Oh..My...Lord

Maverick and Leighton's story is breathtakingly beautiful.

This is my first ever Harper Sloan novel...I am completely blown away! Lost Rider is a heart warming second chance romance about righting your wrongs, finding your way back home, and healing. By the end of this novel I guarantee you will fall in love with Maverick Austen Davis!

I love my cowboys, so when I read the synopsis I was all in. Give me a broken cowboy with a heart of gold any day!!!

Maverick Davis left home ten years ago leaving a trail of dust and a broken heart behind. His dreams of being the top bull rider in the world come to a screeching halt when he has his final injury and the doctor tells him no more. His world is spiraling, he lives his days and nights in a drunken stupor until a phone call telling him to come home pulls him out of it. Now Maverick is back in the town that he swore never to step foot in and attending a funeral for a man who haunts his dreams, his father.

Now that Maverick is back in Pine Oak he has a lot of wrongs that he has to make right and a lot of horrible memories he has to overcome and heal from. But the first thing he needs to do is make things right with Leighton James.

Leighton James had her heart broke ten years ago when Maverick pushed her away. She's never came back from his cruel words and built a wall up around her heart. No matter what though she still loves him. Now that he is back and wanting to make things right by her, Leigh has to find a way to push past the years of self-doubt and hurt he has caused in order to, not only, open her heart back up to Maverick but also have the ability to fully trust him again.

Not only is this novel amazing and now on my favorite's list but it also has a pretty kick ass playlist on Spotify to go along with the chapters. I'm loving the fact that more and more authors are sharing their playlists with us readers!

I loved Lost Rider by Harper Sloan and Highly Recommend it to anyone looking for that perfect second chance romance.

Couldn't get into it at all. Love her other books but this one was a total miss for me..

What an amazing story of love, loss and almost a rebirth in life! I have to throw out there how much I love Quinn! She is cuckoo and my type of friend. Clay is very serious and I hope he and Quinn get books of their own. Leighton and Maverick are such a dynamic couple. After having feelings for Mav forever he finally comes home but she is scared to love him completely afraid he will leave again. Maverick is broken in more ways than one and confused and mad at how things have gone. He has feelings for Leigh, but he's scared at first too, but he knows things would change drastically if he gets what he wants. I seriously loved every minute of this book. Can't wait to see what's next.

Lost Rider
By: Harper Sloane

📚💕⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💕📚

All Is Not As It May Have Seemed!!!

“The first book in Harper Sloan’s Coming Home series is a super-sexy second-chance read with a handsome ex-rodeo cowboy hero and the girl he left behind. This first book following the Davis children and how LOVE can heal your heart.

Maverick and Leighton have know each other literally their entire lives. Growing on neighboring ranches and small town gossip. Maverick is two years older than Leighton and his baby sister Quinn's best friend. Quinn grows up believing she looks more like a boy than a girl. SO, weeks before Maverick is graduating from high school and leaving to join the Rodeo Circuit Leighton and Quinn get dressed up to go to a party a Quinn's Ranch her brothers are throwing. Knowing time is running out the plan is that Leighton is going to lay her heart out in hopes of getting Maverick to stay and hopefully be together. Well here starts this amazing second chance romance because these two haven't seen each other in ten years.

In this SECOND chance story you'll discover that what was once thought to be true maybe isn't.

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. The relationship between Leighton and Quinn was perfection and BFF's to a T. Harper Sloane showed true loyalty and LOVE between siblings that was spot on. This is a fun, hot, sad, intense, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to read an emotionally charged well rounded book.

LOST RIDER is beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Congrats to Harper Sloane!!!

Netgally reviewer

This is a good story but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't 1st person. The characters are very likable and you want to know more about them.

*sigh* This book started off so good. Second chance romance, from childhood friends to lovers, male MC filled with regrets, hurt female MC holding everything inside for 10 years but still in love... Angst, angst, angst. But as soon as he sets foot home and opens his mouth everything goes downhill. FAST.

Here's the thing, I don't really understand why but I always build a stronger connection with second chance romances where one of the parts was seeing nothing more than friendship and years after realizes they are meant to be together. Specially if it's him the one blind that comes back begging for her love. I don't know what that says about me, and trust me I have not been in that situation in real life. My problem however, is that I want her to make him beg. Work for it. Make things hard for him to get that love he didn't even dedicate a second thought. I want her to make him deserve her. So what I can't stand is when she succumbs easily and gives all of her too soon (by my standards before half of the book). And no, I don't know what that says about me either.

In this case, the story is a little bit different, he had been secretly in love with her forever. But what doesn't change is that he hurt her. And what's even worst, he hurt her INTENTIONALLY so she couldn't hurt him first. *Gasp* I know, that was my reaction precisely. But the worst is yet to come, as soon as he sets foot in that town and sees his supposed love of his life that he left behind selfishly, instead of doing his best at making amends and begging for her forgiveness, he is a complete jackass. All this while having these ginormous internal monologues of how much he loves and regrets and blah blah blah. No. Sorry authors, but do not think that characters with 100% undeserving behaviour are okay just because they have good intentions.

You can guess now that by my standards, something happened too soon.

Anyway, while I loved the premise and everything this book had to offer sounded like something I would enjoy through and through, what I couldn't stand is the hero of the story. Consequently, as soon as he opened his mouth, the book went downhill for me.

As an afterthought, the writing style was great although I found dialogues at some point somehow repetitive going on and on for pages about feelings that had been already discussed.

As soon as I saw the cover for Harper's new book, I knew it had to be in my kindle library-it's one of those that just drew me in from the moment I saw it. Didn't hurt that it had to do with a cowboy.

The story of Maverick and Leighton starts with these two at a young age where they shared a close bond. It's a fabulous story about second chances and taking chances. I enjoyed the fun bantering between these two as well as the interweaving of stories with the other characters.

Can't wait for Coming Home #2 to release!

I give this one 5 seriously hot cowboy stars!! This was such a great story I hated to see it end. Great writing and characters with low angst, lots of fun, and some sizzling sexy times. Simply a purely pleasurable read.

Leigh had a serious crush on Maverick ten years ago and that one night she thought maybe he cared for her too. The next day everything had changed and Maverick was out of her life. Now ten years later Maverick is back in town and threatening to break her heart again. Can she be strong and resist him the way she knows she should??

I highly recommend this one to everyone.

3 - I was lost once... Stars.

Lost Rider, introduces the reader to the Davis family of Pine Oak, Texas. Town royalty if you will, and the first book gives us retired bull-rider, Maverick Austin Davis’ story.

"I’m not sure if everything I’ve been chasing-everything I’ve lost-is worth knowing what I’ve been missing…"

This is the first book I have read by Harper Sloan, I have however seen a lot of positive reviews for her other books on my Goodreads feed, so I started Lost Rider, with high hopes. And I would say that in part some of those hopes were met, the first 30% of the book started with a bang, was well written and with plenty of relevant conflict. Ten years away from town, has rung an awful lot of changes for Maverick Austin Davis, as well as those he left behind, so his return is met with mixed emotions, especially those of the girl he left behind, and not in the most auspicious of ways.

"I can’t fix the past… 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 to make sure that each day I live is worth somethin’, from this day forward."

Leighton Elizabeth James is not only Mav’s little sister’s best friend she is the woman that has loved him since they were both kids, to say she goes through the emotional wringer in this one would be an understatement, Mav’s return to town opens up old wounds, and as he starts to explain his past and reasons for leaving to her in more depth, even adds to them as well.

I think the main problem I had with Lost Rider, is the fact that the bulk of the story played out in the first third of the book, the rest of it basically comprised of Mav telling various people about what he went through as a child and the full story as to why he left. This is something that he went over and over again with Leigh and then his siblings Clay and Quinn. There were lengthy speeches, long paragraphs of inner monologue that were quite repetitive and didn’t really offer up much more than had already been covered. It reminded me a bit of an old episode of Dallas lots of high drama, over-the-top characterisation, but very little depth or development, the author pretty much took one trope and wrung every last drop of writing from it. Once the big reveal had happened early on very little else happened, it was broken up by the odd sexy time between the main couple, and a lot of irrelevant rambling monologues.

I knew she was it for me… if I admitted that, I wouldn’t be able to get out…

The writing was pretty decent (even if there was too much of it), but for me there were large chunks of this book that could have been cut out or pared down, I get that the story’s focus was on Mav’s return to town, and the reasons he left in the first place, but it just didn’t feel like enough once Leigh and Mav decided they were going to be together, everything was pretty pedestrian after that, and that’s an awful lot of pedestrian.

Would I read more from this author… Yes, I think her story telling is sound and her characters although a little on the overly dramatic side were easy to get along with, I’m not sure I’ll continue with this series, because if I am honest nothing really pulled me to want to find out more about Clay and Quinn Davis, also if their books are of a similar length to this one, I don’t honestly know if I have the will to pull myself through another 350+ page book with what amounts to a 200 page story in it.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

This was a deviation from Harper Sloan's usual and it was enjoyable although at times a bit annoying. This is a second chance romance about a cowboy and the girl he left behind after he crushed her teenage crush on him years earlier basically. He was a real tool back then.
Now having been forced to retire from bull riding, Maverick returns home after 10 long years. Leighton has never gotten over him. She has always loved him even though she has tried so hard all this time to forget him. He hurt her. She doesn't know why he acted the way he did. She thinks it was just her. Well it wasn't. Emotional at times but also some of their interactions seem a little childish to me.
Maverick realizes the mistake he made all those years ago going for his dreams and not keeping the one person with him he would have loved to have shared it all with.
Now he needs to make her see he loves her and how sorry he is.
Can they make it work all these years later? You'll have to read and find out.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

Brand New standalone, what a great book, what you get here is the feeling of family and the power of healing and of course the 2nd chance romance we all love !

It's a slow build, and not what I expected at all, but everything about this book comes across beautifully and well written, it was full of emotion and I believe that seeing the ties and the emotion was the point of the book rather than having several Wow factors ! The pages kept turning and as they did and the story unfolded the characters within came forth and truly bought the book to life.

I am very much looking forward to the next Book in the series !

4 Stars

Donna

4TLOReading

ARC received for an honest review

Saddle up for Harper Sloan's new Coming Home series, because we are going to be in for a bumpy ride.

Lost Rider is a sweet, adorable second chance love story, but it also has its fair share of tears and heartache as well.

I adored Mav and Leighton so much. We get the story in both the past and the present (mostly the present) and I am not going to lie, I may have had leaky eyes at times, particularly with some of the past scenes. Word of advice, don't read when you are in the car with friends, they will undoubtedly ask what is wrong with you!)

I love the push and pull between our lovelies. I could completely understand Leigh's hesitance to take anything Mav says seriously, however you just knew that they were destined to be together, no matter what.

I did feel at times that the story did seem to go around in circles, with our couple having the same conversation/fight/make up over and over, but this could just be me.

I adore adore adore Leighton's best friend/Mav's sister Quinn! There is no filter on that woman, and I love her all the more for it.

And as for Mav's broodish brother Clay, well, I can't wait to meet the woman that finally brings him to his knees!

Overall Lost Rider was a good read. I read it in one sitting so it definitely kept my interest. There were a couple of things that didn't add up, but as this was an ARC copy I am sure they will be fixed up before the book is released, and they did not affect my enjoyment of this book.

Can't wait for the next book!

Ready to go on blog and Amazon on release day

OMG! My heart is so full! Now that is how you write a romance!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s always hard to describe your feelings when you complete a fabulous book. Your emotions are running high, and if it’s anything like this book by Harper Sloan, you probably have a few tears going on as well.

Lost Rider gave me the major feels from start to finish. The deep emotional writing and the attention to in-depth detailed description created a masterpiece in contemporary romance. And I don’t say that flippantly.

I read a lot of Romance novels and you can tell when an author has crafted something so special that you want to immediately read it again. And again. With the highs and the lows, the smiles and the tears, you never want to see it end.

But then again you do want to reach the ending because you know there are others in the series that are waiting to be written. You can only hope they will be as good as this one was for me.

Harper Sloan has brought us a deeply touching heart-wrenching book that will be one you will pick up time and again. This story will never get old!

Loved this book and cannot wait for the next one.. I need it like now wait for the next one.. I need it like now

**4.5 stars**

Is there one person who you are made for?? Is there one person who can just make all the pain and hurt disappear? If there is, what if you meet them young in life but aren't able to commit to them right away? Can you ever go home and make things right when you've lost years that you could have had together?

This story explores these questions and weaves a heart stirring story of love, fulfillment, pain and just what makes a family.

Really enjoyed this story and can't wait for the other Davis siblings stories to be told!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley.

LOST RIDER by Harper Sloan, where to start, first this was my first read by this author and second this book was so good that I cannot wait for the second book in the series to come out when the first one has not even been published yet.

I really enjoy a book about a nice, hot, sexy cowboy and this book delivered that in spades along with a story that will draw so many emotions and feelings and pull on the heart strings.

A tragedy and one too many falls off the saddle has Maverick headed home to all the things he ran away from ten years ago, but some of the things that he didn't want to leave are still there, like the memories of his father and Leighton the only girl he has ever loved. But when Maverick left town he made sure that Leighton hated him and would never forgive him, the only thing is Leighton has only ever loved one man and that's Maverick (even though his words the night before he left hurt so deep). The story of Leighton and Maverick finding their way back to each other was what made the story of this book so good.

Book one in a new series from Harper Sloan and what a way to start !!
This book is a beautifully written moving story , it's about second changes, it's about forgiveness but most of all it's about love. Harper Sloan gives us yet another side to her writing talents.
Maverick Davis left Pine Oak at the first opportunity he got, he never thought he would be going back to the family home he ran as far away as he could get from, but an injury meanns his professional bull riding days are over so he is back to the place he hated the most, the place he left his heart when he left the only girl he has every really loved......
Leighton James is now running her own business, she is the successful owner and baker at the PieHole in Pine Oak, Maverick broke her heart and made her feel worthless all those years ago, how is she going to react to him moving back into town.....
This book is full of drama and at times I found myself not liking Maverick very much but as the story processes and you find out why he behaved the way he did you can't help falling for yet another Harper Sloan leading man, this author has a nack of giving us just what we want in a hot sexy alpha male and this story certainly has it's fair share of them.
Looking forward to the next in the Coming Home Series.

Maverick comes back home after a decade being a professional bull rider.
He left his family behind to fulfill his own life dream. Although it was probably his father the one who pushed him away. But he left behind someone else.
Leighton had a crush on Mav ten years ago. She is his little sister's best friend. And they didn't part on good terms.
But things were much more complicated back then. Mav's family life was not easy and he needed to escape, even if it meant leaving Leighton, and his love for her, behind.
Who knows? Maybe it was not their moment. Maybe it is now. But they will have to work together to make it happen.
I liked the story. Although I found it a little bit cheesy to be a Harper Sloan's book. I missed the action she usually includes.

This book started off with full, hot cowboy steam and somehow around the 57% mark it died down completely. Lost Rider is about a former bull rider coming home to face his past after his abusive, dominant father dies. With Maverick returning home means facing the girl that he left behind more than ten years ago. Leighton had a huge teenage crush on maverick before he left and with his return comes pain and sexual tension. These two together creates an electric spark and I was hoping that Maverick would win Leighton's heart. Maverick and Leighton grew up together being that Leighton is Maverick's little sister's best friend. I always go weak for a cowboy and this one is no different. This book has that hot Texas, cowboy drawl and it felt I was talking to a real cowboy and I absolutley loved it.

Although I loved the sexy cowboy and his chemistry with Leighton, the second part of this book was so cheesy. I did not get the cowboy feeling from maverick and the dialogue was not written very well. I would have loved to see their relationship when they were teenagers. I have questions like, "Why was he in love with Leighton when they were younger?" and "Why did Leighton love Maverick when they were teenagers"? When it is revealed that Maverick was a huge jerk to her, it shows his character at that moment, but I do not get to see the Maverick that she loves. There were things that happened in this story that did not make sense such as Maverick kissing Leighton like a week before he left and her not having any idea that he harbored feelings for her. As I said before, the story takes a turn for the worst in the second half by becoming a snooze fest. It was as if the entire story was a cheesy poem without a climatic point.

Overall the story had plot and the first half was great. If you love a hot, brooding cowboy this book is for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

Lost Rider is the first Harper Sloan book I've ever read. I know - can you believe it? I've always heard great things about her stories and when the publisher offered the review to me I didn't want to pass it up.

This story about Maverick and Leighton is so sweet. They really do have a great love story. I've rated this book so low because that's all there is. No drama. No angst. Just a sweet love story between two soul mates. I was at 70% of the book wondering if there was something hidden coming down the pipe. There wasn't.

Don't get me wrong. This story will give you all the lovey feels. Maverick - is a keeper. He might start out as the worst hero in history but soon turns into the most lovable character. I may have shed a tear for the guy once.

If you love sweet romances - definitely add this book to your list. You won't be disappointed.

By the way - I want a cookie dough pie!