Payback (Echo Mountain, 3)

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I found Hope White's PAYBACK from her Echo Mountain series at my local 2nd and Charles. This book is about Nia Sharpe, an employee at the Echo Mountain Resort. Her brother shows up needing money and help. Nia's boss, Aiden, wants to help her, but he doesn't trust her brother. Combine that with Nia's distrust of the police, they are both working with and against each other until the very end. White knows exactly how to keep readers wanting to keep reading. The ending of each chapter had me wanting to keep going. Aiden is a stand-up man. He not only looks out for Nia, but he is concerned about his employees and the guests at the hotel. Nia has a kind heart. She believes the best in her brother, and wants to help him while protecting Aiden and her colleagues and friends at Echo Mountain. I wished I had read the other two books in this Echo Mountain series. I have a feeling that the relationship between Aiden and Nia was probably shown more in the earlier reads than this book. The mystery of what was going on with Danny, Nia's brother, and the Feds overtook the book. Inspirational quotes were added to remind readers that this is a Love Inspired book. The romance took a backseat to everything else. I wish the romance was incorporated a bit more. The writing was great. Found very little editing errors. Overall, a good read. #CillasBookManiacs

This is the third book in the Echo Mountain Series. I was thrilled to see that at the end of this book Hope writes to look for more books in the Echo Mountain Series later this year. I have loved this series and I liked that she incorporated the characters of the first two books. These stories are all well written, I loved her characters, and the action that filled the books. Faith is a big part of Hope's books. I really like that. I look forward to the next book. I know you will love this book. Nia Sharpe came from an abusive family. She suffered greatly at the hands of her stepfather and finally escaped to attend college and start a new life. Unfortunately that meant leaving her baby brother to endure the abuse; now years later she still feels the guilt. She never expected to have her past find her at Echo Mountain Resort where she was now the concierge. Two strange men come looking for her boss, feeling something was not right she went out on the mountain trail to find him before the men could reach him. Confronted by the men she takes off around a switchback but slips and falls. Ex-military Aiden McBride now is managing the resort while his boss is out of town. He goes on a camping trip but changes his mind. As he returns he hears a scream and watches as Nia falls down the mountain side. He sets off to rescue her, after all he is a member of the search and rescue team. Nia tells him of men following her, they were after him, and he is in danger. Aiden calls for help but before help comes gun shots are heard. Can he protect her? Thus the adventure begins as FBI men are after Nia and Aiden, her brother shows up needing money, a man named Gus breaks into her house, and dead bodies begin to surface. Two broken people; Aiden unable to forget how he failed his friend in the past and Nia refusing to be a victim any longer but needing to save her fragile boss and her messed up brother. It's a great story, God always has a plan, there might be surprises, twists, and turns but He will always work it out for you if you but trust and believe.

Nia Sharpe's first instinct was to warn her boss, resort manager Aiden McBride, about the two strange men that were looking for him. Something was not quite right about the two. Nia rushed up the hiking trail to Pleasant Point, where Aiden was camping, when she couldn't get in touch with him by phone. Spooked by the men that followed her, Nia slipped off the trail just as she spotted Aiden. Being rescued by Aiden was embarrassing but reassuring as well. Aiden is a good honorable man despite the emotional baggage he carries from the war. Aiden is glad he is able to help Nia. As the resort's concierge, she keeps things running smoothly and covers for him when he is not 100%. Nia seems to know when he needs her help and understands him better than anyone. However, peculiar things seem to be happening ever since Nia's brother, Danny, hit town. FBI agents appear and disappear, Nia and Aiden are targeted and Danny is connected to a mysterious horde of money. Nia wants to leave Echo Mountain to protect Aiden and all their friends but Aiden knows he can not let her go. PAYBACK by talented author Hope White continues the Echo Mountain miniseries with Nia's and Aiden's story. Nia has trouble trusting people because she grew up in a dysfunctional family where she could not count on anyone. She was able to get away but her baby brother was left behind and his life was changed when he turned to drugs and crime. Nia still feels a responsibility for him. Aiden, on the other hand, does not trust himself. He blames himself for the death of his comrade during the war. Both characters are learning, from each other and their faith, to forgive and let go of things they can not change. A compelling read, PAYBACK by gifted author Hope White. Review first appeared on CataRomance.com

The author tried too hard to infuse suspense into the story and it didn't come off as effortless. The romance between the hero and heroine did not grab me and the heroine and hero thinking about God and bible verses were really a distraction. There are plenty of ways to show that the characters are believers without hitting the reader over the head with it. Wished I had waited to purchase.

This is the 1st book I read by Hope White. I'm sorry I stopped reading this story at chapter 3 because it didn't hold my interest.

Storylines was okay. The writing in get deep into the character past. Storylines for the present in good way ended.