024 Piper Rayne Inc.

Book & Audio Review

Im a sucker for a good second chance single mom romance and this one hit the mark. I loved Ben and the fact he never fell out of love with Gillian. I loved Clayton’s relationship with his mom. This book also gave me some good found family vibes. The audiobook also DELIVERED. It was dual narration but also the male narrated his parts in the female chapters and vice versa. Again ill say CJ bloom is one of my absolute favorite female narrators and this is my first by Robert Hatchet and he play the part of Ben so well! Excited to continue this series!

Perfect duet narration

I'm in love with CJ Bloom and Robert Hatchet, these two has done an incredible job with this audiobook. To say I love duet narration is an understatment, for me it's the best way to hear a beautiful story.
I absolutely loved how they narrated this audiobook, and the story was so good.
I'm in love with Second Chance romances and once again Piper Rayne doesn't disappoint.

I love this new universe they've written, I'm totally in my Cowboy Era, add a beautiful small town and a fun sibling/family and I'm totally in.

Getting to know Ben and Gillian was great, and I fell easily in love with both of them and Clayton. Understanding their actions, what they've been through... it was beautiful. I loved the emotions, the funny moments, the banters, the family bond in the Noughton's family, the closeness between Gillian and her son.

Willowbrook is a wonderful town and I enjoyed all additional characters involved in the story and I had a great time reading this book.

Piper Rayne still has this power over me, it's like a spell, every time I'm reading their books I read them quickly.

This series has a great beginning and I'm really excited for the rest of this series, but I already know I'm gonna need more than just the the Noughton brothers's stories.

If you love Second Chance, Single Mom and Small Town romance, then this one is for you and I highly recommend it.

2nd chance

A 2nd chance love story. I always enjoy Piper Rayne stories.
Ben is retired from football, moved backe home.
Jillian never left but is a single mom, working by dat, going to college at night with hopes of leaving.
Unexpected issues force them together, repeatedly, til they decided to try again.

Small town x Sweet Home Alabama lovers rejoice!!

“It might not be Kansas, but as Dorothy said, there’s no place like home.“

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 ༞

Couldn’t stop listening

The narrators were perfect. What a great new series. After seeing the gorgeous cover and reading the novella I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. One of my favorite genres ever. I am sucker for second chance small town romances. They are the best and I loved this one! I adored their characters and loved Gillian and. Ben’s story. I can’t wait for the next book!

Great story line kept me hooked the entire time

Didn’t dislike anything. Love the single mom story and second chance love . Teenage was like any typical teen

Love this series

Narrators are great. But the story is really heartwarming and heartbreaking , sweet and sexy. Don’t miss it.

Fast Paced Second Chance

New to me author/s, while I definitely enjoyed this story, it felt a little rushed and needed more context in areas! Excited for book 2 though!

A Sweet and Complicated Small-Town Romance

As a sucker for a good small-town romance, I really enjoyed *The One I Left Behind*. The story follows Ben Noughton, a retired pro football player who returns to his family's ranch in the small town where he grew up. He’s welcomed with love from his brothers and dad, but also with some unresolved family trauma. To his surprise, his high school love, Gillian, is still in town—with a teenage son!

The flame between Ben and Gillian is still burning bright, and they reconnect, trying to figure out where they stand after all these years. I loved how messy and complicated their dynamic became, and how Ben’s family was always involved behind the scenes, even during his absence.

That said, the ending felt a bit rushed to me. I think the story could’ve delved deeper into some of the more challenging conversations needed to resolve those deep-rooted issues. While the relationships between Ben and his family, Gillian, and her son were beautifully built, I would’ve liked to spend more time exploring how it all came to be. The rushed pace kept me from forming an even deeper emotional connection to the characters and their story.

Overall, it was a solid 3 out of 5 stars for me. I’m already diving into the second book in the series, eager to see what’s next and catch up with the friends I made in this story. I’m hopeful the next installment will explore even more of the complexities and emotions that Piper Rayne is so good at weaving into her small-town romances.