REVIEW Lifeline Echoes - Kay Springsteen

 Author: Kay Springsteen

Kindle

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Astraea Press LLC

From the Blurb:

Voices form a powerful connection. The day the earth rocked LA, Sandy Wheaton became a voice lifeline over the radio for trapped firefighter, "Mick." Less than twenty four hours later, she had fallen in love with him. Shattered when she learned that rescue came too late, she sought solace Wyoming, the home state he had loved. Now, seven years later, she's made a life there as the owner of a popular local bar. But her wounds are still fresh, and she longs to let go of the past and her lost love so she can begin living again. That opportunity presents itself when the local prodigal son returns home. The attraction between them is instant. It feels like she's known him far longer than just a few days.

Sixteen years ago, Ryan McGee left home in the midst of controversy. After living through a harrowing trauma, he finally returns home when his family needs his help through some troubling times. All he wants to do is make amends with those he hurt most and to get back to the life he'd never wanted to leave in the first place. When he meets the sexy bartender, he starts thinking interms of forever. But there's still someone out there he wants to find, someone who once believed in him and gave him hope.

REVIEW: 3 out of 5 Stars 

**SPOILERS**

Alexandra (Sandy) Wheaton was an EMT dispatch operator working the day an earthquake hit LA, after receiving an emergency dispatch call from a trapped firefighter she becomes his lifeline and in just under 24 hours; until she was given the news he had passed away falls in love with him. Honoring a promise she made to ‘Mick’ to one day visit his hometown, she travels to Wyoming, purchases the popular town bar and makes a new life for herself, never forgetting a man she barely knew.

Ryan McGee has spent 7 years of his life thinking about and searching for his ‘Angel’, the voice who kept him going but never having any luck.

Ryan reluctantly left his hometown of Wyoming as a teen under the midst of controversy but returns after 16 years to help his father and brother out on the family ranch. The small town never seemed to understand why he left or forgive him for what had happened to his cousin Mac McCoy, not knowing he had actually saved him from a life of brutality.

There was an instant attraction between Ryan and Sandy, a pull that neither could explain but he could never seem to fully give himself until he had closure from his past, the person who had given him hope and believed in him.

The mystery behind who was sabotaging Sandy & Ryan’s property had me intrigued but it was also unsettling to think that something that happened when he was a young boy would still follow him as a man, it definitely was the case of small town mentality (no offense ;). I also found myself questioning why it was Ryan’s responsibility to take care of his cousin Mac when he was so young himself, isn’t that what the authorities are for??

I can’t pinpoint what I didn’t love about this book, the relationship & connection between the h/h was great but I think the drama in between put me off; I would have loved to have more of a back-story about both Ryan and more so Sandy rather than the suspense and what was happening on the ranch. Parts of the story were a tad too far fetched.

I am not generally a fan of immediate declarations of love; I like a slow build up to how a h/h feels, to slowly watch a relationship develop, so the ‘I love you’ coming so soon into them meeting didn’t really sit well for me.

I found myself wishing the story along so it would be revealed who they really were to one another but it was sadly drawn out.

It was satisfying little HEA. I wanted to love Lifeline Echoes, it had the potential to be such a great book, I loved the premise for the storyline but sadly it wasn’t such a captivating read for me.