I just love a book that grabs me with the first sentence and first page - especially if it makes me laugh. This book did just that, and had me texting the line to my bestie to share the amusement. She'll have to read the book herself to see where it went from there. 😉
In this second installment of the Storm Tide series by Sarah M. Eden, we meet Kiplinger Summerfield (stupendous character name, in my opinion), a modern-day American and recently out-of-work actor. He has been residing in London for many years, and working on a period drama TV series. As he struggles to find a new role among the fickle world of acting, his wonderful best friend helps line him up with a job that will allow him to use his acting skills, despite the rather humbling step-down of the position. He is on his way to Guilford Island to work as a historical reenactor when a storm lands him in the Tides of Time, where he is then rescued by the lighthouse keeper on Guilford Island. The only problem? He is now in the year 1803!
Amelia Archibald, orphaned at a young age and taken in by her aunt and uncle, has a debilitating fear of the ocean. Even the sound of the waves is enough to disquiet her. While her uncle and aunt are good to her, her grandfather is a cruel, wretched man. He is already dead at the beginning of the story, but his despicableness reaches beyond the grave, as he does everything possible to prevent her from receiving her rightful inheritance. He cannot outright refuse it to her, but he does his best to prevent her access to it by placing demands in his will that will make it nearly impossible for her to fulfill the tasks required for receiving her inheritence.
Kip takes an inordinate amount of time to realize he is no longer in the modern day and is not just on an island that really sticks to historical accuracy for the sake of the reenactment. Normally, such obtuseness would wear on me, but because he truly thought everyone was acting, it actually made for quite an amusing thread. He and Amelia form a friendship, and then more, as they work together to help restore the estate and try to meet the demands of her grandfather's will, while also thwarting a greedy man who wants her to fail so that he can get his own hands on her inheritence.
I enjoyed this book so much! As always, Eden's writing is impeccable, and she weaves drama, laughter, and emotion into every aspect. Unlike the first novel in this series, there was only one jump. (I hope that doesn't count as a spoiler!) Because the previous book had multiple, I was never quite sure what was going to happen at the end of this one. I also liked the fact that while this is a series, every single character is brand new. Captain Travers is mentioned, but never actually makes an appearance. So the only recurring "character" is the Tides of Time! This is exciting, because it means there are SO many ways each book can go, and each one will be fresh and new!
I love the ending of this book! I had convinced myself that it was going to go a different way, but was happy to find out I was wrong. I will be eagerly awaiting more installments of this series! Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for advanced access to this gem. All opinions are my own, and I was not required to leave a positive review.