Changing Tides

New Reality #14

by Simone Anderson

Brett DeMarco is a First Lieutenant in Aelland’s Security Forces and hopes to become the head of intelligence someday. After the death of his fiancé, Brett threw himself into his work, dodging his father’s attempts to get him to marry the right woman, never doubting the career path he’d chosen.

Orion Hellman is the base commander’s personal assistant, has never spoken a word to anyone, and follows orders exactly, helping to ensure the base runs smoothly by any means the general deems necessary. Classified as a manual laborer with marriage out of the question, Orion has no intention of getting involved with anyone.

A chance meeting ignites Brett’s long dead desire, changes everything he knew and gives Orion everything he never thought he wanted.

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2014

About the author

Simone currently lives in west Michigan with their family and three cats. They have lived in and traveled to dozens of states and countries, including four years in Japan. They have been writing all of their life, seriously only after returning to Michigan. A lifelong learner, they still takes classes in a variety of subjects and an ever expanding list of hobbies and dreams of having their own library one day. When not writing they can be found sewing, quilting, reading, cooking, baking, trying their hand at gardening and canning, traveling, genealogy research, and photographing anything that looks interesting or inspiring.

Reviews

[JustJen "Miss Conduct" · Rating 4 out of 5]

A review by The Blogger Girls.

I admit, the cover lured me into this one. I’m not normally into futuristic type stories, but I was intrigued enough to give it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed.

This is a world a bit in the future (the country is now called Aelland), where the government has basically taken over everything, having the say in who can eat what, who can sell what and to whom, etc. There are strict rules in place concerning marrying and reproduction. Men must choose to marry by the age of 25, or forever give up the chance, in which case, they are immediately sterilized. Brett is a member of the military, carrying out his orders and doing what he believes is right based on what he was brought up to believe. His 25th birthday is fast approaching.

However, there is another side, the Citizens For A Free Aelland. Those who have made it their goal to make the truth known and bring the country back to the way things were. They are planning for a war, with an extensive underground community of supporters.

In the meantime, Bret has set his sights on Orion, not a member of the military but an important member nonetheless. He is said to be off limits, never being able to marry. He doesn’t speak, but all isn’t as it seems. Brett sets all of this aside, seeing intelligence and attractiveness in Orion that he is unable to resist.

There is a lot of action going on here, and it doesn’t take long for things to heat up. This was a slow build relationship, which worked given the circumstances. Trust becomes key, and feelings set aside for the greater good. There are a few twists as secrets unfold, and while nothing was really that unpredictable, they made things a bit more interesting. I will definitely be looking to read more from Ms. Anderson in the future.

This is a stand alone story, part of the New Reality series, which is made up of similar, unrelated Dystopian stories.

[Suze · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3*
Futuristic setting, with a dictator/government controlled establishment.
This is book 14 of a multi-author series so I guess history of how the current environment occurred has been set up in these, though it is a dystopian version of now so not too big a jump for me to grasp (futuristic not one of my normal reads).
Brett has been brainwashed into the mind set of government slave - what they say is right, even when he is setup by his superiors. He is led to safety by Orion, who has played the part of a dumb mute lackey for the base commander, but who is really a freedom fighter leader. Even then, Brett is still plotting what info he can relate to his superiors, until the reality of his former lover's murder is revealed.
I'm not a huge fan of futuristic novels but this one wasn't too extreme in the world setting. I didn't feel not reading previous books was an impediment but perhaps reading all would give a better understanding of the struggles the characters faced.

[Tracey Lampley · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Changing Tides you find an emotionally wounded hero who’s starving for love and affection. From the start the author creates suspense. The setting, the characterization and the plot keep you turning the pages. If you’re up for a different kind of romance, this book is for you. I rate this book a four-star read.