A powerful story set in war time that alternated between warm and touching and heart stopping horror. Once I became used to the narrative I found it captivating. It portrayed the true horrors of war and what it was like when two people from opposing sides fell in love.

This is the first book I've read by Jenny Ashcroft, but it definitely won't be the last. She expertly weaves historical detail with a gripping emotional storyline.
Half British, half Cretan Eleni spends each summer with her maternal grandfather in beautiful Crete. In the tense years leading up to WW2, she meets Otto, on holiday with his German family. They have a summer romance, promise to stay in touch and hope that they might one day be together.

But of course, then the darkness of Nazi Germany spreads relentlessly across Europe and their paths refuse to cross. Until many years and many circumstances later...

This book was a real page turner and I loved the split timeline. It made the novel fast-paced and often left me wondering what would happen next with the characters we'd just left behind.

The ending of the story was very emotional and I will admit to having a few tears rolling down my cheeks as I finished the final pages. I will look forward to reading more of Ashcroft's work in the future. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every once in a while a writer comes along and refreshes our notions of what fiction can do . . . Buy this book, and prepare to be blasted by the brilliance inside

A beautifully written book, the descriptions of war time Crete were fascinating and moving. Having visited the island and the war graves it really did give an insight into what happened there and the spirit of the Cretan people. The book also demonstrates that things are not black and white and that there are many shades of grey. The story itself was poignant with well drawn characters and the ending was far from obvious.

Jenny Ashcroft does it again absolutely brilliant read where one is unable to put it down.
Beautifully crafted characters and story line with a satisfying conclusion Can’t recommend it enough

Set on the Greek island of Crete before, during and after WW11 with Crete of course providing the reader a glorious atmospheric back drop and also a very informative historical lesson along the way in a subject I knew little about so I did like and appreciate this part of it to an extent.

However the essence of the book, Eleni and Otto's love story took a very long time to get going which unfortunately made me experience a definite disconnection with the pair. It was a shame because you can absolutely see how much time and effort the author has put in to this story.

However, we did get there and the love story was indeed beautiful to watch unfold despite the numerous obstacles they encountered along the way. The rest of the book was just lovely though and I loved the present tense right at the very end in 1975 I thought that was a very nice touch.

Great book from a clearly very talented author, just for me it took too long to get to the nitty gritty but I did enjoy when it did.
Was it worth the wait? - Yeah, definitely!

A slow start and not the kind of content I'd normally consume, but would recommend for a holiday read with a heart-yearning theme.

“the smallest acts can change the course of lives”

Firstly, I am a historical fiction lover, so naturally I adored this book, from beginning to end. I’m a sucker for WW2/WW1/ war novels so this was perfect for me.
The layout and actual plot was so wonderfully written it felt like a movie, and I am not exaggerating.
The main interview acted as a base plot line, running throughout the book, with two interconnecting sections - 1936, 1939-1945, (the past) and a final section at the end, 1975 (the present). The main plot line was the Second World War, in Crete Greece during the German invasion.

Eleni and Otto were perfectly written. Eleni, a greek-english ‘goddess’ who always stood to her word, loyal, head-strong, gorgeous and brave. Her personna was wonderful and I just loved reading her story. Otto was so charming, equally as brave and had the heart of lion. Their forbidden love story was simply beautiful. there were so many delicate and tender moments/quotes. (they each learnt one another’s home language 🥺)

I adored the chaos and calamity of all the greek characters, each connected to each other, it made it such an interesting read. Eleni’s grandfather along with Dimitri, Eleni and Marianne were probably my favourite characters. I felt like I knew them all by the end of the book, despite being fictional…!
this book just gave me a virtual hug, and made my heart warm, I’m adding it to the shelf of forever favourite reads. <3

This story is very slow, and I found it very difficult to connect with the characters as a result. The dual time line of Eleni and Otto’s burgeoning romance in Crete progresses painfully slowly, due to the long passages where nothing much happens, apart from long conversations and even longer swims.
The part where Eleni is recruited to SOE to be sent back into Occupied Crete, was just as slow. When she was first approached in a London street by an undercover operative, she spent long hours answering his questions and hoping she’d ‘passed the test’ I did too, in the hope that the story would move along. Sadly it didn’t.
This is well written, with some glorious descriptions of the beauty of Crete. I just wish the story could have been edited down to a more readable and engaging narrative. Sometimes less is more.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I enjoy a book set around the time of WW2 and most are set in France so having one set in Crete made for a different perspective. Although I knew they had been occupied the history is less well known so following the love story with the backdrop of the war was fascinating.

It made me want to be in Crete and I loved the characters - it was sad, beautiful and hopeful all at the same time.

A very emotive book, set in Wartime. Eleni visits Crete just before the begiinning of the Second World War, and while she is there, she meets Otto, a young German boy. They begin to fall in love, but part for some years, until 1941, when Eleni realises that Otto is now fighting for the German invasion of Crete. She does undercover Resistance work.
Heartbreaking, emotional and sensitively written, this is a wonderful book set in Crete in the oppression years.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy, which i enjoyed reading.

A beautiful wartime romance set mostly on Crete tells the star-crossed story of lovers Eleni Adams, a British girl spending the summer of 1936 on the island with her Greek grandfather, and Otto, who is there on holiday with his family. Their romance survives the summer, but subsequent events separate them and when war comes, they find themselves on opposing sides, but both back in Crete - Otto fighting for the German army; Eleni working undercover as an SOE operative for the British side. Even if they survive the war, can there ever be a future for them?
This was a fantastic read with warm, empathetic characters, a well-crafted and convincing plot and the glorious background of Crete. The element of danger and tension throughout made for truly heart-stopping moments, and the love between Otto and Eleni will truly break your heart. A definite five-star read.

A very emotional & colourful story of love between Elani & Otto who meet in the Summer of 1936 unaware of the Pending War that will rise between their Countries & also involve those they love on Crete too. It's a story that although the characters for the main part are fictional , I learnt things about the War I'd never heard about before , & it shows how easily it is to be betrayed by someone you think of as a friend . It is a story that at times although largely about love also has you on the edge of your seat ,so I highly recommend it. #NetGalley, #GoodReads, #FB, #Instagram, #Amazon.co.uk, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/358a5cecda71b11036ec19d9f7bf5c96d13e2c55" width="80" height="80" alt="100 Book Reviews" title="100 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

Loved everything about this book. Interesting setting, and very believable characters. I could not put this down, a real page turner which was full of emotion. Thoroughly recommended

Illicit love in war-time Crete. When Eleni makes her annual trip to her native Crete in 1936, she does not expect to fall in love with Otto, who is German. They part, but meet again in 1941, when Crete is under German control and Otto is an officer, part of the invading forces. A dangerous situation for both of them. The beautifully descriptive writing and heart-breaking storyline make this a fascinating read.

Another brilliant book by Jenny Ashcroft. I have now read all of her books and enjoyed each one. Her writing style is engaging, drawing the reader into the story as though you are right there in every scene.
The Echoes of Love is a story rich in detail and emotion. What more could a reader want?

When I read the short description of The Echoes of Love, with it being set in Crete during a very destabilising time, I knew I wanted to read it. It's been decades since I have been there, nightly promenading around Chania's Venetian harbour or arguing with some security types who wanted my camera because I took some pics of Souda Bay (not recommended) or dodging basking snakes on my descent through the Samaria Gorge. I had no knowledge all these places would factor in the novel. What a compelling story it was, a pre-war romance between a young German man and a half Greek, half English young woman. You just knew things were going to conspire to bring them together again but a few years later and as possible enemies. Back when I was in Crete, I had heard that the mountains weren't the place to go if you were German, I never encountered any Germans in the mountain kafenia but received a very warm welcome as a Brit. The novel made me wonder why the wartime Germans were so brutal in Crete towards the locals and I think I have an answer. They possibly thought after the fall of the mainland that other areas or islands would capitulate, so a month after, as they descended by parachute on to the island of Crete they got the rudest awakening. All of this is loosely detailed in the book but there is plenty to read on the subject on the Internet. A commendable historical romance which echoes down the generations.

I adore books that are loosely based on or around actual events that took place during WWII. As such, this was right up my street.
Eleni’s spends every summer in Crete with her maternal grandfather. In the summer of 1936 summer Eleni meets Otto, (who is German) and they fall in love. Four years later, war breaks out and the lovers now find themselves on opposing sides - Otto a member of the German army and Eleni working for the resistance.
This is a tale of treachery and forgiveness, love and hate, and compassion in the face of the horrors of war.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the advance copy of this truly wonderful book

Of the books by Jenny Ashcroft which I have read, I think that this is possibly the best. Maybe it is because she is of mixed Greek / English descent and there is a personal element to it.

"The Echoes of Love" is the story of Eleni, who has a (distant) English father and a dead Cretan mother. Every summer Eleni is sent to stay with her Cretan grandfather and enjoys a couple of months of sunshine, sea swimming and Greek food. In 1936, when Eleni is 18, a German family is staying at the villa next door. She embarks on a relationship with Otto, the son of the family. At the time neither consider that their respective countries could be at war in a few short years.

This is a story of love and hate, war and compassion, betrayal and forgiveness. It is also a story about what happened in Crete during WW2 and the suffering of it's people for defending their homeland. A gripping and emotional read with some history thrown in for good measure.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Eleni’s late mother was Greek and every summer her English naval officer father sent her to Crete to spend time with her maternal grandfather. During the summer of 1936 Eleni meets Otto, a young German whose family are on holiday staying in a villa close to Eleni’s grandfather.s home. The young couple fall in love, secretly spending all the time they can together. Following the German invasion of Crete in 1941 Eleni returns to Crete as a member of the resistance. She and Otto meet again but are now on opposing sides. This is a fabulous story of love and endurance but also of the horrors, brutality and deprivations of war. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed many books recently that are based on actual events during WWII and am in awe of the courage, strength and resilience of so many women in such awful circumstances. 5* plus! This is the first book I’ve read by Jenny Ashcroft and I’m looking forward to reading many more. My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review such an unforgettable book