When You Loved Me - love, loss, second chances, and a hunt for a lost treasure.

Lucy Cooper, a young widow, along with her 7-year-old daughter Elise, returns to Winthrop Island after the death of her father, Bud, who lived on the vacation island year 'round choosing to follow his obsession that there was buried treasure on their land. At her father's memorial service, Lucy is surprised to see her lost love, Ben Ressler. Ben had been a star NFL football player, but a tragedy ended his career. His presence and kindness stir up long buried feelings. Flashbacks to 2012 highlight the passion they shared. Meanwhile, Lucy has to deal with huge debts her father left behind and mysterious occurrences taking place at the family estate. When the story shifts to the year 1717, and the story of Winthrop ancestors and a wounded pirate, it turns out that Bud's treasure hunt might have been more than mere folly. 

Author Beatriz Williams has such a talent for creating distinct fictionalized worlds filled with many wonderful characters. So much so that family trees are often needed to help keep track of them. When You Loved Me is her latest book set on Winthrop Island, situated on the eastern end of New York's Long Island Sound. It can easily be read as a standalone, but fans of Williams will appreciate the appearances of characters from her other books. This is an engaging story that fully captures the emotions of love, loss, and second chances, along with some mystery. Williams is a great storyteller. Don't miss the one.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books for the advance.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Contemporary & Historical Fiction.

Publication Date: June 23, 2026.

Please "like" this post if When You Loved Me sounds like a book you’d enjoy reading. I'd love to know. Scroll below the photo and click on the red outlined heart on the lower right-hand side of the page. Comments can also be left below.