LEFT ON MAIN

A small Southern town is abuzz with romance in Jackson’s series starter.

Libby Reynolds was blindsided when Colin, her husband of five years, abruptly asked for a divorce. Now, she’s relocated from Mariettato Madison, Georgia, and settled into a new, slower routine of morning runs, freelance travel writing, and quality time with her sister, Rachel, a stressed stay-at-home mom. Finding someone new is off the table; after all, her divorce isn’t even final yet. But then Libby meets Seth Carver, the handsome owner of Lost Horizon Antiques. There’s an instant spark, and the two quickly fall for each other during a casual coffee date. This, of course, gets the town talking. Jackson writes the story from multiple third-person points of view as her innumerable colorful characters observe the Libby-Seth situation and deal with their own personal dramas. Two standouts are Dean Walton,an attractive firefighter whose active dating life borders on an addiction, and Lindy Carver, Seth’s sister, who’s tough as nails and considering in vitro fertilization. Madison is lined with cute shops and is big on tradition, and it shapes up to be an idyllic place for newly rootless Libby to settle down. The only problem is that she’s still somewhat in mourning—not for her marriage (though she still has flickers of old feelings for Colin) but for the optimistic person she once was with him. Rather than wrapping Libby’s past up in a neat bow, Jackson keeps readers guessing about where her heart really lies. Jackson shows Seth summoning all the patience and understanding that his Southern manners can muster, but he’s uneasy about Libby’s lingering connection to Colin—especially after his last girlfriend cheated on him. None of this diminishes Seth and Libby’s easy, occasionally sizzling chemistry, even as misunderstandings, revelations, and reappearing exes threaten to derail their happily-ever-after ending.

A promising beginning to a cozy, character-driven series.