When The Echo Calls by Steve N. Lee – a Review

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Description:
Sometimes a dog isn’t just a dog — it’s hope.
Left for dead in the gutter, Rio struggles to his feet and lurches into the shadows for a place to hide. Life has always been brutal, thanks to a monster of an owner, but at least he’d had food, a bed, a place to call home. Now…?

Ben’s life ended when he lost his family. Drink no longer dulls the pain; therapy is a joke; friends have moved on. He’d had everything, yet now…?

But when the broken man meets the broken dog, they discover something neither had ever dreamed could exist… a reason to go on.

In a story as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, When the Echo Calls explores how hope can be found in the most unexpected of places if only we have the courage to look for it.

Review:

Where the Echo Calls by Steve N Lee is another one of his standalone novels that centers on a dog.  Having read the previous books by Lee, I looked forward to reading this one.  I really enjoyed this book, though I did have mixed feelings, which I will detail later in this review. 

We meet Rio at the start, when he is kicked out of a car; badly injured, he struggles to get up and hide in the shadows. Rio’s life has always been rough, being a dog fighter, and with a mean owner.  As Rio tries to heal a bit, he is desperate to find food, and keeps an eye out for his missing owner (who never comes); he doesn’t understand why people are mean, and looks at other dogs, who seem happy.  After a short time on the outside, animal control will capture Rio, and bring him to a hospital, with the Vet fixing his bad injuries.  I really liked the hospital assistant (he called her Wierdo), who was so wonderful taking care of Rio, and desperately trying to find a home, knowing the people tend to shy away from a dog that did fighting.   I will say close to the first half of the book, it was very emotional and depressing to see what Rio had to go through.

It was difficult to read when Rio was adopted, by not really good people.  The story changes when Rio meets Ben, who lost his family a long time ago. Both Ben and Rio were broken, and perfect to help each other. I loved how Ben did everything make Rio learn how to be a dog, and I got a kick out of Rio seeing other dogs in the park.  To say too much more would be spoilers, as the last half of the book was very well done as well as emotional; so much happens at the last quarter of the book, that you need to read.

Where the Echo Calls was a heartbreaking, as well as heartwarming story.  I loved Rio, and Ben, and some added characters later on.  My mixed feelings were the first half of the book, which had me putting the book down for a bit, since it was depressing; and I do love dogs. Where The Echo Calls was well written by Steve N Lee.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review