***4 ‘Always’ stars***
I always try to dive into any book, regardless of if the author is one on my auto-buy list or on my new to me list, as open minded and unbiased as possible and let the description of the book be the my only guide as to what to expect, but this one surprised me, pleasantly so, but still surprised me. It was all kinds of emotional and angsty, but balanced out with sweetness and humor and filled with interesting characters that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.
They say that first impressions last forever and my first impression of Maverick was not an all around good one. I understood that he was dealing with a lot of upheaval in his life, but his actions had me wanting to take a 2x4 to his head. But as things progressed I started to like and even admire him more and more to the point where I kinda fell for the man, and this was before the full unveiling of what his childhood had been like. What changed my perspective was how he dealt with his forced career change. He mourned the loss of it, and there was a bit of self pity going on in the beginning, but I liked how he eventually picked himself up without needing a big come to Jesus kick in the arse. I also like how he took responsibility for the sins of his past and through that process became the man he was always meant to be.
I absolutely admired Leighton. Life hasn’t been all that kind to her and her heart has taken quite a beating in the short time she’s been on this Earth and yet she has persevered. She’s had her moments where her actions have been questionable, but she’s picked herself up by her bootstraps and moved forward with her life. I loved how she stood up for herself, even if it at times meant she reverted to her sixteen year old self and included a bit of verbal vomiting, and was brutally honest when she did. Her heart, despite being bruised, was still golden and it showed through in everything she did.
While I wouldn’t call this a true second chance romance, it is about setting things right with the person your heart has always belong to and does Maverick have a lot to atone for. Through flashbacks we find out what went down between him and Leighton and it’s absolutely heartbreaking, and even more so when Maverick’s logic behind his actions come to light. And though the beginning of their reunion is explosive, in both a good and bad way, I liked how everything played out, which is partly where the ‘surprise’ comes from. In some ways it was how I imagined things going, in others not so much but overall it worked for me and in some ways was quite refreshing and was quite happy with how everything turned out for them.
This is my first read by Harper Sloan and I really enjoyed it. I loved that things didn’t go as I expected and that the main charries leaned more towards the adult side of New Adult. My one issue has to do with the inner monologuing. There is a lot and I can say that most of it is necessary, but I could have done with a little more actual conversation that didn’t take place in their heads. But I really enjoyed the secondary characters, I want to be Miz Perkins when I grow up, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the other two Davis siblings deal with the knowledge dropped on them in this book and how it will affect their own journey’s to their HEA’s.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley ~
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 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 cowboys!
Book Summary
Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult
Published By: Gallery Pocket Books
Release Date: April 25th, 2017
Pages: 400
Series: Coming Home #1
ISBN: 1501155199
Harper Sloan is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author of the Corps Security series, the Hope Town series and the stand alone novel, Perfectly Imperfect.
Harper lives in Cumming, Georgia just a few hours north of her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed ‘Estrogen Ocean’, much to her husbands chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero–the super alpha kind!
Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy, it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn’t take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.
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