Review: Lone Star Homecoming (Texas Justice #5) by Justine Davis

He’s haunted by one mistake…

Kane Highwater has been on the run for over a dozen years, since he was sixteen. And every step of the way he’s carried the weight of what happened the day he left Last Stand. He’d reacted in fear and anger, and it had cost him everything.

He stirs her heart in a way she never imagined…

Lark Leclair admires the Highwater clan for many things, including how they’ve never stopped searching for their missing brother. As a former Child Protective Services worker, she understands better than most why he’d run. But when she spots Kane in a crowd at a national reining competition where her friend — his sister — is competing, it will take all of her experience, compassion and instincts to convince him to stay.

Their attraction is immediate, but Kane is certain he can never regain his place in his legendary family. Can Lark convince him that with her by his side, it’s not too late for a fresh start?

My Review:

A highly emotional read.

When Kane Highwater was sixteen, he found out the man who had been raising him really wasn’t his father.  They ended up arguing and then Kane ran.  He traveled the country and didn’t look back for thirteen years.  Now that Kane is back home, he still isn’t sure if he fits in with his siblings and it causes him to wonder if he should leave again.  But there was one person Kane didn’t want to hurt, Lark Leclair. 

Lark was friends with the entire Highwater family, but she only knew Kane from conversations with his siblings and a picture they used in their search for him.  It was Lark who spotted Kane in Oklahoma where Sage, Kane’s sister, was competing at the NRHA Derby.  During the drive from Oklahoma to Last Stand, Texas, Lark and Kane got to know each other pretty well and they soon formed a relationship.  But will it be enough when Kane’s urge to flee becomes real again?

The author did a great job outlining the characters in this book.  But it took a little while for me to catch on as there were so many characters.  At first, I found myself having trouble keeping them separate.  But once I moved further into the story, they started falling in place.  I could really feel the pain and struggle Kane had with his identity.  I really liked how Lark and Kane took their time to know each other before jumping off into a romantic relationship.  If you’re looking for an emotional romance with strong family ties, this is the book for you.