Carole´s Monday: Echoes of the heart

 

Author: Susanne Ash

Title: Echoes Of The Heart

Series: The Alphabet Sweethearts

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 56

Published: March 4, 2025

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

Ben Holloway has spent his life protecting the Juniper Falls Mountain Preserve, following one rule above trust the land, not people. Raised by a single mother who warned him that everyone leaves, Ben’s past experiences have only reinforced her words. The last thing he needs is an ambitious wildlife photographer disrupting his quiet world with her bold ideas and relentless optimism.

Natalie Quinn is passionate about conservation and believes a visitor center at the preserve could inspire others to protect the wilderness. She didn’t expect her proposal to face fierce opposition from the gruff and stubborn park ranger—or to end up living under his roof after spraining her ankle during a rescue mission.

Forced to spend time together caring for an injured eagle, their sharp disagreements begin to give way to shared respect and undeniable chemistry. But when Ben’s insecurities and Natalie’s outsider status collide, old fears resurface, threatening to tear them apart.

With hearts—and the future of the preserve—on the line, Ben and Natalie must decide if they’re willing to take the ultimate trusting each other.

Review:

This is such a fun short series, and I love this town!

This time, we are following Natalie and Ben. The two love nature and want to protect it, but they have HUGE disagreements about how to do so. During a rescue mission to save an injured eagle, she sprains herself in the process. Ben saves her, saving an eagle, and now he's taking care of both. They realize how much they actually have in common and how much chemistry is between the two. However, Ben has deep insecurities, and Natalie is an "outsider" who will probably not stay. 

I liked this one. Natalie and Ben are sweet. They both care about nature. However, their ideas of conserving nature are vastly different. He wants to lock nature away and keep anyone from it. Natalie wants to make it open to the public to teach the people. Educate the next generation! 

Very sweet, and I loved watching them fall into friendship and then love. It was quick, but it worked for them after being stuck with each other. 

But yes, I can't wait for more from this town. It's sweet and quick. 

5 stars for this. 

Yumi and the nightmare painter by Brandon Sanderson

Series: Hoid's Travails (#2), The Cosmere Universe (#18)

Format: 365 pages, Paperback

Published: January 1, 2023 by Gollancz

FantasyScifi/own

I am conflicted, I love Sanderson, but it is just...this was sort of dull.

I love the idea of it. Two worlds, two souls that visit each other. Yumi is powerful for her people and not really allowed to do anything except get spirits to come. Then she ends up in another world and meets Painter, but as their souls kind of switched he is kind of a ghosts. Painter as she calls him protects sleeping people from living nightmares, but now he cant do anything. Except when he is in her world, where he is in her body and there he is helpless too and the people wonder why she can not bring out spirits anymore.

BUT, I do not know, I was kind of meh about the whole thing. I did not give up, cos hello Sanderson. But for me this was not one of his better ones

Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster??

The door-to-door bookstore by Henn Carsten

256 pages, Paperback

Original title: Der Buchspazierer

Format: 256 pages, Paperback

Published: August 29, 2023 by Bonnier

Fiction/own

I really enjoyed this one! Sure the chapters were really long, and the book was short. But it felt like I could take it in smaller pieces there. One longer chapter and some rest for it not to go by too fast.

It is about Carl, he is 72 and in the evenings he brings books to people. He enjoys it and he names his costumers with literary names. He does not really work at the bookstore anymore, he just goes on his rounds to bring the books people ordered. And then one day he meets a young girl who has named him Bookwalker and wants to see what he does with his books. And through her eyes he sees the people he meet to often with new eyes.

Just lovely. New beginnings, new friends and such good prose. I really enjoyed this book.

There's a book written for every one of us...

Carl may be 72 years old, but he's young at heart. Every night he goes door-to-door delivering books by hand to his loyal customers. He knows their every desire and preference, carefully selecting the perfect story for each person.

One evening as he makes his rounds, nine-year-old Schascha appears. Loud and precocious, she insists on accompanying him - and even tries to teach him a thing or two about books.

When Carl's job at the bookstore is threatened, will the old man and the girl in the yellow raincoat be able to restore Carl's way of life, and return the joy of reading to his little European town

Audio: Carl´s Doomsday scenario

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 2

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Release date: 04-22-21

Publisher: Audible Studios

Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy

So I asked on threads if I should just get the audiobook and people were like yes!! And hey I understand why. This book is perfect as an audiobook! Non stop action. And audible had a sale and I might have bought books 2 to 6. I was crazy.

A new level. Carl and Princess Donut is going strong into Over City. This time they get an actual city, npcs, a market, a club, and a whole lot of monsters trying to get you. Carl is introduced to quests, they still have to be on stupid shows, and they make friends, and enemies.

I can't explain it, you have to live it. These books are crazy, intense, funny! I was hooked and yes I did enjoy the audio even more. Or maybe book 2 was even better than book 1 which was great. But hey I am an audiogal after all.

Just give them a try. I was really unsure the genre was for me, but I am glad I tried.

Obviously great narration.

"The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin."

The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Carl still has no pants.