The Wrong Ride Home

Wildflower Canyon, Book 1

By: Maya Alden

Narrated by: Tyler Darby, Lyssa Browne

She's my first love. She's also my father's mistress's daughter.

I'm Duke Wilder, and this is my story.

I left Wildflower Canyon and Wilder Ranch ten years ago, away from my father and Elena—the girl I loved before I found out she was the daughter of my father's mistress.

Now my father is gone, and he's left the ranch to me. I come back ready to sell it off piece by piece, to destroy his so-called legacy, and finally get revenge on the land that failed my mother.

But coming back to the Colorado ranch country feels like stepping into a part of myself I've tried to forget. The wide-open skies, the mountains, the horses—it's all still in my blood. And so is Elena, no matter that I've brought my girlfriend with me.

Elena never left the ranch. Even after her mother passed, she stayed, caring for my father until the end. They call her the horse whisperer, and it's easy to see why. She's incredible at what she does.

I should hate her. But I can't. The fire we had all those years ago never died. Being near her feels like standing too close to the sun—and it burns just the way I like it.

I try to fight how I feel for her, but I give up when I realize that I want more than revenge. I want Elena. I want the ranch. But after everything that's happened, she doesn't trust me. Maybe she never will.

The Wrong Ride Home is a standalone second-chance cowboy romance that features all your favorite tropes: second chance; cowboy; other woman drama; small town; and no cheating.

For mature listeners.

©2025 Maya Alden (P)2025 Podium Audio

Loved it!!!

Tyler and Lysse were amazing!! I also absolutely love a second chance romance. This was so good

Ohhhh the feelings I felt!

Oh this on made me feel things…a lot of things! Duke was a total dick! Did he redeem himself? Yes, but only after he found out the truth from EVERYONE ELSE! I get he was a kid when things went down, but damn he didn’t even give Elena a chance to explain. I was enraged a lot in this book, but it was also so addicting I couldn’t put it down! It was messy, full of angst, heartache and sooooo good! I’m so glad I found this author!

Read: Audible 🎧
MMC: Duke Wilder
FMC: Elena Rivera
Spice: 2🌶️
Tropes: Small Town, Cowboy/Cowgirl, Second Chance, OWD, Forced Proximity, Boss/Employee, It’s Always Been You

Duke and Elena

I’ve read this book many times. It’s a favorite. The audio is amazing. The narrators do a great job of being this book to life.

Inflection overload but it worked

One of my favorite books. I loved the OW drama, the way the characters needed the separation and, yes, even the trauma, to grow to the people they became. There’s one scene that made me want to grab Duke and shake him, but I think Elena needed to see that to be able to finally get it in her head to move on. That’s also when Duke decided that he was done pretending he didn’t want her back.

Lyssa Browne sounded just like Elena did in my head when I read this for the first time. Tyler Darby had all the inflections but it worked. I’ll be adding this one to my “listen to again” collection.

Ugh I wanted more

I think 4 hours was repeated dialogue. I wanted more OwD and more spice . But with all Maya aldens books, I forget the spice is very minimal. Anyway, the story its self was pretty good! A light read, very little thought or effort to listen to her story but enough to get through it. Would I read again? No but if u like cowboy/cowgirl , 2nd chance love , easy read , then here you go!