The Echoes of Love
by
Hannah Fielding
Pub December 6th 2013
by London Wall Publishing
ARC for Review
Summary
Set against the breathtaking beauty of Italy, The Echoes of Love is a passionate, heart-breaking romance to ignite the senses and rekindle your belief in the power of love. Seduction, passion and secrets... Venetia Aston-Montagu has escaped to Venice to work in her godmother's architectural practice, putting a lost love behind her. For the past ten years she has built a fortress around her heart, only to find the walls tumbling down one night of the carnival when she is rescued from masked assailants by an enigmatic stranger, Paolo Barone. Drawn to the powerfully seductive Paolo, despite warnings of his Don Juan reputation and rumours that he keeps a mistress, Venetia can't help being caught up in the smouldering passion that ignites between them. When she finds herself assigned to a project at his magnificent home deep in the Tuscan countryside, Venetia not only faces a beautiful young rival but also a sinister count and dark forces in the shadows, determined to come between them. Can Venetia trust that love will triumph, even over her own demons? Or will Paolo's carefully guarded, devastating secret tear them apart forever?
The Way I See It
The Echoes of Love was a beautiful and tragic telling of a great love story. I loved the characters Venetia and Paolo their chemistry was electrifying. I have to be honest when I say this wasn’t exactly the read for me. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the romance very much! It was everything else that proved to be distracting and took away from the heart of the romance. If you speak Italian and or have ever been, I can see this being a favorite or a must read. Heck, even if you know a lot about Venice I could see this being right up your alley. I however do not speak Italian and may know some about art and Italy but not enough to fully appreciate Ms. Fielding’s work the way it deserves. There were A LOT of Italian phrases(translated in English right away BUT) I felt like it pulled me from the story…I would try to read the sentence out loud and whether or not I pronounced it correctly would weigh on my mind.every.time. Thus interrupting the flow for me…If I spoke Italian? It would’ve been a totally different ball game. If there were only a few Italian phrases during crucial moments it would’ve enhanced the reading, but it was almost every time someone spoke. I also could’ve gone with a little less description. All and all even though I had a feeling about the end and was right, I really enjoyed the way everything came full circle.
T-ime, so much has passed yet Venetia’s heart has not healed.
H-elp, caught in a moment of panic Venetia is saved by an enigmatic stranger.
E-nchanted, Paolo has never quite seen eyes like Venetia’s they hold something and he will do what it takes to find out exactly what.
E-vade, Venetia has no time or desire to be with a man yet she finds the pull towards Paolo confusing.
C-hallenge Paolo knows he must get closer to Venetia so he will do what it takes.
H-ope, Venetia seems to quell the nightmares Paolo is drawn to her in an unimaginable way.
O-pportunity, the Count keeps bothering Venetia at every yet she continues to turn him away.
E-lude, Venetia has so many thoughts of Paolo she knows she must stay away.
S-inister, a proposal for marriage turns dubious and Venetia is assaulted by a crazed man.
O-ptions, Venetia was made an offer she tried to turn down but her firm had other ideas.
F-urnishings, everything has been handled with such detail Venetia will let herself get swept away within the fairytale.
L-ustful, an awful rival full of malice will prove to be no match for the powerful emotions Paolo and Venetia share.
O-bsession, turns violent when two men will attempt to destroy one and other in the name of love.
V-engeful, almost claimed by death and evil Paolo and Venetia will enjoy every moment life has to offer.
E-verlasting, haunting truths are revealed and these two lovers prove that fate and love can never be fought both will always find a way.
Like I said good story, but I would have liked more resolution from the bad guys both antagonists kind of disappeared from the book and didn’t really seem like a challenge. The biggest challenge for these two lovers was themselves and their past. I enjoyed watching them break each other’s walls, and the chemistry they shared was off the charts. I liked the level of mystery, it was just right. Not overbearing but just the right amount to keep you guessing. Is he or isn’t he? Did she or didn’t she? I recommend this for fans of all things Italian and someone who speaks the language to maintain the steady flow of the writing.
My Favs
Venetia
To some she may have come across and cold. To me she came across as passionate! I knew she had experienced some heartbreak but when we find out what it entailed my heart went out to her. I was able to understand how broken she had felt and how hard she had to work to put herself back together. It took years upon years and yet she still could only fathom one explanation. She was still in love, and that was a torment she carried daily. I loved her intelligence and dedication.
Paolo
What a beautifully broken man. When he first lays eyes on Venetia he knows there is more there than he can explain. He is drawn to her unlike anything he has ever known. I admired his willingness to not break. Paolo faced a great tragedy and fought back from the abyss improving his world. He knows he must prove himself to Venetia she brings a sense of calm within the madness and a ray of light within the darkness. I fell in love because no matter the rumors and temptations he remained truthful and faithful in his heart. Finding love was written in the stars, there is no denying it.
My Rating
3.0 Mugging, Hot Chocolate, Sinking City, Fire Works, Midnight Stroll, Sapphire Eyes, Chesnutt Hair, Kiss, Job, Intimate Assault, Crazed Girl, Roses, Forest, Brakes, Father, Letters, All encompassing Love filled stars! Like I said if you’re an all things Italy junkie then try out this read, it might fare better with you than it did with me!
About The Author
Hannah Fielding is a novelist, a dreamer, a traveller, a mother, a wife and an incurable romantic. The seeds for her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came to an agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now. Today, she lives the dream: she writes full time, splitting her time between her homes in Kent, England, and the South of France, where she dreams up romances overlooking breathtaking views of the Mediterranean.
Her first novel, Burning Embers, is a vivid, evocative love story set against the backdrop of tempestuous and wild Kenya of the 1970s, reviewed by one newspaper as ‘romance like Hollywood used to make’. Her new novel, The Echoes of Love, is a story of passion, betrayal and intrigue set in the romantic and mysterious city of Venice and the beautiful landscape of Tuscany.
Author of Burning Embers and The Echoes of Love
Um...I don't think I'd like this one.
ReplyDeleteIts not for everyone...me included :) But I was able to find things I enjoyed about it!!
DeleteThis sounds interesting, and I love the cover
ReplyDelete