The First Love

Good read

I couldn’t get pass the 500 page too many back and forth, this first book I read from this author I’ll probably read another but !

Love lost, but not forgotten. What an amazing start to Jennifer Bernard’s new Lake Bittersweet series! After avoiding Lake Bittersweet for the past 17yrs, Carly returns as executor of her father’s will. He has left her with nothing more than memories, mountains of debt, an expired liquor license, and the responsibility of reviving The Blue Drake Bar and Grill. Carly has a half brother and half sister, but neither seem too thrilled with helping to revive The Blue Drake. Each sibling has their own issues with their, now deceased, rock legend of a dad. Profound, deep wounds that aren’t easily resolved. But Carly tries to do right by her dad and in the process, uncovers secrets that are life-changing. Fire Chief, Thomas Cooper, knew that this day would come. The day that he would once again come face to face with the love of his life…Carly Gault. He chose his family over her when they were teens and he doesn’t regret that decision. But it definitely doesn’t make seeing her now, any easier. Although he never loved another like her, he did end up fathering a child with one of her best friends. That, amongst other secrets, may prove too hard to conquer. But he’s willing to try. Thomas and Carly have a lot of secrets, insecurities, etc to weed through before they can truly have a future together. I LOVED all the twists, turns, and unraveling of secrets! There’s still so much to uncover and I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series! I loved Carly’s interactions with Thomas’ son. She’s a listener and was able to get him to open up when no one else could. Carly is caring, understanding, and genuine in her love. I loved Carly’s ideas for The Blue Drake! I also loved that she, Trixie, Kendra, and Gina were all still besties and vowed to honor their “chambermaid” pact of always being there for each other. I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

ARC for honest review with no compensation First Love is book 1 in the new series Lake Bittersweet by Jennifer Bernard and just like her Lost Harbor series you get emotion, second chances, first loves, life long friends and much more. First up is Carly Gault and Thomas Cooper, who met at Lake Bittersweet years before and now 17 yrs later she return after her rock star father has passed as executor to his estate, especially the the Blue Drake Club and Resort which has been shut down by the town’s fire chief, none other than her first love, Thomas… Wonderful friendships, second chances, past and present built up, broken hearts, some twists, steamy, well written and keeps you turning the pages to see where it ends only to set you up wishing you could read the next book right now!!

First love, second chances, friendships, small town, and ties back to my beloved Lost Harbor series. Initially this story gave me strong Sisterhood of the traveling pants or Now and Then vibes, but in book form which I loved. Carly returns to Lake Bittersweet, a place full of ghosts of the past of the family and romantic variety and reconnects with Thomas the current fire chief and her first love. But things are never as easy or like we remember them to be and both Carly and Thomas will have to deal with many secrets and complications if they are going to move forward. In The First Love, the author sets up an exciting series in a new to us town and I'm already excited to learn about the adult lives of the "Chambermaids" and the other town residents as this series continues.

I love it when Jennifer Bernard writes a new series. I’ve read many of her books and I believe she’s got another winner with this series starter. Carly and Thomas were in love, but he broke her heart, when he broke things off. Why would he do that? You’ll find out during the reading of this book. When Carly returns to Lake Bittersweet, Montana, she learns Thomas is a single father, but even more of a surprise is who he got pregnant. He got Brooke, one of her best friends, from back in the day, pregnant. Don’t start disliking him, like I did, lol. We’ll get to the where and why this happened. On top of being back in town where Thomas lives, she learns that the fire marshal has closed the Blue Drake, her late father’s club and resort. Oh, and guess who the fire marshal is. Thomas Cooper. I’m not leaving any spoilers, but I will say if you love a steamy read with wonderful characters, reconnecting with family and friends, some angst, and secrets, then you’re going to love this book. I loved that Trixie Tran from the Lost Harbor series is even in this story. Grab your copy and see what happens. I received an advance reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest r

The First Love by Jennifer Bernard launches her new Lake Bittersweet series, and is a sweetly satisfying, absolutely delicious small-town read that will fill those happy places in your romance-reading heart. Carly Gault returns to Lake Bittersweet to deal with her late rockstar father’s legacy, a somewhat ramshackle property that includes cabins and a bar and grill. Of course, she also runs into Thomas Cooper, her first love, the one who taught her what a broken heart was. Thomas is now fire chief, and their roles bring them to opposite sides of the table at times. But it is also stunningly clear that what they felt for each other more than a decade ago? Hasn’t gone away. And their grownup selves just might feel as strongly. Jennifer Bernard’s writing is beautifully evocative, and the people and charm of Lake Bittersweet come to life on the pages, as much as the sweetness and pain of love and loss and the treasure of true friendships. The First Love is a fabulous start to this series, and I’m eager to return to Lake Bittersweet again and again!

I think I experienced every emotion in this book...and I loved it! Carly is an incredible character who learns a lot about herself and the perceptions she has been harboring for years when she returns to Lake Bittersweet to settle her famous father's estate. She is thrown so many curve balls while going through her father's apartment and his beloved bar, the Blue Drake. The toughest one in my opinion, comes from her first love, Thomas and how Carly comes to terms with it as their young love is rekindling. As she reconciles all she has learned, Carly must make a decision about the future of the Blue Drake, the friends and people of Lake Bittersweet, her relationships and her future. It is impressive how much Carly's determination grows once she gets past all of her insecurities. This is truly a great book that sets the stage for this series with an amazing group of characters in a small but, never dull lake town, to let the reader go and enjoy. I, also appreciate the crossover connection to Lost Harbor, Alaska and look forward to that book and see what Trixie Tran is up to at her ice cream shop.

I loved this second chance romance, which is also the start of a new series. Thomas and Carly were teenage sweethearts who wanted to spend the rest of their lives together until tough decisions tore them apart. Now years later Carly is back in Bittersweet Lake to deal with her dad’s death and the business he left her and her siblings. A lot has changed in Thomas’s life since Carly was last in town, he is now the Fire Chief and has a teenage son. Carly realizes she won’t be able to avoid seeing Thomas and wonders if her feelings for him ever went away. I really enjoyed Thomas and Carly as a couple and enjoyed the flashbacks to give us some insight into their relationship. I loved to the friendships that Carly made back when she was a teenager and how those friend’s come back to help Carly when she needs them. Of course nothing can be easy and old issues come back up that Thomas and Carly need to work through before they can have the future together that they always wanted. I really enjoyed this book and am excited for more in this series.

Engaging new series with great characters, a familiar face and a firefighter! Ms Bernard is taking us on an adventure of second chances, best friends, a few twists and turns and lots of emotions. I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this couple, especially Thomas. And that it started a bit slow for me. But I always had faith that one of my most reliable, one-click authors would never do me wrong. Carly and Thomas were an interesting, complex couple and the perfect duo to start what looks to be a wonderful new small town series. I can’t wait to see what comes next from her.