Always With Me (Heartwarming and humorous small town romance)

Barbara Freethy

Jun 2019 · Whisper Lake Book 1 · Fog City Publishing, LLC

About this ebook

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy comes the first book in the WHISPER LAKE series! Set in the majestic Colorado mountains, the books feature sexy romance, heartwarming emotion, family drama, compelling mystery, and a town full of fascinating characters. Once you come to visit, you'll never want to leave!  

After her third broken engagement, Gianna Campbell comes home to help with the family business and to heal her heart, only to realize that she has become the town joke—dubbed the runaway fiancée. If that wasn't bad enough, who should show up in town but her former crush Zach Barrington, a man who has other reasons to hate her.

Zach returns to Whisper Lake not only for a job opportunity but also for a chance at personal redemption. The last person he wants to see is Gianna, who once got him kicked out of the only place that made him feel whole. But when an accident sends her into the lake, their first face-to-face meeting in years leaves them both breathless.

And suddenly the past feels a lot closer…

Zach and Gianna back away as fast as they come together, both wary of more danger to their damaged hearts. But their search for a truth leads to surprising secrets, life-changing revelations, and the chance for a love more powerful than they ever imagined. Can they trust each other the second time around?

NOTE: The Whisper Lake Series is a heartwarming and humorous small-town romance series. Each book can be read as a standalone. There are no cliffhangers! Popular storylines in the series include grumpy sunshine, runaway bride, second chance at love, enemies to lovers, family secrets, blind date, and opposites attract.

PRAISE FOR BARBARA FREETHY NOVELS

"A fabulous, page-turning combination of romance and intrigue. Fans of Nora Roberts and Elizabeth Lowell will love this book." — NYT Bestselling Author Kristin Hannah on Golden Lies

"In the tradition of LaVyrle Spencer, gifted author Barbara Freethy creates an irresistible tale of family secrets, riveting adventure and heart- touching romance." — NYT Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs on Summer Secrets

"This book has it all: heart, community, and characters who will remain with you long after the book has ended. A wonderful story." — NYT Bestselling Author Debbie Macomber on Suddenly One Summer

"A warm and wonderful book about love, family and everything that’s important in life. Irresistible! I loved it!" — NYT Bestselling Author Susan Elizabeth Phillips on Ask Mariah

"Freethy has a gift for creating complex, appealing characters and emotionally involving, often suspenseful, sometimes magical stories." — Library Journal on Suddenly One Summer

"Barbara Freethy is a master storyteller with a gift for spinning tales about ordinary people in extraordinary situations and drawing readers into their lives." — Romance Reviews Today

Ratings and reviews

I absolutely loved Always With Me by Barbara Freethy. It is the first book in the Whisper Lake series. I could not put it down. Barbara Freethy has once again shown that she is an amazing storyteller. I could not put it down. I loved every page. I really enjoy how the book is told from the perspective of the main characters. I love getting the insight and feelings from the different characters. Always With Me is the story of Zach Barrington and Gianna Campbell, who were once teenage lovers at the camp where Zach is currently working on plans to redesign for his friend, Hunter Callaway. They both left the camp hating one another, even though they had fallen in love with one another. The job redesigning the camp is not the only reason that Zach has returned to Whisper Lake, he is hoping to reunite with the Hailey, the young daughter of his late fiance, Rebecca Carver. Gianna has returned home to Whisper Lake after her third failed engagement to help out in her aunt's antiques store for the summer, while her aunt recovers from a broken leg. I love how Zach and Gianna reunite, with Zach saving Gianna. It was a wonderful story about how both Zach and Gianna were to complete their "family". Zach with Hailey and Gianna in her search for her biological mother. I love how they both supported each other in their quests. Gianna does not want to rush into anything with Zach, she is taking a time out from men, but Zach makes it very difficult. Gianna and Zach fight their feelings and Gianna helps Zach find leverage to use against the Carvers so that he can at least have some visitation rights with Hailey. I love the interaction between Zach and Hailey, it is so heartwarming. The more Gianna and Zach deal with their issues, the closer they get. Gianna realizes that she has always judged her relationships with other men to her unrequited feelings for Zach. I loved that Always With Me is a more than just a romance,there are dilemmas that both Gianna and Zach are facing that need to be resolved. I love all the descriptions of the Whisper Lake setting that Barbara Freethy detailed. Always With Me is filled with the the poignant and bittersweet moments in the story as well as the plot twists, that I have come to love and expect in Barbara Freethy's stories. I love the cast of characters in Always With Me and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series. I was happy that Zach was able to find closure to the guilt he had towards not being able to save Rebecca from her demons and addictions. I thoroughly enjoyed Always, who doesn't love a second chance at love romance.

A lovely book that builds the characters making them real. It is a great start of a series and it certainly leaves you wanting more even though it can be a stand alone story.

ALWAYS WITH ME ...Barbara Freethy Gianna seeing Jeramy the first of her broken engagements, now she has another to her name, and eight years later. Spending the summer in Whisper Lake to run her Aunt’s shop for her. His teasing bothered her, seems as though that all she has known, from the gawky art kid . Still seemed she couldn’t get life right yet, maybe she hadn’t figured out who she was. The men she dated had a vision of her, but didn’t have much idea of who she really was. Going up to the camp which was in desperate need of repair, stepping out on the pier. With rotten boards she falls thru, and who should pull her out was Zack. A dream from school days, no he volunteered to redesign the camp. He was back, now remembering her first kiss, first dance, first heartbreak, was with him.At least he liked her drawings, and what she was doing, never made fun of her preferring that over horseback riding Necklace of hers got hm kicked out of camp, though he denied taking it. Finding out now, the reason the person took it, and the mystery of it, and who she really was, Powerful story of Gianna pushing past her fears, and insecurities, and looking forward to marriage and being a family someday soon. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

About the author

Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of 64 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. Traditionally published for many years, Barbara began indie publishing in 2011 and has since sold over 7 million books! Twenty-three of her self-published titles have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists, including one title, SUMMER SECRETS, which hit #1 on the NYT and DON'T SAY A WORD, which spent 12 weeks on the NYT. 

Known for her emotional and compelling stories of love, family, romance and suspense, Barbara is a six-time finalist and two-time winner in the Romance Writers of America acclaimed RITA contest for her novels DANIEL'S GIFT and THE WAY BACK HOME.