Finding books that have no author had Ashlyn on a mission to find out who had written these treasures about a love story gone wrong.

Ashlyn owns a bookstore called THE UNLIKELY STORY filled with rare books.

She also has a rare but special feeling about books. When she touches certain books, she can feel what the person who last held the book was feeling. She wasn’t sure if it was a detriment or a blessing.

We follow Ashlyn as she reads these book and tries to find out who these people are/were. 

At first I was very confused as to what was going on, but when I figured it out, I couldn't put the book down.

I enjoyed the present-day chapters as Ashlyn was unraveling the mystery and enjoyed the past stories as we learn how the books told actual stories of real people's lives.
 
THE ECHOS OF OLD BOOKS has the imaginative, descriptive, pull-you-in writing style Ms. Davis excels at.

You will be in for a treat...don't miss it.

It is marvelous as always. 

And look at that GORGEOUS cover!! 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

413 pages

4 stars

This was a delightful novel. It was my first Barbara Davis book and I enjoyed it very much.

Rare bookshop owner Ashlyn Greer loves books and they all have something to tell her. She comes across two unusual memoirs that have been donated. They have no authors’ names, no publisher, no identifying information at all. Ashlyn is immediately intrigued. It looks as though the two main characters are writing to one another. They were lovers at one time, but are now angry and embittered. What happened?

Ashlyn feels compelled to find out.

So begins a dual timeline story from 1941 and 1984. What occurred to “Belle” and “Hemi” to make them fall out of love? I was as entranced with their story as Ashlyn, and later Ethan, were.

The writing is very good. I really liked Ms. Davis’ dialogue. Belle and Hemi’s caustic words to one another seemed so true to life. I could see them standing there shouting their hurtful words.

I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Press for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

This book is an intriguing blend of several genres – historical fiction, suspense/mystery, and romance, with a bit of the paranormal added for good measure. The title refers both to an unfinished, tragic love story as well as to the unique ability of the protagonist to detect the emotional state of the previous owner of a book through psychometry.

Ashlyn Greer is the owner of a rare bookstore. When she comes upon two beautifully bound, discarded books with no author or publisher information, Ashlyn notes the strong emotional imprints of love, hurt and betrayal. The more she delves into the books, the more she realizes it is the same story told in conflicting perspectives by a man and a woman who shared a deep, passionate love forty years ago. Ashlyn is determined to identify the couple and to return the books, if possible, to their rightful owners. In the process, she begins to heal her own issues around love, trust and vulnerability.

The formatting of the book is unusual with chapters reflecting the love story as well as Ashlyn’s efforts to solve the mystery of the source of the companion books…in essence, there are two short memoirs within the primary novel. Despite the shifting perspectives, I had no trouble keeping the characters and the storylines straight. The suspense kept me engaged as well as the strong character development. Overall, this was an entertaining and enjoyable read by an author who has produced other worthwhile novels.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

A very intense story with themes that are unfortunately still around in this day and age. Racism, people being frustrated, selfish and even cruel. Loyalty disguised as obedience, women not being free to do as they please.

Thankfully, there is more than just misery. The Echo of Old Books reads a bit like a whodunnit, despite it not being a thriller.

Let me admit, in the beginning with the tone of voice in both blue books and the repetitive character of the narrative... I put it aside for a bit. But this book is very much worth reading until the end. I'm glad I did!

I found the topic fascinating, but I had a really hard time emotionally connecting to the character of Ashlyn. I did, however, feel intrigued enough to keep reading until the very end!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What an amazing concept for a book! Loved the blurb and how the story revealed itself and its contents in tantalizing installments. I did however get quite emotional as I saw where it was headed and although the ending was satisfying, theres something so deeply raw and unforgivable at what went down in the book that it broke my heart reading it. For this reason, I'm not sure it will be read by me again but it definitely resonated with me and I'm so glad for this journey. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Barbara Davis; however, compared to her other books, this book did not blow me away. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book and finished it quickly.

This book tells several different stories (1) The story of Ashlyn bookstore owner (2) Hemi and Belle's love story (3) the story of Belle's family. Ashlyn finds two unpublished novels one written by a man nicknamed "Hemi" and the other written by a woman nicknamed "Belle" about their love story and how it went wrong. Ashlyn starts digging into who the real people are behind these books and finds out about their love story and Belle's family.

I think the beginning of this book dragged on too long for me. There was a lot of chapters about Ashlyn's abilities to feel the echos of books. Also the early parts of Hemi and Belle's love story they kept hinting at a betrayal that was about to come but it felt so repetitive.

However once I learned more about Belle's family I was hooked and needed to finish the book. Another reviewer said that this would have been a better book just focused on Belle's family political leanings and her love story and I completely agree. The story of her family and politics in America around WWII is so fascinating - I would have loved the book only to focus on that. Her story carried the book and was excellent. I would recommend others to read this book but just to be patient for the good parts.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

Ashlyn, a rare book dealer, finds an intriguing book in a donation box. The book has no author but feels like heartbreak. When a second book just like the first is found, Ashlyn can't get them out of her mind. Each book is written like a journal about the start and demise of a forbidden love affair. The same love affair from different perspectives, each damning the other. Ashlyn works to uncover their identities, with the help of Ethan who donated the books. She soon finds herself deep in the mystery of these people's lives and possibly in love herself.

What an truly unique story! Alternating times and POVs, with excerpts from the found books made this book so fun to read. I was hooked on the mystery right away! I found myself not caring for Belle or Hemi at different times but still wanted to know what happened to them. I really enjoyed this one!

What a phenomenal story!! I was so intrigued by the premise of this novel and how the main character has the gift of psychometry; being able to feel the "echoes" or emotions that were experienced by the previous owner or author of the books that she touched. How extraordinary that must be!! I really, really, really loved this book! It was like a breath of fresh air after reading so many thrillers. A truly beautiful, heart-tugging tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness. I did not want this book to end. The characters were so well developed that I could feel all of their emotions on a personal level. I loved them all! Barbara Davis definitely knows how to write an outstanding, emotional story! I highly recommend that you read this novel as soon as possible!!!

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!!

It feels to me like Barbara Davis tried to cram three (or more) novels into this one. First there is the story of Belle and Hemi, then Ashlyn's ESP talent of psychometry, then the romance of Ashlyn and Ethan, ...and maybe even a fourth one of running a book shop and book restoration that includes sayings about books.

What bothered me the most was not the proliferation of plots, but my lack of feeling for the many characters. What I found most interesting, was the political picture of the U.S. in the 40s with its neo-Nazi and antisemitic movers and shakers and Nazi supporting Lindbergh. Now that book might have held my interest. and maybe the story of Marian's mother and father's marriage would have made a more intriguing novel. I would have even liked it if there was more about psychometry and how that influenced Ashlyn's own life. (BTW, did Davis mean her character to be called Aisling? That's an Irish name pronounced Ashlyn.)

This is not a badly written book, but the coincidences and life-changing decisions just didn't seem real and neither did the unlikely romantic coming together of the two couples in it.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishers and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing to the opportunity to read this amazing book by Barbara Davis. Who knew I'd be reading one of my favorite books of the year as this year comes to a close. And i will read it again next year as i share it with favorite friends and family.

I really enjoyed this book about a long ago love affair and the modern day story of Ashlyn, the bookshop owner with a strange gift of being able to sense the emotions of the owner of an old book, as she pieces together the truth behind two old books and their interwoven stories. Although I guessed the 'twist near the end' long before that end came, it didn't really matter; this was a warm fuzzy read, good for a holiday at the beach or by the fire! Well written, attractive characters, and an interesting structure all added to the enjoyment.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy.

Just wow! Gripping from beginning to end - love lost and found, jealousy, betrayal, duty and self-discovery. Both old love and new, intertwined with redemption and forgiveness.

a great book. a very interesting concept. but it could have been a lot better. it's one of those books that just suck you in and you just go with the flow. but with this one, i felt like the flow was strewed with a lot of unnecessary details that served as nothing but an interruption to the flow.

i love women's fiction, but i kind of had to drag myself through this book. it wasn't for me. but do i regret reading it? no. would i recommend it? obviously!

nonetheless, the writing is beautiful, i would love to read more by this author!

thank you netgalley & lake union publishing for the arc!

Innovative Use Of Both Duology And Story-Within-A-Story. There is so much to like about this book, but I suspect that later reviews will hit all you need to know about just how strong at least one of the two romances here is - one is clearly one of those life-altering once-in-a-lifetime loves which we mostly see play out via two books, the other romance is a more contemporary (40 years ago anyway, which is still more recent than the 80 yrs ago for the first romance) tale of two people coming together via unusual circumstance. But it is truly the duology/ story-within-a-story structure that I want to highlight here, as this is what truly propels this book and makes it everything that it eventually becomes. I'd never seen this particular approach done - yes, there are other books with stories-within-stories, but this was truly the first time I'd ever encountered a duology done this way, and Davis manages to make all *three* books - the duology plus this actual book we're actually reading "in real life" - truly compelling due to the nature of how she has crafted this. Simply superb, and truly, truly well executed. And yes, the actual romance aspects of this are well done, as are the heart-wrenching dramatics. You want a book for "Most Anticipated of 2023"? This very book had better be on that list. Very much recommended.