Customer Reviews

Lost Highways (Mira)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In her mid-thirties, Rainey Valentine's heart is breaking. All alone for the first time in her life since her beloved mother died unexpectedly from heart failure, Rainey's life just hasn't been complete. Though she has two siblings and a father, and has been unhappily married and divorced twice, Mama was the one person Rainey felt closest to in her whole life. Grieving, Rainey decides to flee her Oklahoma hometown with the inheritance Mama left her; her aging barrel-racing horse, an old truck and horse trailer, and a lifetime's supply of Mary Kay cosmetics. She coaxes the old horse into the trailer and drives to Texas to join the barrel racing circuit. Late one night, on her way to Childress, Texas, Rainey almost runs over a man wandering down the side of the road. She offers the unfortunate Harry Furneaux a ride to the next town, seeing as he'd been injured and his car totaled in an accident. He accepts, and soon becomes her driving companion. As Rainey and Harry go down the endless highway seeking self worth, they begin to fall in love. However Harry is running from his own troubled past, grieving a departed life in his own way. Can these two lost souls connect to find happiness with each other. "LOST HIGHWAYS" by Curtiss Ann Matlock, is a reflective look inside two individuals whose spirits are drifting to nowhere. Harry and Rainey each are struggling to understand the lives they have lost, and desperately trying to find a future worth living for. However, their caring and kindness for each other and the people they meet on the road begin the healing process. In her wise and gentle way with words, Curtiss Ann Matlock's emotional and meaningful story line leaves readers with the message that everyone needs someone to love them and for them to love. I enjoy the fact that she can convey a sense of passion and sensuality between her characters without having them fall into bed every other page. This is a woman who knows what the meaning of real love is.

Curtiss Ann Matlock waits entirely too long between books to share her delightful gems of romance with her public but, as with all good things, they are worth waiting for.

This was such a soft-spoken SWEET romance. Not sugary, just lovely. Curtiss Anne Matlock is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. In this story Harry Furneaux,a discouraged and depressed doctor, meets Rainey Valentine, a horse barrel racer. He is enchanted by this delightful sprite of a creature, who seems to solve all of the world's problems by waving her magic wand full of practical, sage advice and deep caring attitude. She is terrified to fall in love again (she's been divorced twice) but Harry's slow, soft romancing finally wears her down and she learns to trust again. This was a truly delightful novel - you'll really enjoy it. Try my other two favourites by Matlock - Heaven in Texas and If Wishes were Horses.

Curtiss Ann Matlock writes sweet, warm, funny romances that speak directly to the heart with every word. This book is no exception. And I especially love the ghost of Mama in her white fringed barrel racing outfit.

I've only had the pleasure -- thus far -- of reading three of Curtiss Ann Matlock's books, but she is one of those authors whose books I literally snatch off the shelves when I see them. In LOST HIGHWAYS, as in both IF WISHES WERE HORSES and THE LOVES OF RUBY DEE, her prose is warm, witty, delightfully quirky, and thoroughly honest -- just like her characters. She allows her characters time not only the luxury of being human, but enough time to fall in love for the reader to not only enjoy the ride, but to accept, without a doubt, that the couple has made the right decision. Don't expect to find lots of "hot" lovescenes here, but rest assured you'll find a lovestory that'll just make you feel good about being a member of the crazy human race.

Matlock's stories are the kind I read on two levels. The stories are always great, but it's her voice--warm, southern, with a dash of humor and a lot of human wisdom, that keeps me going back to read each one over and over again.

This was definitely a cut above the general "hot and steamy" vein of romance novels (Which I won't read)...The voice of our wonderful main character is full of doubts, wonder, insecurity, and overall goodness that makes this book what it is. She considers her actions, God, and reflects on what makes a person who they are today.

The plot is of course nothing extraordinary, but the details make it something special. As a horse owner, I appreciate the drama queens and emotion of the horseshow, and the rather suprisingly non-competitive nature of our Rainney.

This is a book I have read twice, and looking forward to reading other Matlock books.

At first glance, I got the impression that the book would be boring. But as I read on, I became interested in this young woman, who picked up a stranger on the highway. I came to some of the same conclusions that maybe he could be a murderer. I like the way Matlock kept this mysterious man's occupation a mystery until it was actually needed. I fell in love with him even before Rainey did. Matlock made this stranger appear as if he at first had a bad temper, but I like the way she showed how sweet and loving he appeared. At the end, when she went to look for him, the first thing that came to mind was that he had found someone else. I Love how he had every thing settled before he asked her to marry him. I love the book.

I adored this book. One of the best I've read all year. What a set-up. The heroine's dearly mourned mother leaves her a horse trailer, a lifetime supply of Mary Kay cosmetics, and an old barrel racing mare. Her quest leads her to a most unexpected man! I just loved the warmth of this book. Don't miss it!

LOST HIGHWAYS is the kind of book that makes you smile, nod your head, chuckle and then go find someone to share it with. It's full of warmth and wisdom, celebrating the human frailties and strangths we all share.

Having never read this author's work before I was hesitant. Would I like a romantic story about an Oklahoma rodeo gal? Absolutely I did! Loved it!
When Rainey Valentine stops on the highway in a terror to investigate a possible encounter with the truck and trailer she was driving and a shadowy figure she thought she may have hit, the intrigue begins. Who was this man and what was he running from?
This surprising romance was a wonderful heartfelt story. No gratuitous sex scenes in this one, but sexy ? Oh yes! Read this and see how the handsome stranger with a broken spirit and the rodeo gal with a pure heart, that needs it's own mending, navigate their way to finding their own truths and love along the way. I will definitely seek out another of Curtis Ann Matlock's books. And, I now have an appreciation of the rodeo circuit!