An Amazon Charts most-read and most-sold book.Author Barbara Davis deftly explores an emotionally charged landscape of pain, loss, and despair—and the risk one woman will take in the hope of loving again.As a teenage runaway and child of an addict, Christy-Lynn learned the hard way that no address was permanent, and no promise sacred. For a while, she found a safe haven in her marriage to … haven in her marriage to bestselling crime novelist Stephen Ludlow—until his car skidded into Echo Bay. But Stephen’s wasn’t the only body pulled from the icy waters that night. When details about a mysterious violet-eyed blonde become public, a media circus ensues, and Christy-Lynn runs again.
Desperate for answers, she’s shattered to learn that Stephen and his mistress had a child—a little girl named Iris, who now lives in poverty with her ailing great-grandmother. The thought of Iris abandoned to the foster care system—as Christy-Lynn once was—is unbearable. But she’s spent her whole life running—determined never to be hurt again. Will she finally stand still long enough to open herself up to forgiveness and love?
more
WHEN NEVER COMES by Barbara Davis is a gripping and emotional story of trauma, loss and redemption. Christy-Lynn has lived a life of pain, guilt and regret and has never felt worthy of anyone truly loving her. The daughter of a drug addict, teen-aged Christy-Lynn ran away from her traumatic past and tried to build a life on her own. She reinvents herself as Christine when she later meets and marries a famous author who provides a stable relationship and a safe haven where she can keep the past hidden deep inside. Her world comes crumbling down when her husband Stephen is involved in a fatal car crash. Even more shocking is that Stephen was not alone in the car when it skidded into the bay. An unknown woman is also found dead in Stephen’s car setting off an intense investigation and highly unwanted media scrutiny for Christine. She is left to face her husband’s secrets and yet another betrayal. She escapes to the small town of Sweetwater, Virginia where she tries to start a whole new life alone as Christy-Lynn again. Her story of self-discovery, hope and redemption is heart-wrenching, but also uplifting. I was totally immersed in Christy-Lynn’s journey and so proud of her strength and resilience under such difficult circumstances. I highly recommend this heartfelt story of friendship, family, love and second chances and know that it will stay with me for a long time to come.
Barbara Davis walks us through the metamorphosis from damaged to healing, from heart-wrenching to hope-filled. Page-turning mainstream Women’s Fiction.
I loved this book! Barbara Davis has a way of handling a difficult subject with grace and insight. You’ll love it too!
4.5
Barbara never disappoints, but this book is amazing. Absolutely loved it.
From rags to riches. From running away as a child to running away as an adult.
Christy-Lynn had her share of bad times as she was growing up and thought when Stephen Ludlow, famed author, married her she was done with struggling and bad times.
But…Stephen Ludlow wasn’t exactly who he appeared to be. When he was found in an icy river after a crash, details were not something Christy-Lynn wanted to know. Stephen wasn’t the only person in his car when they pulled him out of the river, and the other person wasn’t his wife.
Christy-Lynn couldn’t handle the press and snuck away in the middle of the night just like she did when she ran away as a child.
Christy-Lynn was better off as an adult running away and found the perfect place to settle. She stopped and fell in love with Sweetwater,Virginia, and its residents. Missy and Dar became her friends and helped her through the days.
When Christy-Lynn decides to stay in Sweetwater, she buys a bookstore and is happy again. She is happy again until someone from Stephen’s past appears and “spills the beans” about who she really is.
We follow Christy-Lynn through the good times and the bad as she recovers.
WHEN NEVER COMES touches on healing, friendships, being there for someone, love, and is filled with lovely and not so lovely surprises.
Another beautiful, touching book by Miss Davis. Her writing is warm and welcoming.
Has a NEVER ever come true for you?
Don’t miss reading WHEN NEVER COMES.
LOVED IT. 5/5
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the author and NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Such a sweet book. Christy-Lynn had a tragic childhood, lost her famous husband and escapes to a small town. Her path to healing takes her to places she never thought she could face. I loved how both she and Wade were developed throughout the book, learning more and more about their pasts. Love, forgiveness and opening yourself to possibilities are some of the main themes. I would highly recommend this book!
This book for me was a bit hard to put down at first. Christy Lynn was raised by a drunken mother who was in and out of prison all the time. So Christy Lynn was in and out of foster homes all the time. It was very hard for her to trust and to open up her heart to anyone. Then she finds out that her husband who dies in a car accident had an affair and had a child with that woman. It wasn’t a bad book it was a pretty good book it was just a little slow at times that’s the only thing that I had a problem with.
I love this book for many reasons but let me start for the beginning I wasn’t planning to read this book, I went completely blind and it was a great choice and a great story to spend time with it…
Christy-Lynn is the main character of When Never Comes she had a very hard life, her childhood was very sad and she spends her teenage years trying to survive in a very cold isolated world. a tragedy is opening so many memories and past situations that are making Christy-Lynn to finally face her demons and see them for what they were a sad past story that can be fixed if she is willing to love herself again..
When Never Comes its a story that gives you hope and faith, a story that will make you feel every single emotion Christy-Lynn is going through but is also a second chance story. a second chance to live and enjoy life, to rewrite a different story, and to finally feel.
Christy-Lynn is a very complex heroine, she is strong and determined but sometimes she is to close off with her memories that she doesn’t see more than her own feelings… and that’s when things start to collapse and she starts to hurt all the people around her that love her and is trying to be part of her life.
the secondary characters were wonderful, Missy, Dar, Nonny, Iris, and a handsome guy who will also bring so much joy and happiness to Christy-Lynn world. All of them gave so much to the story and brought so much more meaning to Christy-Lynn’s life.. my favorite was Nonny she really plays a very important part in Christy-Lynn change, she was a kind woman who understood many things and embraced Christy-Lynn since the very first moments. I love her and Iris so much
I love second chances novels, I love it when a heroine redeems herself and finally is able to break that circle of sadness and constant fear and this is exactly what happens in this wonderful story.
I really recommend this book it has the right amount of angst, love, hope, and happiness it is perfect for this summer.
When Never Comes is a wonderful story. It starts out tragically with a well known author who crashes into the water and dies and has his mistress in the car with him. His wife, Christy Lynn has to identify him and they also ask if she can identify the woman. We then learn about her tragic life and other mysteries with her husbands death. This is a story about growth and what a family really is and how you can over come. This is such a wonderful story. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to ready more books by Barbara Davis.
When Never Comes by Barbara Davis-author
Kristy Lynn is a very strong woman and asked to make decision that go against everything she knows.
This was my first book by Barbara Davis but I am looking forward to listening to more.
Loved this book! Christy-Lynn has to face her past to move on, I would love to see these characters in another story.
This story is raw and true, Christy Lynn, grew up as a child of an alcoholic / addict mother where she was the adult. Out on her own at 16, she makes her way in the world. Christy Lynn has built walls, never letting herself care yoo much. When her husband dies her life implodes, can she rebuild it?. Can she change? Does she want to? Read and find out. Well written, emotional story.
Beautifully drawn, complex characters made me feel like I was saying goodbye to friends when the book ended.
When Never Comes
By Barbara Davis
352 pages
Barbara Davis takes the reader on an interesting journey in her novel “When Never Comes.” In this story you will fall in love with the characters you come to know so well. This author really knows how to bring her characters to life & draw her readers completely into the story. I simply could not stop reading this book once I started it. It is just one of thoes books that you can not put down. You just keep turning page after page to see what is going to happen next.This story is written with so much feeling and depth that I could help wondering if it was a true story. It brought about so many emotions in me. Rarely does a book touch me the way this book did. This is a heartfelt story that touches you deeply.
Warning…… you will want to have your tissues ready by the time you reach the end of this book.
I am really looking forward to reading more by this author. #Whennevercomes Barbara Davis-author
Wonderful story of over coming life’s obstacles and doing what is right. Reminding us that we don t have to be a victim of our circumstances. We can rise above our past and be the best we can be.
I have volunteered at a Children’s Home for 15 years, and know many children who have been traumatized by the actions of their parents. Barbara Davis brings these issues to life in When Never Comes. It is a heart-wrenching story that kept me guessing with it’s unpredictable twists and turns. Barbara Davis is masterful in developing characters we care about and root for, and others we hate. While everything that happens to Christy-Lynn, from addict parents to a near-perfect marriage that crumbles before her eyes upon her husband’s tragic death. And it only gets worse. But Christy-Lynn finds a surprising way to overcome the lack of stability in her life. Page-turning, gut-wrenching, but ultimately uplifting read!
Although I’m nearly a grandmother now, I was a teenage runaway. So when I read the description in the “First Reads Books” email that I received from Amazon, it piqued my interest, and I selected it. Not disappointed in the least, the story in the pages of this captivating book lives up to the well over a thousand positive reviews it’s received. I highly recommend this engaging read!
First time reading this author, and I liked her writing very much. A heart wrenching story of Christie Lynn, seemingly happily married to a well known author, who dies in an auto accident, under suspicious circumstances.
This triggers a revisit of her childhood, with an addict mother and the neglect that resulted in her running away at 16 and living on the streets for two years.
Somehow she manages to make a life for herself, but the scars from her upbringing remain, and affect her and her relationships, never trusting others or herself to develop friendships.
It’s a sad tale of a smart and strong woman that has something to offer, but doesn’t know how. I really like her well developed characters, the friends she made in her new town, Wade, a previous friend of her dead husband Stephen and Rhetta, , who she meets on a search to learn more about her husband’s death. Christie Lynn has many issues to work out, one being her mother, who she hadn’t seen for 20 years.
It’s a book that grabs you and holds on until the final page. I loved the story and am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Barbara Davis has fast become one of my top 10 favorite authors. What a gift she has! This book is her best so far, but I’ve loved them all.