Tides of Blue

By Sharon Brubaker

Genre: Historical Romance

Tivshe Publishing

Pages: 326

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can a small, ridged, cobalt blue bottle mean freedom for two young women in two different centuries?

This may sound like an uncertain premise. But hold on a min. Cuz Tides of Blue is the kind of book that grabs you hook, line, and sinker and keeps you on the line until the very end. Check it out:

The Basics

Beth Finnegan is a nurse. Desperate to escape her emotionally abusive and Seriously Nuts boyfriend and hospital administrator Mike, Beth flees to a little cabin on Chesapeake Bay. She starts works at a small hospital and is befriended by another nurse, Marsha. (Think Force of Nature). T

They pursue their hobby of “glassing” – looking for polished old glass on the beach, where Beth finds a small bit of a cobalt blue bottle. (The beach is usually cold, windswept, gray and rainy. I’m telling you this so’s you’ll know to grab a sweater when you dive into these captivating pages. Maybe a hot cuppa and a blankie, too.)

Anyway, Beth soon meets another glasser, Matthew the Super Hunk. Cupid’s arrows strike both. Hard.

But Mike the Jerk is so totally unhinged, he tracks Beth down in her new digs and makes destroying Beth his mission in life. (Told you he’s a jerk.) Will Beth ever get free of Mr. Uber Jerk? How? Will Matthew wind up in Mike’s crosshairs too?

Meanwhile, Back in the 1860s…

Meanwhile, in a sort of parallel universe set in 1860s Maryland and Pennsylvania, sweet, young Anna Grace is forced into marrying plantation owner Augustus the Boorish Lout. (That’s not his real name. Just me chiming in with editorial commentary, okay?) Augustus is as mean and abusive as Anna Grace is sweet and kind.

But Anna Grace’s situation seems as hopeless as it is brutal. Until she meets Josiah Bryant (Hi, Ashley Wilkes). Josiah is as kind and welcome as a cup of cool water on a hot August afternoon. Hearts melt. But what about Augustus? Can a small cobalt blue bottle bring freedom to Anna Grace and the plantation? And what about the steamboat that Josiah boarded? It blew up and there are no reports of survivors.

Sweep

Fans of historical romance, the Eastern Seaboard and the sea will love Tides of Blue. Tightly written and expertly crafted, this historical romance will sweep you off your feet and have you cheering on two strong female heroines before you can say “sea glass” or “crab bisque.”

Epic in its sweep and timeless in its themes of love, loss, and redemption, Tides of Blue is an absorbing and captivating read. Think Gone With The Wind meets Message in a Bottle meets Black and Blue.

Minor Caveat:

A predictable ending. Any alert reader can see it coming a mile away. But these are minor and don’t detract from the overall story.

Watertight

Speaking of story, the dual storyline running between the 1860s (Anna Grace) and present day (Beth) could come off as obtuse or muddy in the hands of a lesser talent. But Brubaker pulls it off. While Anna Grace’s or Beth’s stories could be read as stand-alones, the twin storylines flow into each other without a hitch, resulting in a watertight weft that’s seamless, fluid, and fascinating. We couldn’t put it down!

We also learned a lot about gardening and jewelry making. Also, don’t read this book on an empty stomach. The descriptions of food will have you drooling. (Don’t say we didn’t warn you!)

Our Rating: 4.0