It is 2018, and Jess is delving into the mysterious and tragic events surrounding the sinking of the Aliciana in 1915. Her only link is Amy, who, although now deceased, survived only to mourn the loss of her husband, Will.

Following her mother’s death, Jess and her father, Danny, move to Llaneirw on the Welsh coast. Both grieving, Danny begins renovating their new house in a desperate attempt to make it home. But the onset of recurring nightmares leads Jess to realise they have a spirit in their house and a mystery to solve.

#EchoesOfDrowning X/Twitter @LisMcDAuthor #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours 
Instagram @lismcdermott @randomthingstours #blogtour 

A short break to Anglesey with Lukas sees the mystery deepen when Jess is unnerved by his grandfather and distressed when she catches sight of a photograph of his great-grandfather. Jess soon discovers that uncovering the reasons for her reaction to the image will help in solving the mystery. But first, Jess must find a way of convincing those around her that her dreams are, in fact, the truth.

My Review

This started out as one thing and ended up as something far more intriguing. At first it was a simple love story – a heartbroken father and daughter, following the death of her mother. They’ve moved to Llaneirw on the Welsh coast to get away from the sad memories at their home in Liverpool. Jess is reluctant to move, but father Danny can’t face waking up every day in the place where his wife died.

But the cottage in Wales is not what it seems. It has a resident ghost and another love story. In 1915 the Aliciana was sunk and while Amy survived, her husband Will died, his body never found. All Amy wants is to be reunited with Will, but she lives on for many years. However, when she passes over, she can’t find Will? Why is his spirit not at rest? Or hers?

It all revolves around the mystery of the Aliciana. Unfortunately for Jess, Amy is trying to show her something, but it involves terrible nightmares and the feeling that she was there. Then she takes a trip with potential boyfriend Lukas to visit his grandfather in Anglesey and the mystery deepens.

The biggest problem for Jess (apart from the nightmares and real bruises) is that no-one believes her. It’s all ‘woo woo’ as her father calls it. But as she makes new friends, it seems they don’t think she’s gone crazy with grief, and things start to fall into place,

I really loved this book, particularly the second half, when it got far more interesting. I don’t really ‘do’ romance, but I love a good ghost story, and there was so much to love here.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Lis McDermott spent thirty-four years working in music education, latterly as a schools adviser and Ofsted inspector, before leaving education in 2008 to set up her own photography business. 
In the 90s, during her time in education, she co-wrote Nelson Music, a series of books to support the classroom music curriculum. She published her first solo book in 2014, a photography book called Headshot Diva: why your business profile affects your bottom line.

Having awoken another passion, she has now published an autobiography – a book of short stories and four poetry anthologies.  Her first novel, He is Not Worthy was published in 2022. She also mentors others to write their books.

Lis lives in Royal Wootton Bassett with her husband Conrad, with whom she shares a love of music and films.