This is an incredible journey of discovering the past and the present. Set in Italy it really transport you to the Italian countryside and would want you to go there. Definitely recommend it.

In Always by Kri Bryant, we meet Peri Logan a private investigator whose first client is her recently deceased great-grandmother. She’s tasked with traveling to Italy with only a locket and a name. When she arrives, she spends all of her time digging deep to find this mystery woman.

When Camila Barnes meets Peri at an art fair, she is skeptical about her intentions and wonders why this woman is inquiring about the woman in her painting. Peri is cryptic and Camila agrees to help Peri, only to take her on a wild goose chase.

Soon it’s revealed that the Isabela Peri's been searching for is Camila’s great-grandmother and that the two are connected by a love stronger than time.

A romance set in Italy is right up my alley and I was hooked from the first page.

The story of Isabel and Hilde (Peri’s grandmother) is so beautiful and is chronicled so perfectly in the letters Isabel held onto for over 70 years. The letters are so perfectly written that readers can feel the emotions running through them. Through the letters, Peri and Camila form a deeper connection and begin to learn what true love really means.

Peri and Camila are opposites but are so perfectly matched. They're both beautiful and intelligent and being a part of their journey is so special. The supporting characters, especially Isabel and Mateo added so much to the overall story.

This is a wonderful tale spanning decades with romance and heartbreak. It's simply fantastic!

Usually I love books from this author but I just didnt get quite into this one. The story was kind of superficial compared to her other novels. So I would say its a solid reac but definetely not her best.

3.5 Stars. Peri Logan's first client is her great-grandmother, when she dies, she tells Peri to find her friend from World War II. she gives Peri and locket and some information about her. So, Peri travels to Italy to find her and winds up in the town of Sequina, Italy. This is a small town with a winemaker and her family. Peri goes to a market and see a picture that looks awfully familiar to the locket. Camila Barnes knows who Peri is looking for, its Camila's great grandmother. Camila is annoyed by the pushy American and agrees to help, but does not actually mean to show Peri her grandmother. Once Peri and Camila start hanging out and talking, they feel a pull to one another that they can't avoid.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the setting of Italy and them talking about eh vineyards and the environment there, I enjoyed the relationship between Peri and Camila and how it grew throughout the book. I did not like how long Camila's prank went on and how long she kept it up for. I also thought the book was a little predictable, which is why it only got 3.5 stars and not higher. The book overall was a pretty solid easy read.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A engrossing love story that covered two generations of women. One generation hiding their love while the future generation, loved in the open. Ms. Bryant knows how to weave a tale. You will laugh, cry and sigh.

If there's anything that Kris Bryant excels in, that's writing a beautiful love story with tastefully written, very steamy sex scenes. This novel is no exception. Bryant is the author I gladly recommend to the fans of romance fiction.

A wonderful as well as beautiful love story. Actually two love stories. The parallel love stories were so well crafted and beautiful to read. I am a Kris Bryant fan! She writes such emotional and touching stories about relationships, family, and love. I also enjoyed that the story took place in two countries. Hilde/Amma and Isabel met during the war and due to external factors and doing the "right" thing, they went their separate ways. After her great grandmother passed away, Peri Logan was charged with finding Hilde to give her a locket. To complete the charge, Peri had to go to Italy and while there she meets Camilla Barnes, Hilda's great grand daughter. And the adventure begins and what an adventure it is. All of the characters are likeable as well as interesting. The love letters were touching and emotional; especially the wedding one. Oh my!!

Kris Bryant has done it again with another great book. She just knows the formula for writing really good romances. Great characters, great storyline, nice sex scenes. I've read so many of her books and it's really difficult to put them down!

“Always” by Kris Bryant is a sweet, emotional and somewhat bittersweet romance that I really enjoyed.

Peri Logan is a newly minted private investigator when she gets case from her recently passed great-grandmother, Hilde. She’s given some cash, a locket with a picture of a woman and a note that sets her on a life-changing journey to Italy. Once in Italy, she meets Camila Barnes who knows the woman in the photo and agrees to take her to her. However, Camila doesn’t know or trust Peri and misleads her hoping Peri will leave before she finds the woman in the photo, Camila’s great-grandmother, Isabel.

Like I said above, I really enjoyed this romance for the most part. I found the premise to be interesting and I enjoyed the different setting. I haven’t read many sapphic books that take place in Italy so I enjoyed that part a lot. Hilde and Isabel’s story really touched me and was bittersweet to read. I was happy and sad for them and for the life they had to live in the 40s. Their story really makes you consider Tennyson’s “tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” quote.

Peri and Camila’s story was a more common story and didn’t do as much for me. It took me a while to warm up to Camila. I really didn’t buy into her wanting to protect Isabel as I didn’t see anything suspicious about Peri. Camila has a strong personality and I just didn’t gel with her in the beginning. I liked Peri more but in a 180-degree turnaround from Camila, I found her to be a little boring. I was still interested in her story but found her personality to be a little too meek? At least they balance each out well and both have shining moments that made me enjoy their romance overall.

I feel like I need to mention that as per usual with Bryant’s books, this is told in first person. While that doesn’t always work for me, I don’t think it was a hinderance here. I think it helped in the beginning when we are getting to know Camila and Peri as they don’t always act how they’re feeling.

I recommend this if you’re wanting an emotional (but angst free) romance. Also, kudos to Bryant to by-passing the 80-90% dark moment. It really made my reading experience better.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kris Bryant is a really interesting writer, and while I haven't loved all of her books as much as others it's generally a safe bet they will be original and creative in their own way, and Always is no exception to that.

Always is really two different romance stories in one book. The main story follows Peri Logan and Camilla Barnes. Peri is a private investigator, and trying to do a job her great-grandmother left her to do. To find a woman with a picture in her locket. This leads Peri to Italy, where she meets Camilla who has a picture of the same woman. Camilla is an artist and very protective of her family. And when Peri demands Camilla's help in finding Camilla's great-grandmother, Camilla gives her the runaround. The second romance is after Peri tracks everyone down and old letters tell the story between their respective great grandmothers.

So this was a creative story and way to tell two narratives in one book. It kinda reminded me of Ali Vali's book A Woman To Treasure where we follow two narratives at once. And in both of the cases I feel it really works. But also in both books I felt more emotionally invested into the older romance than the modern one.

This book's romance for me was hindered in the fact that I didn't really love either character- I had trouble emotionally connecting with both of them. I sympathized a lot with Camilla's position within her family and feeling stuck and wanting to make art- but I didn't love how she gave Peri the runaround. Just be honest. And Peri didn't really warm to me either. They weren't bad, I didn't dislike either character but I just didn't have strong feelings either like I would want in a romance.

The great-grandmothers on the other hand I loved! Hilde and Isabel were incredibly touching. I really loved seeing their love story play out in the letters. This is the part of the book I enjoyed the most, especially with how you know how their time together would end. Honestly I kinda just wish this book was a full period piece between Hilde and Isabel even though the dual stories is interesting and captivating.

I think people will like this book. Also I feel like my words are harsher than my actual feelings on the book- I did enjoy it- I just didn't connect with all of it as much as I might have wanted too. 3.5/5

A wonderful double romance. I haven’t read many books by Bryant, but those I have read I enjoyed, so I was looking forward to reading this book. This was an easy read, low angst and very romantic, not only because of the feels, but also because of the setting at a vineyard in Italy. I mean, not much is more romantic than that right?

Peri just started her own private investigator company and her first job is requested by her great-grandmother Hilde who just passed away. A photo with the text, “find her”. It brings Peri to Sequina, Italy, to Camila’s great-grandmother (Isabel). How she actually ends up in that town is a bit of a mystery, but once there, Peri and Camila learn the beautiful and emotional story of how their great grandmothers met during WWII.

The book is written if first person from the POV of Peri and Camila and this worked well for me. I like first person and it gave good insight in their train of thought and especially about their love for their family. The best romance in this book is hands down that between Hilde and Isabel, it’s beautiful and bittersweet and their letters to each other are so wonderful.

The romance between Peri and Camila started rather slow. It took me some time to warm up to Camila. She was stonewalling Peri’s search for Isabel in a rather extreme manner to protect Isabel, which I get, but I could think of less drastic ways to do that. She does redeem herself though. Peri was very sweet and slightly shy and I instantly liked her. They were both not interested in a relationship so for a rather long time nothing much seemed to happen on that front and I didn’t feel much chemistry. I really needed that that to happen because of the story of Hilde and Isabel that is interwoven with theirs, so luckily, the last part of the book made up for it and there is a super sweet double! epilogue.

The pace in this book is not super high, but it made this a relaxed read, and there is no dark moment, which was also a nice change from the standard WLW romance formula. I’m certain romance readers will enjoy this book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of Kris Bryant's writing style. I either find her books to be 4 or 5 stars, every time. That means I'll never complain about the way the book is written, or the characters for the most part, because those are always solid. It really just comes down to how invested I was in the story/romance, for whatever reason.

I thought the plot was very unique. Peri being a private investigator, who needs to go over to Italy for a job her great grandma asked for in her will, is definitely not something I have read before. I greatly appreciated the fact that the story was brand new, and it was done really well. I enjoyed Camila playing with Peri, and thought it didn't go on too long to the point where I was annoyed with her. And then their friendship and mild flirtations were cute to read about.

What dragged a bit for me was unfortunately when we got to the letters. I don't want to give away a lot, but I got the point of their relationship from the first one, so I didn't ever feel like I gained much with how many there were. The story just didn't move forward as much as I wanted it to around that part.

So overall I was happy to have read the book, and enjoyed it for the most part, but it wasn't the most riveting compared to some of Kris Bryant's other books.

This was a such a great book to read. The characters were all really well fleshed out, the relationship between Camilla and Peri was really hot and steamy. There's some angst and a bit of drama, but nothing that bogged the story down. I loved that Camilla and Peri started out as enemies first, but became friends then lovers I feel this just added a bit more spice to what became a great relationship. I would definitely recommend this book to all my friends and family, and I really look forward to what this author writes next.

I have to say that it took me a while to like Camila. I really dislike when people make someone else waste time in life and her actions bothered me at first. But I could overcome that when she changed her behavior.
Peri and Camila's story is a good one, but the grandmothers' is the the best! Kris Bryant nailed it by putting present and past together.

Just lovely!

Peri is heading out on the search for a woman, that her great-grandmother, who has just died, has tasked her with finding. When she travels to Italy with only a picture in a locket to guide her, she meets Camila. Camila offers to help but isn’t of much use in assisting Peri achieve her task. Camila is suspicious as to why Peri is so desperate to find this woman, who happens to be Camila’s great-grandmother, but when Peri finds a way to meet her anyway, they are both surprised by all they discover.

Just so lovely, as this story contained a story within a story, which was one of mystery, wonder, and true love. It was real gem of a story that I was excited to read. At first I wasn’t sure what Peri was going to discover, or how big a part Camila would play in it all.

At first Camila and Peri’s relationship was fun as they didn’t know what either one wanted but Peri had little choice but to trust Camila. I really enjoyed the parts where Camila was making Peri run around pointlessly but obviously Peri wasn’t enjoying it quite as much. When they finally realised who one another was and how it affected Camila’s great-grandmother, a wonderful but heart-breaking story was revealed that sealed a bond between Peri and Camila that neither of them expected.

When they finally started getting to know one another better, it was obvious they were fated to meet and the connection they shared was very special. They were playful with one another, flirting and just trying to embrace their feelings even if Peri wasn’t going to be staying in Italy. Peri was a little more serious than Camila, but that was what made them work together so perfectly.

Such a simple and sweet story, that I highly recommend and really enjoyed every moment of. It was filled with beautiful moments, even those that were tinged with a sadness but it was just one of those stories to capture your heart.

Lovely book that made me want to go to Italy and stay in a villa. I liked the idea of a love all those years ago when times were different and different paths were chosen, being reborn and allowed to blossom in a different timeperiod. It's a sad thing to realize that lots of people had to make the decision that the great grandmothers in this book made in order to have a safe life. Even sadder when you think about that it's still happening today.
Peri and Camilla have the chance to do what their great grandmothers couldn't and I enjoyed their journey immensely. There was chemistry, a great big Italian family, a few tears..all in all a recommended read for any romance reader out there.

***Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books for giving me a book to read and review ***

Well done Kris Bryant...
This piece is a beautiful well written Mystery with an amazing plot and a side order of romance. The main characters were amazing and had great chemistry. It was a joy watching them grow.
I recommend 4.5 stars


Thank you, Bold Strokes Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Every once in a while a novel comes along that reminds us the wonder of being swept off your feet falling in love. Add in the mystery of a lost love affair and you’ve got a page turner that will make it very difficult to put down. Peri and Camila dance towards something meaningful that began decades earlier, and the connections they uncover together bring them something much more meaningful than a mystery solved. I can’t reveal much more without giving away the plot to this marvelous mystery romance. Just pick up this novel and let history and romance delight you, and when you discover the true meaning of the title of this book you will want to read it again and again. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After Hilde (Amma to her family) dies, her lawyer gives her great-granddaughter Peri a locket and a mission: find the woman in the picture with her. Her enquiry takes Peri, a newly minted private investigator, to Italy but the woman’s great-granddaughter, Camila, gets in her way, in an attempt to protect Isabel, her Bisnonna. Once the truth comes out, so does Isabel, who then takes the two young women on a journey through time, by way of the letters Hilde sent her until her wedding day.

Always is an emotional book, a bittersweet story of love eternal. Isabel and Hilde’s love story is both beautiful and frustratingly sad, and helps Peri and Camila see how lucky they are and not throw away what they have in each other.

I thought the beginning of the story was rushed. Peri gets to Italy and the town of Sequina much too quickly. I understand wanting to have the MCs together on page as soon as possible but if that’s an example of what she can do as a PI, she’s extremely talented. That said, I’d rather have a rushed beginning that will be erased by the rest of the book than a rushed ending I’ll be stuck with.

The main characters are lovely, as are Isabel and Mateo, Camila’s best friend, a sweetheart who brings both comic relief and real emotion. Once Camila stopped being so obnoxious, I loved her and Peri. They’re extremely different, each charming in her own way. We only get to know Hilde through her letters and Isabel’s comments and I like how the two couples of the story mirror each other but not necessarily in the ways I expected.

The chemistry between Peri and Camila is the best part of this book. Even before they like each other, they are attracted to each other. Their chemistry is the first sign that their love is meant to be, as if to honour their great-grandmothers’ love.

One character isn’t treated fairly, I think: Francesca, Camila’s grandmother, Isabel’s daughter. When Camila worries about her grandmother’s reaction, it’s because she perceives her as conservative, never because what she’ll find out will change everything she thinks she knows about her parents’ marriage. Learning that your mother’s first love, the love of her life, wasn’t your father, despite what you were led to believe your whole life, can’t be easy to digest and she deserved the benefit of the doubt.

On the other hand, I’m not sure how Bryant manages to convey the Italian atmosphere but it really worked for me, without overly detailed descriptions, with just a few well-chosen words here and there. I’ve been to Italy many times but I’m not Italian so I won’t be so bold as to think I know whether it’s accurate or not, but it made me travel and that’s all I can ask for.

Finally, if you’re a lover of epilogues, rejoice! You’ll get two in this book.

ARC provided to Rainbow Literary Society for an honest review.

I'm sitting at my desk eating lunch with tears running down my cheeks reading the epilogues. Oh, what an amazing story! Every once in a while a book comes along that reminds us what it's like to be swept off your feet, to fall in love. Told dual POV in alternating chapters we get the feelings and viewpoints of each MC. Peri's great grandmother passes away. She leaves a locket and a challenge for Peri to find the other woman in a photo. It puts Peri's PI skills to work and she finds a drawing of the same woman in the small seaside town of Sequina, Italy. The artist, Camilla Barnes, says she knows the identity of the woman, but she intentionally misleads Peri while getting to know her, not knowing what Peri wants with her great grandmother. Eventually Peri finds the great grandmother and the story starts.
The story is of two worlds colliding. The past and the present. I don't want to give away any spoilers because it's such a great read. It's an enemies to lovers story that will warm your heart. What I will tell you is that the letters will warm your heart and make you cry. There are two epilogues that wrap up the story perfectly. This is Kris Bryant at her best.