I loved this book. I was completely enthralled by Hemi and Belle’s story, and by Ashlyn’s. So enthralled that I’ve stayed up far too late to finish it and will be shattered tomorrow! But it’s worth it - what a wonderful book. The author has woven a complex, magical web of different threads that all link up to make an epic story of love, loss, misunderstandings, heartbreak and discovery. The characters are beautifully portrayed - just right. Not too contrived, not too facile. I will be recommending this to all my family and friends - thank you NetGalley for the advance copy! One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

I. Loved. This. Book. I had no desire to get off my couch. I loved the little world it created. The dual timeline was easy to keep track of and both kept me interested. This book was a rare treat.

A lovely heartwarming book. It is so well written. The characters are very realistic and have a depth of personality. I think this is one for book club!

I liked this book a lot.

Reading it made me feel as though I was spending my time in a bookstore with so much history.

The author does a great job of detailing the environment and I could have read about books and books and how they touch and affect people.

Simply stunning. Every time I finish reading a book from this author, I put it down and think that she's never written better. I inevitably muse that there's no way she can top this one. And then, she just does. Barbara Davis is a master storyteller who researches meticulously (there really was a Tropical Storm Isodore in 1984), and weaves her story through many loops and tangles before straightening everything out and tying the ends meticulously together in an ending that left me breathless and firmly on the edge of my seat. The story begins as Ashlyn finds two journals in 1984, separately written, but deeply connected, that depict two different points of view of the same events dating back to 1941. Reading those journals along with Ashlyn completely immersed me in that time period and read like old classic books found in libraries or boxed sets. In my case, those words put me squarely into a darkened movie theater, popcorn forgotten, as I watched an old dramatic black-and-white movie. Maybe it's Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine sparring up there on the big screen, their staged movements thoughtful and languid as they move down a wide, fancy staircase in what seems like slow motion. It was their sepia-toned faces I envisioned as I tripped through the pages that seemed to effortlessly turn themselves. This book is a lush experience. It is refreshing in the way it is written. It is masterful in the way it is constructed. It keeps you engaged all the way through. And you definitely don't want to miss it.

This is such a neat novel that is actually a story within a story. I loved it!
Barbara Davis neatly intertwined all the characters in dual timelines in a way that is amazingly smooth and with a sense of mystery, heartbreak, lost love, friendship and fear.
Anyone who enjoys romance, mysticism, and a good mystery will definitely want to crack the pages of this book!
It's good, it's really good!
Thank you to @NetGalley and @Lake Union Publishing for this incredible ARC and for allowing me to read and provide my own review.

When Ashlyn Greer touches a book she can feel all the emotions associated with the previous owners and as a bookstore owner this happens a great deal .When she receives a copy of two unusual books, with no author, no publisher, and no distinguishing marks, she’s intrigued, especially with the emotions both books are giving off. They seem to be about a love story gone bad filled with betrayal, love and longing. Determined to find out more Ashlyn plunges into this decades old mystery, changing her life and theirs in the process.
The author draws the reader into the book, alternating the story between past and present, enticing you to keep reading.

This could so easily be the plot of a Victorian tragedy. Poor Ashlyn has not had a lot of luck with love and the biggest surprise is that she still believes in it and hasn’t turned into a bitter, middle aged woman. Her book magic draws her to two intriguing novels with no author or book identifications. As she starts to read them she realizes they are connected and tell the tale of doomed love from both sides. Her obsession leads her to a living relative who is also struggling with a tough past. Can Ashlyn and Ethan find their way back to love with each other? And what became of the doomed lovers?
Intriguing, surprising with some wonderful twists and beautifully written. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis starts with Ashlyn Greer, a bookstore owner who deals in used and unique books, finding 2 books with no author listed. Ashlyn then tries to uncover the true story behind the books. As she works to figure out who wrote the books, she befriends the previous owner Ethan and he joins in the quest to solve the story behind the books.
I absolutely loved The Echo of Books by Barbara Davis. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and slowly unfolds a little bit at a time. The relationships of the characters are detailed and the story touches your heart. You deeply empathize with each of the characters as they struggle and triumph.
If you like historical fiction filled with intrigue and romance, then you'll love this book too. It brings you into the story and you will think about it long after you've finished it.
Thanks to Netgalley and LakeUnion Publishing for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

The Echo of Old Books is that story you don’t want to end. This is a dual timeline, but also holds more than one story. One told by Ashlyn Greer who is current day and owns her own bookstore with a special talent. The second has two narratives between the pages of two unpublished books from years past.
Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I would like to thank Lake Union and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I wish Ms. Davis would have dived more into Ashlyn's psychometry. I feel like it was a missed opportunity to bring in some magical realism. Maybe if she read some of Heather Webber, Sarah Addison Allen, or Ellery Adams she would get some tips. Maybe post WWII USA though 1984 allowed for such missed opportunities between Belle and Hemi but I could not get over that there was no trying to look each other up over the years to see where each one landed. I guess the reason that kept them apart did not hold that much shock value for me. Maybe because all the secondary character were a bit flat. As readers, we never get a real sense of Marion's dad & sister or her nephew, Dickey. Or her son and daughter. We never really get to know Ashlyn's Daniel or Hemi's Goldie. Even Ethan and Ashyn's relationship just did not have much depth. The characters she spends the most time on are Hemi and Belle. At the end of the day, this book was only about a C+ read for me.

Wow, the Echo of Old Books has become one of my favorites. I couldn’t put it down and became so invested in the characters. I wanted to get to the end, to wrap up all the loose ends but then when I got there I didn’t want it to end. Barbara Davis was masterful in this creation. I loved the use of a story within a story and the different perspectives the stories are told from. She touched on some difficult themes and threw in love, mystery, suspense, betrayal and forgiveness. I would definitely recommend this book.

Ashlyn Greer owns An Unlikely Story, a rare bookshop and bindery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Frank Atwater, the original bookshop owner, helped Ashlyn understand her gift of psychometry and specifically an empath for books, feeling the echoes of energy and emotions absorbed by books from previous readers. One of Ashlyn’s sources for stock is Kevin Petri, owner of Going Twice. Ashlyn never knows what she might discover in cartons of books that Kevin can’t stock in the vintage boutique. Discovery of the title “Regretting Belle” intrigues Ashlyn not for the echoes but for its silence and mysterious inscription.

A beautifully written story presented in an intriguing way using both dual timelines and a story-in-a-story. I loved it! Ashlyn and Ethan are unlikely to speak further than one conversation in 1984. But both are curious about Belle and Hemi, once so in love in 1941, until they were not. It is baffling how a couple so in love can have such conflicting remembrances of their love. More comfortable as loners, Ashlyn and Ethan are mystified by being drawn to one another but know they must be together to answer their questions about Belle and Hemi.

Librarians and all who appreciate libraries, staffs and volunteers, booksellers and all who appreciate bookstores/bookshops and staffs should not close the book without reading the gift of the author’s dedication.

Discussion questions are provided at the end of the novel.

Thank you to Barbara Davis, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

#TheEchoofOldBooks #NetGalley

I knew from page 1 that I would fall in love with this book.

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis is an ambitious jewel of a story: Two books within a book. Two love stories within the story. And a bit of the unbelievable as only Davis can weave. All of this done in a manner I’ve not seen before.

This book has everything readers want-family drama, deceit, lies, and corruption set against one of the most horrifying periods in history. And love.

Davis may have reached a new height in her career.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the early read.

I was so intrigued by the cover and synopsis and I’m glad I had a chance to read this book. It was interesting to follow Ashlyn on her journey of the decade old love story. From the start of the book until the end it kept you on the edge wanting more.

First I’ve read by this author but won’t be my last. Really enjoyed this book. Expected a bit more with Ashlyn’s impressions with books, but otherwise hard to put down. When she finds two books, no authors listed she seeks to find the mystery of who Belle and Hemi are. The books begin of a romance just before The bombing of Pearl Harbor on up to the mid 80s. Meeting Ethan, who turns out to be the great nephew of Belle, they read the books and help the romance from the past as well as spark their own. Fun read, and highly recommend this book.

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!