Blog Tour - Lingering Echoes by Erica Kiefer Review and Giveaway

Title: Lingering Echoes

Author: Erica Kiefer

Published: November 16, 2013

Format Read/Pages: eBook/278

How I Acquired It: Itching for Books

Date Finished: January 11, 2014

Purchase at: Amazon | B&N 

She's broken with guilt.
He harbors a chilling past.
It's safer if they keep their distance...
But, the echoes that linger connect them.

Returning to Hidden Pines is the last thing Allie Collins wants to do during her final summer before college. For her, the family cabin she spent her youthful summers in, now holds a dark memory that has haunted her every day for the last year.

While struggling to forget her past, Allie runs into Damien, a local rebel with secrets of his own. He's dark, dangerous and he keeps showing up when Allie least expects him to. She has every reason not to trust him. So why does she find herself opening up to him in a way she hasn't been able to with anyone?

As pieces of Damien’s identity emerge, answers to a rumored mystery begin to unfold. By the time Allie unearths the secrets of Damien’s past, she realizes just how intricately they are connected. Now she is caught in a dangerous battle that threatens her life and those she loves.

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When I first started reading this story I didn’t think I was going to like it half as much as I did. It was tough to get into but once the story really started to develop it had my attention and did not let go. Erica Kiefer created a beautiful setting for Lingering Echoes and an amazing story to go along with it.

I really think the reason I ended up liking the story so much was because of the place that it was set in. Hidden Pines is the picturesque vacation on a lake spot, the sort which I often frequented as a child. Reading some of the descriptions of places in town and around the lake made it that much easier to picture what I thought Hidden Pines would look like. It almost became its own character in the fact that there was so much history and story behind that one place, for both of our characters, that the book would not have been the same without it. Kiefer provides us with beautiful imagery and makes it easy to picture every scene as if you are there.

I really felt for Allie in the fact that her family thought it would be best to drag her back to the scene of such heartbreak for her. At first it seemed as though they did not have her best interest at heart and were really doing things that they thought would push her to get over what happened, for their sakes and not hers. As things progressed it does seem to be the right idea, but only because it pushes her closer to Damian, who happens to be the one person that can really understand what she is going through.

Towards the end of the story, which is told mostly through Allie, we get to a part entitled ‘Damian’s Story’ as soon as I saw that I let out a huge sigh. I saw this going one of two ways, it not working with the story and completely disrupting the flow of it or being just what we needed to really understand Damian and what happened to him. I am glad to say that it turned out to be the latter. I thought that it fit right into the overall telling and did not feel out of place at all. Kiefer did a great job of melding the two different voices.

I ended up really enjoying the sad, but heartfelt tale that is presented in Lingering Echoes. It tells what the real life consequences of some of our actions can be and how our decisions not only affect us, but those around us. More often than not, they are felt by those that we love. This story also offers a chance at redemption and shows how two people, jaded from their experiences, can help each other heal from their pasts. 

4 Stars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Erica Kiefer was born on Christmas Eve in Southern California to an American father whose ancestors arrived from Europe during colonial times and a Thai mother who moved to the US during high school. Adding to her rich and varied heritage, Erica grew up living abroad in Asia, including Taiwan, Fiji, Thailand and Indonesia. She gained a great respect for the beautiful mosaic of cultures found in various parts of the world. After graduating from International School Bangkok, she attended Brigham Young University in Utah, where she earned a degree in Recreation Therapy. Her career as a Recreation Therapist has allowed her to work with at-risk youth since 2007

Erica made the best decision of her life by marrying her husband in 2005 and is currently a mother of three, one of whom awaits her in heaven. Erica also loves singing, reading, writing, and satisfying her sweet-tooth with chocolate-chip cookies. Playing collegiate rugby was one of the most memorable experiences of her life, thus far.

ericakieferbooks.com | twitter.com/ericarockkiefer | facebook.com/ericakieferauthor

Be sure to check out the other stops on the Lingering Echoes tour! The full schedule is available at Itching for Books.

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Thank you to Shane at IFB and Erica Kiefer for the chance to participate in this tour!