Lost Rider by Harper Sloan

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 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆☆
Sometimes you just need a sexy, sweet, darlin' calling, hot, Stetson wearing, worn jeans wearing cowboy. Ms. Sloan gives you that with Lost Rider.

Maverick Davis is everything a cowboy should be. Maverick's childhood wasn't ideal. His mom took off when he was younger and Maverick felt the brunt of his father's anger. His brother and sister had it bad but never has bad as Mav did. Maverick's only dream was to be a professional bull rider in the rodeo and get away from Pine Oak. Getting away from Pine Oak also meant getting away from Leighton. She was his sister Quinn's best friend and she had been in love with Maverick for as long as anyone could remember. They were all friends, Clay, his older brother, Quinn, and Leighton, and leaving them behind was the only way Maverick could live out his dream.

Ten years later he finds out about his father's passing and has to return to the one place he has never wanted to come back to. Can Maverick fight the demons that haunt his thoughts? Will he be able to face the one girl he's never been able to forget?

Ms. Sloan pulls you into Pine Oak and keeps you there with the sexy Maverick. He and Leighton light up the pages with their undeniable chemistry.

I can't wait to see where this series goes.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance

This is a sweet story about second chances. Leighton is all grown up and working on her own dreams. However, she has continued to be in touch with her best friend's family, despite the very harsh rejection that Maverick Davis gave her.

Maverick is struggling with life. He has had too many riding related injuries and is now sidelined for good. He also has a secret from his siblings that he worries will push them even further away.

When everything comes to a head, Maverick will have to face his past – he'll have to apologize, grovel, and come to terms with his abusive past.

Leighton is Maverick's rock. She supports him, loves him unconditionally, and even though sometimes he's infuriating, she loves all of it and his family.

I enjoyed this story and hope that the siblings get their own.


Jordan – ☆☆☆
This was my first time reading any of Harper Sloan's books and while I may not have been completely smitten with Lost Rider, I am intrigued to see what else she has out there. Normally, I am quite the fan of a good cowboy romance, but something about this one just didn't win me over. I was just left feeling rather neutral. I didn't dislike Lost Rider, but I didn't really develop any overly fond feelings for it either. Although, I will say that I enjoyed getting both Leighton and Maverick's points of view, I wasn't too bothered by the flashbacks in time, and the characters had great chemistry.

Maverick Davis is finally returning home after 10 years on the rodeo circuit and it only took his father's funeral and the news that he couldn't ride anymore. Leaving the rodeo star life behind, he returns home to the family horse breeding business, which he's never had much interest in to begin with. After having endured the brunt of his father's anger on one too many occasions, he doesn't have many fond memories of the home he left behind, but duty calls.

Leighton James has crushed on her childhood best friend's older brother for as long as she can remember and hasn't forgotten the way Maverick crushed her heart 10 years ago. But she's no longer the same insecure 16-year-old and Maverick can't help but notice the stunning woman she's turned into.

All in all, Lost Rider was about 3.5 stars read from me. This one may not have been for me, but I would still be curious to read Quinn's story in Kiss My Boots (Coming Home #2)!


Veronica – ☆☆☆
This is a second change romance. Maverick and Leighton have known each other all their lives but as soon as Maverick is old enough, he leaves their small town to become a rodeo star. Ten years later, after the death of his father, he returns home.

Lost Rider hooked me in right from the first chapter. The back story between this couple is just wow! Such amazing love and heartache. The emotions are so strong and I could feel the connection between the characters. And not just between Maverick and Leighton but between all of the Davis siblings. The story was emotional, funny, sexy, sassy. All the wonderful things.

So if I was loving this book so much why the 3-star review? Well, the second half of the story is full of internal monologues and musings. We spend far too much time in Leighton and Maverick's heads going through the same stuff over and over and I lost my connection to the story. The second half of the book had only a few small highlights. Most of it was boring and when the book was finished, instead of feeling sad that I was leaving characters I loved, I was relieved I didn't have to read anymore.

The day after I finished this I was watching a scene in Grey's Anatomy where April Kepner is helping Jackson Avery deal with a difficult personal situation and I instantly thought of Leighton and Maverick, so I think these characters might be with me for a while.

Even though I have a love/hate relationship with Lost Rider I would recommend it. I will read the next book in the series, Kiss My Boots, just for the chance to experience the type of story and emotions that the first half of Lost Rider provided.

Harper Sloan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Corps Security and Hope Town series. She started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night. Harper lives in Georgia with her family.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Lost Rider (Coming Home #1) by Harper Sloan to read and review.