With Love from Rose Bend by Naima Simone is the third book in her Rose Bend Series and can be read as a stand-alone book. This steamy, small town, sports romance is an emotional journey that I found delightful. Leontyne Dennison (Leo) is dedicated to her family’s inn, situated in the quaint small town of Rose Bend. She works hard and keeps to herself and her family. She gave up on love years ago, and now she just wants to help her family. She decides to volunteer for the Rose Bend annual spring festival to boost visibility for the inn, and she needs a celebrity to judge the wildly popular chili contest. Owen Strafford retired from the NFL after a car accident caused him to stop playing football. His scarring makes him a hermit and the last thing he wants to do is to make a public appearance, even in a small town. Leo and Owen also have a history. Over a year ago, they had a one-night stand in Boston and Leo can’t believe her bad luck that Owen is now living in her town. I liked the characters in this story. Leo, has shut herself off, and she’s a bit difficult to get to know, but eventually, we know her story and I felt for her and was rooting for her to find her way. Owen is also a bit deeper than I expected and although broody at the beginning of the story, once he started to move out of his shell, I found him delightful. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a steamy romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow. Naima Simone continues to demonstrate her excellence as a writer and storyteller, and With Love from Rose Bend makes that point eloquently. Leo(ntyne) Dennison is smart, organized, determined. She’s grown into her role at her family’s inn, and is focused on making it the best. She’ll need every bit of that inner strength and perseverance to get stranger in town Owen Strafford to lower his miles-high walls and extra-fortified defenses. Owen is basically a wounded animal—healing from the physical injuries inflicted in an accident, it’s probably the mental and emotional scars that are causing the deeper and lingering damage. Naima Simone takes these two imperfect people and let’s us witness them fall, fight, and finally find their best selves with each other. With Love from Rose Bend is a fantastic read, and one for the keeper shelf.

I enjoyed this story from Rose Bend, Leo finally got her story and Owen was a fantastic guy for her. I loved how Leo basically met Owen twice and was taken with him both times, even though Owen wasn’t the same guy she met a year earlier. Owen was hiding himself away from everyone after a horrible car accident left him scarred and no longer playing football. I loved the growth Owen showed over the course of the book and how Leo helped him see himself as the same guy he always was even though he didn’t look the same. Leo also had her own issues that seemed to always keep her from letting Owen all the way into her heart. I was rooting for these two from the beginning and I loved watching their love unfold. I also loved his friends, Sherrod and Celeste, these two were fantastic friends to both Owen and Leo.