The Unforgiven

Echoes from the Past, Book 3

By: Irina Shapiro

Narrated by: Wendy Wolfson

2014. Pregnant and alone, Dr. Quinn Allenby finds herself detained in New Orleans, tasked with obtaining footage for the finale of the Echoes from the Past series.

As she delves deeper into the mystery of Madeline Besson, whose very existence seems to have been erased from history, Quinn finally gets closer to finding out the truth about her own psychic gift, and to a secret that had remained buried for over a century.

As Quinn prepares to share Madeline’s story with the world, she fails to recognize the danger she’s walking into and is helpless to stop the chain of events her inquiries have set in motion.

©2018 Irina Shapiro (P)2018 Merlin Press LLC

It was a slow start for me, but I loved the story!!

Although this one started slow for me, I ended up really enjoying the storyline! I am a mystery fan, as well as a historical fiction fan.. so this reached out to me in both levels! The history was well written and true to life. I loved the characters and how they come to be a part of each other’s lives!!! Irina Shapiro is a wonderful writer! This is awesome!

The Unforgiving

This is a fantastic series. I love the mystery and intrigue of this. Its told in past and present. Once I started to listen I could not out it down. Its definitely a page turner. Theres lots of twists and turns, its like putting a puzzle together and as you listen you put the puzzle together. This is more than a five star read. I definitely recommend.
Shauna Joesten

cringe-worthy American accents

I truly love the book series but had wished the author had not brought the story to the United States. I couldn't help but cringe every time the narrator spoke in an American accent. Sadly, it was way off.

Fantastic story!

I love this series! This book was slightly predictable but not enough to persuaded to not finish the book. The narrator is good, but doesn't get the southern pronunciations of some words, but that was easily overlooked.
I definitely suggest this series to everyone

A great story!

I received a free audiobook copy from the author for an honest review.

While I’d heard of the author prior to reading/listening to this book, this was the first book in this series that I’ve read/listen to. While there were parts that I wasn’t totally clear on, most likely because I hadn’t read the previous books in this series, they didn’t detract from the main story. Plus, I’m all for a good historical drama, and this one fit the bill! I loved this story!

There were so many aspects of this story that I loved. All the twists and turns, always leaving the reader wanting more, wanting to find out what exactly is going with the characters. The author is definitely good at keeping the reader’s interested. The back and forth between the present day and past day characters was smoothly done, and thinking back now, I’m not sure which character I liked more because they were both unique in their own ways. I liked both of the stories they told.

I loved the narrator’s voice. Although there were times when she mispronounced certain words, for example, “Shaman” which was pronounced as “Shay-men,” she did an overall great job. I did find her American/Louisiana accent kind of funny though.

Questions/Comments:
When Madeline is getting ready to have sex for the first time, she has a strange thought pop into her head. It was something along the line of how no one had touched her there (downstairs area) since she was a child. What exactly did she mean?

When Madeline finds the button under Mammie’s cot when they’re living in the swamp, she ends up seeing the past. Was it just curiosity that kept her watching Mammie give oral sex to her (great?) grandfather?

After Quinn meets Jude, she questions the bruises he has around his neck. Gabe ends up telling her that the bruises are most likely from autoerotic asphyxia. What would have made him think that? But then, later on, Jude shows up wearing a dog collar, which Gabe assumes is the likely cause of the bruising. Yet, why would Jude be wearing the collar that tight to where it would cause bruising?

The unforgettable listen

Book 3 in the series. This series is fantastic. In this one it will have you glued to the story from the very beginning till the very end . You will wonder what will happen next . How the past is coming through to the future. Some secrets are told in this one that will explain some incident in book 2 . How will the family take them them bringing the secrets out in the open .

The performance of Wendy was good. Her voice is strong, steady and clear

Third book and still amazing

One heck of a good story! Really liked this series.
This time Quinn gets in a bad fix...jealous half brother.
What they went through in the south back in the 1800's.
Very plausible story.

Another Hit!

Irina Shapiro has graced us with another audiobook that has left me wanting more. Narrated by Wendy Wolfson, I listened to The Unforgiven, book three in the Echoes From The Past series nonstop since downloading it. I really wish I could tell you all the gritty details, but if you haven't paid attention and haven't picked up this series yet, I'll keep my review as spoiler free as I can.

Quinn is back on the hunt for her father, and hopefully the truth about where her gift comes from. Her clues lead her to New Orleans, Louisiana and a family that seems to welcome her with open arms. What begins as a weekend away from Gabe turns into several weeks as a new story unfolds before her eyes.

Madeline is a monied young lady from Louisiana in 1858. She's adored by her father, as an only child. But when he dies and the estate is sold to pay his debts, she's sent to live at the Arabella Plantation with a grandmother she never knew and a cousin who welcomes her fully. While initially excited to learn more about the family her father never spoke of, she finds that he had been banished years before and her grandmother hates her in place of him. But no one will tell her what terrible sin he committed.

There's no record of Madeline in the history books or in the family grave. Quinn longs to know more about the young woman and uses her gift to unravel a life cut short. But her own life is turned on it's head, and as she comes to terms with her own heritage, she'll find that alligators and voodoo are not the only dangers in Nola.

I think I've said this every time I review this book...it deserves to be a TV series. The time hopping adventure Shapiro creates are completely enthralling and deserves a wider platform. I've become emotionally involved in these characters, something that usually wears off after a few books. But these have such backstories that I have to know more!

There was a small teaser in the books end that gave me hope that the series will never end. I could red about, and listen to, Quinn's adventures forever. Each story is so different and compelling, one could never get bored of her glimpses into the past. The fact that her personal life is full of wild twists and turns doesn't hurt anything either!
I highly, highly, highly recommend this book series too all book lovers, but especially those who love some mystery and history in their reads.

Get out the tissue

Could not put this down! I’m ready for book four to reach Audible ♥️ Wendy Wolfson is great. Brings these NOLA characters to life

A great mystery

This is the third story of the series I really like the ongoing story of the archaeologist and her family throughout these books this particular story was especially close to the main character as it had to do with her family history. The author writes with great detail and the reader was excellent in the portrayal through her change of voices and clear diction. I can’t wait to start the fourth in the series! This story about Quinn’s ties to her descendants in New Orleans urging the Antebellum period was fascinating. The author’s taking the reader back and forth between centuries from modern day back to the 1850’s is masterful. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves history, a good mystery with a dash of mysticism and a darn good story.