The Echo of Old Books: A Novel

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As it continues, you become immersed in the love story unfolding between Belle and Hemi, the historical period characters, which is told within the pages of the books Ashlyn acquired and really reads like an argument on paper between the two of them. The more we learn about both couples, the more we hope for HEAs all around – no matter how impossible that might seem. This book was actually three books in one because you get to read the books from the no-named authors as well as Ashlyn's mystery.

I read this book nonstop, from start to finish, completely engrossed by the story and its characters.She also has a "gift" where she can feel echoes of feelings from the people who have owned a book previously. She spent more than a decade as an executive in the jewelry business before leaving the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion for writing.

More digging reveals identities, and a whole load of ugly family baggage, including abuse, a fondness for fascism, anti-semitism, and two people nursing their resentments against each other for many years. Her journey unfolds as she stumbles upon a pair of mysterious books that appear to never have been published. The story does focus on two books, but the author apparently throws in a woo-woo factor in all of her books, so there's that. The books, inscribed with contradictory accusations, tell the tale of a tragic romance between their authors, Hemi and Belle.

This dual timeline story was beautifully written, as well as being told in a way that is original and unique. Her relationship with both of her parents was lacking the warmth and love that Ashlyn so desperately wanted. I also have issues with the chemistry between Hemi and Belle- how is the reader going to believe in their love when they are both such dry, immature characters? I was gifted this copy by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review. I took my time reading this story, savoring all the beautiful sentences, because I didn’t want it to end.

Main character Ashlyn Greer deals in rare books, and is blessed with the uncanny ability to feel the emotions and echoes of her books’ previous owners. The Echo of Old Books was absolutely the right book at the right time for this reader, with its combination of historical mystery, tragic romance and historical ambiance both in Belle and Hemi’s 1941 and Ashlyn and Ethan’s “present day” of 1984. The Echo of Old Books is an incredible novel that will become a favorite of anyone who reads it, captivating readers who love an intriguing, heartfelt story. Barbara Davis combines a bit of the paranormal with a tragic love story and two “books within a book. It all begins with Hemi and Belle and the two seemingly anonymous, most likely privately published books that hold their separate perspectives on their clearly doomed, inevitably tragic WW2-era romance.Within their bindings lie conflicting narratives of a heart-wrenching romance, entwined with an incriminating inscription that begs for answers.