Review: Lost and Found by Lucy Lennox & Sloane Kennedy

Lost and Found by Lucy Lennox & Sloane Kennedy
Amazon
Novel: 330pgs

3.5 Pants Off

Blurb: He promised to never leave me. But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did…

From Bestselling Authors Sloane Kennedy & Lucy Lennox comes an exciting new series about how a twist of fate can change everything...

He promised to never leave me. But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did…
Wilderness guide Xander Reed has spent fifteen years trying to forget the night he turned to his best friend in his darkest hour, only to find the young man who’d sworn to always have his back was turning his on Xander instead. Two thousand miles and fifteen years of building a new life in the quiet backcountry of the Rocky Mountains should have been enough to put the memory of Bennett Crawford out of his mind forever, but old wounds run deep and when Bennett suddenly reappears in his life as part of a wilderness expedition Xander is guiding, the scars he thought long healed break wide open.


I’d only ever wanted to protect Xander from getting hurt again. I never considered the one he needed protection from was me…
Bennett Crawford was faced with an impossible choice the night his best friend needed him.

He chose wrong.

As the only son of one of the wealthiest families in New England, he should have had the world at his feet, but losing his best friend at the tender age of fourteen changed everything. And even though Bennett’s managed to hide behind a mask of contentment as he takes his place at his father’s side in the family business, inside he’s searching for the piece of himself that’s been missing ever since Xander Reed walked out of his life. Bennett’s only saving grace is his work with a group of inner city kids, and when he’s given the chance to show the troubled teens that there’s a bigger world out there waiting for them if they just have the courage to reach for it, he takes it.

But when he steps off that bus for what was supposed to be a week of fun and adventure, he’s instantly returned to the past when he discovers their expedition guide is none other than the boy he let go so long ago. Only, the soft-hearted, insecure little boy Bennett once knew is gone, and in his place is a brooding, bitter man who isn’t interested in second chances.


People leave. I know that now and nothing Bennett has to say to me will change anything…
All Bennett wants is another chance to show Xander that friendship was only the beginning. But when a stubborn Xander refuses to even hear him out, Bennett realizes he’s going to need to fight dirty.

Because now that he’s found Xander again, he’s not letting him go a second time…

Review

First time reading Lucy Lennox and Sloane Kennedy as a duo, but having read Sloane Kennedy before I can see where her/ writing style comes through. I admit I am intrigued by what else this duo has to offer and I am looking forward to diving into more of their work. 

First things first, the blurb once again does too good of a job with telling what the story is about. So I won’t spend too much time giving an overview of the story. Because it’s boy meets boy, boys become the very best of friends besides their social status, in the time of need when one boy needed the other most he was pushed away and left with a broken heart that remained with him into adulthood. 

Now as adults. Xander and Bennet haven’t seen each other in 15yrs and a chance meeting has them spending more than seven days in each other’s company. Old hurts rear its head and new feelings appear. Xander is faced with the challenge of facing Bennet as a man, its hard when he hurts like the little boy that was left behind.  

Things I liked: I liked the story itself, was very entertaining and I like the writing style. 

I’m such a fan of angst and pent up anger and this book offered it up in drones. Xander and Bennet are engaging as characters and really just want them to get their happy ending and move forward. You want them to have their friendship back. The setting of the story is also another win. I really wanted to get out there and hike and look at some beautiful bodies of water and get some fresh mountain air in my lungs.  

Things I didn’t like: The unnecessary conflict to carry the storyline. There is nothing I dislike more than conflict that feels very contrived. Like the only way feelings can move forward is with something awful happening (near death experience) to bring honesty and realizations out. I don’t know about you guys but that stuff irks me. It feels fake and dishonest. 

The terrible communication between the MCs -insert eye roll- it was annoying and frustrating. It happened way too often between these two grown ass men. 

The fact that all this love shit was going down while these adults were responsible for kids. There was just way too many moments that I hated and as parent myself wouldn’t leave my kids in these dudes care. Most of the time they were running around just thinking with their dicks. 

Overall, I liked reading this. Its no masterpiece but it’s a solid read with likeable characters and surprisingly a very strong message of family. I like this writing duo. I feel like Lucy Lennox balances Sloane’s way of doing the happy happy thing. I am very much looking forward to reading book 2.  

SideNote- The dog Bear in this book will capture your heart. He is the softest thing ever.