Restore Me (Deluxe Edition) by J.L. Seegars: Review

Welcome to my review of Restore Me by J.L. Seegars! My reading this year has been banger after banger, and this book was no exception.

Title: Restore Me (Deluxe Edition) (New Haven Book 1)
Author: J.L. Seegars
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Bloom Books
Pub Date: 01/06/2026

Description

A steamy, forbidden enemies to lovers romance about love after loss. It is the first book in the New Haven series, interconnected standalones featuring second chances, fiery passion, and Black heroines who get their happily ever afters.

Sloane

Dominic Alexander is my late husband’s best friend and the last man on Earth that I should want. He’s arrogant, dismissive, and up until recently has only ever used those dark eyes of his to look right through me. For the last twelve years, he’s taken a sick pleasure in making me feel paper thin, like my entire existence is of no consequence to him at all.

But now, things are different.

After one drunken night and a surprisingly sexy act of heroism, he’s started to be…nice. Treating me like something other than the physical embodiment of his annoyance, which would be nice if it didn’t make me feel all the things I swore to never feel for another man after my husband died.

Dominic

Sloane Kent is going to be my undoing.

What’s worse: I think I’m going to enjoy being unraveled by the gold flecks in her hazel eyes and the adorable little way she scrunches her nose up when we’re arguing, which we’ve done a lot of over the past decade. She thinks it’s because I hate her, and I’ve always let her think that because the alternative is…untenable.

But something is changing between us, and I don’t know how to stop myself from breaking every promise I’ve ever made to myself regarding my best friend’s wife. Promises that include never telling her that there’s a long list of things I feel about her, but hate isn’t one of them.

Review

“Grab this second chance at love by the balls and don’t let go until it stops feeling like a gift straight from God himself.”

Restore Me had me hooked! And when I say hooked, I mean a fish on a rod. As someone scared of big books, I’ll be the first one to tell you that you don’t need to fear this one. I breezed through it in a way I didn’t even know was possible. I don’t know if it was the complex characters or the fiery romance or the pacing, but this book grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.

The story had me giggling, blushing, and rubbing my feet together. It was both intense and tender, and I couldn’t get enough of Sloane and Dominic’s dynamic. Sloane’s grief and fear of moving on was depicted so well, and I really enjoyed seeing how she made room for her happiness without guilt. Her mom was a real witch, and it’s a testament that Sloane was even as well-adjusted as she was with that kind of upbringing. The familial pain both she and Dominic experienced really helped deepen their understanding of each other.

And Dominic, Dominic, Dominic. Where to start with that man? His aggressive, protective side had me truly melting. I love a possessive, fictional man. And not possessive in the sense that they only want control and power but possessive because they can’t fathom a world without the love of their life and would do anything to be with and please her. There was something a little forbidden between them, a little taboo, and I ate it up.

Overall, J.L. Seegars has a fan in me, and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series because the emotions, chemistry, and conflict is truly out of this world. If you love Black romance and haven’t picked up Restore Me, I’d definitely give it a chance.

*Thank you to the publisher and Colored Pages Book Tours for the finished copy. All opinions are my own.*

Author

J. L. Seegars is a lifelong nerd who’s always had a love of words, storytelling, and drama. When she isn’t writing messy and emotionally complex characters like the ones she grew up around, she’s watching reality TV, supporting her fellow authors by devouring their work, or spending time with her husband and son.