Flashback Review: Lost and Found by Lucy Lennox & Sloane Kennedy

Flashback Review: Lost and Found by Lucy Lennox & Sloane Kennedy 

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Blurb:

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…

4.5 Stars

Xander and Bennett were best-friends until, when Xander needed Bennett the most he wasn’t there for him. The two men hadn’t seen each other in almost 15 years, when Bennett steps off a bus with a group of underprivileged youth that Xander, a Wilderness guide, will lead on a week-long exposition. Sparks immediately fly and not the good kind!

So, while I’ve read Lucy Lennox, this book officially pops my Sloane Kennedy cherry and as firsts go, this was a great one.

I actually wasn’t sure what to think of either character at first because the authors keep their backstory a bit of a mystery, but as we progress and the past is brought to light, my heart absolutely broke for Xander. I wanted to cuddle him and console this poor broken teen who had to face so much loss.

Xander is a bit rough around the edges at first until you really get to know him. I understood his anger towards Bennett, but I wasn’t sure what to make of Bennett at first. I felt sorry for him, but again, as we witness his past transgressions, I sort of wanted to throat punch him!!

I absolutely loved this story and once the whole truth comes to light, these two men were perfect for one another. Their love truly stood the test of time, and they had amazing chemistry and the sex was sweet, passionate, a bit dirty and oh so smoking hot and plentiful. The love they felt for one another came off the pages at you. I wanted a happy ending, but not for the story to end.

The story is well-written and the collaboration between the authors writing is seamless. I couldn’t tell who wrote what. But as much as I loved the story you must wonder why not five stars? It’s because I found the flashbacks in the first half of the story to be distracting and it interrupted the flow of the story. I understand we had to know what happened, but I almost would have liked it better had the story been broken up into two parts, rather than the back and forth we were given.

In the end, I loved both Xander and Benny and there were a plethora of secondary characters, who not only contributed to the story, but also who make up a lot of potential main characters for future stories that I’m definitely looking forward too.

All in all, this was a great and enjoyable book that I’d highly recommend and not only will I be waiting for more future collaborations, but I’ll be looking out for these authors solo projects as well!!

*copy purchased by the reviewer*