“Drama, secrets and heartache. If not careful, falling in love could prove to be their undoing. Romance wrapped inside of a gripping mystery. A breathless combination, indeed.” Isha C – Goodreads Review on Always With Me
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 … 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 them to surprising secrets, life-changing revelations, heartbreaking emotion, and the chance for a love more powerful than they ever imagined. Can they trust each other the second time around?
Don’t miss any of the Whisper Lake novels!
My Wildest Dream (Whisper Lake #2)
PRAISE FOR BARBARA FREETHY BOOKS
“ALWAYS WITH ME is a heartwarming second chance romance, with a captivating mystery, that keeps you reading and wondering what happens next.” Doni – Goodreads Review
“A little mystery and a little romance all adds up to another great Barbara Freethy book. Can’t wait to spend more time with these new Whisper Lake friends!” Mary – Goodreads Review on Always With Me
“A beautiful second chance love story with a bit of drama and mystery. Zach and Gianna are wonderful characters. Fell in love as young teens, broke each other’s hearts and reconnecting now after many years and many other heartaches. It was interesting and complex. I loved it!” Peggy – Goodreads Review
“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
“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
“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
“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
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Always With Me is the 1st book in Ms. Freethy’s new series. This centers around Gianna and Zach who met as teenagers at summer camp and ended up with broken hearts. Now 14 years later Gianna comes back to her hometown to help her Aunt only to run into Zach who has come back to town to help renovate the summer camp. Both are suffering from losses and fighting to figure out what they want and where they are meant to be. Working together they become closer and get some answers. Looking forward to the 2nd book to check back in on them and see how far they’ve come. I read an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my review.
Always With Me is the start of a new series set in Whisper Lake. It serves a dual purpose — it sets the scene by introducing a large number of characters & it gives us Gianna & Zach’s story. This story is well written with well defined characters. The scenery is well described so you can paint a picture in your mind as you read. The small town atmosphere is portrayed perfectly even down to the busybodies.
Gianna came back to town to help her aunt out. She’s been engaged three times & called all three off. Something was missing. Back in Whisper Lake, she runs into an old boyfriend & realizes what was missing – none of them were Zach. Too bad he broke her heart & stole something from her. When she needed help, he seemed to be there looking out for her. Can she trust him?
Zach couldn’t believe that Gianna happened to be back in town at the same time he was. He’s hoping that helping rehab the old summer camp will help him heal. He remembers the first six weeks of summer camp fondly, until he was sent home. He didn’t expect the chemistry to still be there with Gianna. When she had secrets pop up in her life, he had to help her. Can he trust her?
I love second chance romances like this story. It grabbed my attention from the first page & I couldn’t put it down until I was done. I had to keep reading “just one more page” to see what new secret came out. Ms. Freethy’s attention to detail & graphic descriptions set her stories apart from others on the market. Her characters are realistic & relatable. There are even characters popping in from her long running Callaway series. This was a great start to a new series & I can’t wait to read more about Whisper Lake.
A wonderful start to this new series. Gianna and Zack had a teenage fling that ended badly and it seems that it led to her having a problem committing to any other relationships. Meeting each other as adults when they both come back to Whisper Lake brings their lives full circle and helps them find their way back to each other while Gianna makes peace with her insecurities about who she is, and Zack comes to a solution to his need to bring a very special person back into his life.
New Barbara Freethy series? Yes, please! Incorporating some of the family from her fabulous Callaway’s series…Bonus! Always With Me, is the first in the Whisper Lake series, set in Whisper Lake Colorado.
Zach and Gianna met 14 years ago at summer camp in Whisper Lake. She was there since she lived in town. He was there because his mother had issues with his behavior after his father died. Instant attraction for two teens and an innocent summer of love. A misunderstanding got Zach kicked out of camp, and Gianna felt like she was well shed of him. Gianna has been engaged 3 times, but never made it down the aisle much to the chagrin of her parents.
Now they’re back in town. Each for their own reason and certainly NOT looking for a relationship. Zach is trying to re-establish contact with the little girl he thinks of as his, as he takes on the job of architect for the camp where he met Gianna. Gianna is helping run her aunt’s antique shop while her aunt is recovering from an injury, and deciding if once and for all she should look for her birth mother.
This is a second chance story, but not just a second chance at love. Mysteries, half truths, and finally the full story. Ms. Andre can certainly weave a tale. This one keeps you guessing…and wanting the second in the series soon!
Gianna and Zach were sweethearts but it ended badly. They are back in the same town and their feelings are still there. I loved the romance and how their relationship grew. There were two mysteries to solve and some relationships to repair. I have enjoyed her Callaway series so seeing Hunter again was awesome. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Second chance love Gianna and Zach
Returning to the small hometown near Whisper Lake was hard for Gianna after three broken engagements. It became a bit harder when she ran into the boy she met at the summer camp there when she was 15. They parted under difficult circumstances. As Gianna tries to figure out her life she helps Zach to solve his own problems. In working together will they have their second chance? Gianna and Zach are complicated characters that Barbara Freethy has truly brought to life. I could not put this book down and can’t wait to return to the characters at Whisper Lake.
I loved this book! Barbara has started a new series and it starts off with a lovely story about lost love and new hope.
Gianna is fresh off her third broken engagement and arrives at home to help her aunt – and to regroup. Finding lost love is the farthest thing from her mind. She and Zach work together to find the truth about their lives, their beginnings, and their futures and discover that some things are meant to be.
I’m excited to read the next in the series! So many new people to meet and stories to hear! I highly recommend it!
ARC for honest review with no compensation
Always With Me is book 1 in another new series called Whisper Lakes by Barbara Freethy! Like all her others series she takes us to some place we have never been but want to go visit or live there with her book friends!!
Gianna and Zach met in high school and fell in love, then on to summer camp but with Zach losing his Dad and Gianna losing her necklace that she thinks Zach took…they part…
Now years later Gianna moves back home, 3 engagements broken and not knowing what is holding her back from walking down the aisle she is determined to find her way. That is until she runs into Zach again…still believes he took her necklace…still has feelings for him… and wants no parts of being around him.
Can Zach prove to Gianna he didn’t take her necklace and find out what really happened to it, wants her back in his life permanently and show her why she hasn’t been able to take that final step to her HEA…because that is what he is!!
If you are fan of the Callaway series of books by Barbara Freethy as I am, then you will really like her new book “Always With Me” in the new Whisper Lake series. Some old Callaway friends show up and new friends are made. Gianna and Zach met at summer camp at Whisper Lake and had a summer romance. That ended when her locket disappeared and she accused Zach of taking it. Years later and after three broken engagements, they meet again at Whisper Lake as adults. Old feeling arise as they try to find themselves. Zach is an architect who has been hired to reestablish the building site of the camp and Gianna is there to help her aunt who has broken her leg. This book has many twists and turns on the way to love as the Callaway series had and is an excellent read. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.
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.
Such a great start to a new series. Sometimes when two people have a second chance, it is not easy and obstacles have to be overcome. Poor Gianna has been engaged three times and some people are not happy while others make fun of her. Personally I don’t think it is anyone’s business but hers. I also am glad she didn’t get married and then have to get a divorce. She is very shocked when she is at the summer camp she met Zach at when he shows up. They had some issues between them that they had to get over. I loved how all her friends wanted her to get together with Zach. I can’t believe what a great guy he is. I was very impressed with him. There are some people in the town that wants to make trouble for Zach, but I am glad he didn’t let them scare him away. There is also something in Gianna’s past that she has to overcome. Thankfully Zach was always by her side. I loved the book and strongly encourage you to read the book. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book.
Sometimes we need to go back before we can go forward. This is the case for Gianna Campbell, after she breaks off her third engagement she goes back to her childhood town, back to her days at summer camp, back to her first love, back to her biological roots!
Zach is back also … back to his first love, back to the camp that has healed him before .
This book has everything, romance, second chances, small town, even a little mystery .
This is the first book in a new series , we get to meet new residents of this town and I can’t wait for their stories.
Now , excuse me while I pack my bags, I’m moving to Whisper Lake!!
I just love the start to this new series by the amazing author Barbara Freethy. “Always with Me” is the first book in the Whisper Lake Series. Just like every other book that I have read of Barbara’s this one drew me right in and kept me turning the pages well into the night. I did not want to put it down, I didn’t until I was done. This book has it all mystery, romance, second chances and it is based in a small town. The characters are well defined very likeable and realistic. We are introduced to new characters and characters from her previous series The Calloways. This was a nice enjoyable quick read. I highly recommend this book and series you will not be disappointed.
This is the first book in a new series by Barbara Freethy and what a great start it is. I loved this book about friends to enemies to lovers and a true second chance story. Gianna Campbell decides to come back home to Whisper Lake to help run her aunts store while she heals. However, Gianna is coming back with a lot of emotional baggage and many people in town are not happy to see the return of the “runaway fiancé “. Gianna never expected to see her teenage boyfriend again and that was fine because she learned to hate him, but how can she hate the same person as he is now saving her life and pulling her out of the water after a pier broke and sent Gianna into the freezing water where she could have drowned? Now, Zach Barrington is back in her life. He, too, has returned to Whisper Lake for personal reasons and to heal emotionally as well. Can these two get over their teenage issues and start fresh as adults? These two have some serious issues to work out as individuals and can they support each other during these difficult times? Order this book and enjoy the romance between Zach and Gianna and all the obstacles they overcome to end with a HEA. The secondary characters are well written and I look forward to each of their books. Barbary Freethy has another great hit with this new series!
Always With Me
By Barbara Freethy
Another winner from Barbara Freethy!
Ms. Freethy has a talent for writing stories that engage readers from Chapter One and hold their attention until the end. Always With Me is no exception. This is the first book in the new Whisper Lake series. It kept me turning pages well into the night.
Gianna has come home to help out her family and to heal her heart after ending her third engagement.
Zach has returned to Whisper Lake in hopes of changing people’s opinion of him. He and Gianna have a history, but have not seen each other since they were teenagers. They parted under less than happy circumstances. Gianna falls into the lake and, as luck would have it, Zach comes to her rescue. Zach finds that he is still attracted to Gianna, but Gianna has sworn off men after three engagements and no marriage.
Always With Me is a beautiful second chance romance. It had the perfect amount of romance and suspense with some interesting family dynamics thrown in.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I can honestly say that I loved this book! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. I highly recommend Always With Me.
I love a book that grabs my attention right away and let’s me block out everything else. This is the first book in a new series Whisper Lake. I can’t wait for the next book.
I highly recommend this book.
I was given an ARC of this book for an honest review. I honestly loved it!
Another fantastic story from this author! Welcome to Whisper Creek where yep you will find some Calloways and their cousins but also a small town where everyone know everyone else and yet there are still secrets hidden away! With a fab storyline that totally hooked me from the start, fab characters ( I loved Gianni and Zach!) mystery, secrets, heartbreak, happiness and more then a few tears shed, this emotional second chance romantic drama is just wonderful and I cannot wait for the next book!
Whisper Lake is where the broken come to heal. Where love could find a second chance. Where secrets lurk within a deceptively, serene landscape. There is no escaping Barbara Freethy. Always with Me merges the best of this talented author. Gianna and Zach find themselves smack dab in the middle what they’ve been running from for years. Drama, secrets and heartache. If not careful, falling in love could prove to be their undoing. Romance wrapped inside of a gripping mystery. A breathless combination, indeed.
Great start to a new series set in the beautiful Colorado mountain town of Whisper Lake. Zach & Gianna met and fell in love as teenagers at a summer camp, but misunderstandings drove them apart & broke their hearts. Fast forward 14 years & these two find themselves back in Whisper Lake. Architect Zach comes to redesign that same camp, now owned by Hunter Callaway (yes, it looks like Barbara’s famous Calloway’s & their Cole cousins will make appearances in this series). Artist/Designer Gianna has just broken her engagement to her now ex-boss, and gladly accepts a request to come home for a few months & help her aunt, who is recouperating from a fall. This second chance story involves a little mystery as well as romance. Zach & Gianna’s path to their HEA has a few bumps in the road, but you will be cheering on these two soulmates the whole way. And meeting a few other interesting characters who will no doubt get books of their own. I loved Whisper Lake & can’t wait to return!
The first in this newest series. We find ourselves at Whisper Lake, with a close knit group of friends and the sixteen year old grown to adults romance. Past trauma, bad decisions and failed romantic partners, make this story interesting. The tribulations are long and suffering. Good read with the expected HEA.