Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory

 So many lives and loves at stake in 1670 at a shabby area of London on the Thames.

After two decades, Lord Avery returns to London to reclaim his love and son.  Alinor is tested with her heart and mind.  Can she forget or forgive that Avery left her for dead when he realized she was pregnant with his child?  

Livia voyages to London from Venice with a dire message.  Alinor's son, Rob, has drowned. As his widow, she claims she will help the family become rich in return for a place in Rob's English family.  Livia doesn't seem to be without the need for a man at her side and thinks Avery would be a better match for herself than Alinor.

Sarah, Alinor's granddaughter, is suspicious of Livia's intent, and plans a trip to Venice.  This will give her proof of Livia's past.  Sarah has a long itinerary to verify the death of her uncle and to check the history Livia proclaims.  

Sarah meets a man with many stories of Livia and her occupation.  Felipe holds Sarah's heart if she will agree he's a reformed man.

With a casual pace to the beginning of the story, the intrigue tumbles in from all sides as the characters reveal their true personalities and intents.  People do change, some for the better.

Happy reading,

Dawn

   

 

Tidelands by Philippa Gergory

 Hard to find someone to love?  Try being Alinor in the fifteenth century during the civil war of England.  So many restrictions.  So little independence.

Alinor's husband leaves on a work mission and hasn't returned, leaving her wondering if she's a widow or deserted.  The treacherous tideland homes a select group of typically poor farmers.  Alinor's neighbors always whisper about her and her magical herbs. 

Herbs aren't magical. She just knows how to use them.

James gets lost in the marshy lands where Alinor finds him and leads him to his destination.  Little does she know that he's her enemy and has come to help King James escape.

Whenever there's a mutual attraction, their opposition isn't enough to keep them apart.  Distance, rumors, and civil wars can't compete with love.  

I always get anxious when I read romances from eras before cars and planes because when the couple has to separate, it takes months for them to reunite.  I can only imagine the angst they feel waiting for the reunion, wondering if the other hasn't changed their mind, or one of them gets killed.  

And that makes for good reading.  Not to mention that Philippa Gregory writes the most fantastic historicals.  

Happy reading,

Dawn