A sensual American historical romance

Tides of Passion follows spirited suffragette Savannah Connor to a small Southern coastal town, where she immediately locks horns with the devastatingly-handsome local Constable, widower Zachariah Garrett. An enemies-to-lovers romance, this audiobook proves that sparks often fly when two world collide.

Set in North Carolina in 1898, Tides of Passion is a steamy American historical romance that proved very easy to listen to, despite not having heard the first book in the series. While there are a few 'spoilers' for the first book, I think, it certainly worked well as a stand-alone.

I'm not familiar enough with the period to know how historically accurate the costume descriptions and language were, as a lot of the dialogue in American historicals always seems very contemporary to my British (Regency-tuned) ear.

I liked the inclusion of the women's rights movement, but thought it was a shame that it only seemed to inform Savannah's perspective in an antagonistic sense, and was often presented as being wholly at odds with femininity. It would have been fantastic to see their values and beliefs incorporated more fully into their lives and families, rather than just being used as a point of conflict. This was sweetly addressed in the epilogue, but it was a shame not to have integrated it a little more earlier on.

It was nice to be able to lose myself in the story and just let the pretty words flow over me like the waves around Pilot Isle. Listening on a very fatigued week meant that I needed something that was relaxing but not dull, and this fit the bill, with the feisty relationship between the protagonists helping stave off any stagnation.

I enjoyed the quotes from principled men and strong women at the beginning of each chapter, tying Savannah's story to the activists and abolitionists who made writing it possible.

The intimate scenes were sensual rather than graphic, with the focus centering on the feelings generated by their union more than the nitty-gritty of the coupling itself.

When this story began, one of the things I liked most was the open communication between the hero and heroine. I hoped that this meant it would not become one of those books where a single conversation could have averted the huge misunderstanding that drives the plot and keeps the lovers apart. Sadly, their candour diminishes in inverse proportion to the deepening of their affections, and their behaviour becomes rather immature as a result.

Other than that, it was a nice seaside escape to a small town far away in time and place, and was very easy to listen to. I liked the Garrett brothers and the community in Pilot Isle, and will be checking out the other audiobooks in the series.

The narrator, Kimberly M Wetherell, performed the book well, with a friendly voice, nice tone, and good pacing. I wish her voice for Zach had been more rounded and resonant, but it's always difficult for female narrators to really deliver a swoon-worthy hero.

I'd recommend this audiobook to anyone who likes historical romance or enemies-to-lovers romance, and doesn't mind a few crossed wires along the way.

*I received this audiobook free of charge in the hope of an honest, unbiased review.

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