The Echo of Old Books: A Novel

Written by Barbara Davis

Narrated by Vanessa Johansson, Steve West and Sarah Zimmerman

A novel about the magical lure of books and summoning the courage to rewrite our stories by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Keeper of Happy Endings and The Last of the Moon Girls.

Rare-book dealer Ashlyn Greer’s affinity for books extends beyond the intoxicating scent of old paper, ink, and leather. She can feel the echoes of the books’ previous owners—an emotional fingerprint only she can read. When Ashlyn discovers a pair of beautifully bound volumes that appear to have never been published, her gift quickly becomes an obsession. Not only is each inscribed with a startling incrimination, but the authors, Hemi and Belle, tell conflicting sides of a tragic romance.

With no trace of how these mysterious books came into the world, Ashlyn is caught up in a decades-old literary mystery, beckoned by two hearts in ruins, whoever they were, wherever they are. Determined to learn the truth behind the doomed lovers’ tale, she reads on, following a trail of broken promises and seemingly unforgivable betrayals. The more Ashlyn learns about Hemi and Belle, the nearer she comes to bringing closure to their love story—and to the unfinished chapters of her own life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798400110283

Barbara Davis

Barbara Davis spent more than a decade as an executive in the jewelry business before leaving the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion for writing. She is the author of When Never Comes, Summer at Hideaway Key, The Wishing Tide, The Secrets She Carried, and Love, Alice. A Jersey girl raised in the south, Barbara now lives in Rochester, New Hampshire, with her husband, Tom, and their beloved ginger cat, Simon. She’s currently working on her next book. Visit her at www.barbaradavis-author.com.

Reviews for The Echo of Old Books

[Brenda Monie Houston · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a beautiful love story and picture of redemption and restoration!

[Jill Ann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another great tale by the author that manages to weave together stories of the past with those in the present. Like many of her historical fiction stories, this one is full of interesting characters and vivid descriptions that make the reader feel as if they are observing it all take place, rather than just reading it. Never cliche and just enough plot twists to keep you eager to discover where the characters’ journeys will take them.

[Anne Wallace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written! Great character development. A magical love story. Thank you.

[fredreeca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ashlyn is a rare-book dealer and she is one of a kind! She has a gift. A magical gift. She can actually feel the emotions of the previous owners when she touches the book. The emotional fingerprint that she likes to call the echo of a book. She runs across 2 books which lead her on a hunt about a decades old love story of betrayal.I love Ashlyn. She is such a wonderful character. I love her quirkiness and her love of a quest. And this book has a fabulous quest. I also enjoyed the fluctuation in time periods. The way the author lays this out and portrays the characters really kept me enthralled in this adventure.I have only read one other book by this author and I LOVED it. You can see the review if The Last of the Moon Girls here.If you need a book which will take you away into a love story and old books…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

[lorikboyd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to this author. This is my first read by the author, although I have 2 others to devour. Adding her to my list of must read!The beautiful cover and enticing title had me clicking on request immediately. The story is intriguing, following Ashlyn, a rare book dealer with the innate ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching an object, in her case books, associated with them (Psychometry). When a book, with no author, finds its way into her store, she is intrigued. Then another book, seemingly an answer to the first, shows up. It’s back and forth storyline opens a mystery Ashlyn needs to uncover. Dual timeline, 1954/1984. The prose in the old books is true to the time and beautiful. Love forbidden, heartbreak, class struggles and racism and hate. This story sucks you in with each authors side of their story. Ashlyn, also has a mystery and story to tell, which, thanks to these books, she does slowly, awakening in her feelings long buried. Her story was conflicting for me, loved her background but the brief love story within it didn’t go with the feel of the storyline for me. The ending was beautiful and satisfying. The quote at the beginning of the each chapter sets up what is coming perfectly. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

[susan0316 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Books are powerful and no one realizes that more than rare book seller Ashlyn Greer. When she picks up a book, she can feel the echoes of the book's previous owners - their love, pain, loss and fear. Sometimes she wonders if having this is a gift or not. She owns a book shop that sells rare books and is constantly surrounded by books that share their feelings with her when she touches them. As she is going through several boxes of books that a friend who owns a re-sale shop has recently received, she finds a book that gives her strong feelings. When she examines it, she finds no author's name or copyright information. Intrigued, she takes the book back to her shop and starts reading it. When she also finds a companion book, that is also beautifully bound, she realizes that neither book had been published and neither book had any identifying information. She soon discovers the two authors, Belle and Hemi, are giving opposing sides of a tragic romance. As Ashlyn continues to read both books, she is further pulled into the mystery and romance between the two authors and needs to learn more about the story behind the books. She is sure that the books are not fiction and wants to find out who the authors really are. She has few clues to go on but that doesn't stop her in her quest. Will she be able to find the two bitter ex-lovers and discover the real story behind the two beautiful books?Ashlyn was a complex and beautifully written character. She had a sad childhood and a bad marriage and was afraid to move on in her life due to all of her bad memories. Books were the main happiness in her life and she was determined to solve this mystery. The authors of the two books -- Belle and Hemi were also well written and full of mystery. Even though the reader knew very early in the book that their affair would end, the reveal of why it ended was slowly unfolded in the story.This book was unique in the way that it was written. It was told in two different time periods - Ashlyn in 1984 and Belle/Hemi in 1941. The unique part of the book was that the story in the past was told as Ashlyn read their books. First a chapter from Belle and then a chapter from Hemi that gave two sides to what was going on in their lives. I really enjoyed reading the two books inside the book and thought that it was a very interesting and fantastic to tell their stories. I love reading books about books and this one with two books inside of it was a real treasure. It was well written and all of the pieces melded perfectly to tell the story.I have read all of Barbara Davis's books and she just keeps getting better. This book told in three voices must have been a challenge but she does a fantastic job of making the integration of the voices seamless and not in the least confusing. It's a emotional book with characters that I felt like I knew and won't soon forget.

[fernemysteryreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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