Hope Echoes

Echo Springs #4

by Shannon Curtis

Blue lights in the red dust... Echo Springs on the edge of the outback - a town where everyone knows your name, and your business. But the wholesome country living and welcoming community aren't what they used to be. Echo Springs has a dark underbelly, and it is seeping ever outward. Jacinta Buchanan understands stress. Between trying to keep the family farm going and convince her father that she's the best (and only) option to take over permanently, she has a lot on her plate. So when one of the old mines on the property blows up, killing a local teenager, she can barely hold it together. But finding out that she's a suspect and the cop sent to investigate her is her brother's best friend is the absolute last straw. Country cop Mac Hudson is used to disappointment. He's watched friends, classmates, townspeople he likes and respects cross the line time and time again, and it's his job to dole out the consequences. But discovering that Jac Buchanan has a meth lab on her property is an unexpected blow, so when she hatches a plan to prove her innocence and draw out the real culprits, he agrees to go along. But there's a darkness on Bull's Run that runs deeper than they expect and a darkness in Echo Springs that stretches further than they can imagine. In their quest for the truth, Jacinta and Mac will have to risk the town they both love and the future they're only beginning to imagine. Echo Springs, book 4

Genres: Suspense

342 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2018

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacinta Buchanan had run Bull’s Run single handedly for the past three years, since her father had lost an arm in a freak accident. With their foreman, Scott, working on the property, and the new cook and housekeeper, Marion in the house, things were looking up. She only needed her father to get more involved in the farm once again. When Jac spotted smoke coming from one of the old, abandoned mines on Bull’s Run, she headed there fast. The firies and police were soon there, but the explosion and subsequent demolition of the mine shocked Jac and the local community, especially when they discovered three people had died.

Echo Springs cop, Mac Hudson was Jac’s brother Jamie’s best friend, but with Jamie in Afghanistan, Mac tried to keep an eye on Bull’s Run for his mate. And with what had happened, he had to approach in cop mode; seeing Jac as a suspect was hard for him. But of course, much harder for Jac to stomach. She was determined to discover who had been using her property for nefarious deeds – even if it put her in danger…

Hope Echoes is the 4th in the Echo Springs series and this one is by Aussie author Shannon Curtis. Although I’d worked out the perpetrator almost from word go, the suspense and intrigue were satisfying. Jac is a tough, determined and strong young woman, fighting against her father’s old fashioned views where only a man could run the property. The farm was her life and she wanted nothing more than to live and work on Bull’s Run. Recommended.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope Echoes is book four in Shannon Curtis's Echo Springs series. Jacinta Buchanan had a lot on her plate with running the family farm and looking after her father. She did not need the stress of the death of a young teenager in one of her mines on the property. Jacinta Buchanan was unsure what happened but soon realised that the local law enforcement officer, Mac Hudson, believed she was involved with criminal activities on her farm. Jacinta Buchanan started to investigate to clear her family's name. Will her investigation put her in the line of fire? The readers of Hope Echoes will continue to follow Jacinta Buchanan to discover what happens.

I am so happy that I have found books by Shannon Curtis. I love her writing style and her stories. Hope Echoes did not disappoint. It engaged me from the first page, and putting the book down was hard. I love Shannon Curtis's portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other throughout this book. Hope Echoes is well-written and researched. I like Shannon Curtis's description of the settings of Hope Echoes, which allowed me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

Hope Echoes readers will learn about the consequences of working alone on large rural properties and about living in an Australian rural community where everyone knows everyone's business.

I recommend this book.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final book in this series and I really enjoyed it, there is a lot happening and a lot to be sorted as Jacinta and Mac work together to uncover what has been happening on the property that belongs to Jacinta’s family. But working together does not come easily for them at first and trust plays a big part in this, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know both the hero and heroine much better.

Jacinta Buchannan has grown up the family farm, she is tough and loves working there, when her father was injured in an accident and her older brother joins the army a lot is left up to Jacinta and she loves it, but when there is an explosion in one of the old mines and a young teenager from town that she is close to is killed Jacinta is out to find the culprits even if she has trouble convincing local detective Mac Hudson of her innocence and keeping her feelings under control.

Mac Hudson is best friends with Jacinta’s brother and needs to keep everything professional when investigating the explosion at the Buchannan farm and although he wants to believe the family innocent it is hard with the struggles they have gone through, he has seen many of his friends cross the line and keeping everything professional is getting harder for Mac as he sees the way she is fighting to find justice.

Mac and Jacinta had a lot to overcome before they found their much deserved HEA, both had things they had to prove but fighting their feelings for each other became too hard, they really were meant for each other, this story was fast paced with lots going on and finally the culprits are found and bought to justice and the town and the people can settle back down to a normal life. I really did enjoy this story and this series, I was left smiling.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I like the main characters and plot. I didn’t know this was a series. I am glad I can explore more of this great setting and characters.

[Claire Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final book in the Echo Springs series brought the criminal doings in town to a final. I liked the way it all wrapped up. I wasn't so keen on the romance in this book. I don't enjoy the whole I'm going to jump to conclusions and assume you're guilty before I've even spoken to you, even though I've known you forever premise, it just annoys the crap out of me and that's exactly what local cop Mac does. And of course at the same time he's totally attracted to Jac despite assuming she's guilty. That being said it was an ok read and crime wise a good finale.

Thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.

[Karen Roma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope Echoes was definitely a pleasant surprise, and the best of this mediocre series. Shannon Curtis has written a well-developed storyline and her characters Jacinta and Mac are engaging and easy to like. They have believable chemistry and their interactions make this a thoroughly enjoyable story read. Thank you Ms Curtis for finishing this series on a high note.

[Talking Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh I loved Jacinta and Macarthur’s characters! Hope Echoes by Shannon Curtis is Perfect reading from start to finish. I could not and did not want to put the book down, I just wanted the story to keep going. What a fab read :D
Review copy received from Escape Publishing via Netgalley

[Tracie R · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the series, Hope Echoes is the forth book in the multi author series Echo Springs. I enjoyed this story the characters interaction was great and the storyline engaging. I will be looking forward to looking to read more by this author

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a fantastic, fast-paced ending to a wonderful series!!!!:)
Always love reading books written by Shannon Curtis!!:)