Things We Left Behind (Knockemout Series, 3)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lucy Score returns to spicy-sweet Knockemout, Virginia with Lucian and Sloane's story.

There was only one woman who could set me free. But I would rather set myself on fire than ask Sloane Walton for anything.

Lucian Rollins is a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. On a quest to erase his abusive father's mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building his empire. The more money and power he gains, the safer he feels.

Except when it comes to one feisty small-town librarian…

Bonded by an old, dark secret from the past and their current mutual disdain, Sloane Walton trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body.

When bickering accidentally turns to foreplay, the flames are fanned, and it's impossible to put them out again. But with Sloane more than ready to start a family and Lucian refusing to even consider the idea of marriage and kids, these enemies-to-lovers are stuck at an impasse.

Until Lucian learns the hard way that leaving Sloane is impossible―the very least he can do is to keep her safe.

Lucy Score is an instant #1 New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance. She grew up in a literary family who insisted that the dinner table was for reading and earned a degree in journalism.

Her books have been translated into thirty languages and her international bestseller Things We Never Got Over has been optioned for television.

She writes full-time from the Pennsylvania home she and Mr. Lucy share with their opinionated cat, Cleo. When not spending hours crafting unforgettable characters, Lucy can be found reading books other people wrote, snacking, and sometimes even working out.

Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score is a slow-burn, small-town romance that mixes enemies-to-lovers tension with deep emotional healing, family drama, and the comfort of a tight-knit community. The story follows Lucian Rollins and Sloane Walton, two people who have known each other most of their lives and who seem to clash constantly, even though the pull between them is undeniable. Lucian is a powerful, controlled, and highly disciplined businessman with a difficult past. He is used to being in charge, keeping his emotions locked down, and never letting anyone get close enough to hurt him. Sloane, by contrast, is stubborn, outspoken, and fiercely protective of the people she loves. She runs the local library in their small town of Knockemout and is known for her fiery personality, quick wit, and refusal to back down from Lucian, no matter how intimidating he appears. From the outside, they look like natural enemies: the icy, intense corporate shark and the warm, defiant librarian who delights in challenging him at every turn.

Their history is not simple. As children and teenagers, Sloane and Lucian knew each other through their families, and there were moments of connection that could have grown into something more. However, events in their past created distance, pain, and misunderstandings that hardened into resentment. Lucian’s childhood and adolescence were marked by neglect, trauma, and a lack of safety, which shaped his belief that vulnerability is dangerous. Sloane, meanwhile, grew up in a loving family but experienced her own loss and heartbreak, including unresolved questions surrounding her father’s death. Over time, their paths diverged. Lucian left town and built a high-powered life for himself, becoming a wealthy and influential man. Sloane stayed and became rooted in the town, building a life defined by community, books, and family. When the book begins, they are drawn back into each other’s orbit, and all the tensions, glances, and sharp words reveal that their hostility is layered over years of buried feelings and hurts that were never fully addressed.

The dynamic between them is charged from the start. They argue, tease, challenge, and annoy each other, yet their chemistry is so strong that it quickly becomes clear their hatred is not pure. Lucian tries to keep things cold and professional, but whenever Sloane is involved, his carefully built walls crack. He is possessive and deeply affected by her presence, even when he pretends not to care. Sloane, on the other hand, refuses to be intimidated by his money, suits, or reputation. She calls him out on his behavior, pushes back when he’s controlling or secretive, and refuses to let him hide behind emotional distance. This back-and-forth is central to the book’s appeal: Lucy Score uses their banter and conflict to show how attraction can grow from friction, and how two strong-willed people can slowly learn to trust each other enough to show what is beneath their defenses.

As their relationship develops, the book reveals more about Lucian’s past and the reasons behind his obsessive need to control his environment. He carries heavy emotional baggage and genuine darkness from his childhood, including trauma that still shapes his relationships and choices. He has spent years building a life where he calls the shots, stays alone, and avoids entanglements that require emotional honesty. Sloane disrupts that pattern completely. She sees through his armor and refuses to accept half-truths or emotional distance. In doing so, she forces him to confront the things he has tried to bury, including his fears about love, intimacy, and losing control. The story becomes as much about Lucian’s emotional healing as it is about romance, showing that love can be terrifying for someone who has only ever known it as unsafe or conditional.

Sloane’s journey is equally important. While she appears confident and outspoken, she is not free from pain. Her father’s death and the unanswered questions around it weigh heavily on her, and there are secrets and lies that have shaped how she sees her family’s past. Throughout the book, she uncovers truth about what happened and how it connects to Lucian and his world. These discoveries test her trust, her loyalty, and her belief in the man she is falling for. Sloane has to decide whether she can accept the darker parts of Lucian’s life and whether she can forgive the ways in which their pasts are entangled. Her courage lies not only in speaking her mind, but in opening her heart, risking disappointment, and learning to let herself be loved by someone who is still learning how to love in a healthy way.

The small town of Knockemout plays a big role in the story, adding warmth, humor, and support around the central couple. Familiar characters from the earlier books in the series appear, bringing friendship, meddling, and a sense of community that contrasts with Lucian’s usual cold, high-pressure world. The town is messy and vibrant, full of people who care deeply about each other, even when they are nosy or overinvolved. This backdrop makes Sloane’s life feel rich and rooted, and it slowly begins to draw Lucian in as well. The more time he spends there, the more he is forced to question whether the life he built far away, focused on power and isolation, is truly what he wants. Knockemout offers him something he never really had: a place to belong and people who care more about who he is than what he can do for them.

Romantically, the book is very much a slow burn. Lucian and Sloane take time to move from enemies to reluctant allies, then to something more vulnerable. Their physical attraction is strong, but the emotional progression is what makes the story satisfying. They have to learn to communicate, to apologize, and to handle hurt without running away or lashing out. Lucian has to accept that control does not equal safety, and that opening up to Sloane doesn’t mean weakness. Sloane has to accept that loving someone as complicated as Lucian means facing difficult truths and choosing him even when it isn’t easy. Throughout the narrative, Lucy Score mixes intense emotional scenes with humor, banter, and cozy moments, showing how love can be both soft and fierce at the same time.

By the end of *Things We Left Behind*, the title comes to feel deeply meaningful. Both Lucian and Sloane have things they have tried to leave in the past: pain, misunderstandings, secrets, and versions of themselves shaped by trauma or fear. The story is about uncovering those buried pieces, facing them honestly, and then deciding what to carry forward and what to finally let go. Their journey is not simple, but it is hopeful. Through forgiveness, vulnerability, and the support of the people around them, they move from enemies who are haunted by old wounds to partners who choose each other fully. The book wraps up with a sense of emotional closure and a belief that love can grow even out of broken places, as long as the people involved are willing to tell the truth, fight for each other, and build something new together.