Inside The Cover: Against The Tide - a novel by Elizabeth Camden

 
Book Title: Against The Tide
Author: Elizabeth Camden
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Adventure, Romance, Christian Fiction

Book Description (taken from Elizabeth's website):
Boston of 1891 is a city of hope and ambition, where mariners, merchants, and dreamers thrive in the cobblestone streets of America’s most historic city. Within the harbor of Boston’s naval shipyard, Lydia Pallas has become a trusted assistant to an Admiral in the U.S. Navy. Fluent in seven languages, she spends her days translating documents from all over the world.

Lydia’s remarkable language skills bring her to the attention of Alexander Banebridge, a mysterious man on a quest to rid the world of the scourge of opium. Only Lydia has the rare combination of language skills and courage he needs to advance his cause. A man as coolly analytical as he is relentless, Bane never bargained on falling in love with Lydia. As he battles the bittersweet love that grows between them, Bane’s mission will take Lydia away from everything—and everyone—she ever held dear.

 Meet Elizabeth (Taken from website)

A research librarian and associate professor, Elizabeth Camden has a master’s in history from the University of Virginia and a master’s in library science from Indiana University. She has published several articles for academic publications and is the author of four nonfiction history books. Her ongoing fascination with history and love of literature have led her to write inspirational fiction. Elizabeth lives with her husband in central Florida.

My thoughts:

I was a little uncertain about reading this book because the subject of being at sea was not interesting to me and I was unfamiliar with Elizabeth Camden's work. I finally decided to give it a shot and boy am I ever glad I did! First off, this book was not as much a sea tale as it was an adventure and a romance. Elizabeth has blown me away with her character development. Right from the get go you are falling in love with them and Alexander Banebridge, the leading man, is one of my favorite characters of all time! The kinship between Alexander and Lydia is hilarious, charming and extremely entertaining.  I don't normally put excerpts in my book reviews but I would love to show you what I mean. Here are a few to show the personalities:

    He knew she was scheming something in that clever half-Turkish, half-Greek brain of hers, but it was hard to resist. "Why would I want to do that?"
    "Why to correct this shocking void in my education,"she said. "Now that you have pointed out my howling ignorance, it would be cruel to leave me in this educational deficit."
    He watched the way her eyes fairly glittered and her foot tapped out a steady rhythm as she awaited his answer. Truly, if he wanted to correct her ignorance, he would train her not to reveal her thoughts so easily as she planned her little scheme. Her foot tapping was a dead giveaway sshe was up to something. But really, he was too enchanted and curious to see what she had up her sleeve. 

    "Why would I marry a man so much prettier than I? It would be a daily humiliation."
    The warmth in Bane's eyes did not flicker. He kissed the back of her hand and winked at her.   "Think of all the embarrassment I will suffer marrying someone who is wealthier than I. People will say I married you for your fortune and that you married me for my looks. It is a dilemma."
    She could not stop grinning at him. "I suppose we should get married just so we can make each other miserable."

    I just love the sense of humor that flows throughout this book and it is one of the few that I will read again later on down the road. Now I will have one eye constantly peeled for Elizabeth Camden's books. What a fantastic find!

If you would like to buy your own copy of Against The Tide, you can do so by clicking below.



    





I received this product for the purpose of review from  Bethany House. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.