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

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.

Dominique and Colter

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
🌶️🌶️

Book 1 in the Tennessee Sons series
Performed in dual narration by Andi Eloise & Sebastian York


Dominique and Colter

I enjoyed this sweet romance. Love at first sight. This Age gap, single mom is an enjoyable listen.

Colter comes to town to look after his nephew where he meets the local
Veterinarian.

Andi and Sebastian were perfect. I enjoyed listening to them.

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.

Heartwarming & Fabulous Story and Narration🎧

Leslie Pike pens another wonderful novel, a romance novel that warms your heart and tugs at your heartstrings the entire time. This book brings together Dominique Grant, a single mom and the town’s veterinarian, and Colter Ripley, who is visiting from California, staying at his sister’s house to take care of his nephew while she recovers from a car accident. I loved the instant connection between these two, and also loved how Dominique’s son Bing and his nephew, Hunter, became friends. I enjoyed watching these relationships develop and Colter and Dominique’s romance morph into something so much more. The only problem is that her life is in Tennessee and his is in California, along with his business, which has an opportunity of a lifetime being offered to him. This beautifully written and plotted story has the perfect balance of drama, heartwarming moments, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. Leslie Pike, thank you for another fabulous story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Andi Eloise and Sebastian York, a fabulous pairing and performance, both were amazing with voicing these characters, humanizing them with emotions, having you feel them all. They were naturals in their roles, embodying their character’s personality, with Eloise nailing it as Dominique and York as Colter. Both were fantastic at performing the roles of the side/secondary characters too, teenagers included. These two are entertaining storytellers, and their captivating performance keeps you hooked to the story and elevates the story to another level.

Cute and sweet

This was a very quick listen that was cute and sweet with some heat. The love Colter and Dominique had for each and the chemistry between them was great. I enjoyed the story and the characters. Especially, Colter and his dog Callie. They will quickly capture your heart and have you giggling.

The dual narration performed by Andi Eloise and Sebastian York was great. Both are two of my top fav narrators. They do an amazing job voicing multiple characters and capturing their personalities and emotions. They really brought this story and the characters to life.

Instant Attraction

Southern Promise by Leslie Pike is a fast pace small town romance novella with instant attraction. I can appreciate how Colter, our MMC, goes straight to the point unfiltered about what he wants with the FMC, Dominique. He’s a confident man who enjoys intimacy and pleasing a woman. Then there’s Dominque, the FMC, who is beautiful, intelligent, a veterinarian, and a single mom. She is a combination of sweet and innocent, but also curious to explore intimacy with a man she’s just met that has caught her eye! The narration by Andi Eloise and Sebastian York was done with ease, grace, and spunk. You can definitely tell these two enjoy what they do and provide a clear picture of their character’s personalities. Thank you Blue Nose Audio and Leslie Pike for this ALC opportunity!

Quick, Sweet Listen

Dominique and Colter

The narrators did a good job. This was cute, entertaining and funny. Dominique is a widowed single mom who meets Colter at her clinic and he is in town with his dog taking care of his nephew for a while. If your looking for something short and sweet I recommend listening to this.

A great recovery read, after all the dark romance, I’ve read

Hey everyone and welcome back to another audiobook review. So this is Southern promises by Leslie Pike. It is a very super super super quick listen. The audiobook runtime at just one speed is 4 1/2 hours. I usually listen to mine at like 1.6 to 1.7 so this was very quickly and a very nice read especially after all the dark romance I’ve listened to recently by Blue Nose AUDIO. So quick overview of this book is our main female character is Dominique, she is a single mom, a widow, and she is a veterinarian in the local town then comes our male main character, Colter Riley, he has recently come to Tennessee to care for his nephew while his sister is recovering form an accident and he has to bring their dog into the vet where he meets Dominique and I’m not going to get too much further into that just where again this is a super quick read/listen. This book is narrated by the amazing voices of Andi Eloise and Sebastian York. These are absolutely two of my favorite narrators of audiobooks and I absolutely love if you haven’t listened to anything that Andi has done recently like Grim and stuff like that. She does an absolutely phenomenal job and I feel like you need to listen to her. Sebastian York he is what I like to call the Daddy narrator. I feel like every book I’ve ever listened to him as a narrator. He is getting called Daddy by our female main characters, and He just gives off daddy vibes. If you’ve ever listened to the gallows Hill series, you know that he is called daddy by the female main character in that book as well as another book he is in Fox, the Hel’s Ink series he is called papa fox. So I had an absolutely fun time listening to this, especially with two of my favorite narrators of audiobooks big shout out to Blue Nose AUDIO again for allowing me to listen to this early.

Small-town romance

Southern Promise by Leslie Pike is a sweet, small-town romance that gently blends opposites attract energy with emotional growth and self-discovery. While I enjoyed the warmth and sincerity of the story, I have to admit that the love-at-first-sight element and the slow pacing in the beginning didn’t completely work for me. Dominique and Maxen’s relationship feels almost too perfect, too soon, which left me wishing for a little more tension and build-up before their emotional connection took root. That said, Leslie Pike’s heartfelt storytelling and the way she captures the quiet power of love still made this a charming and feel-good read.

The Story
Dominique Grant has her life neatly mapped out in Tennessee a stable career as a veterinarian, a solid plan for the future, and no room for surprises. But then Maxen Ripley walks in. He’s a California contractor with a Harley, a swagger that hints at trouble, and a heart that surprises even him. They come from two very different worlds: she’s rooted in routine, while he’s chasing freedom. Still, something about their connection feels inevitable.

What begins as an unexpected spark quickly becomes something deeper, as both are forced to confront their fears and question what truly matters. Maxen has never known family or responsibility in the way Dominique lives it, and Dominique has never been challenged to take emotional risks. Together, they find that sometimes the best things in life don’t fit the plan they rewrite it entirely.

What I Loved
✔️ The small-town charm of Tennessee contrasted with Maxen’s free-spirited California lifestyle.
✔️ The emotional honesty between the main characters, even when things felt messy or uncertain.
✔️ Leslie Pike’s warm and mature writing voice, which beautifully captures both vulnerability and strength.
✔️ The narration by Sebastian York and Andi Eloise, whose voices perfectly complemented the tone of the story.

🎧 Narration
Narrated by Sebastian York and Andi Eloise, the audiobook adds wonderful depth to the story. York’s smooth, grounded delivery fits Maxen perfectly, while Eloise captures Dominique’s independence and vulnerability with authenticity. Their chemistry enhances the romance, creating a seamless listening experience that feels tender, emotional, and real.

Tropes & Vibes
✔️ Small Town Romance
✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Love at First Sight
✔️ Dual POV
✔️ Strong Heroine
✔️ Family Crossover (Happily Ever Alpha World)
✔️ Emotional Growth / Finding Balance

Final Thoughts
Southern Promise is a gentle, emotionally grounded story about choosing love even when it doesn’t fit the plan. While I wished for a little more buildup and pacing early on, the heart of this book shines through two people learning to find balance between freedom and security, passion and peace. It’s soft, sweet, and deeply sincere, reminding us that sometimes the best love stories are the ones we never saw coming.