The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding Pages: 360
Published by London Wall Publishing on December 6, 2013
Genres: adult, contemporary, General, Love & Romance
Source: ecopy from Author
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 Echoes of Love takes place in Italy, which was a large part of the reason that I picked up the book. I have always wanted to travel to Italy. This was my first Hannah Fielding book and I chose it because so many of the reviews said that she has beautifully descriptive writing. Holy cow! I felt like she transported me TO ITALY through her words. At times I felt like there was more description and scene setting than there was plot advancement, but that was part of the beauty of this book. The writing was so pretty. I could say flowery or poetic and romantic, but to me pretty is the best way to describe it. It made me feel like I was reading an epic love poem between Venetia and Paolo.
The thing that I loved the most about Venetia was her job. She was decent as a character too, but her job as always fascinated me. She’s an architect and a restorationist, working mostly in Mosaics. Her restoration work reminded me of Amanda Peet’s character in that Freddie Prince Jr. movie, Head Over Heels (the one where she moves in with a house full of models, remember?) Her job lent itself well to all of the descriptions. Special attention was given to describing the buildings. It was great.
The love story between Paolo and Venetia was really nice as well. It had kind of an epic love story feel to it. They fell hard and fast, with an unexplainable attraction to the other. You eventually find out why that is, but it is not revealed until the end of the book. So just sit back and enjoy the ride until then. I liked the story a lot but it did have its lagging moments. Times where it was just page after page of description and not a lot of plot advancement. I will admit to skimming a couple of times to get to the next event. But this is not a quick action packed book like a lot of the young adult books I have been reading lately. You need to be in the mood for more of a romantic stroll when you pick up The Echoes of Love. There are secrets and intrigue as well, and foodies will appreciate all of the attention given to the meals in the story. Hannah Fielding has a beautiful slow writing style that is meant to be savored, not rushed through, so if you are a fast reader, be sure you set aside some time to read The Echoes of Love. I think you will appreciate it.
To enter, leave a comment on this post.
You can win:
15 x signed hardback copies of The Echoes of Love; 3 romantic Venetian masks; and lots of fabulously colourful Murano glass goodies: 16 pendants, 2 bracelets, 2 paperweights and a vase. Anyone who comments on a blog tour stop post or my own giveaway post will be entered in the giveaway.
AND at least 1 of you commenting on this post will win one of the prizes.
Note: this giveaway is not sponsored by Book Briefs. For more chances to win, comment on any of the other blog stops.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
kindlemom1
Gorgeous cover!
I love that the writing was lovely in this even if it made the plot lack in a few areas. I love being swept away in books and transported into another place and it sounds like this did a wonderful job of doing that.
Olgia
Holy cow! That is hands down, the most beautiful cover I have seen so far!
And the author takes you to Italy? Buying now!
Kim { Book Swoon }
Wow, I love the setting, and although it says it’s a contemporary it almost sounds/feels like a historical ( maybe it because of Venice and the carnival atmosphere.)Glad you enjoyed it, Michelle 🙂
angel lawson
Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
Joye
This book sounds really good
Mary Preston
This does sound amazing & I just love the cover.
anne
This novel sounds captivating and memorable. I would lose myself within the pages and travel to distant realms. Many thanks.
Kristen
Like you, I’m dying to go to Italy! I’m definitely more interested in this book now!
Sherry
Sounds cool!
Joanna M
Your thoughts made me even more eager to read the book. Sometimes the blurb only gets you so far but you made an excellent job. Thank you!
Hannah Fielding
Thank you for your comments.
I can’t contact a winner without an email address, so if you’d like to enter the comp please email me at burning-embers@hotmail.co.uk.
Best wishes,
Hannah Fielding
Michelle @ Book Briefs
If you let me know who won from my post I can let you know the email address. I have it in my admin panel