Echoes of You by Catherine Cowles

I am a HUGE fan of audiobooks and Erin Mallon is one of my absolute favorite female narrators so I was so excited to see she narrated Echoes of You! She did an amazing job alongside Jason Clarke, another favorite, so I would definitely recommend this audiobook for any friends who enjoy listening to their novels.

Echoes of You is book two of the Lost & Found series and focuses on Nash and Maddie's story. Nash and Maddie were childhood best friends and still do consider themselves best friends. Maddie had a particularly traumatic childhood and Nash's home was her safe space. But she wanted more and didn't want to risk their friendship thinking Nash didn't feel the same, so she left their small town and ended up in another relationship. Now she's back in town, hiding out from a certain danger but trying to rebuild her life. Nash is instantly glued to her side and determined to protect her, especially because he feels like he failed to protect her when they were kids. Despite all of this, Maddie still doesn't believe there's a future for them.

Catherine Cowles is an avid romance reader and it shows because it's like she knows exactly what I want out of a hero and out of a budding relationship. Nash is 100% committed to taking care of every little thing for Maddie, even if he think he isn't deserving of being with her romantically. He doesn't want to leave her side but also respects her wishes to have independence and be treated like a strong adult. And despite the fact that we start out with a short view of them as children, their connection and romance is still built upon in the present-day portion of the story as well. I've read so many second chance or childhood friends stories recently that just jump past all of those special quiet moments because the author has *told* me they've loved one another all along. But in this story, the author has demonstrated it as well and I found myself 100% rooting for the couple. If you love forehead nuzzles, temple kisses, nighttime snuggles, a protective hero and mutual pining, you will love this book.

This is a romantic suspense so there are some thrilling moments in the story where various characters are in danger, but of course there is an HEA. I loved this book as much as the first in the series and I can't wait for the rest!

Don’t forget that this series has special edition paperbacks and hardcovers. I’m going to be collecting the special edition paperbacks that don’t have the people on them but there’s a really good chance I’ll be going back to get the people covers, too! They’re just SO beautiful!

Thank you to the author for an eARC as well as ALC audiobook for review!