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If You Loved Me
She needs his help to find her son – no matter what the cost!
When Seattle surgeon Emma Garrett’s son disappears on an adventurous kayaking trip, Emma desperately needs the help of an expert who knows the territory.
Nobody knows the Pacific Ocean’s north coast wilderness like Gray McKenzie, but when Emma arrives on Gray’s remote doorstep unannounced and determined to enlist his aid in the search for her son, she soon realizes that reawakening her past may cost far more than she’d imagined.
Together, they will journey through the wilderness that Emma finds so frightening, desperate to find Emma’s missing son. – but can a city surgeon dedicated to rebuilding damaged children’s bodies, and a man who lives and breathes wilderness, ever build a life together that includes both their worlds?
When Seattle surgeon Emma Garrett’s son disappears on an adventurous kayaking trip, Emma desperately needs the help of an expert who knows the territory.
Nobody knows the Pacific Ocean’s north coast wilderness like Gray McKenzie, but when Emma arrives on Gray’s remote doorstep unannounced and determined to enlist his aid in the search for her son, she soon realizes that reawakening her past may cost far more than she’d imagined.
Together, they will journey through the wilderness that Emma finds so frightening, desperate to find Emma’s missing son. – but can a city surgeon dedicated to rebuilding damaged children’s bodies, and a man who lives and breathes wilderness, ever build a life together that includes both their worlds?
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First published January 1, 1999
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About the author
Vanessa Grant
88 books44 followers"I love writing fiction - it's the perfect occupation for someone who can't decide what they want to be when they grow up. With each new story, I get to explore a new world."
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 5, 2021
**Free ebook in exchange for an honest review**
Be aware: my opinions may contain veiled spoilers, so read at your own risk!
I have to say, this was a love story like I haven't read in years!
I'm a bit sick of all the sex and drama that it's been used in romance books lately. Is like, if there isn't a huge trauma from the past and a super hot tattoed hunk or a Mr. Sexy Money on the plot, the story won't work. I mean, come on!!
If You Loved Me is a great story because is more realistic, because is about two people that loved each other in the past and are reconnected 20 years later --when they're responsible adults-- and all that was between them comes back up like an unstoppable fire. But their lives are so different there's no way a relationship would work for them. They knew that as teenagers and they know it now. Still, there is a force pulling them together that neither of them can control.
There were a couple of things I didn't loved, but is not like they were that bad. I mean, first the whole thing with her son being missing... the part where they find the boys it was a bit too easyly resolved, I think, because after all that tension and fear it only took like two pages to have it all sorted out... I believe it could have been better, but I also understand that the story wasn't really about that, it was about Emma and Gray, so they needed to finish what they'd started.
Second, both of them are very stubborn people that are fixated in the fact there is no way to unify their worlds. But then an explanation coming out of Gray's past is what brings it all to a perfectly round end... I mean, he was a complicated man who didn't want to admit his feelings, but I don't think it was necessary to "explain" his attitude with a childhood drama, I think they could have figured it out together if they'd really wanted to.
Leaving that aside, I loved this story, it was mature and sexy and realistic and... and I just loved it :D
Be aware: my opinions may contain veiled spoilers, so read at your own risk!
I have to say, this was a love story like I haven't read in years!
I'm a bit sick of all the sex and drama that it's been used in romance books lately. Is like, if there isn't a huge trauma from the past and a super hot tattoed hunk or a Mr. Sexy Money on the plot, the story won't work. I mean, come on!!
If You Loved Me is a great story because is more realistic, because is about two people that loved each other in the past and are reconnected 20 years later --when they're responsible adults-- and all that was between them comes back up like an unstoppable fire. But their lives are so different there's no way a relationship would work for them. They knew that as teenagers and they know it now. Still, there is a force pulling them together that neither of them can control.
There were a couple of things I didn't loved, but is not like they were that bad. I mean, first the whole thing with her son being missing... the part where they find the boys it was a bit too easyly resolved, I think, because after all that tension and fear it only took like two pages to have it all sorted out... I believe it could have been better, but I also understand that the story wasn't really about that, it was about Emma and Gray, so they needed to finish what they'd started.
Second, both of them are very stubborn people that are fixated in the fact there is no way to unify their worlds. But then an explanation coming out of Gray's past is what brings it all to a perfectly round end... I mean, he was a complicated man who didn't want to admit his feelings, but I don't think it was necessary to "explain" his attitude with a childhood drama, I think they could have figured it out together if they'd really wanted to.
Leaving that aside, I loved this story, it was mature and sexy and realistic and... and I just loved it :D
July 22, 2015
I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was looking forward to reading this book because the characters sounded interesting and the plot had a lot of promise. The truth is that the plot was interesting even though it was predictable in many way. However I was very disappointed with the characters. We meet the characters in the Prologue. Emma and Grey meet when she was 18 and he was 21. From that first time, I could feel the chemistry between the two. I enjoyed the bubbly innocence of Emma and the calm down-to-earth curiosity of Grey. I could tell he liked her because he spent the whole time asking questions about her. We also meet her boyfriend Paul at the same time who happens to be a close friend to Grey. I thought Paul was selfish, boorish with very little respect for Emma. I didn't like him at all.
However, all of a sudden we switch from the Prologue to Chapter 1, and it is twenty years later. Emma is a widow with a 17 year old son, He and a friend had gone kayaking in the wilderness and had not called his mother at the predetermined time. Emma, acting like every mother, , is sure something is wrong and calls the Coast Guard. No one can find him, so Emma, who is a pediatric orhopedic surgeon, sees a magazine picture of Grey and realizes this is his home turf. So she goes to him for help.
And this is where my problem begins. Emma is still the bubbly honest woman who speaks her mind even though she is no longer innocent. Grey, on the other hand, is a moody stiff and sometimes even hurtful person who treats Emma as if she committed some horrible crime against Grey when, actually, he is the one that left the relationship after making some unbelievable demands of Emma. He is constantly telling Emma that love is a fantasy and he never loved her. I have read other books where the hero felt this way, but it was obvious from the way they treated the heroine that he loved her but just couldn't admit it. I really felt Grey was nasty to Emma. And yet, she still tells him she has always loved him and ignores him even though he is often hurtful. The chemistry seemed to have disappeared.
I still enjoyed the book. However, I often wanted to grab Grey and shake him until he remembers to respect this woman even if he didn't believe her feelings any more. Even so, I liked the characters, even Grey when he happened to show a little caring for Emma. I wish the author could have at least let us into Grey's mind so we could get some idea of his actual feelings.
I still plan to read another book by this author because she is a great writer. The story flows very well from one event to another. Emma is a very developed character and I really like her. There were no grammar or spelling mistakes. Also, unlike some books, there is very little sex in the book. The scenes where the characters did get together I felt were very tasteful.
I would still recommend this book because I did enjoy it.
I was looking forward to reading this book because the characters sounded interesting and the plot had a lot of promise. The truth is that the plot was interesting even though it was predictable in many way. However I was very disappointed with the characters. We meet the characters in the Prologue. Emma and Grey meet when she was 18 and he was 21. From that first time, I could feel the chemistry between the two. I enjoyed the bubbly innocence of Emma and the calm down-to-earth curiosity of Grey. I could tell he liked her because he spent the whole time asking questions about her. We also meet her boyfriend Paul at the same time who happens to be a close friend to Grey. I thought Paul was selfish, boorish with very little respect for Emma. I didn't like him at all.
However, all of a sudden we switch from the Prologue to Chapter 1, and it is twenty years later. Emma is a widow with a 17 year old son, He and a friend had gone kayaking in the wilderness and had not called his mother at the predetermined time. Emma, acting like every mother, , is sure something is wrong and calls the Coast Guard. No one can find him, so Emma, who is a pediatric orhopedic surgeon, sees a magazine picture of Grey and realizes this is his home turf. So she goes to him for help.
And this is where my problem begins. Emma is still the bubbly honest woman who speaks her mind even though she is no longer innocent. Grey, on the other hand, is a moody stiff and sometimes even hurtful person who treats Emma as if she committed some horrible crime against Grey when, actually, he is the one that left the relationship after making some unbelievable demands of Emma. He is constantly telling Emma that love is a fantasy and he never loved her. I have read other books where the hero felt this way, but it was obvious from the way they treated the heroine that he loved her but just couldn't admit it. I really felt Grey was nasty to Emma. And yet, she still tells him she has always loved him and ignores him even though he is often hurtful. The chemistry seemed to have disappeared.
I still enjoyed the book. However, I often wanted to grab Grey and shake him until he remembers to respect this woman even if he didn't believe her feelings any more. Even so, I liked the characters, even Grey when he happened to show a little caring for Emma. I wish the author could have at least let us into Grey's mind so we could get some idea of his actual feelings.
I still plan to read another book by this author because she is a great writer. The story flows very well from one event to another. Emma is a very developed character and I really like her. There were no grammar or spelling mistakes. Also, unlike some books, there is very little sex in the book. The scenes where the characters did get together I felt were very tasteful.
I would still recommend this book because I did enjoy it.
March 27, 2019
This was an excellent love story. I loved the second chance aspect of their relationship. I thought the question Gray had about the paternity of Emma's son was excellently handled. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
April 12, 2014
Vanessa Grant’s novel, If You Loved Me, is a story that delivered all the elements I love: a great adventure, memorable characters and a love that endures the test of time.
Emma Garret and Gray McKenzie fell in love with each other when they were in their teens, but they were both afraid to give their love a chance. Now a decade and a half later, Emma Garret saves children as a pediatric surgeon, but the only person who can save her son when he goes missing while kayaking in the wild waters off the Pacific coast of northern British Columbia is Gray McKenzie, a wildly successful nature photographer, and the man she once thought would be her husband and the father of her children. In the process of finding Emma’s son, they must both face their physical and emotional fears.
If You Loved Me is an exciting, fast-paced adventure offering up passion, danger and enduring love. I loved it!
Emma Garret and Gray McKenzie fell in love with each other when they were in their teens, but they were both afraid to give their love a chance. Now a decade and a half later, Emma Garret saves children as a pediatric surgeon, but the only person who can save her son when he goes missing while kayaking in the wild waters off the Pacific coast of northern British Columbia is Gray McKenzie, a wildly successful nature photographer, and the man she once thought would be her husband and the father of her children. In the process of finding Emma’s son, they must both face their physical and emotional fears.
If You Loved Me is an exciting, fast-paced adventure offering up passion, danger and enduring love. I loved it!
May 9, 2014
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a good book about rekindling a lost love. I found the storyline to be well-developed and the characters to be relatable. However, I only rated this four because I feel like it fell short in the execution of the story. I would recommend this to someone who wants a good read. I will be looking for more from the author in the future.
This was a good book about rekindling a lost love. I found the storyline to be well-developed and the characters to be relatable. However, I only rated this four because I feel like it fell short in the execution of the story. I would recommend this to someone who wants a good read. I will be looking for more from the author in the future.
September 6, 2016
I received this book free from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.
I heart warming story about Emma and Gray who haven't seen each other in years but come together to find Emma's son who is lost while kayaking. As they search for him, they both realize that they never really stopped loving each other and now have fallen in love all over again as the people they have become.
I heart warming story about Emma and Gray who haven't seen each other in years but come together to find Emma's son who is lost while kayaking. As they search for him, they both realize that they never really stopped loving each other and now have fallen in love all over again as the people they have become.
September 9, 2012
Words are not just only to read also to feel of love and romance...
June 15, 2013
This was a quick read and a nicely written love story. I would probably not quite give it a full 4 star rating (3.75), but I did enjoy the book.
February 18, 2013
This was a quick and very enjoyable read set in the lush wilds of Alaska.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews