The words “For Lila, forever” adorned the front of the envelope in blue ink, the handwriting all too familiar. But it didn’t matter what it said. I didn’t have the heart to open it.We couldn’t be together. Not after everything …Leaving Rose Crossing, Maine was one of the most painful moments of my life—or at least it was until the day I came face-to-face with Thayer Ainsworth again. After a … Ainsworth again.
After a decade of searching, he’s found me, and he wants to know why I quit my housemaid job and left his family’s island estate without so much as a goodbye. But I’m bound by a devastating secret much bigger than the two of us, and telling him the truth has consequences.
Looking into the eyes of the only man I’ve ever loved, I tell him the only thing I’m allowed to: never contact me again. And when he’s gone, I sit down and finally open his letter.
Only it isn’t a letter at all.
And it changes everything.
more
In spite of the warning not to get involved with Lila, Thayer couldn’t help himself not to get curious about the girl he’s going to spend the entire summer with even though she’s just the “help”. He can tell she’s different from other girls he’d known.
“She’s an enigma.
A puzzle I want to solve.
A code I need to crack.”
The moment Lila steps on the island, she was immediately warned to keep everything professional when it comes to the owner’s grandsons. Lila has been doing that, avoiding them in any possible way, but one is so persistent in talking to her — Thayer.
“Everything about you and your entire world is perfect, Thayer. Maddeningly perfect. And as much as I try not to … I can’t help but like you too,”
After that night, Thayer and Lila’s secret rendezvous begun. They are always vigilant not to be caught for they know there will be consequences. Summer is coming to an end, and Thayer will go back to college while Lila will stay on the island. Will their love for each other stand the test of time?
For Lila, Forever — Utterly captivating the moment I started reading and it only took me one day to finished. I literally could not put it down. Emotionally filled characters that made you think they are real. It was beautifully written with some twist and manipulation along the way. Truly an epic love story. Of all the books I read and enjoyed by this author, this has become one of my favorite to-date. This book is highly recommended!
OMG! I love Lila and Thayer’s story so much! They are both wonderful characters! They share an instant attraction and an exceptional love. This story is beautifully written. The storyline is heartbreaking, and heartwarming afterward. I love the beautiful and romantic ending, and the wonderful epilogue. The secondary characters are also interesting. Winter Renshaw never disappoints. I enjoyed reading this story.
“I love her because there’s no one else on this earth my soul longs to be with.”
Second chance love story of Lila and Thayer. This has got to be my favourite story from this author. The story is told in parts-the past and present are told in a way that gradually unfolds the tale that is so much more than Lila and Thayer’s love for each other. A summer fling that should become a forever love is thwarted-why? The secrets that families keep, the sacrifices they make for each other make this a wonderful, heart-warming *and* heart-breaking read. Thayer and Lila are a committed couple, even when they are apart. There are layers to these characters, a strength and a depth which I love, and gave me all the feels.
Circumstances put them in the same place for the summer and like two magnets that touch each other’s boundaries, they get pulled closer and closer. But when the summer’s over, life drags them apart. What was meant to be a temporary separation becomes a decade of no contact. Through Thayer’s unrelenting persistence, he finds Lila again but his heart is put through the wringer when things don’t go as he might have hoped. Will ten years of unforgettable love be enough to rekindle what they once had?
Oh, man. I loved Thayer and Lila. They’re both still young, 19 and 18, when they meet and fall in love. When they lose each other for a decade, they amazingly stay faithful to each other and the love they had. She thinks they’re over and what they had is now only a memory. He pushes tirelessly to find and reconnect with the one he lost.
This is such a sweet romance. With the plethora of romance books out now with jerk heroes who do horrible things and still end up with an HEA with little to no remorse or recompense for bad behavior and hurtful words, it was uplifting to read a hero like Thayer who stayed true to Lila and continually pursued her whether it was pushing past her emotional walls or trying to track her down for years. I hope to read more stories like this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a poignant love story which is written between the past and present. Thayer and Lila were total opposites, yet together perfect. Thayer was determined to find Lila, and he never gave up looking for her. This is an emotional roller coaster journey, which is heartbreaking as well as filled with devotion, loyalty, and love. This talented author has given her heart and soul to this story, and I was totally captivated throughout this addictive page turner. Hats’ off to this author for penning a truly brilliant masterpiece! I recommend for all readers.
Thayer and Lila
meet one summer, he’s a rich, very handsome, thoughtful, favored grandson, pre-law at Yale, what else would he be? Not what she was expecting from a privileged young man such as Thayer after all.
She’s beautiful and a little bit jaded and pessimistic, here now since her mothers passing. Lila has never visited here before but will be living on the island from now on, helping out her grandparents, household staff on the island where everything is owned by Thayer’s manipulative, his way or the highway, grandfather. I disliked this snooty bastard from his 1st appearance in the story. He makes his case regarding class distinctions before Thayer even meets Lila. He lets it be known that Thayer and his cousin, Wesley, are to stay far away from her or face the consequences. She’s just the ‘help’ after all, not worthy of their attention. Thayer can’t stop looking her way, she fascinates him.
The island is the place where Thayer’s mom and dad, along with extended family spends idyllic summers, a very posh place to be, filled with visitors, friends and parties. Grandad rules them all with his iron fist, as chess pieces, from his ‘throne’.
Later that fall, Lila finds more reasons to hate that old manipulator (you will too) and a few secrets that are dropped like bombs..WOW, talk about twisted tales! I didn’t see some of it coming…then BAM!
The following summer,Thayer’s back on the island, on break from school and so very excited to see his lovely Lila, finally, only to discover that something is terribly wrong and he’s not getting any answers that make sense.
That’s all you’re getting from me now, you’ll have to read it yourself to know everything and I mean everything! I will say that For Lila, Forever is a rollercoaster ride of a story with plenty of hidden skeletons, suspenseful moments, young forbidden love and the puppet master at the heart of it all.
Told in dual POVs which is my favorite way to read a story, especially a romance
…I want both perspectives and you’ll love getting inside Thayer and Lila’s hearts and minds. The past and present time storytelling is employed well here, as it makes the revealing of secrets and suspense more dramatic and tense. Don’t worry about here and back whiplash, it’s not like that.
I loved this one and it kept getting more exciting, emotional and satisfying as their story moved on (you’ll see why and its soooo good!). A sweet, tearful but wonderful ending and another 5 star standalone from Winter Renshaw.
An early copy was generously provided by the author and I was happy to receive it. This is my honest and unbiased review of it.
Very good but story, but a little too melodramatic for my taste.
It is a very good romance, very well written, about a couple. We meet a when there are 18 and 19 and we follow their attraction, but because one is rich with a manipulative grandfather, they are separated; one without being able to act, and the other who is obliged to do so for 10 years.
I found the story very beautiful, but a little too melodramatic sometimes, what I like moderately. However, this is still an excellent romance.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
I love a man who fights for the woman he loves, and Thayer, our hero in this story, is so worthy of the title. I love him to pieces! Even though he is wealthy, has an Ivy-league education, and lives a life of privilege, he only has his heart set on the beautiful Lila. She breezes into his life one day as his family’s young maid while he was on summer break from Yale.
Her mother had just passed, and she journeys to his family’s exclusive ocean estate to live with her grandparents and work along side of them. The way this talented author describes every detail makes you feel you are right there, living with them, and going through all of their emotions. From their very first meeting I wanted Thayer and Lila to be together.
Everyone can see how enamored he is with her, and his very strict grandfather warns him to stay away. He befriends her anyway, is patient and kind, and so very sweet. She is guarded at first, but soon realizes how genuine he is, but is conflicted because she was warned by her conservative grandparents that she is just the hired help and to keep her distance.
Even though they come from different backgrounds, the push and pull they feel is undeniable. He genuinely cares about getting to know her and doesn’t see stations in life. For some reason she trusts him and is drawn to him, and little by little she lets down her guard and they share a secret, magical summer. These two have amazing chemistry and I love how they communicate through hidden letters. So romantic!
When summer ends, they agree to part ways during the school year so he can focus on his education, and that they will re-unite the following summer. But when he returns, Lila and her grandparents are gone. Where did they go is the real question here, and Thayer is a super hero because he does not stop for a decade until he gets the answers. He is a future lawyer after all and is smart and savvy.
This book flashes back and forth from the past to the present and will take you on many twists and turns! There are secrets and lies, family deceptions, and through it all, and all of their time apart, they remained in love and devoted to one another. Swoon city here!
This book kept me on pins and needs the entire time because I am not a patient person! I wanted my happy ending, so I kept reading and reading until the very last page! During this whole time my heart was broken! I cried, I was upset, I was angry. Then I felt hopeful, and I sighed and cheered. This is not a simple romance story! It’s one where everything is laid out on the table and there is risk. But mostly I loved how committed he was to her, how sure he was that what they had was real, and how it didn’t matter what the consequences were or how long it took, he would find her and the truth! My kind of hero!
I loved how this book progressed and the wonderful character development. I like that both Thayer and Lila had such strong morals, weren’t pretentious, and were good people. Winter Renshaw is a wickedly talented author and this book is so unique and worth every star. It’s a romance with lots of angst and suspense and of course, a HEA! I encourage you wholeheartedly to read it!
Thayer Ainsworth is that man- the kind of man who loves unconditionally and does not let go ever! *Le Sigh*
If there was ever reason, I needed a reminder of why I read so many of the books I do… OH MY! ‘For Lila, Forever’ is a perfect example, it incorporates everything I look for in a steamy, sweet, swoon me away break from reality!
What a beautifully written story from young love to adult heartache with its agonizing plot twists, loveable characters, and not overly dramatized scenes ( many thanks to the author for this).
Following along on Lila and Thayer’s cosmic lovers battle of wills was an enticing story that wrapped me up in its feels warming to the core, not letting go till I got to the very last page!
A love story that will move mountains, or cottages… and make you believe
#oneclickmaterial
One of the best books I have read this year. It pulls you in from the first word till the last and keeps you wanting more. I absolutely love Lisa and Thayer. Love all the twist and turns and the ending was beautiful.
Favorite quote: Thayer ~ “Forever is a promise. Love is a promise. Someday, too, is a promise.”
Aww this was a beautiful story! While it was filled with emotional times and heartbreak, it also was filled with a true love worth fighting for that spanned 10 years. Young Thayer and Lila were so sweet and funny together and their chemistry and connection was intense. The path that lead to them being together was tragic and sad but it all worked out in the end! It had some twists I didn’t see coming as well. Great book!
For Lila, Forever by Winter Renshaw a five-star read that will stay with you forever. This one blew me away, it started with a slow burn but about half way through I started to be desperate to turn the page I needed to find out what happened, was what I was thinking correct or was it a red herring. I couldn’t put it down until I had finished every page. Rose Crossing was a special place, but it wasn’t the island that made it that way, it was the people who were inhabiting it. This is a story that crosses years, but you will read in hours. This is a compelling and fascinatingly beautiful story and shows us again what a talented writer Winter Renshaw truly is.
This is the absolute sweetest love story. So well written and an actual story that keeps your attention from start to finish.
This story begins with a wealthy man that controls his entire family and those around him with his wealth and power. Howard Bertram loves his family even though he shows it in strange ways. He owns a small island in Maine and every summer he has his two daughters and their families come and stay the summer. This particular summer there was a new person on the island, Lila Hilliard, the granddaughter of the caretakers that work for Mr. Bertram. When Mr. Bertram’s grandson, Thayer sees this beauty he is immediately taken with her. This is where the story begins and it is a winding story of love and betrayal and just what money can buy.
I loved this book and was so wrapped up in all these characters and how everything played out. I am not going to give you any spoilers here, trust me you want to be kept in the dark until the end. I will just say it is a great story and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I received an early copy to read and review and give my honest opinion. I highly recommend it.
Thayer and Lila will tug at your heartstring with their forbidden romance. Stolen moments, secret dates, silent kisses are the makeup of this story.
They give you a Romeo and Juliet vibe with their families warning them to stay away from one another upon their initial meeting.
The drama and pain keep you entertained and the romance and genuine nature of their love make you swoon. Well written and true to Winter’s form, you get another sweet and endearing love story.
What a truly remarkable love story! This story will twist and turn in so many ways, but bring you to a beautiful ending. Thayer and Lila meet on his family’s private island. Though being told to stay away from her, Thayer is drawn to Lila like a moth to flame. He knows she is his soulmate. But when she disappears, he is devastated and knows he will track her down if it takes forever. It does take 10 years, but the story of her “disappearance “ is heartbreaking. Her fear of Thayer’s family is real, and she is still naive to the world of wealth. You will definitely not be able to put this book down once you start, so prepare to be reading for awhile!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book from BookSprout. Wow! What an amazing story, this author has outdone herself with this one and I thought Pricked was my favorite, well I was mistaken, For Lila, Forever takes the cake. I love Thayer and Lila, they were quirky, fun, full of love for each other until their lives took a turn on two different pages. Thayer was warned to stay away from Lila while she was helping her grandparents that summer, but he just couldn’t abide by those rules, Lila was so intriguing that he couldn’t help himself, he was inquisitive, wanted to know everything about her, but Lila was a hard nut to crack. Lila knew that if they were together it could end her stay as well as her grandparent’s jobs, but it took a little convincing on Thayer’s part and she agreed to meet on the sly. Little did they know that they weren’t the only ones that knew what was going on between them that summer. Promises were made between them and the months of waiting to see each other again were cut short due to secrets and lies, papers signed, and lives changed forever. I was so touched by their story, I got a little choked up with the last few chapters. So many obstacles in their way, people keeping them apart, and a secret being kept from Thayer and finding each other again years later, still having those feelings for each other, that’s true love. No spoilers from me, this is a must read that you can’t miss out on. Absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend it.