Customer Reviews

Echoes (The Michelli Family Series #3)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sophie, Lance's sister and Nonna Antonia's caregiver in Unforgotten, is caught between her past, present and future. When all three confront her at the same time, fireworks result. (Would we expect anything less of a Michelli?)

Sophie had loved a man and his little girl. While living together, Sophie came to cherish his daughter as her own. Unwittingly, Sophie was drawn into the obsessive web of her lover. When his love turned evil, he ripped his young daughter away.

Years later, Sophie seeks a new life in Sonoma in the Villa with Lance and Rese. She finds herself drawn to a man she hopes is worthy of her trust. As this tentative yet promising relationship grows, her old life creeps in, only to ambush her.

Lance, in his quest of seeking God's will, has found gifts that bring both healing and burden. He and Rese explore the future with optimistic caution. Each so different, yet uniquely bonded.

Lance wants to jump on his white horse... oops, his Harley... to rescue Sophie. But what will that mean to his relationship with Rese?

The third book in the Secrets Series by Kristen Heitzman challenges the reader to examine, experience and live the Christian faith. Not preachy, just awesome.

Kristen Heitzmann's concluding story, Echoes which follows the remarkable Secrets and Unforgotten is both draining and uplifting. This story delves deeply in to the heart and mind of a women almost consumed by the "love" of a charismatic yet emotionally unhealthy man. Sofie's journey is painful and agonisingly real as she searches for truth and healing. Matt is also deeply troubled by his past, burdened with anger and bitterness against his unforgiving father and attempting to assuage his own guilt by saving others. Seamlessly woven around Matt and Sofie's story is the ongoing tale of Lance's love for Rese and his battle to win back her trust while coming to terms with his God-given gift of healing. Every single character in this story is drawn with great depth and dimension, showcasing Kirsten's exceptional talent. I was drawn to each one and shared their heartaches and joys as if I was rooming at the villa.

My expectations are sky high each time I open a Kristen Heitzmann novel. I am delighted to say Kristen has managed to exceed those expectations every time and Echoes is no exception. Do not miss this compelling series!

ECHOES is the conclusion to two previous books by Kristen Heitzmann, SECRETS and UNFORGOTTEN. I was so excited to be able to read about Lance and Rese again, characters that I really enjoyed, but ECHOES is mainly centered around Lance's sister Sofie, a woman struggling to make sense of a difficult past.

I liked ECHOES, though at times, I felt frustrated by Sofie. Sofie is a woman suffering from the mental abuse of her previous relationship. A suicide survivor, she decides she needs a change of scenery if she is ever going to put her destructive past behind her. She leaves New York and travels to Sonoma, CA, to be near her brother Lance, and to try to get her life back together. In a twist of events, she ends up caring for an abandoned child, which brings Matt Hammond, a child protective services agent, into her life. Matt is a great guy, wanting nothing more than to help Sofie deal with her past.

My frustration lies in the fact that Sofie's past, abusive boyfriend, has such a hold on her, she keeps pushing Matt away. Though the end is fulfilling, bringing Lance and Rese full circle, I would've like to see Sofie and Matt's relationship not rushed at the end of the book. You see loose ends tied up, but not maybe as satisfying as I would've liked.

Echos is one of K. Heitzmann's more challenging reads. I know men don't usually read in this genre, but someone suggested I try Secrets and I've been hooked on the series since. She didn't use this book to just neatly and happily wrap up the lives and relationship between Lance and Rese. She continues their saga but adds several others to the story, especially Sofie and Matt. I had to smile as she had the B & B that Rese had repaired become a shelter for hurting people with complex and real problems. I won't go into the plot more but the characters are vibrant living complex lives shaped by their pasts. Her descriptions bring the reader to the scene and into the hearts of the people who inhabit her world. It's not a 'lite beach read,' but she weaves the characters and plots together masterfully to a believeable and powerful completion.
A must read to those who live and struggle with their own difficult experiences and need to see that God can transform their future.

This is the BEST book ever! The plot was very intense and the focus shifted from Rese and Lance to Sophie and Matt. I liked the fact that there were many short stories WITHIN the book (ie Diego and Maria, Annie, Carly, etc.) which made it very interesting. The issues that Sophie dealt with were very strong, but the message of salvation was very clear.

You should definitely read it! :o) GOD BLESS!

"You are beautiful. You are loved. You are a child of God"

Riveting.... Engaging. Love the continuation of Rese's and Lance's story along with the story of Lance's sister, Sofie, who has scars not only on her wrists but on her heart as well. Shadows from her former life chase her even though she makes the trip across the country to join her brother and Rese at villa along with Antonia to start over. When she arrives in Sonoma, she meets social worker, Matt Hammond who has taken the case of the little baby and was concerned about the individuals inhabiting the villa. Intrigued, Matt and Sofie start a rocky relationship while Lance and Rese continue to rebuild their shattered relationship. I don't want to reveal too much of the story so I will just recommend you to read this wonderfully-written story.

Echoes lives up to the caption on its cover: "The Captivating Conclusion to Secrets and Unforgotten". Once again, this was a book I did not want to put down. Ms. Heitzmann's writings make the characters real, and bring an attachment to the reader. Considering that not all Christians believe in modern day miracles to the extent credited to Lance Michelli, some readers may not appreciate parts of the story. While in Unforgotten,the second book of the series, the part concerning Lance and his "miracle" regarding the baby was a little drastic for me, it was handled much better in Echoes. In Echoes, Lance continually gave God the credit and the "healings" that characters attributed to him were not as far-fetched as an immediate healing of a deformed baby. My personal belief is that this would have been just as much a touching and appealing story without this extreme part.

Even with this, I applaud Kristen Heitzmann for once again providing the world with a group of characters I liked, I worried about, rejoiced with and regretted having to say good-bye to as the story came to an end.

I am certain you will enjoy it as well as other writings of Kristen Heitzmann.

Anita Burkhardt

This book got surprisingly intense mid way through! It was a little bit mysterious and definitely kept me reading. I'm glad I bought it.

I just finished "Echoes" and give it 5 stars because I love all Kristen Heitzmann books (have read them all). It was a fitting ending for Lance and Rese and enjoyed again KH bringing back references to Quillan Shepherd (from one of my favorite series.) I think making a Haven out of the Villa was part of the great ending. However, one downside, I really could not get into Sofie even to the end. I could not get into the scenario of her obsession with Carly and Eric and how she let it control her life. She had lived intimately for 4 years with this man and then tried to take her own life yet seemed so self-righteous with Matt. She wouldn't listen to anything he had to say about her relationship with this man and his daughter and my feeling is Matt was right on most of the time.(but the author put him in the wrong) Sofie just got angry and sent him on his way again. Even to the end I couldn't see this relationship working (okay this is fiction so it can be however the author wants it to be).One thing that disturbs me is this author usually makes the man in the wrong-(they are not always wrong. Rememeber poor Lance in the first 2 books trying to do what he thought God wanted and was always in the wrong. The Author would refer to him messing up. At the time I would think "what do they want of this poor guy?" Why do authors do this so much of the time? I find that interesting with a Christian author. I expect it in the Secular books but not Christian authors. Okay I'm in my 60's and married 49 years so perhaps take a different view on this than someone in their 20' or 30's. If it had not been for the other characters in the book Lance, Rese, Elaine, Star, Rese's Mom, Nonna and etc, I wouldn't have liked the book just on the merits of Sofie's story alone. The other story lines kept me interested to the end. I will still read anything Kristen Heitzmann writes.

The third and final of the Michelli series settles the true to life complications with each of the main characters. This family and what transpired throughout the earlier years gives the reader the feel for their unique issues in life. Their faithful and individualized friends just adds to this epic and how all just blend together to get through this family's plights. This author has such a keen sense of the NYC Italian, leaving nothing to the imagination of what passes in a very ethnic neighborhood as well as their other location. I would recommend not only this series, but all other books written by Kristen Heiztmann with her blended imagery and well versed paragraphs can bring the serious reader tales of great pleasure. CMEchoes (The Michelli Family Series #3)