Book Review – A Change in Tide

For Mia, a crowded subway ride changes her entire life. Retreating to the wilderness helps her cope with a world that is suddenly too loud, too turbulent.

Her existence safely contained to the small cottage on the lake, she is unprepared for the neighbor that moves across the bay

A career-ending injury has Jared permanently benched. His reputation as The Enforcer won’t survive the unanticipated responsibilities awaiting him.

Away from the public eye, he adjust to his new reality, under the quiet observation of the intriguing hermit on the other side of the water.

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2pk0oxc

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2oV5Q6s

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2qsJBpj

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2qsTtzG

*****

What Others Are Saying:

“A Change In Tide is a beautiful love story touching on real life problems and honest emotions. Barker has a wonderful way with words that keeps us wanting more. This book is definitely at the top of my list of favorite reads for 2017!” -author RB Hilliard

“A Change In Tide will make you hurt, make your heart race in empathy, and then put you back together again!” –author CP Smith

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Review:

I’ve only read one other book by Barker and I remember really enjoying it. She’s really good at creating characters and growth that keeps you glued to the pages. However, I will say that this one has a bit of a misstep that bothered me (and quite a few other people according to their reviews and I’ll go into it with a smidge of a spoiler in a minute) but once you get by it things definitely get SO much better.

~There are small spoilers throughout the rest of the review so if you don’t want to know any details about the book I’d recommend stopping here. Check out some of the reviews on Goodreads, I saw many that were good without giving away too many secrets.~

Jared is at a crossroads in his life thanks to a career ending injury. Finding out that his sister is pregnant and the father has left her has him moving them both to the country for a little peace and a chance to evaluate. In the short time he’s been there, he’s only gotten glimpses of his neighbor but not enough to make an impression of her, other than she’s reclusive. Mia had a horrible event happen that has left her with severe panic attacks and agoraphobia. She also moved to the country for the peace … peace that has been disturbed by her new neighbor.

Here’s where the possible misstep comes in. The first chapter has Mia seeing Jared have unprotected sex with a woman on his boat dock and she gets turned on by it. Now Barker does use all of that in the rest of the story (but not in the way you’d imagine – there is no “surprise, I’m pregnant” or “I have a disease” moments and the other woman just disappears after Chapter 1). It all starts with Jordy, Jared’s VERY pregnant sister, arriving the next day, so of course Mia thinks she’s his SO and that he’s a cheater. The rest flows into the story in different ways but I think that the introduction of it may bother some. Another review suggested that you could always start at Chapter 2 because Barker does a good job of bringing in the relevant parts of the encounter without the play-by-play details 🙂

Mia was a professional midwife so you can see how she will end up coming into closer contact with Jared and Jordy. From that point on, there’s lots of reflection and growth as both Mia and Jared figure out where they stand and where they are going from here. There’re quite a few misunderstandings along the way, but with Jordy’s help both of them do a good job of being patient and sensitive to the other. As a group they work hard to get a grasp on the way things are changing and weathering any difficulties that come up.

A Change in Tide is a very emotional read. It’s not a quick one, but instead you have take it slowly and digest everything as the characters experience a lot of ups and downs on their way to a HEA.

******

Author Info:

Freya Barker inspires with her stories about ‘real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. She is the author of the Cedar Tree Series and the Portland, ME, novels.

Freya is the recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None,” and is a finalist for the 2016 Kindle Book Awards for “From Dust”. She currently has two complete series and three anthologies published, and is working on two new series; La Plata County FBI—ROCK POINT, and Northern Lights. She continues to spin story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FreyaBarkerWriter

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freya_barker

Google+: http://plus.google.com/FreyaBarkerWriter

Web: http://www.freyabarker.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/freyabarker

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/FreyaBarker

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1DmiBub

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freyabarker.writes/

*****

Book Review – Clean Lines

12 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book Review, Cedar Tree series, Clean Lines, Freya Barker

Y’all, Joe Morris is this week’s book boyfriend – he’s caring & sexy, strong & brave, with moments of male stupidity to keep him humble 🙂

*****

Clean Lines

Cedar Tree #4

by Freya Barker

Genre: Erotic suspense

Cover Designer: RE&D, Margreet Asselbergs

Hosted By: Francessca’s Romance Reviews

Blurb:

When her surly teenage son moves back to live with ER physician Naomi Waters unexpectedly, her motherly instincts go on high alert. Nothing could’ve prepared her for the wave of trouble that follows him back into her life.

Sheriff Joe Morris blew his chance with Naomi a few years back when he’d moved faster than his own past allowed. At the first opportunity to get his foot back in the door, he takes it and risks everything to keep her and her son safe.

But working for a future isn’t easy when you’re fighting to survive your past.

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25295373-clean-lines?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr

Available at

http://amzn.to/1FRGNGs – Amazon UK

http://amzn.to/1SGuzWK – Amazon USA

*****

Excerpt:

On the short drive home, with Joe riding my bumper, I still have way too much time to think. And what I’m thinking is that I’ve gone and lost my mind. Who says shit like that? I behaved like some two-bit sex operator and sounded no better. If I didn’t need both hands on the steering wheel, I’d have my face covered right now; I’m that embarrassed. Emotional. Too fucking emotional. It’s either flat or deep with me and it’s exhausting. Why I have to be this emotionally unbalanced every time around Joe, I have no idea, but I’m sure the man’s had enough of crazy women for a lifetime.

When I park the car, I turn off the engine and drop my head on the wheel. Maybe this is not such a good idea. I probably should’ve stayed with Katie and the baby and not just gone running off with Joe at the first opportunity. Well, not exactly the first opportunity but still. It seems inappropriate. Doesn’t it?

The door beside me opening startles me, but even more so does the feel of Joe’s firm hands pulling me down from my seat.

“Don’t. Don’t sit there and talk yourself out of something we both know is going to happen,” he says talking to the top of my head because I am studying the tips of my toes.

“Naomi?” He leans in and I can feel the heat of his words penetrate my skin as he speaks. “I need you. I need to feel your fingers tangle in my hair, your tongue in my mouth, your skin under my hands and your pussy squeezing my cock. I need it all, honey.”

Slowly raising my eyes, I find his burning with lust and something more. Need? I trace my fingers over his lips and along his jaw before whispering, “Let’s go.”

*****

Review:

How many of you are going to be surprised when I say that this is the first book in this series that I’ve read? No one? Yeah, not a surprise. I was a little surprised at how much I liked this story. Barker somehow made a whole lot of things come together easily and without making her story clunky. Clean Lines easily stood on its own too, which only added to the enjoyment. There were characters who had their own stories before and at least a couple who are going to have one coming up, but none of it left me confused … just excited to get my hands on those stories.

I will say that I’m stunned that it took three years for Joe to find a way to fix things with Naomi. She’s got some history and it lead her to be prickly but surely in that amount of time, and with sharing friends, there would have been some way to get an explanation to her. He doesn’t seem like a guy who would be willing to let it go for that long. But that is my only complaint and Barker does try to explain it away.

Overall, though, it is a fantastic suspense romance. There’s a great amount of heat and angst between the two, plus they come with baggage that is fun to explore. But there is also a lot of danger and mystery surrounding her ex-husband and son. It made for a nail-biter in a couple of places … as well as a few spots to get your heart racing for other reasons 🙂

If sexy thrillers are your thing, I highly recommend you add Barker’s books to the top of your TBR pile. A fun read with interesting characters and a captivating plot, Clean Lines is a great place to start.

*****

Author Info:

Freya Barker craved reading about ‘real’ people, those who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, hot monkey sex and some thrills and chills in their lives – So she decided to write about them. Always creative, from an early age on she danced and sang, doodled, created, cooked, baked, quilted and crafted. Her latest creative outlets were influenced by an ever-present love for reading. First through blogging, then cover art and design, and finally writing. Born and raised in the Netherlands, she packed her two toddlers, and eight suitcases filled with toys to move to Canada. No stranger to new beginnings, she thrives on them. With the kids grown and out in the world, Freya is at the ‘prime’ of her life. The body might be a bit ramshackle, but the spirit is high and as adventurous as ever. Something you may see reflected here and there in some of her heroines…. none of who will likely be wilting flowers.

Stalker Links

http://www.facebook.com/FreyaBarkerWriter – Facebook

https://twitter.com/freya_barker – Twitter

https://www.tsu.co/FreyaB – TSU

http://plus.google.com/FreyaBarkerWriter – Google+

http://www.freyabarker.com – TSU

http://www.amazon.com/Freya-Barker/e/B00N36NDYI/ – Amazon Author Page

http://www.goodreads.com/FreyaBarker – Goodreads

http://bit.ly/1DmiBub – Newsletter

*****