Emerald Tide

RomantiSea Serenades #1

by J.D. Harbor

Some tides bring change. Others bring second chances…

Aidan Murphy needs a break—from his family’s Irish pub, from the weight of responsibility, and from the feeling that his dreams have slipped through his fingers like sand. Boarding the Elysian Serenade for a weeklong escape, he’s ready to clear his mind, soak in the sea air, and maybe, just maybe, find the courage to chase a future of his own making.

Harper Brooks isn’t looking for love. After a high-profile breakup and a career implosion that left her reeling, she’s on this cruise because she has no choice—her boss insisted she take time off before she completely burns out. But slowing down has never been her strong suit, and even the rhythm of the waves can’t quiet the storm inside her.

Thrown together onboard a hosted singles voyage, Aidan and Harper find themselves drawn to one another in ways they never expected. What starts as a lighthearted flirtation quickly deepens into something neither of them can ignore. But real love isn’t just about the magic of moonlit dances and stolen kisses at sea—it’s about what happens when the ship docks, and reality comes rushing in.

With the tides shifting and their separate lives calling them back to shore, Aidan and Harper must was this just a fleeting romance on the high seas, or the start of a love that can weather any storm?

Emerald Tide is the companion novel to Sapphire Seas, with each book offering a unique perspective on a shared journey. Set sail on a heartfelt adventure of self-discovery, passion, and the unexpected ways the ocean brings people together. Welcome to the RomantiSea Serenades series—where love is always an adventure.

324 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2025

About the author

J.D. Harbor is a romance author who blends love, self-discovery, and adventure in her cruise-themed novel series, RomantiSea Serenades. The series takes place aboard the luxurious fictional ship Elysian Serenade, with each pair of companion novels following a different couple as they navigate emotional growth and unexpected connection at sea. His debut titles Emerald Tide and Sapphire Seas introduce this immersive, heartwarming world—perfect for readers who believe in the transformative power of travel and love.

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love vacation romances, forced proximity, and finding love when you least expect it, Emerald Tide is the perfect escape! 🌊💙

📖 Plot: Aidan Murphy is drowning in responsibility at his family’s Irish pub, so he books a singles’ cruise for some much-needed freedom. Enter Harper Brooks—fresh off a brutal breakup and career setback, looking for a reset. Sparks fly, but can a shipboard fling survive the real world?

💖 Why You’ll Love It:
✔️ Dual POV (especially fun since Harper’s side is in Sapphire Seas)
✔️ Cruise ship setting = all the drama & romance
✔️ Chemistry that feels real—not just insta-love
✔️ Emotional depth—it’s about self-discovery as much as romance

📢 Final Verdict: I loved it and recommend this book.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these books! It's a fun romance story with forced proximity, finding love when you least expect it and with dual points of views, Emerald Tide from Aidan and Sapphire sea from Harper, it makes a very entertaining story! The cruise ship setting is a nice setting especially with the weather finally starting to warm up! Both characters are dealing with their own issues but it was nice to see them heal and grow as individuals and to learn to let each other in and fall in love! Overall it was a good read for this time of the year! Thank you Naughty Nook Pr and J.D. Harbor for sharing these books with me!

[Poorvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapphire sea and Emerald Tide are in same timeline. Sapphire sea is from the perspective of Harper and Emerald Tide is from the perspective of Aidan. There is no sequence in which you should read the book.
Harper Brooks is a successful New York City advertising executive who is always on alert. With an alarming burnout and a high profile breakup, she agrees to go on a singles cruise that her best friend suggested to her. There meets the mmc Aidan Murphy, a chef who is drowning in his own chaos and tribulations of life. He is drowning in responsibility at his family’s Irish pub, so he books a singles’ cruise for some much-needed freedo. Together they seem to forge a friendship and something more as they spend more time together and get to know about each other. But what happens when it's time to get back to their lives? Will this just be a whirlwind adventurous romantic escape or something more than just a spur of the moment?
I read Harper’s perspective first and then Aidan. Both books are good on their own but reading them both give a fuller picture and experience of the whole love story. Both of them have gone something in their life and which made them fell of balance and came on this cruise for an escape and to heal themself. I love i get to read both their povs of the whole story and see how this 6 days gone from them, what they learn , how they heal themself and how they both slowly fall in love. I love their talks like it not all flirty and they talk on so much deeper level and get to know each other.
Character are definitely relatable. Like with Harper trying to make everything in control , trying to live the perfect life and doing everything right by book but it always doesn’t work out the way we wanted it. And with Aidan ,he wanting to do better and but the expectation of other about the things should be was on his shoulder. It was so nice to see both of them go out of their comfort zone and expectation about what is perfect according. Harper learn to let go control and let’s see where life lead , whereas for him he learned to take control in life and do things his way , rather than what was expected.

[Erin Saulpaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerald Tide was from Aidan's point of view! I absolutely loved that Aiden and Harper had separate books. There is no order that they have to be read in. The other cool thing is that it's not required to read both books. You can read one and not the other, and it won't mess up the polt of the story. You just get to see the other persons side of things. However, if you only read one side, then you won't see what made them decide to go on this cruise. You get to decide, which I thought was kind of cool. This was such a cool reading experience. Something I've never experienced before. I will admit I would not like that if it was like that for all books. This was done well, and it just added a special astatic. It was nice not switching POV every other chapter. I read Harper's book first. This is Aiden's POV. You really get to know them with it done this way. Im sure there were way more things added to this story because it wasn't just one book. It would have been way too long for just one book. You would risk losing readers' attention... it's really nice to know that if the story was just ok to you. You're not wasting your time reading another book. It's not like a series. So you get to decide your experience and I think that it's the best part!



This book is the perfect read for spring! Can't go on a cruise? No problem, this book is a great solution to that problem. You won't be on a curse, but you get to meet two people who fall in love with each other while on the cruise.
This is a singles only cruise, too.
The takeaway from this book is that life isn't perfect. Things are not going to go as planned all the time.

[bookquettes]

WOW! I loved these books and it was such a nice pallet cleanser from what I usually read! These books are companion novels, Sapphire Seas is written from our FMC’s pov, Harper Brooks and Emerald tide is written from MMC pov Aiden Murphy! Both of these books can be enjoyed on their own without having to read both of them but to get the full experience I do recommend reading both! Sapphire seas shows our FMC Harper and how she is a successful New York city advertising executive who has her future all planned out until her engagement ends and her career stalls so she decides to go on a singles cruise to help her escape her world which is falling apart! Emerald Tide follows our MMC who needs a break from his father’s legacy and family’s business, an Irish pub to try to realize what he wants for his future and life, until he meets Harper. Harper and Aiden both had amazing chemistry and raw genuine connection. I loved how these books were so much more than a romance story though, it had such phenomenal emotional depth that made me FEEL for the characters! Getting both the FMC&MMC pov helped me connect to the storyline and characters a lot more and made it such an amazing read for me! They each had their own moments and problems going on and seeing how they dealt with it and trying to see whether or not their relationship will last after this cruise was chefs kiss😉! These books were such a good time and I can’t thank Naughty Nook PR and J.D Harbor enough to experience these amazing new favorite reads!

[Isabella Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ARC REVIEW⭐️

“𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓼𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹 𝓻𝓸𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓬𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓻, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓬𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓼 𝓻𝓱𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓶 𝓪 𝓼𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓪𝓬𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷 𝓶𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼.”

First, I want to say thank you to the author and PR company for the amazing package! It was beautiful !

Emerald Tides is a sweet love story set on a singles cruise ship. It’s told strictly from Aidens perspective. Aiden is our MMC who is taking a MUCH needed break from his family business, an Irish pub, to try and relax and find himself again.

He meets the beautiful , Harper, our FMC, who is on the cruise to escape the chaos of work and the constant media scrutiny of her breakup.

They fall into each other pretty quickly but when the cruise comes to an end , they have to make some pretty hard decisions as to what the future will hold for them, if they have a future at all.

The book was ok…it wasn’t great…at least not for me. I would have preferred the book be dual POV so I could see Harpers perspective on things. There is a companion book , Sapphire Seas, that is the story from her perspective, but having the back and forth between them two would have made it feel more cohesive.

The romance fell kind of flat for me. Probably because the majority of the book was about Aiden and his family , and very little about the relationship with Harper.

Again…it wasn’t exactly a book for me, but it wasn’t bad! It just might be the book you love 💚

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerald Tide is a heartwarming and beautifully written story of love and finding happiness while navigating the ebb and flow of life. This book is part of the RomantiSea Serenades series. It's a 15 romance books series that encapsulates love, hope, serenity and journey to find a way back to yourself. With the setting of the calming sea as your witness, find your enjoying the individual journey resonate with you.

The story follows Aidan Murphy who works at his Irish family restaurant and is surely overworked. Despite the constant weight of tradition and responsibilities talks by his father, he is managing to stay afloat. However when everyone tries to convince him to take a break and have a relaxing two weeks, he seems hesitant at first.

Then he finally takes the break by boarding Elysian Serenade cruise for a two week-long relaxation and hopefully find a way back to himself. There onboard, he meets Harper. Together they are forging a path of something that's undeniably magnetic.

But what happens when it's time to get back to their lives? Will this just be a whirlwind adventurous romantic escape or something more than just a spur of the moment?

I really enjoyed reading Emerald Tide which is the companion novel to Sapphire Seas. This book is told from the perspective of Aiden and it gave me an opportunity to explore his character dynamics and emotions. The storyline is punctuated with elements of emotional vulnerabilities, hope, understanding and love that palpitates with appreciation for little moments of life become cherished memories. Body and Piage were amazing characters too.

[Rutuja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

Emerald Tide is a fast-paced, enjoyable escape set on a singles' cruise, where Aidan, seeking relief from family business pressures, and Harper, recovering from a tough breakup and work stress, find themselves drawn to each other. Their backgrounds were well-developed, and the cruise setting made for a fun backdrop, but the romance felt a little rushed due to the short timeline. While I appreciated the fast-moving story, I felt there was a slight lack of chemistry between them, and many of Aidan’s conversations, though supportive, lacked warmth. Still, for a light and breezy read with a fun vacation vibe, this book delivers an entertaining escape.

[Chel Heins · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
1 🌶️
I feel like this story focused on Murphy’s the pub and Aiden’s struggle with his insufferable family dynamic rather than the romance. The cruise itself was only like 25% of the book. I needed more romance, and more interaction with Harper and Aiden, so this unfortunately fell flat for me.

[Kaitlyn Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to J.D. Harbor and team for sending me a copy of this book!

I read Emerald Tide first and then Sapphire Seas. I used to manage an Irish Pub, so this hit close to home for me! I loved following Aidan's journey as he worked through burnout, family issues, and rediscovered his voice and passion. I felt like Aidan and Harper's romance is actually more of a subplot.. they're a slow burn, fling, then go their separate ways. They reconnect later on, but most of this story is about Self-Discovery and loving yourself, which I didn't mind. I think the concept of this series is really fun, having each book be a different person's perspective. While reading Emerald Tide, I found myself wondering what Harper was up to, and then got to find out in Sapphire Seas. I'll definitely be sticking around to see who else we get to meet on the Elysian Cruise!

[Megan Barclay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, great romance story and finding slef worth. Truly kept my in the book the whole time.

[Joanna C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aiden hasn't felt like himself for a long time. Even though he loves cooking, it's been too long since he felt that spark for his work. Unfortunately, his father is set in his ways and refuses to let him experiment with new recipes. Is this all that is out there for Aiden or should he follow his dreams even if they take him away from the family restaurant? I think this a great book to read when you are feeling like you are stuck in life and have lost that spark for what you do.

Thanks to the author and Naughty Nook Pr for the e-arc!

[s.elle.books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book was not for me.

I was expecting a cruise ship romance, which, was maybe (generously) 40% of the book.

60%+ of the book was a drama where the MMC fighting with his dad about their Irish Pub Restaurant.

I would have been into it if it was 20% Pub Drama and 80% cruise romance... But that was not the case.

I thought the book was 50-100 pages longer than it needed to be and very repetitive.

I rated 2 stars as I actually finished it, but wouldn't recommend it.

[Krystal Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you come across a book that was exactly what you needed to read. This book was light, it was heartwarming, it was realistic, it was encouragement to not get stuck in the mundane of life, and it was a reminder that if you do, you also have the capabilities of choosing your happiness and setting boundaries.

It carries a truth that life gets hard sometimes and we might have to step out of our comfort zone to see that this moment of uncertainty isn’t your entire life and we don’t always know what lies ahead of us on our path so being open to new things could be very rewarding.

Aren’t we all deserving of what brings us joy? Life doesn’t have to be elaborate for us to find simple joy in the day to day!

I’ve never read a book with the setting on a cruise ship and I loved it! I didn’t get bored. It kept my attention the whole time! It almost felt like a breath of fresh air.

Truly glad to have ran across this author!! Great plot, loved the characters so much…they were super relatable and the development we saw was so good!! Emerald Tide truthfully did lift my spirits and spark a little motivation in me to make the most of life! This was a wonderful read, and I look forward to the next one!

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book (and companion novel to book 2 “Sapphire Seas”) in a coming series where love is found on the open seas.

Aidan’s passion has always been in the kitchen. He has run the kitchen at his father’s pub for years, but when he begins to feel suffocated by responsibilities his father has placed on him he starts to wonder what else is out there for him.

Aidan’s father grants him a couple weeks time off to figure out his head and what he wants. He ends up going on a singles cruise called “Mingle at Sea,” where he truly begins to fight for what he wants in this life.

He meets a woman on the cruise, Harper, and they bond over their similar situations in the world. They push each other to get out of their comfort zones and finally start living life.

I really loved that there were more scenes that were not in the companion novel. It kept things interesting.

I do wish there were more events and/or dialogue instead of so much inner monologue and quiet contemplation, but that’s a mere personal preference. ❤️💛

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aidan's book of these 2 (Emerald Tide and Sapphire Seas) primarily revolves around miscommunication or lack of communication between Aidan and his Da.

.
.


spoiler alert  They figuratively beat to death Aidan's desire for change and Seamus' (Da) stubbornness. It takes 3 or 4 instances of a possible solution with MJ (and about a year in the book) to be brought up before anything comes to fruition. 


Critiques for both books and for reading them together:

I wanted more romance in both. 

The insta friendships with their cabin mates, Brodie and Paige was unrealistic, especially with the way they sometimes act like they have know each other forever. 


Sometimes I liked the way a scene was written in one book over the other. I was annoyed when they were drastically different in what the conversation was or what occurred. People can have different internal thoughts, but it's written in the third person POV, so I'd expect events and conversations to be the same. 


And the editor missed many quotation marks, a few instances of the wrong tense being used, and some continuity items. 

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style is beautiful. The masterful descriptions of the MMC’s world had me feeling like I was sitting in Murphy’s Pub from page one.
It’s not a closed door romance between the MMC and FMC, but the rare spice is written with genteel care.
There’s not tons of plot advancement directly between the MCs outside of their meetings, hangouts, dates, and romance, but there is character development.
The characters explore conflict within themselves and experience self-discovery, but there’s not much direct conflict between the MCs along the road to denouement.
The story is more centered on how they navigate within their separate little slices of life. They each overcome obstacles to success and happiness in their respective “real world” lives outside their new relationship and use that grow their love connection.
There’s also a bit of a coming-of-age story about the MMC.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading both books. I related to both Aidan and Harper. Feeling stuck and having family fight you with stubbornness is very exhausting. Seeing how both Harper and Aidan overcome the obstacles and thrived reminded me of when I was stuck in the same rut until I decided to risk it and try something new and it paid off.

[Kalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. It was different from what I normally read. I really liked how the plot played out and kept me engaged in the book.