Echoes Of Love

ISBN 1-57343-036-6 (Paperback)
ISBN 1-57343-015-3 (Ebook)

Holt Medallion finalist - Best Paranormal
Booksellers Best awards finalist - Best Paranormal
Affaire de Coeur - Five Stars
Angela - Four 1/2 Stars
Romantic Times - Four Stars
Finalist in the 2001 published Maggie Award For Excellence in the Single Title Category

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Melissa Ryan knew her life needed a change. Never did she expect the change to come by way of inheriting half of Carlisle’s, New York’s most prestigious auction house, with her cousin, Mark Blaire, who flatly hates her. Never did Melissa expect deceit on Mark’s part to force her on an ill-timed trip to England to retrieve an ancient sideboard left to her by her mother, and auctioned by Mark to the excruciatingly handsome and mysterious Ian Marshall.

Never did Melissa expect to find herself in the arms of Ian Marshall, or to discover that her sideboard was part of a tragic legend tied to Ian's estate, Long Hope. And, never, did Melissa Ryan ever expect to discover that she was part of the legend of Crimson Vale five hundred years before, or that the murderer who killed the legend's lovers centuries ago, has returned along with the legend's . . . Echoes of Love.

Book Reviews

Affaire de Coeur / Nan Doporto - Five Stars
Disgruntled over his inheritance, Mark Blaire takes it out on his cousin, Melissa Ryan, by maliciously selling her family's heirlooms and antiques. Ian Marshall buys Melissa's treasured old sideboard and ships it off to his estate in England. Melissa is angered at Mark and outraged over losing the sideboard and follows after Ian. A confrontation with Ian leads to a series of paranormal incidents similar to those told in his family's manuscript which tells the origins of the sideboard. What is happening to Melissa and Ian seems to relate to what happened to the noble lady of Crimson Vale and the tradesman she loved who had created the sideboard for her.

The theme is reincarnation. Kathleen Pickering offers a haunting, fun, sensual tale of lovers through time. You can't help but become immersed in this fascinating story of star-crossed lovers. Wonderfully plotted and filled with unexpected twists and turns, Echoes of Love is a page turner. The parallel characters are fascinating and you won't want the book to end.

Writerspace.com / Harriet Klausner
Most people in the know feel strongly that Mark Blaire auctioned his mother's estate out of spite that his cousin Melissa Ryan inherited half of Carlisle's. He expected to own the entire auction house, not share it with a relative. Upset that Mark would so coldly sell his mother's life, Melissa retreated to Montauk so as not to watch the appalling sale that included things that her Aunt Beatrice loved dearly and so many fond memories.

However, Melissa's avoidance changes when she learns that Mark has included as an addendum to the sale Melissa's sideboard, the only connection she has to her mother. She arrives too late as Englishman Ian Marshall has already bought the item. Melissa follows Ian back to his home in Crimson Vale, demanding he return what is rightfully hers. Her appearance and the subsequent love between Ian and Melissa apparently stir up the ghosts of the ill-fated lovers who created the sideboard.

Echoes of Love is an entertaining paranormal romance that centers on a sideboard that connects two pairs of lovers several centuries apart (reincarnation?). The story line is exciting as the numerous plot twists and turns will leave readers wanting more. Although Mark's change in character seems stretched, that fails to detour a powerful debut novel that will have sub-genre fans seeking future works by Kathleen Pickering.

Review by Angela (Germany)
Kathleen Pickering's debut is a highly entertaining paranormal romance with unexpected twists as well as a captivating love story of never ending love and reincarnation. Kathleen Pickering is a very talented writer and I hope to read more of her stories soon. Lovers of paranormal ghost stories, gothic, and romantic suspense will love Echoes Of Love. Even though it is very easy to spot the villain, the story and the writing are wonderful and I highly recommend this book.

Romantic Times / Susan Mobley - Four Stars
Echoes of Love is an excellent reincarnation romance which also encompasses a fine mystery. All the characters are interesting and keep you turning the pages until the very end.

Romance Reviews Today / Fatin Shukri
When she's notified that her cousin is about to sell a family heirloom in revenge against her, Melissa Ryan rushes to the prestigious auction house she's co-owner of in time to see a mysterious Englishman buy her heirloom. Given no choice after Ian Marshall doesn't agree to sell it back and leaves New York, Melissa follows him to England in hopes of getting it back. Once there, strange things begin to happen. She starts experiencing dreams that seem so real she fears she's going insane: Dreams of another time, where a couple who loved each other came to a sad end.

Ian Marshall wants nothing to do with Melissa. She's the woman he's been having dreams of, the woman who has haunted him in his dreams for the past ten years. But the heirloom that he purchases holds secrets, and uncovering those secrets and the puzzle of a local myth and ancient legend will bring Melissa and Ian together. With visions of past happenings, Ian and Melissa come to the conclusion they share in a centuries old love story, but with murder and revenge out to stop them, will they have their happily-ever-after this time, or will what happened five hundred years ago occur again?

Echoes of Love is a wonderfully enchanting story of a love that will not die. From the start, the story between Ian and Melissa drew me in, and I eagerly came back to the book the one time I had to put it aside. The plot kept me riveted to the book, and the chemistry between Ian and Melissa is spellbinding. The mystery of the heirloom that brought them together kept me mesmerized until the last page, and I hated for the story to end. With Ms Pickering's debut book, she is sure to become a favorite to many.

 What Readers Are Saying

"I enjoyed Echoes of Love very much. The characters were original and the plot had just enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes. Ms. Pickering is a talented storyteller with a flair for descriptive narrative that entertains and educates the reader. I look forward to reading more of her books." Patricia Waddell, author

"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed Echoes of Love. It was a wonderful story that I didn't want to end. I hope Kathleen Pickering will continue with those characters in a sequel - I grew quite attached to them. I can't wait to read her next book!" Chris

"In her debut novel, award winning Kathleen Pickering proves to be an extraordinary story teller and accomplished wordsmith. Never once slowing its pace, her story takes us from a prestigious NY auction house to a country estate in Sussex, England. With a deft touch of the paranormal this romantic mystery ignites the page demanding your full attention from start to finish. Kathleen is a literary tour de force, definitely a writer to watch." Jennifer Rahel Conover, award winning photojournalist and author of Toasts For Every Occasion

"The book was great. One night I started reading Echoes and I could not put it down. I started reading - and went to bed a 4:00 AM. I could not put it down - this was the part where Melissa goes to England to find Ian and her sideboard. I had no idea your book was so suspenseful !!! I loved the ending - she found the love of her life -- he his -- It was great !!! I felt like I was there - DO ANOTHER!!!!!!!" Kathy

Kathleen Pickering

Kathleen loves to tell stories. As a youth in suburban New York, she spent many an evening in the kitchen competing with her father, two brothers, five sisters and a random smatter of neighborhood friends to see who could tell the tallest, most convincing tale. Kathleen learned early on, the rewards of watching her listeners’ faces as her stories captured their imaginations and, their hearts.

Kathleen's writing career involves freelance work for newspapers, human-interest organizations, as well as domestic and foreign retail market reports. Her writing hobby is poetry. Echoes of Love is her first published novel. She lives with her husband and two sons.

You can email her at Pikwrite@aol.com.