Echoes of You by Catherine Cowles is live!
Oh, be still my heart! This is a beautifully swoony friends-to-lovers romance with a wonderfully protective hero and all the feels. This book captured my heart, I devoured it in a day, and I absolutely loved it!
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Blurb
Nash Hartley has always been my everything: Protector. Partner in crime. Best friend. The person who was there for me in my darkest hour.
But my heart wanted so much more. So, when I knew for certain Nash didn’t feel the same about me, I tried to move on. What a mistake that turned out to be.
Now, I’m back in our small town, desperate to escape my living nightmare, and the only person I want to see is him.
As secrets are revealed, and Nash finds out what happened to me, he’ll do anything to keep me safe.
But there are those who will do anything to stop him, and this time neither of us may make out alive…
Review
5 stars
Oh, be still my heart! This is a beautifully swoony friends-to-lovers romance with a wonderfully protective hero and all the feels. This book captured my heart, I devoured it in a day, and I absolutely loved it!
This is the second book in the Lost & Found series. It’s the story of Nash Hartley, one of five siblings who will have their story told in this series, but it can easily be read as a standalone.
Nash is the light-hearted member of his family. A fun-loving daredevil, now a police officer, he’s always quick with a joke, and the life of the party. He’s also a man who cares deeply about the people in his life, none more so than his best friend since childhood, Maddie.
Maddie’s childhood was brutal and traumatic, and Nash was her one shining light. He and his family were there for her whenever she needed them, and her connection with Nash kept her going through the darkest moments of her life. So when she runs from an abusive relationship, she finds herself returning to her home town, and the man that has always been there for her.
I’d loved Nash Hartley for as long as I could remember. Cedar Ridge was just a place. But Nash would always be home.
Though they have always been the best of friends, there is something more between Nash and Maddie. They love each other deeply, though they’ve never admitted it, and they’ve never acted on it, but their friendship has survived childhood, teenage years and into adulthood, and even though Maddie has been away for a few years, they’ve always remained close. So when Nash learns that Maddie has returned to town unannounced, he drops everything to rush to her side. And when he learns the circumstances of her return, he immediately goes into protector mode, providing her with the care and support that she needs, and vowing to keep her safe.
I wanted Maddie more than my next breath. But I wanted her safe and whole most of all.
It’s a great set-up, and we see the connection between Nash and Maddie immediately. It creates a wonderful sense of chemistry and longing that underpins each and every interaction, and I loved seeing them together. There’s a true friendship there, and it’s easy and natural, and though Nash knows that his feelings for Maddie are reciprocated, he’s determined to keep them in the friendzone to keep Maddie protected from the potential of a broken heart, and protect their friendship above everything else.
It sounds like a frustrating situation, but it’s really not. It’s fun watching them dance around it as they try so hard to ignore what is so blatantly obvious, and it’s particularly entertaining watching all of their friends and family roll their eyes at what they know is inevitable.
Grae threw up her arms. “If you think my idiot brother isn’t head over heels in love with you, then you’re dumber than he is.”
Their situation is complicated by all that Maddie has gone through, and the very real danger that is still lurking, so even though Nash comes barging into her life all caveman protector, he is gentle with her, and cares for her beautifully.
“Loving someone is always a risk, but you risk just as much by holding back.”
The emotion is there, and it continues to build, and the romance has the feel of a slow burn, with all of the longing and tension that creates an epic love story. And just when I was reaching breaking point waiting for something to happen, it happens, and it’s every bit as passionate and swoony as I was hoping.
Nash took my mouth in a long, slow kiss. “It’s you and me.”
“Always you and me,” I whispered against his lips.
*dreamy sigh*
The inevitability of Nash and Maddie doesn’t diminish the magic that is watching them together. Their transition from friends to lovers is beautiful, natural and easy. They maintain the special connection they’ve always had, and they accept the changes between them with eager and open hearts, and I loved watching them come together!
“Most people don’t get to find their soul person. And we’ve had ours for almost our entire lives.”
But not only does Maddie have a wildly violent ex on the loose, there are other dangers coming for her. It’s intense, with a mystery edge to it as Nash and his badass brothers work to figure out who is making what threats, and fiercely protect both Maddie and Nash through all of the drama. The mystery/suspense storyline is woven into the story really well, though it does feel a bit more intense than it probably needed to be.
But it didn’t diminish my love of this book, and these characters and their story made me smile, laugh and swoon. Nash completely stole my heart, and his and Maddie’s story is absolutely beautiful, and I finished this book with a huge grin on my face and can’t wait for the books to come in this series.
5 stars!
Lost & Found series
Visions of You (#0.5) (West & Lex)
Review
Free via Bookfunnel: Ebook | Audio
Whispers of You (#1) (Holt & Wren)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Echoes of You (#2) (Nash & Maddie)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Glimmers of You (#3) (Caden & Grae)
Review
Buy: Amazon
About Catherine
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.
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