"A wonderful "What If..." story"

Okay, so I'm a sucker for mythology. Echo and Narcissus was always such a sad Greek story for me to hear, that when I saw ECHO IN THE HALL, I wanted to read the story. I just need to point out that I generally don't read erotica, so if some of my review is part of the standard format, I apologize in advance!

For three thousand years Echo has resided in a marble statue. Now the statue is in a museum. On Thursdays, late at night does she leave the statue to go watch lovers copulate in an office?

Alex is pulling the graveyard shift at the museum while going back to college during the day. At first he doesn't believe what he sees: a shadow leave the statue of Echo. However, when he realizes she is sexually frustrated, he volunteers to ease her suffering. Only the results weren't what Alex or Echo expected!

Cricket Starr has done a wonderful "What If..." story with Echo. The language is stronger than I prefer, however as odd as this seems, I think it was tastefully written. The passages that were meant to heat the readers' blood up, well... worked. Cricket Starr has well written vivid love scenes that are graphic in language, and still managed to turn me on. I was surprised!

There was little character development for either Echo or Alex. Regardless they were both likable. Following Echo's discovery of what she could do and interests as a mortal (opposed to being a nymph) was light and fun. She is an easy "woman" to like. With the involvement of Pan - cast as the randy villain, her fellow sister nymph Nemesis "Nina" and of course Aphrodite the goddess of love, there was a small cast of characters that allowed the story to have a plot.

I liked the story enough to realize I wish I'd read the books in order. I want to point out that ECHO IN THE HALL is fine as a stand alone story, but DIVINE INTERVENTIONS: VIOLET AMONG THE ROSES is the first book. I hope as well that there might be a third book in the works with Pan and Nina. (Hint, hint!)

Graphic language, mild bondage, rating: (s)sensuous

Reviewed by Cynthia Eckert
Posted August 26, 2004

To stay human she must earn the love of a man sworn to never even use the word.

Second in the Divine Interventions series

Summary

Being a statue for centuries on end is pretty boring. Fortunately, the Greek nymph Echo can sometimes turn her spirit solid enough to slip out of her statue and watch other people making love. Seeing Nick and Violet together turns her on so much that when Alex the museum guard offers her the real thing, she jumps at the chance.

How was Echo to know that having sex with a human would turn her into a real woman? Now the goddess Aphrodite has given her two months to earn Alex's love, or it's back to the spirit world for her—possibly without even a statue to live in!

Alex was burned by a former girlfriend and he's sworn off even using the word 'love'. He gives Echo a new name, Chloe, and lets her into her home but won't let her into his heart. He doesn't know if he can trust Chloe not to hurt him the way his ex did. Chloe has her work cut out for her. Fortunately, she has her sister nymph Nemesis—who these days is porn movie star Nina—to help her out. Nina would do anything to help Chloe, and that includes pulling in her ex-lover, Pan, who has his own agenda for the one nymph he never had in his bed.

Just another one of Aphrodite's divine interventions, with gods, goddesses, nymphs and humans all trying to make sense out of this crazy little thing called love.