"If there was one thing Spencer Williams hadn’t needed it was a glow up. Being pretty gave him too much power." When big city ballerina, Leah, suffers a knee injury, she faces not only a new life without dance, but a new life changing diagnosis. Off balance and unsure how to move on, Leah returns home to the mountains of North Carolina, seeking the solace she remembers from her childhood. Unfortunately for Leah, her childhood nemesis, Spencer, is waiting to help her move in when she arrives. She came looking for peace, but now Spencer is giving her a whole new kind of headache. Can Leah and Spencer move past their bad blood and find some kind of truce, or will Leah miss out on the hidden gem right under her nose? Originally written for the Loving Carolina Hurricane Helene disaster relief charity anthology , A Ruby in the Rough is inspired by the life of its author, River Seabrook, through her love for her hometown of Franklin North Carolina, and her experience with chronic illness-- specially featuring the condition Chiari Malformation. Perfect for fans of quick witted humor, sassy dialogue, poetic imagery, and clean Austen-esque enemies to lovers romance. “. . . made me fall in love with two characters from a short story more than I do for some feature length novels!” - I.D. Marie, Author of The Legends of Pangea Series