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Writer's pictureKirsty Whitlock

'Echoes Of Home' by M.L Rayner


Book Blurb


After accepting a generous opportunity to start afresh, Leslie Wills, eagerly begins his journey to the Scottish Highlands of Elphin, a settled village that sits huddled amongst the mountains.


The people are welcoming, and the scenery is breath taking.


But deep within its Highland paths, a location rests hidden from the public’s eye. An atmospheric location that entices you to learn the truth of its troubled past.


But once you bear witness to its sights and sounds, its presences will never allow you to forget. Uncover the truth, journeying back to a forgotten time.



Echoes of Home, is beautifully crafted into a plot full of secrets and suspicion that will leave you longing for answers. A ghost story, which will haunt you long after it's finished...





BLOG TOUR REVIEW 



Review for 'Echoes Of Home' by M.L Rayner. 



Read and reviewed for ZooLoos Book Tours, Red Dragon Publishing and M.L Rayner. 



Publication date 28th June 2022.



This is the first book I have read by this author. 



I was originally drawn to this book by its  eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Red Dragon Publishing. I have yet to read a book published by Red Dragon Publishing that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book). 



This novel consists of a prologue and 46 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!



This book is based in Elphin, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have  holidayed in Scotland on a couple of  occasions so am looking forward to see if I recognise anywhere. 


This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonist being Leslie Wills. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. 



'Echoes Of Home' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book ML Rayner discusses cruelty and the death of children. 



This book is well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene for the reader. I felt I was being told Leslie's story while sitting in the room with him and feeling everything each was going through or feeling themselves. The cover and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly. 



THIS BOOK IS BEAUTIFUL, MESMORISING AND HAUNTING.  


The first thing I will say is that this wasn't the type of ghost story I was originally expecting and thought it would be more gruesome perhaps.  However, as I have learnt very quickly you don't need a book to be gruesome to shock and haunt you. I am actually glad this book isn't what I was expecting as it was so much better as in a way it makes it more realistic to the reader. Before I move onto the storyline I wanted to add that although I am not sure if this will be the same in every book but in the kindle version several of the chapters started with beautifully drawn illustrations.  These illustrations represented what the next chapter was going to discuss and gave you a drop of a hint in a way.  I thought it was a lovely touch as it isn't very often you see this in books anymore.  Moving on to the storyline.... 


The storyline is absolutely heartbreaking and I will warn you that although this is fictional and a ghost story you will want to get the tissues up as I felt myself well long up at Martha's tragic tale.  What happened to make the home a haunted one is an absolutely heart wrenching and cruel tale and if you continue to read to the very end of the book you will find that what happened to Martha isn't as fictional as one may like to hope and that during the devastating Great Famine 1845-1849 and The Highland Famine 1846-1856 many selfish landlords did inflict unnecessary cruelty onto their tenants which could and may have resulted in many unnecessary deaths.  I love the fact that Matt chose the Highland Famine to base this story on as it is one I have not actually heard of myself I am ashamed to say.  I knew of the 'Great Famine' but not so much how it affected Scotland so a HUGE thank you to Matt for educating me!! I do love the fact that although this book is predominantly a ghost story there is so much history and facts wheedled into the storyline!!! I also think that is it lovely, again if you read right to the end of the book you will discover, that Matt names his characters after his family including Martha who is named after his three times great grandmother who tragically died during the Irish Famine along with her two daughters. What a beautiful dedication to her memory,  educating those who don't know about the Famines and encouraging them to learn more about it which I will certainly be doing.  Anyway,  yes the storyline was filled with friendship,  tragedy,  heartbreak, ghost and so much more.  I absolutely LOVED the explosive twists at the end which I would never have expected so a HUGE WELL done to Matt!!! 



A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Matt on an absolutely HUGE success!!! I am thoroughly looking forward to reading more of your fantastic books and here is to your next success 🥂 


Overall a ghost story that will leave your eyes filling with tears and your mind blown at the explosive twists!!! 



Genres covered in this book include  Ghost Horror, Fiction, Ghost Story and Horror amongst others. 


279 pages.


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!! 

 

Rated 5 /5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook. 


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews 



@Bookworm86 @bookworm1986 @ZooLoosBT @MLRayner @RedDragonPublishing 









Author Bio


Born and bred in the county of Staffordshire. Matt is a keen reader of classical, horror and fantasy literature and enjoys writing in the style of traditional ghost stories. During his working life, Matt joined the ambulance service in 2009, transporting critically ill patients all over the UK. After writing his first novel, Matt was welcomed into the family of Question Mark Press publishing and now dedicates his time on future releases. His hobbies include genealogy and hiking, and he enjoys spending time with his wife, Emma, his children, and his family.


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Zoe O'Farrell
Zoe O'Farrell
Aug 15, 2022

Thank you so much for taking part in the tour and sharing this fab review x

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