Time is a thief they say, and if you’re not careful it’ll slip right past you, taking everything you hold dear in this world with it.It was the summer of 1972 when I first laid eyes on him.Cynthia Rose probably got more than she bargained for when she came to my door step asking to write about my story. Our story.To everyone else Travis Cole was just the bad boy, but to me he was the keeper of my … boy, but to me he was the keeper of my heart and even as time aged us and miles kept us apart, my heart stayed his.
Forever his.
*Based on actual events, takes place past and present.
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5 “String Bean” Stars
It was the Summer of 1972….
And Charlotte was hit by the lightening, straight to her heart and changed her life completely.
“God…..that summer was the day my life changed forever. The day my heart latched onto another’s so severely it was as if they’d become one.”
The second part of the heart belonged to Travis Cole, this lanky golden-eyed boy from Ft.Pearce, FL with crooked, boyish smile and A boy with dark brown hair, chestnut eyes and Holy Dimples . Their static electricity zaps them into an orbit of their own and the world becomes a little bit rosier, a little bit warmer for charlotte. Her heart pounding, cheeks blushing, she is swept away and her summers now are set to revolve around this boy. Their love is all blazing fire in stolen moments away from prying eyes. On the beach, in the alleys, secret rendezvous in the night, in the car. “Young love is like a raging fire that can’t be tamed. Its addictive and borderline obsessive. Satisfying in every way, yet never getting enough
How true ! How True !
Charlotte has dreams in her eyes and wants a house with white picket fence, kids, dogs, cats and HEA. Travis wants to “To give you everything you just said!”
Swooooooooonthump!!
The story is very Rocky and stumbles upon many roadblocks. They are together, then forced apart, then come again but ripped apart I couldn’t place it any trope bucket. Its second chance(s) with heartache and angst soaking EVERY WORD, every page with your tears.
we all have moments we regret. Things we look back on and think, why did I do it? If I would have just done this differently and not said that !
Regret is one of those silent killers !!
The story starts in present day, where Charlotte is being interviewed by Peacocky Cynthia who wants the story to win a place in the Paper she works for, in hopes of a permanent job. She’s also joined by Charlotte’s best friend, the sassy Maggie. Since Cynthia needs pictures and Charlotte needs closure, the three girls- the most unusual trio embarks on a road trip. A Going back in time sorta pilgrimage to pay homage to the good times which held love, which held happy memories.
“Cynthia is helping them find their missing happy, in turn they help her find it too”!
The writing is amazing, the fact that the story is based on true life events and a true people makes it more distressful. The turmoil, the misery the young hearts go through and a life time of sorrow and suffering made my heart ache so bad. And to think a couple really did go through this ordeal….omg….i can’t even !
I feel as though someone has stabbed me tight through in the chest. I have trouble finding air, my whole world collapses right before my eyes <--THIS ....omg..THIS Paige has done a wonderful job of narrating it with so much emotion and woe, it'll scratch your heart and make you bawl, non stop. Thank you Julie Haley Vaden for recommending me it. Pick up this book people to read a real life UglyCry story. A story of a woman named Charlotte, who is a typical teen growing up in Georgia trailer with her Mama, love comes to visit and sets her heart aflutter. Life brings her to a fork and the path she chooses , or is forced to choose, gives her a new trajectory. Her fate takes her meandering through life, but her heart is still staked at the fork on the way to Indiana......in that summer ! Charlotte Harris had always been a woman of many titles. Some being a daughter, a wife, then a mother. But in the Summer if 1972, a seventeen year old brunette beauty with freckles spread across her shoulders embraced a new title. Charlotte became a keeper of someone's heart, and that heart belonged to Travis Cole.....
If I’D KNOWN is the first book I have read by Paige P. Horn. It is an Emotional Contemporary Woman’s Fiction. I knew after just reading the prologue that I was in for an emotional ride.
It was when Charlotte Harris met a persistent young reporter named Cynthia Rose that the story begins. She wants to write Charlotte’s story of the love of her life. From there we go back and forth to the past and to the present day. As the story unwinds it is far reaching and takes on the story of others as well.
In the summer of 1972 a very young Charlotte met the boy who would become the love of her life. Who is to say that when someone meets the love of their life they don’t feel some strong connection. The feelings of being utterly and blissfully complete when he was around. How devastating it would be to have never felt those things. Travis Cole was made to love her and she him. The day she met him was the day her life changed forever. A love story that you think only exist in a made-up world, but she lived it! She knew when she met the one, and it was Travis Cole.
Her Mama, who was really her grandmother, had raised Charlotte. And she thought Travis was nothing but trouble. Mama wasn’t even going to give them a chance. They thought their love would be enough. But decisions you make do affect your entire live.
Present day has Charlotte telling her story to Cynthia Rose who has a story of her own to tell. And her best friend Maggie wants to hear their stories, too. This is a book full of feelings and emotions, and I knew parts would be sad, but no idea how heartbreaking. Have Kleenex ready!
This was one of the most heartbreaking, yet still beautiful stories I’ve ever read. A bittersweet story about love, loss and friendship. Paige once again delivered a deeply touching story that will most definitely stay with me for a long time. Her books always make me thoughtful and reflect on my life because of the very real feel of the characters and their stories. Even more so with this book as it’s based on true events. (Just thinking about this makes me cry, to know that someone lived through this true love and heartbreak.)
The story took mostly place in the present and went back in time when Charlotte told Cynthia – a young girl who wanted to become a journalist – about her past, or reflected back on precious memories.
I must say that I’d expected the book to be told somewhat differently, that the main focus would be on Charlotte and Travis’ story and not so much on the three women. But their stories were woven together and the past was mostly in shorter chapters, which is why it took me longer to get into the story and to connect with the characters. Though I loved how the characters helped each other to move through their struggles because time is too precious to waste it when it slips through our fingers so fast.
Maggie’s character lightened up the story a bit for which I was very grateful and I enjoyed how these three very different women bonded within a short time over all their shenanigans.
Charlotte and Travis’ story was very beautiful and sweet, and turned to something so painfully raw and touching, sorrowful and heartbreaking.
It takes strong people to walk on this path those characters walked on and for Charlotte to come out breathing somewhat easier in the end, no matter how long it took for her to see the sunrays through the stormy clouds again.
It doesn’t get more real than this because this stuff is not something one could have easily made up. It’s made of the real stuff, the tough stuff. It’s real life.
5 Summer of 72 Stars!!!
WOW!!! Emotionally gutted right now. That’s how I am feeling after just finishing this story. New to me author, Paige P. Horne wrote a beautiful love story. One that isn’t the typical love story but one that needed to be told.
The summer of 72, is when it all started. Young and falling in love. A love that would span over many many years. How can you stay in love with someone when everyone around you is pushing you apart?
How do you convince people that your heart knows?
Its telling you, you are in love…
When you are young and respectful though, you listen to your elders.
Even after the years have gone by, your heart still beats for that one person. Unable to move on, unable to forget, unable to live a happy life.
When it finally happens and a promise is made, life should be perfect now. But life has a way of throwing in a curve ball every now and then.
I was sucked into this book from the get go. Loved reading about how things were back in the 70’s and 80’s as that is how I remember life. When you feel totally invested into the love that this story brings you, you are thrown into the tornado. Spinning your emotions round and round until you are emotionally drained and the story is over. It’s not an easy love story to read about but you do feel the love these two had from that very first day they met! Outstanding job Paige P. Horne on bringing to pages the story that deserved to be told to everyone!!!
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Paige P. Horne does not disappoint when it comes to her new second chances romance novel. Her writing is so vivid that you feel like you are right there! I highly recommend you to grab your copy and curl up with this book!
If I’d Known by Paige P. Horne is the first book I had read by this author, but wow! I was seriously impressed! This story is based on a real life second chance Happily Ever After. It starts out as Charlotte is approached by a young woman named Cynthia, wanting to write about her love life. She was told parts of the awesome love story from Charlotte’s best friend Maggie. Charlotte finally tentatively agrees to tell her story to Cynthia and Maggie. So, this book is based on the incredible love story of Charlotte and Travis, but it’s also about this wonderful friendship these 3 ladies find. During their budding friendship, each of the friends overcome fears they each had. They probably would never had overcome them without the help and support of the other two women. They may be of varying ages, but their hearts all call out to each other. This book had me crying, not just gentle little tears, but huge, sobbing, ugly tears! I made sure to read this book by myself, one because I wanted to be selfish and not share the storyline with anyone else, but also because I just wanted to be able to cry freely and immerse myself in this delectable book. This has been one of my favorite reads of 2018. This isn’t even my normal, favorite genre, but this book grabbed ahold of me, my heart, my soul, my feels and said hold on, we are going for a ride!! If you have to pick up one book this year, make If I’d Known be the one!! I was given an ARC for my honest review!
Such a sweet, tragic love story for the ages. If I’d Known is a story of how some loves can stand the tests of time. It’s a story about fate and friendship, the past and the present.
Charlotte, Cynthia and Maggie are three completely different women who come into each others lives at exactly the right time. Maggie is actually Charlottes best friend and the reason Cynthia has been harassing Charlotte for her story. Throw in some jazz cabbage, a few margaritas and a furry golf cart, next thing you know, they are on a road trip to see where it all began.
Charlotte’s story is told through memories of her first love Travis Cole. Travis is, of course, your typical bad boy, in and out of trouble, always with a pack of smokes. One thing he never strays from is his loyalty to Charlotte. She is the love of his life and that shines through, even in her words.
This book hit on a soft spot for me, which is why I think I related so much. The fact that its based on a true story only brings it home that much more.
I can’t say much else without giving it away but I will tell you to be prepared. Hang onto your hearts guys, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
When you look back on your life there are those “If only. . . “ moments we all experience. What if you could go back and change one thing, do you think it would make a difference? Travis Cole was that for her, her what if. As she retells the story we take a trip down memory lane with her as the story goes back and forth in time. This retelling may be more than sharing her past, it may be a release as well.
I haven’t read any of this author’s work before this book and man I gotta say it broke me down to tears. The author does an amazing job of bringing the past and present together. The three ladies each find ways to heal and the emotion just pours out. This is an ugly cry book that will stay with you long after the story is done because this is someone’s story and it isn’t prettied up. At first I wasn’t too sure about where this was going, I am so glad I found out. Awesome read.
From the very first page, this book took me on a ride. I’ve always wondered what life would be like if I turned left instead of right, and this is much of what this story is about. True love can be so strong and true loss can be just as powerful. The storytelling is as vivid as physically being in the narrative, as I laughed and cried along with the characters. This true tale is one I highly recommend.
Angsty second chance and it’s based on real life so even better!! Oh it’s an ugly cry too so if you’re up for that, I highly recommend.
This book makes you believe in soul mates and should come with a box of tissues. Charlotte’s story is beautifully written and will leave a spot on your soul.
Favorite quote: “Sometimes God takes, but thank goodness for those times He gives.”
If I’d Known was based on actual events, in both the past and present, beginning in the summer of 1972. The primary theme was friendship. Friendship was forged by three very different women: the interviewer, the homebody, and the reckless who each find purpose in life with a little help from each other. Charlotte experienced a romance so tragic and unfair that is still causes her unbearable pain.
Cynthia Rose is a journalist writing a real timeless tale between Travis Cole and Charlotte Harris because Charlotte lived to tell the greatest love story. The interviewer listens and asks questions about the truest love story from the seventies all the while the interviewee has questions of her own about this twenty-one year old.
I loved the dynamics between these three women. Each woman had a past full of heartbreaking memories. I enjoyed the delivery of both past and present memories. They blended well together. The other two characters merged well into the story.
The execution of bridging both past and current moments made me feel every bit of emotion Charlotte’s character was feeling at that moment. The way her story unfolded from a rewind perspective worked. While knowing the outcome with no details it gave the reader an opportunity to discover the highlighted moments.
Paige began with the ending then filled in the missing pieces. She used past memories told by Charlotte to fill in the circumstances leading up to Charlottes present time. She gained my attention by building the story piece by piece until I reached the moment from the beginning.
The best stories are the ones written from personal experience. Paige mentioned this was written based on true events and to me that’s what makes it special. You can’t label a story like this by anything other than splendid. It’s a story that will resonate and quite possibly linger in my mind. I’m certain it’s a story that will forever be ingrained on my soul as one to remember.
A beautiful story of love, friendship and everything in between.
I promise you will feel all the feels from start to finish! At times it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Other times its heart warning and others heartbreaking. You’ll experience everything from family to friendship to love and loss. You’re going to cry uncontrollably and you’re going to enjoy this ride.
I never, ever wanted it to end. And I mean that. It was absolutely beautiful and a 5 star read for sure!
I’f I’d Known is based on true events and that just makes this book even more amazing. It was a beautiful story about true love. Charlotte and Travis had the type of love and connection that I hope I will get to experience sometime in my life. This book takes you on a journey of emotions and gives you all the feels. I also loved the friendship between Charlotte, Cynthia Rose and Maggie! This is definitely a must read!
If I’d Known was the first book that I have read by Paige P. Horne! Once I started reading this book I did not want to put it down! If I’d Known made me laugh and ugly cry! This book was beautifully written and based on true events! It is my favorite so far of 2018! I would recommend this book to my family and friends!
Why haven’t I ever read any of Paige P. Horne’s books before now? That was the first thing I thought after finishing If I’d Known. Well, after I collected myself and all of the emotions this book made me feel. I enjoyed every part of this book, both the scenes in the past and the present. Maggie was probably my favorite character thanks to her constantly making me laugh. I really hope I am still as full of life and adventure as she is when I’m her age. Charlotte, Travis, and Cynthia’s back story made me ugly cry, but I LOVED every minute of it. Have you ever read the last line of a book then just sat there absorbing the story, deep in thought? That was me with If I’d Known.
Beautifully written, I love Travis and Charlotte’s story and also the friendship that develops between Cynthia, Maggie and Charlotte. My emotions are all over the place right now, as I am still crying. This book hit home personally with me. I could not put the book down and read in one evening. This is definitely a must read.
If I’d Known is a beautiful, heartbreaking story. But it not only brings us one, we get three stories full of love, friendship, forgiveness and acceptance.
First we meet Cynthia bugging pur dear Charlotte to tell her about her love story which she heard was amazing. This two ladies together with Maggie form a beautiful bound of friendship despites their age differences and they help each other heal. I torally adore them.
Now the second story is the most heartbreakingly beautiful ever. We meet Charlotte and Travis at the age of 17 and they instantly connect. Travis was your typical bad boy and Charlotte’s older mom was obviously not a fan. They fight against the odds for a while and they’re happy. Then later on, life happens and things go south but don’t get discouraged it gets better. While all this is being told we learn about Cynthia’s past and her friendship with the girls help her also find her happily ever after.
This books is amazing and the fact that is a true story makes it even more special. I wrote Paige when I finished reading to thank her for sharing it early with me. I cried, I laughed and my heart broke at times but I would do it all over again gladly.
Reading this book was a true experience for me. It took a few days to let my emotions settle before I could write this review.
It’s been a while since a book touched me so much. Paige is a new author to me, but I’ve added her whole catalog to my tbr list and will most definitely be reading her work again.
Not only is she a talented writer; but she writes smart, sophisticated Southern women! In If I’d Known, you get 3, count them THREE perfect examples. Not perfect because they are perfect people, but perfect because they aren’t trite, silly or stereotypical portrayals of Southern women. As a South Carolina native, I am so appreciative of the characters in this book. Knowing that they are based on real people, makes my heart soar.
Now to the feels of this time spanning EPIC love story. If I’d Known does not read like your typical romance story….I read a lot of indie books and contemporary romance. This book is on par with Nicholas Sparks and authors that have soared to the top of all the book charts!
I have what my friends like to call “black heart syndrome”, it takes a good bit to make me emotional. Not only did Paige break through those walls with Travis and Charlotte’s story, from their first meeting you can feel the chemistry and binds that tie them together. Knowing that their story is someone real in this world’s story will put a spin on the words as you read them. You won’t be able to stop thinking of the real humans that go through this type of love story. And me personally, I couldn’t stop thinking about how if only someone could experience even a quarter of this type of love. How lucky they would be in life.
Again, I’ll mention the supporting cast of characters, because they are phenomenal. They are fun, truthful, loving and supportive! Maybe an unlikely match for each other, but a perfect match for the story.
And this line:
“I believe there’s a special compartment in our brain that holds onto precious moments. It saves every detail so you can always go back and replay it, and this moment right here is something I know I’ll never forget.”
THAT LINE, you guys!!! It got me. Seriously. Read this book, let it ruminate in your bones and love it forever. And think about the people who lived it and appreciate and thank Ms. Horne for being able to do their story justice!
You read stories and watch movies about a love you think could only exist in a made up world. But, my dear,” I say looking at her,” I lived it.”
I got an approved ARC of “If I Had Known”. From start to finish I couldn’t put my kindle down, it grabbed my attention from page one.
Charlotte lived a life that some won’t ever find. She found her soul mate, the love of her life at a young age. And as it happened some times in life she lost him only to find him once again.
“Falling in love in love is one of the best things in the world,” I tell her. “Its something you can’t buy, yet some times comes with a price.”
This story was beautifully written, and had me in tears in the end