I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t initially realize that this was a Historical Romance. The cover screamed contemporary to me and although the book summary mentioned that the heroine, Savannah, was a reformer, that didn’t strike me as impossible for a modern woman. Added, to that, the writing and dialogue seemed modern. I somehow completely missed the date on the first page–I must be blind!–and found myself more and more perplexed by the attitudes expressed toward Savannah’s determination to get better wages and working conditions for the women of Pilot Isle. Well, suffice to say I had to backtrack on my Kindle and look for a date. How embarrassing to miss that this was set in 1898! Anyway, enough focus on my lack of observation. On to the book!
I was immediately charmed by the setup between Savannah and Zach. We first meet them as Zach is busting up a protest Savannah started outside the oyster factory. He’s the constable and currently considers Savannah his cross to bear. The woman—or rabble-rouser, as he thinks of her—is constantly stirring up trouble. She has been arrested thirteen times to date, so you can imagine that she isn’t afraid to stir the pot. I found it amusing that Zach and his brother, Caleb, argued about who would have what duty in breaking up the protest: breaking up the crowd or dealing with Savannah. Zach lost and got stuck with her. LOL!
I liked that Zach wasn’t written as too modern. He had a healthy respect for women, but he also had a milder version of the common attitude of men in that day. He felt honest sympathy for her struggle, but he also had to fight her every step of the way because of pressure from the townspeople. They argued left and right, and most people were convinced that they couldn’t stand each other, but that spark of attraction made it more like foreplay to them, especially when they decided to see where their attraction would take them. Zach’s portrayal made his eventual love of Savannah and his tolerance (and help) toward her need to fight for her causes all the sweeter. He was already used to female reformers after spending time with his brother’s wife, Elle, so he had a leg up on the other men, but I’m ignoring that and remaining impressed. 
I found it interesting that Zach and Savannah were interested in a relationship (of sorts) with each other, but that both refused to marry. I was impressed that their reasons for refusal felt so authentic, but I would have liked Savannah’s reason, and her past in general, to have been fleshed out a little more. Zach’s reasons were quite compelling and I really felt for him. His yearning and fear were very well written.
Maybe he should have explained to Savannah this morning that he agonized because he knew what it was like for God to place another’s life in your hands. Marriage was a life-long, fundamental commitment. A vow that brought misery and bliss, belonging and loneliness, freedom and imprisonment. So many wonderful things, so many frightening ones.
I felt that their easy disregard of public opinion and the consequences was a little out of place for people who lived in that time period, but I just shrugged and decided to go with it. I also found the language and writing style a little too modern (for the most part), but this time period is not a strong point for me, so it’s very possible that I could be wrong about that. It was just a feeling I had.
I really liked that the relationship was never rushed. This book spanned a nice length of time and it was very easy to believe their slow softening toward each other. I liked that so much time was spent on them simply enjoying each other’s company before sex was brought into it. Their friendship made it easier for me to set aside any niggles I had about their disregard toward the mores of the time. I had the impression from the book summary that this book might revolve around a specific reform, but it didn’t. The romance stayed the focus of the book and that their respective jobs were just a footnote in the overall story. I didn’t feel a lot of intensity to the relationship, although I still enjoyed it, but I think that had a lot to do with the overall slow tone of the book. I enjoy long, leisurely romances, but at times this one got a little too slow.
I really liked how the author slowly revealed the protagonists to be more than what the world saw them to be. Zach was regarded as a saint and had a hard time living up to his image. Savannah was thought to be so independent and set against men that little things, like common courtesies, weren’t given to her because they assumed she wouldn’t want them. They both took the time to look deeper and saw a more complex person inside. Their care for each other made it easier for them to reveal their true selves to the world. I always enjoy romances where the hero and heroine enrich each other’s lives like that.
Although I had a few issues with this book I still enjoyed it a lot. I was honestly impressed by how leisurely the romance felt. The author skipped over time when warranted but always made sure to slow down and focus in on the important details. Plus, the epilogue was too cute for words.
Favorite Quote:
The frantic nature of their joining melted her stiff posture and her cocksure bearing, rolling through her in a languid, glorious wave of sensation and recognition. It was a peculiar time to realize that she had built her sense of self around an erroneous ideal.
She was no different than other women.
Rating: B-
Tides of Passion by Tracy Sumner
October 17th 2011 by Tracy Sumner
Series
GoodReads Reviews
Amazon || Barnes & Noble
About Catherine
I couldn’t finish this one. I just went back to read my GR to see why. I felt the hero couldn’t decide if he wanted to have a battle of wills with the heroine or just fall for her. It felt very wishy-washey to me. I think I wanted to see them more at each other’s throats. Just didn’t work for me.
I can see what you mean. They always argued, but it had more of an air of exasperation rather than antagonism. You never felt that they were actually adversaries.
I’m kinda surprised, Mandi – maybe because I usually find that you and I have similar tastes. The fact that they weren’t at each other’s throats was a bonus for me. It made them feel more authentic and like the tension came from the characters themselves instead of the author trying to shovel more conflict in.
Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes I’m well up for an angsty, throwing-vases-at-each-other’s-heads kind of read. (Okay, maybe not that extreme.) But I sometimes think that’s too easy for an author, and I really enjoyed the nuances this author focused on instead.
Yes I thought this one was a contemporary romance based on the cover as well. Cover fail on this one.
I purchased a copy of this one for myself, I like the idea of a leisurely romance now and then.
I can’t figure out why they went with this cover. The original one looks a lot more HR-ish.
I just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. I won and read a copy of a novella, To Desire a Scoundrel, written by the same author a week or two ago. After reading that I had a pretty good idea what I would be getting with this book, maybe that’s why the more contemporary language didn’t phase me at all.
I really liked the arguing between Zach and Savannah. IMO, it was more of a battle of wits that developed into an intellectual foreplay between them.
I thought this book was a nice break from what I expect in historical romance. It doesn’t have anyone being kidnapped, no duels, no brothers with gambling debts which threaten to bankrupt the family and all the other drama normally found HR. A leisurely romance is a good description of this one.
Now you all have me wondering what the original cover was, I’ll have to go check it out.
Here’s the cover from this title was released by Zebra:
I liked how simple it was too. I thought for a while that one of her reforms would be at the heart of the story, but when it wasn’t I realized how much better it was with just them as the focus.
I’m totally with you on this novel being a nice break from what you normally expect in historical romance, and I think the updated cover gives you a better sense of that. It stood out to me as being fresh and different, and I thought the story followed through on that brilliantly.
Instead of the drama of a kidnapping, etc, I felt treated to a more intellectual drama of two people trying to figure out what role a romantic relationship could and should play in their lives, especially given society’s expectations of who they should be. There’s a beautifully written scene that goes into detail of what commitment means to the hero (I include it in my review on my blog).
That scene sums up this novel to me: an intense focus on nuance in a very sultry setting. I really enjoyed it.
I just went and took a look at your review. I really loved the scene you quoted. That section stood out to me, too. It was nice that his qualms didn’t feel manufactured.
I really like the cover. It is more realistic and brings the characters more to life when I am reading it. I can actually see Savannah and Zach, rather than “Girl” and Fabio. Don’t get me wrong, I think that those covers are great too, but it is more life-like to me when I look at Tides of Passion.
I thought that this was an easy read. While may seem to have been more modern with the dialog, the constant reminders of the surroundings, sounds and other small items brought us back to that time period.
I’m not really a fan of close ups of faces on the covers in general, but I’m glad it was able to give you an image of the characters to help picture them as you read. I still would have liked some indication of it being HR, though. Maybe just a date in the blurb. I think they’re going to miss a lot of the HR audience as they browse because it looks so much like a CR.
I read Tides of Passion, too, and I REALLY liked the book. My reviews are posted on Amazon for both the Tides books. The sexual tension was great. And the characters lovely. Their dialogue seemed real to me. It flowed. And the setting detail wonderful. Also, I should say that I originally read it as a contest judge. (National Reader’s Choice) I checked, because I thought I saw it on the Amazon listing, but it won the category.
Either cover works for me. As long as I see a good-looking man, I’m happy.
As long as I see a good-looking man, I’m happy.
LOL!
And half-naked, too! Awesome!
I read both the Tides of Love and Tides of Passion and loved it. After reading regency era historicals, the difference in these books premise and settings was a pleasant surprise.
And why I love this cover? If they would’ve been dressed probably it would look contemporary and out but as they are not dressed- this cover just rocks! It’s so gorgeous and fits the setting!
I liked how different it felt. It was a nice little change.
Looks like an interesting read! Thank you for the review.
Thanks for reading it.
The cover is fine (really hot actually)..I mean, they’re naked on the beach! Nothing there to give away the time period–except your assumptions!
Catherine, I was actually thinking Savannah’s disregard of public
opinion was pretty consistent with her character as a reformer–and,
there’s a certain type of man that secretly finds a rebellious woman
sexy. It’s still true today (my friend actually tells me he only wants
a woman who can kick his ass), but it was probably even sexier back
then when there were fewer women ready to stand up and be
rabble-rousers. It was probably also more taboo for men! I can totally
see Zach being that kind of guy.
Overall, I thought it was a believable story, great sexual tension,
and maybe just a bit of a refreshing departure from the usual
historical romance.
I agree that a reformer would be more willing to flout public opinion, but I still don’t think it would have been done with so little thought to the consequences.
I’m actually surprised at the amount of readers here that are ok with book covers that do not clearly indicate the genre of the story. That’s interesting.
Welcome to the new visitors by the way.
I placed the review on my website — Facebook and have been sending via Twitter, too. So, some traffic may be coming from there.
As the book is set on the coast, I really feel the cover fits the story well. I’m a huge fan of historicals and feel that sometimes covers can smother the story, rather than compliment it. This one fits the bill.
How so?
I really don’t understand what you mean by a cover smothering a story. Can you explain a bit more?
This is an interesting discussion. I hate to pop in (I’m the author) but thought I could add some detail. I’m a graphic designer by trade, although I did not design the cover. However, I had input, for sure. I’m a huge reader of the romance genre as well. And I think Tides of Passion (and Tides of Love) fall in an interesting area due to the uniqueness of the setting. Outer Banks, NC. My editor said she had never edited a book from this area. Anyway, I don’t see TOP with a typical historical cover, although the original cover did include the ocean scene — and it indeed looked like a historical cover.
I will put it into my internal marketing review to perhaps test a more conventional cover. Thanks for the feedback! I would hate (#1 above all) to confuse the reader. The sales have been strong though (currently #314 Paid Kindle Store), so I don’t want to interrupt a robust marketing life cycle!
My next release (another backlist title) has a very typical historical cover, as does the novella that hit mid-Dec.
I appreciate the comments, everyone! Tides of Passion was written during a time of duress. I had a contract due in October/November 2001 — and I worked in the World Trade Center. So…I was late with the book! But the characters and the setting are special. And personal.
Happy reading!
I’m glad you wrote it with such a unique setting. I enjoyed how different it was.
I was going to try to include one of the more typical covers — and DUH, it’s my Avatar!
LOL
I am really feeling lucky that I started following the twitter updates of Fiction Vixen and got to know about the book. I came to I fell for the book because of the cover. I found it intriguing and once I started reading it there was no stopping. I like light romance and this one clicked for me.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
The arguments between Zach and Savannah were quite interesting. They seemed real and unfolded their characters well. I am planning to read other novels by Tracy since I liked the style of writing.
I liked their back and forth too.
Historical romantic novels always impress me and Tides of Passion has everything to keep me glued to it. I finished the book very fast. The pace was good and the characters were established quite nicely.
I’m glad you liked it too.
I liked the way the relationship between Zach and Savannah developed. There was no rushing and they became friends first. The topic of sex has been introduced quite late which befits that time in which the novel is set. The author has practiced good restrain.
I liked that they had time to develop a friendship first before the sex was thrown in.
The romance developed in a leisurely pace and I liked that about the book. The cover depicts the passion nicely. It is a nice cover and I am sure people will like this book.
I’m sure they will. I never said they wouldn’t.
I like the way the complexities of the characters have been established. The author took time to look deeper into the characters and that is what clicked with me.
This is the kind of novel I like to read while traveling or on a vacation. A book with intriguing plot and sweet romance, what else you need to enjoy your vacations? Savannah is like any other woman with lots of passion and a purpose in life.
Romantic novels should not only be about sex and personal problems. They must relate to the world around and help people to recognize their true self. The Tides of Passion not only has the hero and heroine fall for each other but it also makes them enrich each other’s life and reach their true potential.
I’m a huge fan of historicals and feel that sometimes covers can smother the story, rather than compliment it.
How so?
Well….sometimes artists try to pack an amazing amount of information into covers ( nothing wrong with that) but for historicals especially, I feel that sometimes too much is really “too much”. Artists need to include time, characters and setting as well as genre. It’s not always easy and I do appreciate that point.
My personal view point is that simple is best and with historical book covers that isn’t always achievable. My “smothering” of the story refers to covers which try to depict too much information in one short burst, for example; a particular scene, usually involving both characters with exaggerated facial expressions. For me personally it’s a big turn off.
I like the Tides of Passion cover because it’s elegant and simple. It conveys the costal setting and the genre of romance. I do admit that perhaps at first glance, it isn’t obviously historical, but neither is it turning me, the reader away.
The characters were very real. Their arguments, desperation and love for each other have been nicely woven in the story. Nothing seemed forcefully imposed in the story. The natural flow of the novel kept me glued to it.
As I read the novel, I developed a love for Zach and Savannah. Zach is very endearing. They are fun to know about. The dialogues were witty and fitted the plot. Tracy has surpassed my expectations in this novel.
I was planning a post today about book covers and how readers feel about how well they reflect the story etc. since this review sparked some conversation on the topic. I was excited to see some new “faces” and “names” commenting on this post as well. Since the consensus was that ambiguous covers are ok or that the cover on Tides of Passion did reflect the story, I thought it would be a good topic for a post to spark more conversation among our readers.
But soon after I asked my twitter stream for examples of books with covers they feel didn’t reflect the story well, so that I could give examples of both sides, this post received several comments within a few minutes. So, I thought I would reference a few comments for the post as well.
But then I noticed something interesting. Many comments on this post are from the same IP address but from different names. So, it appears that this is not a legitimate conversation after all which is really disappointing.
I don’t make a habit of checking IP addresses but when they’re all lined up in a column it’s quite easy to see that the same IP addresses were popping up under different names.
I hope that the person(s) who felt the need to “pad” this conversation realizes this is not cool at all. And really, there is no good reason to do it. What a shame.
Sophia:
Thank you for alerting me. I can only apologize for the insincere blog comments! I will admit to being VERY new to social media. VERY. I’ve only been on Twitter and Facebook as an author since October 2011.
I have had to rely on an assistant to help me with promotions due to my career outside writing. The normal pressures. I have asked for assistance with my blog stops. I’m not clear about “padding” or how this works, but I will discuss with her. I love the traffic — but do not want insincere comments or reviews posted. That is not my intent.
The review link was sent to my Twitter and Facebook followers as well, so I hoped discussions would derive from people who had read the book or were planning to.
Sorry, again, for any confusion.