When the Pace Slows
(2026)(The second book in the Cloudrest Recovery Romances series)
A novel by Briar Hope
Sometimes the bravest race is the one you don’t run.
Isaac Rivera was supposed to be on the podium.
After a career-saving surgery and a failed comeback race, the former collegiate track star arrives at Cloudrest Recovery Center, telling everyone he’s just here to reset and get faster. He doesn’t need rest. He doesn’t need reflection. And he definitely doesn’t need anyone’s sympathy.
Clara Merritt isn’t chasing anything.
Still grieving her sister’s sudden death, she’s spending a season at Cloudrest with her young niece, trying to build something steady out of what’s left. She’s spent months holding everything together—and she has no interest in getting pulled into someone else’s race.
But Isaac’s relentless drive unsettles her.
And Clara’s calm, unwavering presence unsettles him even more.
Because for the first time, someone is looking at Isaac without seeing rankings, records, or everything he’s lost.
As old dreams begin to pull him back toward the track, Isaac must decide what matters more: proving he still matters… or choosing a life that finally feels like his own.
At Cloudrest, healing doesn’t always mean getting back on track.
Sometimes it means discovering who you are when the pace slows.
When the Pace Slows is a closed-door, slow-burn sports romance featuring an injured athlete, a grieving guardian heroine, forced proximity at a cozy mountain retreat, found family, and a healing love story about learning who you are beyond the finish line.
Genre: Romance
Isaac Rivera was supposed to be on the podium.
After a career-saving surgery and a failed comeback race, the former collegiate track star arrives at Cloudrest Recovery Center, telling everyone he’s just here to reset and get faster. He doesn’t need rest. He doesn’t need reflection. And he definitely doesn’t need anyone’s sympathy.
Clara Merritt isn’t chasing anything.
Still grieving her sister’s sudden death, she’s spending a season at Cloudrest with her young niece, trying to build something steady out of what’s left. She’s spent months holding everything together—and she has no interest in getting pulled into someone else’s race.
But Isaac’s relentless drive unsettles her.
And Clara’s calm, unwavering presence unsettles him even more.
Because for the first time, someone is looking at Isaac without seeing rankings, records, or everything he’s lost.
As old dreams begin to pull him back toward the track, Isaac must decide what matters more: proving he still matters… or choosing a life that finally feels like his own.
At Cloudrest, healing doesn’t always mean getting back on track.
Sometimes it means discovering who you are when the pace slows.
When the Pace Slows is a closed-door, slow-burn sports romance featuring an injured athlete, a grieving guardian heroine, forced proximity at a cozy mountain retreat, found family, and a healing love story about learning who you are beyond the finish line.
Genre: Romance