Southern Promise

De: Leslie Pike

Narrado por: Andi Eloise, Sebastian York

Tennessee Veterinarian Dominique Grant has a problem. The man who just walked into her life doesn’t fit her well-planned vision. How many red flags can be waving at once?

He’s geographically undesirable.

He’s never known parenthood.

He’s got a Harley and the swagger that goes with it.

But not all storms come to destroy. Some come to clear a path.

California contractor Colter Ripley is about to discover what lies outside the comfort zone. A beautiful, smart woman has upended the familiar and now he sees a new world where he must choose a life, not settle for one.

For Dominique and Colter there is no room for romances that require so much effort.

*Author’s note: This title was previously published as Until Now as part of the ARR hea world*

©2025 Leslie Pike (P)2025 Leslie Pike

I LOVE IT!!

Andi Eloise and Sebastian York were the perfect duet for this book!! I have quickly became a fan for both of these narrators! They really brought this book to life!

Southern Promise by Leslie Pike

Southern Promise is the first book in Leslie Pike’s Tennessee Son series. It is notated that the story originally appeared in another author’s anthology, which might explain why I struggled to fully connect with Dominique and Colter's story. From the very beginning, there’s quite a few characters mentioned so quickly that I felt a little lost and disconnected. My assumption is these characters were likely introduced in earlier stories within the anthology, but calling this book one of a series was quite confusing.
The writing itself felt somewhat choppy, almost staccato, and even in audiobook form, that rhythm came through. It didn’t have the same emotional pull or flow that I’ve loved in Leslie Pike’s other works, which made it hard for me to get invested in this book at all.
That said, the audiobook narration was a definite highlight. Performed in dual POV by Andi Eloise and Sebastian York, the pairing was strong. Andi absolutely blew me away with the range and authenticity she brought to this large cast of characters. This was my first time hearing her in a dual performance, and she held her own beautifully next to a veteran like Sebastian York, whose smooth delivery and effortless swagger is always on point. Together, they added warmth and texture to a story that, for me, otherwise fell a bit flat.

I’ve been a fan of Leslie Pike for a while and have enjoyed many of her past projects, but Southern Promise just missed the mark for me. While the narrators delivered excellent performances, the story itself lacked the depth and connection I typically find in her writing.

Great story with great narration and it’s a small town Romance!!

⭐️5 🎤5 🌶️3.9

Performed in dual narration by Andi and Sebastian York

Produced by Blus nose audio

Tennessee Son series by Leslie Pike

Southern Promise is the first book in the Tennessee Son series, and it’s so cute! Within the first few chapters, I knew I was going to love this one. It’s fast-paced and gives you all the answers to the questions you have while listening or reading. The story is told beautifully from both characters—you get a glimpse of how each character deals with what’s going on and why.

I love the found family in this, along with all the cute and random moments we get with friends and family. This felt like one of my favorite romance TV series, which is why it’s a 5-star book for me. I enjoyed the audio—it’s done perfectly when it comes to Andi and Sebastian. They can’t do no wrong in my eyes they’re some of the best voice actors.

If I see anything with their names on it, I’m gonna listen and get my popcorn, because it’s a movie situation about to go down! The author did a great job of bringing two characters together—even with them being from two different worlds, it made sense for them to meet and know each other. Adding the younger characters truly brought it to life! And there’s dogs involved—who doesn’t love a good pup moment?

What to expect with this:

Funny moments “the laughter is unexpected but needed”

Romance “with a touch of comedy”

Found family “in a few areas”

Healing journey “also in a few areas”

Friendships “loved this!”

Mom and son moments “some of the cutest and funniest moments you’ll get”
And more!

I would recommend this to all romance readers who are into small-town romance with a lot of turns.

Quick and easy listen with great narration!

I had high hopes for this shorter offering from Leslie Pike, but unfortunately it was a miss for me.
There are certainly aspects that I liked; I'm a sucker for single parent romance, I enjoyed the addition of the dogs almost as their own characters, and the beautiful Tennessee setting. There were many sweet moments between the two, as well as Dominique's son and Colter's nephew.
Dominique and Colter both have their checkered histories when it comes to romance, so it was satisfying to see them have their HEA. However, despite knowing that the book was on the shorter end, it still ended up feeling rushed. There were also some moments where Colter was so intensely focused on the physical aspect of their relationship that it rubbed me the wrong way.

Andi Eloise and Sebastian York absolutely nailed the narration portion of the story! Andi came through unexpectedly with a great teenaged boy voice, and she does an amazing job with dual style narration. Sebastian is a seasoned narrator with great range, and he excelled as grumpy, broody Colter.

Dominque and Colter

This was a cute, quick audiobook for me. I enjoyed the insta attraction these two had. Dominque is a single mom who happens to be the small town vet and Colter is a guy from out of town here to take care of his nephew while his sister recovers from a car accident.

I did at times feel like I was missing out on some storylines that were maybe part of a different series? However, I was able to grasp things going on.

I want to say if you enjoy spice this is a closed door romance. However, the book went by so fast that I didn’t really realize it till later on.

I enjoyed the narrators. Sebastian York is always a favourite but Andi Eliose was a new narrator for me. I enjoyed them both.