I left home ten years ago, promising myself I’d never return to the place where I had never been accepted. I was despised and ridiculed for circumstances completely beyond my control.But when my grandmother passes away, I’m forced to return to Kansas. I will have to face everyone who hated me. But they’re not who I’m most afraid of.My biggest fear? Facing him. Jordan Marx. The boy I once loved … Facing him.
Jordan Marx.
The boy I once loved more than life itself. The boy who defended me from them. The boy I’d disappeared on, leaving him nothing more than a horrible nasty lie and hastily scribbled note.
When Jordan finds out the secret I have carried for so long, I’m in for the battle of my life.
Or so I thought.
I might have wandered for years on a path riddled with thorns but with Jordan by my side, taking the long road home means more than reuniting with the only man I’ve ever loved. It might just mean finding myself, and the family I never thought I could ever have along the way.
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5 STAR Review by Jodi for Ruby Red Romance Review
I’m 100% in love with this series. Stacey Lynn has done an amazing job with these books. I love each and every one so much. Long Road Home was everything I was hoping for and more. We had the pleasure of meeting Jordan before and I couldn’t wait to find out more about him. Boy…I was not disappointed.
Destiny never intended to return to the place that hurt her, but not having a choice, she does. Jordan has though he’s moved on, until he sees Destiny again. Old wound are reopened and the truth is revealed. My heart really hurt for these two. It was not an easy road to navigate, but one that had to be. Jordan needed answers and Destiny needed relief. Watching them get back to each other was emotional.
I loved every second of this story. Please check it out. I promise you will not be disappointed.
This is the first book by this author and this series that I have read, and I need to definitely go back read the first two books. I loved following Jordan and Destiny’s story of second chances. I look forward to reading the books in the series.
4.5/5
Second Chance Romance are one of my favorite genre, and they really don’t get old.
Long Road Home is a second chance romance that tells the story of Destiny and Jordan. I’m not really a fan of Des. She made an unpopular choice (to me, at least) when she chose to leave Jordan. She might have her reasons, specifically she didn’t want to ruin Jordan’s future – but it caused a havoc on him when she left town without anything but a note.
Destiny’s past wasn’t really great. She was bullied, constantly. Despite the fact that she has a popular boyfriend, it didn’t stop the bullies from targeting her. Being left by a drug addict mother for her next hit doesn’t really help at all. She wanted all of that to stop, and just start anew.
Ten years later, she was back again in their old town to bury her grandmother. But this time, she wasn’t alone. She was with someone who is a game changer. Someone who might change all their lives when the secret is out. Can they start over again? Or is the trust not enough after what happened in their past?
I couldn’t blame Jordan to be an a** to her initially. He was hurt, he was angry – he needed to vent. He needed to let it out. I was just glad he at least gave her a chance, to explain, to do things he didn’t think he’d do and he’s capable of. I like Jordan – he’s a charmer, and he knows how to make Des (and me) just swoon).
It was indeed a Long Road Home. There were loads of issues between the two of them, mostly communication and trust that was important in a relationship, but in the end they had worked it out. It wasn’t easy. There was too much past and baggage along the way. But they made it. The story was paced nicely. It wasn’t that fast, but it wasn’t too slow either. Just enough to get things burning again.
If you enjoy second-chance romance stories, this one is worth the read.
This is Stacey’s 3rd book in this emotionally gripping series Love in the Heartland and this is Jordan and Destiny’s story.
I really liked Jordan after seeing him in the last book This Time Around I was intrigued by his story.
Destiny and Jordan were highschool sweethearts until she broke his heart, disappearing on just as they were about to embark on their life together. She left him a note and hightailed it out of town.
Ten years later Destiny is back for her Grandmothers funeral and to pack her house up. She never expected to stay or see Jordan again. Only problem is she is harbouring a secret that could make him hate her more then he does already.
Once the secrets are revealed and the reasons behind all the heartache, they face a slow road back to finding a future together. Their feelings have never died for each other, just been buried until they are facing each other again and they came flooding straight back.
This is a great second chance romance. Even though this is a ‘secret’ that’s been done many times I still really enjoyed this read.. it was sweet, emotional and easy to read.
I love a second chance romance and this one didn’t disappoint at all! add in the fact of a single mom and I’m a goner! it was sweet, sexy and funny at times!
This is not a new plot, but it’s very beautifully executed. A girl abandons her boyfriend after high school graduation, leaves town pregnant and returns ten years later with a beautiful ten-year old boy. The father never knew about his son and gets the surprise of his life. There’s betrayal, anger, sadness, despair, hope for forgiveness. The author takes you through all the gamut of feelings that the characters go through.
Destiny comes back to her hometown Carlton for her grandmother’s funeral. Her plans are to pack up her grandmother’s house and sell it, then return to her home in Texas with her son. She was not expecting to see Jordan, because he was supposed to be away playing professional baseball. There are very emotional scenes and the despair of a man who realizes he has a son who is his mini-me and he has missed all those years. Yet, even in his anger and behaving like a jerk, he was strangely protective of Destiny and tried not to be too vicious in his anger.
Destiny’s mother was a drug addict who left her daughter abandoned in an apartment, to be rescued and raised by her grandmother. She was marked by this event, further cemented by the gossip and scorn of the town people and the bullying she received in school. She was so molded into a pattern of expecting rejection and scorn from everyone that all she wanted was to leave town and prevent the same scorn from affecting her child. She also wanted to protect Jordan from losing his dreams of playing professional baseball.
The road to forgiveness is very difficult and the author did a great presentation of Destiny’s motives and Drew’s management of his anger and resentment. The book was fantastic until the characters started to work on their reconciliation and started a sexathon that lasted many many pages. Initially they were like bunnies and that part was frankly boring. Once they got past this part, the book went back to angsty and emotional with bits of humor that I loved in the first part of the book.
The book is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone. I loved the family scenes, the scenes that involved Jordan with his son Toby. Toby was a typical tween, rolling eyes and answering “whatever”, but loving and considerate with his mom.
Destiny returned to her hometown after ten years for her grandmother’s funeral. The memories she keeps of the town are not the best, growing up there was difficult, she was the target of hate and malicious comments. The only good things were her grandmother and Jordan, the popular kid, star of the town, who loved her. After practically fleeing the town and breaking his heart, she is sure that what awaits her in this return can not be any good. If the town hated her before, now she’s the number one enemy. Especially when her secret is wide open to the world.
Jordan had a successful career in baseball, and now retired, he returned home to set up a business. Even after so many years, he never forgot his first love, the girl who never found herself good enough, but for him it was his world. Seeing her again after ten years brings up several feelings, some good, some bad. And when he becomes aware of what she was hiding, he will be filled with hatred and resentment. But even hurt, love is still present.
Ten years. A great secret. Lots of time wasted. Hurt, anger, grudge. But at the same time love, a love greater than life itself. Is there forgiveness for these two?
I hated, and I must emphasize how much I hated Destiny. Her attitude in the past was despicable, totally wrong. One does not do such a thing, especially with the guy who was said to love and who never gave any cause for suspicion. Her motives were weak, shallow, the fruit of an immature, dumb and selfish girl. Jordan was a good character, honest, loyal, and a good man. His interaction with Toby provoked a few tears. The two lost so much for Destiny’s idiocy.
Sorry, even with all that she suffered, and it was a lot, this girl did not have an easy life, her grandmother gave her love and a solid foundation, told her countless times that she should not listen to others. Jordan protected her, loved her and tried to boost her self-esteem by always encouraging her. And yet she puts everything to waste.
The book approaches a family drama, the romance sits in the background. The big question here is this new dynamic of the characters. How to move forward, how to create a future if the past was lost. The dynamics of the narrative is a bit slow, the secondary characters are just to compose the story, it does not have great prominence in the book, really the main focus extends to three characters.
I think Jordan forgive very easily. Destiny has not changed at all in my eyes. The city that always gossip has shut up very fast, Some situations that could create a certain twist in the book have not been worked out and the plot is predictable. A good book, a bit of a cliché, far from being a masterpiece, but fulfilling its role.
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Destiny and Jordan are high school sweethearts…with broken hearts. They were in it for the long haul then one day Destiny was gone. Her grandma wouldn’t tell Jordan where. Eventually he tried to move on.
Fast forward a decade and Destiny is forced to come home when her grandmother dies. There’s several secrets surrounding her return. Jordan is determined to figure out what she’s been doing and where she’s been. Though things aren’t as simple as they seem.
This story may pull at your heartstrings. These two characters are great. I loved reading their story and seeing how everything worked out. Stacey Lynn delivers another great romance readers will love in Long Road Home.
Each book in this series can be read as a standalone. I have not read This Time Around, but I was not lost at all, the author did a good job of filling in the gaps that I needed to know. But I am pretty sure that I will be going back to read it!
Jordan and Destiny were high school sweethearts and made plans to both go away to college and make a life together. Destiny lived with her grandma as her Mom was a drug addict and left when Destiny was just 6 months old. There was a group of mean girls at school that reveled in bullying Destiny especially when Jordan was not around because he would do something about it which usually made it worse. Then Destiny is faced with an impossible decision when she realizes that she is pregnant. Jordan has a good chance of a career playing baseball and she knows that he will give that up if he knows that she is pregnant. So, she breaks his heart and breaks up with him and leaves town with her grandma’s encouragement.
Now ten years later she has returned to town to attend her grandma’s funeral and take care of closing up and selling her house. While attending the funeral holding her son Toby’s hand she glances up and meets Jordan glaring eyes. All she wants is to get everything done and get back home and forget all the bad that happened in this town. But she soon finds out one does not always get what they want when Jordan shows up at her house and he has uncovered her secret that Toby is his son.
It is a very rocky road complicated by the fact they will need to rebuild the trust they lost and the little fact that they both still have strong feeling for each other. Jordan needs to find a way to build a relationship with a son that he just met.
Can these two high school sweethearts forgive, heal, and learn to trust again to have a second chance at love? I loved all the family and friends.
I really enjoyed this heart-warming emotional story it was so easy to connect with and very well written!!
“Everywhere,” he whispered. “I want to taste you everywhere.”
Long Road Home by Stacey Lynn is a sexy, heart wrenching, and emotional second chance romance that will leave you with an overflowing heart and a cleansed soul. These characters, Destiny and Jordan, were incredible together! So much anger, resentment, and betrayal between them, and yet the passion, connection, and unbelievable chemistry is still so palpable. The emotion just pops right off of the pages and I couldn’t walk away. This beautiful romance with so much heart took me on quite the emotional journey. It’s a journey of forgiveness, hope, and love. It’s a journey you’ll never forget. I loved how smooth the pace of the story was. The characters were amazing. The writing was great and it was such an easy one-sitting read. This author does a great job of mixing sexy with emotional and turning out something truly inspiring and romantic.
After devouring Destiny and Jordan’s book, I discovered that Long Road Home is book three in a series of romantic standalones titled ‘Love in the Heartland.’ I don’t know how I missed the first two books in the series, but I plan to rectify this ASAP! It’s easy to fall in love with Stacey Lynn’s writing, so I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
I am loving second chance romances right now and Long Road Home by Stacey Lynn hit everything I love about them. This story was emotional, heartbreaking at times and had all the feels!
Ten years ago, Destiny ran from everything, including the one person she loved for reasons that were not even hers. But she had had enough and tough choices had to be made. Now she is back for her grandmother’s funeral and does not care who she faces, except him, Jordan Marx. The boy she once loved. She had her reasons for leaving and is determined to keep them to herself.
Jordan was hurt and angry when Destiny left, but he also loved her. He is still angry when she returns, but so do old feelings that have never really gone away. My heart just broke when they first encountered each other again and her secrets began unravelling. Could Jordan and Destiny have a second chance or will her secrets unravel them both?
Long Road Home by Stacey Lynn was an emotional read. Destiny made some difficult choices and the road home was not easy. I loved Jordan and Destiny, even though their struggles. The feels are strong in this story, but it is a beautiful second chance romance and one I would recommend!
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
I couldn’t wait for Jordan’s story.
But I didn’t know it was going gut me the way it did.
Stacey Lynn didn’t hold anything back with this story. It was a very emotional second chance romance. This book kept my attention from the beginning to the very end. I had a couple sleepless nights because I couldn’t put it down. The connection between Jordan and Destiny was off the charts. The emotions and hurt just bleeds off the pages. This book was also about healing and hope. I love a book that has my emotions all over the place. This book is definitely a MUST read.
Long Road Home by Stacey Lynn is the 3rd book in the Love in The Heartland Series and tells the story of Destiny and Jordan. We met Jordan in This Time Around, as he is Rebecca’s brother, but Long Road Home can be read as a stand-a-lone.
I was completely engrossed from the first page. Destiny and Jordan were high school lovers and unbeknownst to Jordan, she was pregnant when they broke up. Destiny did not want to ruin his career or chances to play in the major leagues, so she never disclosed the pregnancy.
When Destiny returns to town for her grandmother’s funeral, she has not been seen in 10 years and the explosive secrets are discovered.
This second chance love story is heartbreaking and beautiful. You feel for both characters. You see Jordan and Destiny grow and discover their strengths. “Somehow, we were doing the impossible and moving on from lies and horrific decisions. “
I have always enjoyed Stacey Lynn’s books, but I believe this is one of my favorites. I look forward to her next release.
Do you believe in second chances? What if the one person you loved with your whole soul lied to you and ran, only to return 10 years later? What if she was hiding secrets? Would you be able to give her a second chance?
Wow!! What a beautifully emotional story. Jordan and Destiny’s journey is heartbreakingly stunning! Full of so much hurt and healing, passion and lust, anger and forgiveness. Absolutely exquisite, this emotional story will suck you in and won’t let go. An absolute MUST READ!!!
Destiny left her small home town with plans to never return, but needs to do so to attend her grandmother’s funeral. She knows people will talk about her and is prepared to deal with the hurtfulness she grew up with, but she is not prepared to see Jordan. Jordan was the only person who had her back, he was her first love and she left him so he could have a better life. She left him with a lie and a hasty note and now that she is back, Destiny knows she’s in for pain – especially once he finds out the secret she has been keeping all these years. Jordan has never really gotten over Destiny, when he sees her again all of his old wounds are torn open and his hurt and anger is hard to get past, especially when he discovers Destiny’s secret.
I was really excited for Jordan’s book and it didn’t disappoint, this was an angsty and emotional second chance Romance that I devoured.
Long Road Home is book 3 in Stacey Lynn’s Love in Heartland series but can be read as a standalone.
In Long Road Home we meet Destiny and Jordan. Destiny and Jordan were high school sweethearts. Destiny was always treated poorly by other townspeople and her classmates for something completely out of her control. It got so bad that she broke up with Jordan and left. The story starts ten years later at Destiny’s grandma’s funeral. She is so nervous to be there. The whispers are all around her. She didn’t expect for Jordan to be there but he is and she immediately feels all her past attractions towards him returning, but she has a secret and he is very mad about it. I loved this story but at times i felt Jordan’s anger was a bit much. I understand it but it took most of the book to get through and at times made me scared for Destiny. The way she was treated made me so mad and upset for her. How can someone treat a child like that when she had no say in the matter? Judge her for someone else’s actions. But the way it was written was amazing and I know that is the reason I feel these things. I recommend this read and cannot wait to read the previous books in the series and keep an eye out for new releases by this author.
Destiny knows that after seeing Jordan’s sister she has to tell Jordan her secret, but she didn’t expect him to turn up to say sorry. She lets him know that he can hate her all he wants but she did it for a reason. Jordan is beyond mad, she kept the secret for ten years, the years she’d stolen from him. Destiny tells him it was everything the shit from the people in the town, him having to give up his dream, she couldn’t do that to him.
Realising that her grandmother was hinting at regretting encouraging Destiny to leave, she finds out that she also told Jordan to forgive her, he didn’t know what she was talking about but now that he does, can he forgive her. Seeing her brings back memories he thought he had forgotten.
Jordan is frustrated, he still wants Destiny but how after everything she’s done. His friends let him know he has to get past why she did everything and maybe he can have what he wants. Jordan thinks it can’t be that simple, but could he forgive her.
Jordan knows before they can talk about the future they need to talk about the past, how it affected him when she left, how she thought she wasn’t good enough, it was messy but they both new it needed to be done. They have so much to work through, but Jordan wants to try and get back to what they had, but can they make it work with the trust issues and her doubting she’s good enough can they make their way back to what they had.
Long Road Home is a great and heartwarming second chance romance. Jordan and Destiny were high school sweethearts and just before graduation, Destiny left and took Jordan’s heart with her. Now she’s returned to her hometown due to her grandmother’s passing and she’s brought home one heck of a surprise for Jordan. Although Jordan is angry with Destiny, it evident that he still has feelings for her and vice versa. Their story is lovely and much of it is about forgiveness and acceptance. I recommend reading it.
Long Road Home, the third book in the ‘Love In the Heartland’ series by Stacey Lynn was an angsty, emotion filled story of betrayal and second chances.
Destiny Matsen left her small hometown of Carlton, Kansas when she was just freshly graduated from high school, a place where she had suffered ridicule and harassment from girls in her class. She had only one saving grace and that was Jordan Marx, her boyfriend and the love of her life. But when an accidental pregnancy causes her to reevaluate her life, she chooses to run from him instead of staying with him.
Ten years later, she returns to lay her grandmother to rest, not imagining that she’ll see Jordan there. He was a MLB ball player and far from Carlton.
Or so she thought.
Jordan knew he’d see Destiny at the funeral, what he didn’t expect was the child she had with her. He’s even more stunned when he finds out the truth!
Destiny left all those years ago, knowing she carried his baby inside her.
He wants to get to know his son, but can he ever get over what Destiny did?
Jordan was rightfully angry at Destiny, but he also, had never forgotten her, or stopped loving her. He battled his feelings, but true love has a way of getting what it wants.
It wasn’t long before they were spending time reconnecting and feeling like they could maybe start over again.
This was a hot, sexy story filed with emotional oomph. I loved Jordan, he was a sinfully, protective alpha when he wanted to be, and his bedside manner was pretty intoxicating.
I really felt for Destiny, the teenager, even though, she may have read some people wrong, there were plenty of others who did run her down. But with age comes maturity and she showed it in the way she handled everything once she was back home.
Yet another great story from Stacey Lynn that I heartily recommend.
Long Road Home is the embodiment of second chance romances!
I will start off by saying I haven’t read the previous books in the Love in the Heartland series, so this book can be read as a complete standalone. I was not lost or confused about the relationship between all the characters. It just makes me want to dive into the other books as soon as possible.
Long Road Home follows the story of Destiny and Jordan. High school sweethearts 10 years previously, these two have unresolved issues regarding their relationship, along with a huge, life-changing secret. Destiny just wants to lay her grandmother to rest and leave the one place that brings back too many cruel and heartless memories….and avoid Jordan at all costs. But Jordan wants answers, and he doesn’t want her to leave without finally getting them.
I can’t tell you how much I loved this book! The story line was touching and empathetic, evoking heartbreak and buried emotional anguish that flowed extremely well with the development of the characters. Destiny and Jordan have a tumultuous history. As much as the bitterness and torment comes through in their interactions together, you can clearly feel their undying love and passion for each other that resonates throughout the book, no matter how much time has passed. Truth and trust become imperative influences in the resolution of their young love, but also becoming building blocks to what could potentially be a HEA together.
Long Road Home is a beautifully penned love story that showcases the concession of one’s wrong doings and the endeavors to make things right, the power of finding inner strength in overcoming adversity, and the unequivocal love and acceptance two people can reclaim that was thought to be lost forever.
A definite 5 star must-read…without a doubt!