Ancient Echoes by Joanne Pence



Ancient Echoes by Joanne Pence echoes around the world and back keeping the reader entranced in a world and time that is at once real and surreal. Pence creates a cast of characters with myriad agendas who come together in this tale of ancient alchemy that travels through the ages and creates trouble for all touched by it. Charlotte Reed, widowed and numbed, reawakens within the pages as she seeks answers to questions she never realized she had. Michael Rempart discovers he is more than he thinks as he faces his personal and familial demons. Lionel Rempart struggles to be the man he thinks he is. Jake Sullivan, while at times a bit sexist, faces his self-inflicted punishment for his past. Melisse Willis exhibits the strength and ability to overcome at every turn even if she's not exactly the woman she purports to be. Li JinJuan's tenacity, intelligence, and cunning makes the reader glad he's on the side of the good guys. Jennifer Vandenburg strikes the reader as cold and calculating evoking little sympathy even when the reader discovers the reason behind her desire to get her hands on the secrets of alchemy. Calvin Phaylor's manipulative and cunning nature leaves little one can like or even feel sorry for. Ancient Echoes engages the reader as it explores greed, deception, love, betrayal, and the human condition through the search for the one thing it seems every generation longs to find: immortality.


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