Brand new stand alone from NYT and USA Bestselling Author Cora Brent. Forbidden friendships and small town secrets. Enemies-to-lovers and tragic legacies.
“Why are you trying to make me hate you?”
“Because you should.”
We should have been enemies from the beginning.
But we were children when we met and children tend to ignore such rules.
Even if the rules exist for a reason.
Because Jonathan … reason.
Because Jonathan came from a family of savage killers.
While I was born into the broken aftermath of their victims.
For one short season we were inseparable.
All it took was one terrible day to turn us into strangers.
For years I refused to even think about him.
Until he shows up here, far away from where we started.
The gentle boy I remember has grown into a volatile man with a steely glare and a different name.
He won’t admit to who he is.
Or where he comes form.
Or who we are to each other.
And I knew I shouldn’t have provoked him.
I knew I shouldn’t have touched him.
Most of all I knew I shouldn’t have given him my heart.
Yes, Jonathan and I were born to be enemies.
And maybe that’s how our story will end after all…
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Long Lost follows Jay and Caris. They spent a summer together as children and became firm friends. Their families’ history though is dark, with Jay’s grandfather murdering Caris’ grandparents. Their paths cross years later and Jay is not the person Caris remembers; his life has not been easy since they last saw each other and Jay is reluctant to even acknowledge he knows her. The story works through their pasts, their families and sees them coming out the other side. Again a great read from Cora.
Cora Brent delivers with an amazing book of childhood friendship, lost love, misunderstandings and family secrets. Long Lost will prove to be one that you can’t put this one down!
Caris Marano was 13 when her mom was in the hospital and she was staying with her Aunt Vay in Arcana and she met a boy named Johnny Hempstead whom she spent her summer with until her dad came to get her. She knew there was a history between her family and Johnny’s but she chose to focus on the friendship that the two of them had.
Jay Phoenix has always tried to distance himself from his past but when he comes to Texas to help his best friend Shane with opening a bakery he has no idea that his past will find him.
When Caris thinks she knows who Jay is she tries to question him on it but he denies everything. Yet there is another side of Jay that is extremely protective of Caris no matter how much he hates her.
As Caris and Jay discover more secrets about the past will they be able to put everything behind them or will the hatred between them only grow?
This was a great book that I really enjoyed from start to finish.
I liked Caris and how easy going she was and how she truly didn’t judge people for their families but for themselves, knowing they weren’t responsible for the actions of others. I liked that she was true to herself and I loved her loyalty to her best friend and roommate Lana. Caris was smart and figured things out pretty quick.
Jay was a much more complex character as you could tell things had happened in his life that had made him very jaded. As the book went on you learned more and more and it was no wonder why Jay had so many “scars” over everything that had happened to him. It really broke my heart to realize everything he had suffered since a young child and he was an innocent victim in so many circumstances.
I was glad when things changed between Caris and Jay but the lack of communication from Jay really jeopardized everything.
I was very happy when certain events from the past were cleared up and both Caris and Jay were able to put things to rest!
The end was great and I really do hope we get to see these characters again!
By Rebecca
My goodness this author makes you breakdown and feel the pain of her characters. You almost forget it’s a book because she makes it so personal and heartfelt. She thought she would never see the boy who was her best friend that summer before everything in her life changed. She thought about him through the years but it was only as the before. Lies and life twisted their hearts and made them shield themselves. He hurt her. The only person who didn’t hold his family against him and never hurt him, the girl he could never forget. Until she was there. Right in front of him and all he had to do was reach out. But she didn’t recognize him, until she did.
It’s a passionate, crazy emotional road. These two fight each other, the past, the present. Healing doesn’t come easy and neither does forgiveness. Loved it.
From the minute i started reading this story I fell in love.
Jonathon/Jay is the grandson of Billy Hempstead, who apparently killed a young married couple many years ago. Caris is the granddaughter of that couple and although she knew her grandparents had been killed she never knew by whom. One summer when she is 13 years old she is sent to stay with her aunt in Arcana and that’s where she meets Johnathon. They strike up an unlikely friendship and everything is going great until Caris’s aunt is attacked. She has to go home to her parents as her aunt is taken into hospital.
Fast forward to the present and Caris is at University and rooming with her best Friend Lana. They have a new landlord called Shane and Shane’s best friend just happens to be Johnathon, only he now goes by Jay.
Caris and Jay start off on the wrong foot but as time passes they become closer and truths are revealed.
This story was fantastic and i loved the fact that it was told in the past and present. Fantastic characters and I hope that Shane will get his book as he so deserves one.
Cora Brent is one of my favorite authors. Every book pulls me in, and Long Lost was no different! You don’t want to miss Long Lost! It’s amazing.
Long Lost is a stand-alone friends to lovers romance. Jay and Caris have a past, childhood memories both good and bad. He pushed, she ran and paths were never meant to cross again. Fate is a funny thing and had other plans for these two. A story that will flicker between the past and the present, have your head spinning and at times second guessing what went on and who had the answers to the secrets. A story that will take you on a path of revelations, passion and ultimately a love that was always meant to be.
Five stars is not enough for this book!
I have read all of the books by Cora, but this will take you on an emotional rollercoaster that you won’t see coming!
The chemistry between Johnny and Caris is unreal!!
Everyone needs to read this book, what are you waiting for?
Title: Long Lost
Author: Cora Brent
Genre: Second Chance Romance
**RECEIVED ARC FOR HONEST REVIEW**
I’ll be honest, I am not sure how I feel about this book. The H (Jay) and h (Caris) met for only one summer as thirteen year olds. Neither have great family lives but Caris’ isn’t anywhere near as bad as Jay’s. They are torn apart due to a shared tragedy and as adults fate brings them together again.
This is a slow burn story with very little bedroom involvement. It truly is about two people learning to love and opening their hearts to the joy, fear, peace, and life love can bring. They let it heal their wounds and get back a piece of that hopeful innocence they briefly had together the summer they met.
It was an enjoyable book and it kept my interest but would I go back and read it again just because? Probably not. That being said it gets a 3.5 stars. Since my device won’t let my enter .5 of a star I gave 4/5 *.
Long Lost is storytelling at it’s best! I enjoyed every moment of being immersed in Jonathan and Caris’s journey. Heartache, hope, and unexpected twists and turns kept me eagerly devouring the pages. Wonderfully detailed writing and very well developed supporting characters round out this book and leave me hoping there are more stories to tell. Five stars for this must read.
Long Lost is a Friends to Lovers story of Jay (Johnny) and Caris. This story will have you heartbroken with what Jay had to deal with from such a young age. This book will have you with every different emotion as you read their story it will flit between the past and present. But so worth reading . Another beautiful book by Cora Brent she has such a way with words.
So. Many. Wows. I can’t tell you how many times I said that word while reading this. Long Lost and an emotional roller coaster that had me never wanting to get off the ride it took me on. I felt everything and I mean EVERYTHING while reading this. From sorrow to joy and rage to pure love this book had me really FEELING on every single page.
Caris and Jay experienced so much pain and loss in their young lives. And so much of it revolves around a past they were never a part of. But in all that they became a beacon of hope for each other. When life forces the apart and years go by its an uphill emotional journey for them to reach their HEA, but did it was worth it. These two were absolutely beautiful.
This was raw and emotional. Takes you on a journey between two connected families, both then (and beyond), and now. Caris, who comes from the tragic family in Arcana, and Jonathan (later known as Jay), who comes from the violent side. The meet as teens and become best-friends (each other’s only friend) that summer, until tragedy strikes again. Fast-forward 9 years, and they are together again, walls around themselves until they crumble down, along with past secrets and lies. And what’s lefts is a love story you can’t resist
Cora never fails to deliver a story that is raw, angsty, powerful and emotional. This book was just that, it pulled me in from the first chapter and never let me go. Caris and Johnny “Jay” were the best of friends until a tragic event changed their relationship in the blink of an eye. Their story had me hurting for what they went through and hoping that they would find their way back to each other. This is one book that you NEED to read so one-click NOW!
Best friends to enemies to lovers…. two of my favorites rolled into one amazing story.
Jay and Caris definitely had a Romeo and Juliet vibe (without all the dying) and I seriously couldn’t put it down. This book made me shed so many tears but heartbreaking angst is what I’ve come to expect from Cora Brent’s stories. Every book breaks me then puts me back together by the time I hit the last page.
I love that this book dealt with some really big topics and all of them were treated respectfully and delicately. I’m in love with everything about this book and I want more!!! I’d be super happy if this standalone became part of a series!!
Prepare yourself to go on an epic journey of family, friendship, fate, anger, hatred and love. Emotions are very much the fuel for this romance. Caris and Jay are complex characters that are easy to feel for. The intense attraction, powerful connection and simmering chemistry between these two when paired with the tragic and complicated history they share gave off a very “star-crossed” Romeo and Juliet feeling. I admit that I am not always a huge fan of a lot of back and forth in timelines of the books I’m reading but when you take into consideration the story being told and everything there was to learn and discover, I felt it was necessary and done very well. It never seemed intrusive or to impede the flow of the book. If you like a book that delivers plenty of feels while keeping you on the edge of your seat, you really must read this book.
Cora always writes these stories that hit my heart and Long Lost is no different. I loved every minute of it and could not put it down. Right from the first page you are invested in Joanthan’s and Caris story.
Caris goes to stay with her aunt one summer and she meets this shy boy Jonathan. The soon become fast friends are inseparable. They do everything together and have this wonderful summer until Jonathan does something to mess it up.
Fast forward to nine years and the Jonathan is in town helping out his friend when he sees Caris and all those old feelings come back with a vengeance. He tries so hard to stay away from her but he can’t and when he does approach her she is cautious because of how they left things off.
Can Caris and Jonathan be together or will they forever be doomed…….
Young love at its best! 2 kids that open their hearts to each other and not caring about a name or what happened in the past. Cora Brent’s writing just pulls you into the story and you just want to jump in there and hug Johnny/Jay and Caris because of all the terrible things that have happened to them. This story is emotional, raw, and will pull at your heart strings. What Jay goes through will gut you. He has such a great heart and she is so full of kindness. I love these two! If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was Jay and Caris.
Definitely 5 Stars.
This is a new, complete standalone novel. I would classify this story as a friends to enemies to lovers book.
This story has all the usual charm of Brent’s writing. It was witty, heartfelt and engaging. The characters were likeable and this was a quick yet complex read. I truly enjoyed the dual POVs and the backstory flashbacks. The secondary characters were just as important as the main characters. I enjoyed their story arc as well. I hope that we will get more stories from this book.
Caris and Jonathan met when she moved for the summer to stay with her Aunt and became friends. Their families share a past that comes between them and they become estranged. Fast forward nine years, and Jonathan, now known as Jay, returns to Texas to help his friend in his time of need. Jay was shocked to come in contact with Caris and despite his attempts to stay off of her radar, he felt himself being pulled to her. Their struggle to overcome their past was not easy but they persevered and were able to find the balance to become exactly what each other needed. I loved how the story was written in both the present and the past giving the reader insight as to the history of the families. Cora Brent has written another wonderful story filled with heartache and redemption. This is definitely a journey that you will want to be a part of.