Tides That Bind

by Claudia Elizabeth Ruth Francis

In 1978, Parliamentary Minister Whiteman dies and Marlene Blanchette is left to raise his outside child, Venus. Impoverished and alone they are at the mercy of the men who enter their lives. Venus seems destined to follow in her mother’s footsteps. She believes it impossible to break out of the confines of this poor town in the Caribbean. In 1990 Chancellor Lion, a wealthy property entrepreneur, visits his native island from the UK. One of his twin sons falls in love with Venus, but it may prove impossible for the volatile Roosevelt to marry the girl he wants. Back in London, Roosevelt and his brother, Washington face the cultural conflicts of living in the UK. They are only too aware that their African identity makes them targets for inequality despite their private education and wealth. Both men are prepared to protect their families from the destruction and corruption of both British and Caribbean societies, whether by fair means or foul. Issues of AIDS, poverty, exploitation, inbreeding, equal rights, identity and culture are woven into this rags to riches story. Tides That Bind is an edited version of the first two novels in this popular three- part series. Will the Lion family survive to build a successful dynasty or will The Lion Property Empire fall apart when Chancellor dies and Roosevelt disappears?

441 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2011