Wild Ride: Cavalcata selvaggia (Heart of Stone - Stone Creek Legacy Vol. 2)

by June Wilder

Otto secondi per la gloria. Una vita intera per il perdono.

Ryder Stone era il Re del circuito. Viveva per l'adrenalina, i premi in denaro e la fuga dal suo passato. Ma quando un toro leggendario di nome Widowmaker riduce il suo femore in polvere e i suoi sogni in cenere, Ryder non ha altra scelta che tornare strisciando nell'unico posto che aveva giurato di non rivedere mai più: Stone Creek, Montana.

Tornare a casa significa affrontare il fratello che ha deluso e, peggio ancora, Elena Rosales. La donna che ha amato. La donna che ha lasciato indietro sei anni fa senza nemmeno un addio.

Elena ha costruito una vita tranquilla e sicura. È l'unica fisioterapista della città e l'ultima persona che vorrebbe avere le mani sul corpo distrutto di Ryder Stone. Ma sotto la sua professionalità di ghiaccio brucia ancora una vecchia fiamma, e un segreto che potrebbe distruggere entrambi.

Un segreto che ha sei anni, indossa stivali da cowboy rossi e crede che suo padre sia un pirata smarrito.

Mentre Ryder lotta per rimettersi in piedi per un'ultima gara che potrebbe salvarlo dalla bancarotta, scopre che la sfida più grande non è restare in sella otto secondi. È dimostrare di essere l'uomo che suo figlio merita.

Quando una tempesta minaccia di portare via tutto ciò che conta, Ryder dovrà fare una scelta inseguire la fibbia d'oro che ha sempre desiderato, o salvare il cuore che non sapeva di aver spezzato.

Un emozionante romanzo autoconclusivo sul ritorno a casa, le seconde possibilità e la forza inarrestabile della paternità.

Genres: Second Chance, Westerns, Romance, Cowboy Romance

142 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 13, 2026

Reviews

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I read this solely because of the cover… didn’t read the blurb… didn’t read a review… literally judged a book by the sexy AI cowboy on the cover. Turns out the plot was similar to a book I read not long ago, Stetson's Storm.

Ryder left everyone in his dust several years earlier to make a name for himself in the rodeo. Including his long-term girlfriend… and someone else. He’s injured, broke, and comes home to rehab to a chilly reception because he completely cut them all off even his brother.

The Good-
➕ The writing was solid. The descriptions of bull riding… spot on. It made me miss my years in Colorado hanging with cowboys.
➕ The cover 🔥

The Not-So Good
❌ Ryder isn’t super likable. He abandoned her and was sleeping with buckle bunnies within a month that doesn’t scream deep love, and he’s planning to abandon them again until the very end.

Bottom Line- I wanted to like this but there just wasn’t a lot going on. I wish Ryder and Elena would’ve interacted more. Maybe rehashed things, like she could’ve brought up how quickly he moved on or how he planned to never return. THAT would’ve been entertaining to read… not him rehabbing.

[Tracey Cramer-Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The detail and intensity of the opening scene blew me away. Then, a flawed and broken Ryder gripped my attention. His inner dialogue and thoughts as he grappled with going from on top of the world to a painful, narrow existence kept me turning the pages well into the night. However, several issues interrupted my enjoyment. Elena would not have been both a medical doctor and a physical therapist (especially at 26 years old). The timeline did not always make sense (I’m thinking of a scene having to do with his pain meds). Ryder strongly suspected Leo was his child in an early chapter and yet did nothing about it (which I expected because that chapter ended with “the rules of engagement have changed”). He doesn’t confront Elena or try to get more information about Leo and/or see him; instead, he finds a sneaky way to figure it out weeks later. I get that Elena was hurt, and she was there to provide a professional service, but I never warmed to her. Perhaps it would have helped to have some of the scenes/chapters in her POV (there was only one, at the beginning). Perhaps also for the same reason, the heat between the characters felt like residual attraction from their past, rather than about who they were now, six years later. All that said, Ryder’s actions and realizations at the ending grabbed me by the throat again (and I mean that in a good way) and I couldn’t stop reading.

[Anne Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

This is a sweet, clean book you can take anywhere with no problem if someone reads over your shoulder. I really enjoyed this story about Ryder. It can be be really tough to struggle with self-worth and get past the habits or patterns we use to live our lives. I liked getting to know Ryder and seeing how things would go. It's well written with a strong cast.

[Joelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just Four Stars

I enjoyed this very short story, but wished it had been a bit lengthier. That's why the four stars. Mmm NJ

[Judith C. Kempf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rider

What a wonderful story. I hated for this story to end but I am so glad it ended the way it did Sweet

[Nancy Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good clean read

Such A great story about what is truly important in life! This is the second book in the series I read and can’t wait for the next

[Blair · Rating 1 out of 5]

AI writing.

[Pamela Schunke · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

This book is a real page turner. It was very enjoyable and kept my interest. I Stayed up too late reading it! Lol.

[Elena Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

wild ride

This too was a really nice read. Especially since my name is Elena and I was born on September 14th. This one was really special for me.

[Kat Bertrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing was excellent. Very descriptive. But this was a PG story. If you want sex, this isn’t it.