In Lost Rider, the first Western romance in New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Harper Sloan’s Coming Home series, an injured rodeo star encounters an old flame but will she be just what he needs to get back in the saddle? Maverick Austin Davis is forced to return home after a ten-year career as a rodeo star. After one too many head injuries, he’s off the circuit and in the horse … off the circuit and in the horse farming business, something he’s never taken much of a shine to, but now that it’s his late father’s legacy, familial duty calls. How will Maverick find his way after the only dream he ever had for himself is over?
Enter Leighton Elizabeth James, an ugly duckling turned beauty from Maverick’s childhood–his younger sister’s best friend, to be exact, and someone whose heart he stomped all over when she confessed her crush to him ten years back. Now Leighton is back in Maverick’s life, no longer the insecure, love-stricken teen–and Maverick can’t help but take notice. Sparks fly between them, but will Leighton be able to open her heart to the one man who broke it all those years ago?
Written in the vein of Diana Palmer and Lindsay McKenna, this Texas-set series is filled with sizzle, heart, and plenty of cowboysmore
Lost Rider by Harper Sloan is a beautiful tear-jerker. From the first page to the last, I was hooked. The author took me on an emotional journey from her characters’ childhood into their adulthood. Her descriptions were excellently crafted. I was right there in the Piehole, at the Davis and James’s farms, and lying in the field with the bluebonnets.
The depth in which Ms. Sloan develops Leighton and Maverick’s characters is nothing less than impressive. Every woman who has been an ugly-duckling can relate to Leighton. Falling head-over-boots in love with a handsome boy only to be shunned leaves an indelible mark that is challenging to erase even if the girl turns into a beautiful swan.
Maverick’s character is not one I’ll soon forget. Once I learned why Maverick left his hometown, I was begging for a happy ending. And, I was not disappointed! True to the author’s form, the sex scenes are tasteful, off the charts, hot!
Lost Rider is a five-star unforgettable love story!
Listened to the audio
Readers were great. Really enjoyed listening to the book.
The storyline is good. Was entertaining. The relationship was cute and intense. I loved the dynamics of the relationship between the town andthe main characters. They had me chuckling.
I have to admit that I am not normally a fan of cowboy fiction, Western fiction, what have you. I am from a small ass country town filled with farmers and cowboys and cowgirls and it wasn’t really a pleasant place for me. So I tend to avoid reading about cowboys/country boys, etc. For some reason, though, I really wanted to read Lost Rider and I’m really glad I did, because it’s a great story. It’s heartwarming, sweet and sexy.
Leighton (Leigh) has been in love with her best friend Quinn’s older brother, Maverick, since she was a teenager. He trashed her heart, though, right before he left their hometown 10 years ago to become a famous rodeo star, but still, her heart has always belonged to him even though he didn’t seem to want it. Now, 10 years later, he’s back because his, Quinn and Clay’s (their oldest brother) father has passed. Their reunion isn’t all sweet and loving, though, nope, it’s filled with the same pain and the hostility that colored the last time they saw each other. What Leigh doesn’t know, didn’t know back then, is that Maverick had a good reason for leaving the way he did, for breaking her heart the way he did. And now that he’s back, Maverick is determined to have a second chance with the woman he’s always loved. But, can she trust the man who tore her heart apart? She doesn’t make it easy on him, but when he reveals the reason for his leaving, and that he’s always thought of her, she can’t seem to resist him. How can she when he tells her such beautiful things?
“It was like a punch to my gut when I looked into your smilin’ face. I knew that, while I might have it all, I had nothin’ because I didn’t get to see that smile every day. I fuckin’ missed that smile, Leigh. I felt that emptiness like I had never before that night.”
Still, even though Maverick has told her what she’s always dreamed of him saying, she has reservations. She thinks he might still walk out and take her broken heart with him the way he did 10 years earlier. So she keeps a tiny bit of herself back instead of going all in. And Maverick is determined to make her realize that he’s home for good, that she’s his home.
“But you also need to realize that I’m here now. Settled in for the lung run, and it’s gonna last a lot longer than eight seconds. You better believe I’m ridin’ this out with you until you buck me off. And, darlin’, there hasn’t been a ride I’ve ever been more prepared for.”
I absolutely love Maverick. He’s one of my favorite kind of heroes: the damaged, but with a huge heart of gold, alpha kind of hero who is brought to his knees by one special woman. And Leigh is so definitely a special woman. She’s strong, and kind, and so sweet. She’s been Quinn and Clay’s rock ever since Maverick left. She’s the one who was there for them when their hateful father passed. She’s the one who finally brought their brother back, because really, he came back for Leigh, not because their father died. She healed Maverick, and she even gave their father forgiveness and care that he didn’t deserve. She’s the heart of their little family and Maverick, Clay and Quinn know it.
So if you’re looking for an romance that’s emotional, heart tugging, heart warming, and has a sexy cowboy, look no further than Lost Rider. It’s a prime example of cowboy fiction at its best. I’m really hoping there are stories to come for Quinn and Clay, because those two are just as lovable as their brother. Thank you, Harper Sloan, for making me realize that cowboy romance isn’t something I have to avoid from now on.
Looking past Maverick’s issues the man really did have a sweet spot for Leighton, “let’s get something straight right now, sweetheart .” My voice is thick with gravity while I speak, but in the position she’s in, I have her full attention. “If you want to spend the day with me , all you gotta do is tell me. If I’m busy, I’ll do what I can to change that. If I can’t, I’ll do my best to free myself up as early as I can…” Apparently Leighton is a wild woman when she drinks, “…I’m gonna need to rest a bit before I can eff you properly and show you how much I loved that ride.” She smirks and then to my utter shock throws her head up to the sky and starts singing Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).” I loved this book, I loved meeting Clay, Quinn and Maverick, I can’t wait for the other siblings books. I loved the small town feel and I really loved Maverick
Harper Sloan has done it again!!! I’m true HS form, she has written a book that her fans are absolutely going to love!!!
This book has everything I love in a book!!! A second chance love affair as epic as any ever was, an Alpha hero who is somewhat broken and not afraid to let the h know, and supporting characters I fell in love with and can’t wait to read more about!!! It is well written, the “country” doesn’t sound forced, and that ending, OMG I LOVED IT!!!!! Really looking forward to the next book in this new series by a beloved author!!!
I received this book through Netgalley!
“I can’t fix the past, Leighton, I can’t erase it, no matter how hard I wish I could. Hell, I can’t even promise that I’ll ever be able to forget it. The only thing I can do is make sure that each day I live is worth somethin’, from this day forward. I could spend the rest of my life stuck livin’ for nothin’, or I could work my ass off to make sure that I make up for my past mistakes, so I can make sure they become mistakes I learn from and finally find a way to live for everythin’.”
Maverick has lived his life for the rodeo. He made quite a name for himself, leaving behind everyone, and everything, from his hometown. But when his rodeo dreams are cut short and he’s forced to come home, he’s also forced to face everything he had tried to run from, this includes Leighton.
Home is not what he left it, and the people in it have changed as well. When he decides he’s home to stay, his family is ecstatic, but Leighton is devastated. To have this man back in her space after fighting her heart against him for years is not something she wants. Fighting becomes passion, passion become regret, and finally things begin to change.
This is a wonderful second chance romance, filled with loads of ups & downs. Family plays a major role and there are also some secrets hidden away. If you’re a fan of Harper, you’ll enjoy this dive into the western side of romance.
Lost Rider by Harper Sloan is book number one in the The Coming Home series.
This is Maverick “Mav” Austin Davis and Leighton “Leigh” Elizabeth James’ story.
Wow! Loved it! This book covers so many emotions from anger, sadness, humor, and twists to intense chemistry. The author did a great job of where the reader could feel the characters emotions. It pulls you in and everything around you just disappears.
I absolutely fell in love in Mav and Leigh and loved their story. Love stories in Texas and with cowboys. I also love hearing a cowboy say darlin’. I look forward to reading the next books in this series. This is a must read!
FYI, contains mature content. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.