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Tidesfar: A Historical Romance of Power, Legacy, and Enduring Love
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2026
About the author
Cat Porter
40 books1,653 followersI daydream all the time, "what if" way too much, and am a lip-biting romantic. And I don't want to be cured of any of those. Ever. A New Yorker who now lives on a beach in beautiful Greece, I've been writing since forever because I need to. I have two children's books traditionally published and I've self-published my romantic suspense series, spinoff standalones, and a historical. Join me in my world!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 16, 2026
I've not been this PISSED about a book in a very, very, VERY long time. If you do NOT like curse words or vulgar language, you might want to skip this review because I truly do not mean to offend, but I desperately need to express my rage.
You can scroll down to a quick bulleted list of things you MIGHT want to know prior to going into this book that was NOT disclosed by the author or adequately *hinted* at in the blurb.
For anyone else, I'm sorry but,
At 51%-53% I was completely BLINDSIDED.
I mean, I was devouring this book. Raving about it to others when I was forced to work for a living instead of reading it. The writing was absolutely beautiful. And thorough. Yes there were some things at the beginning that felt a little strange, but I pressed on because I was emotionally invested in the story and the two main characters. Then even tragedy struck and
But it was the kind of sadness that still offers hope. And I was living on that hope. Desperately clinging to it.
Then WAM. All of a sudden, this bitch's stare is "lingering longer than appropriate" on another man!
They were such a beautiful couple that had went through some SHIT, but seemed to be completely enamored with each other. This story literally went from one page where the MC's are finding their passionate spark again after enduring heartbreaking loss, to the MMC telling the FMC that they're moving to Naples by assignment of the king and the very next page-- to open a new chapter-- they're in the midst of a party in Naples with the FMC randomly eye-fucking some newly introduced character.
At that point
Then one married couple separates from talking while the wife takes the arm of another man, they put their masks on, and enter a tent together where other "festivities" are taking place. Automatically, my nervous system starts spiraling and I'm like
But nope. The MMC starts saying some kind of bullshit about how they can enter if SHE wants to. Then compares it to her sampling wines she hasn't yet tasted.
He goes on to say something about wanting her to be free to find her pleasure in all forms.
They enter the tent only to confirm that the orgy fest I had already suspected was indeed going down in there and the chapter ends with her taking the hand of the guy she had been previously eye-fucking.
Thankfully we're saved the sordid details because it then cuts to a new chapter which is actually the next "part" of the book which starts "seven years later". At this point, though, all the beautiful, deeply emotional, and complex illusions I had about this story were completely destroyed.
For me, this is not a romance. It would probably be more accurately labeled an erotica in my humble opinion— which is fine and has its place within literature— but absolutely nothing about the blurb or it being labeled a "Regency Romance" or "Historical Romance" prepared me for this rather startling revelation.
And when I say that I was so upset by this, I mean, I was UPSET.
The disbelief.
Feeling deceived.
The rage.
I WAS LIVID...
... to say the least.
Now that I've got all that out of my system.... I'm going to try to explain my position a little more rationally.
I went into this book with such high hopes.
I've read Wolfsgate by Cat Porter. It was the first book in this series and I absolutely loved it. It was heartbreakingly beautiful even though I wasn't quite satisfied with what was deemed as adequate comeuppance for the villain of the story, I still got over it because it was so well written. I haven't ventured into her contemporary work because the subject matter just doesn't seem like my jam... a lot of MC Club stories and such and I just don't tend to vibe well with the tropes of those. But I know that, so I stick away from those kinds of books. I don't ONLY read historical romance, though. I read subgenres of romance all across the board. BUT, I intentionally stick away from some of them because I know there are some subgenres that have the potential to go against what I, PERSONALLY, identify as love. Now, I have no problem at all with others enjoying them. Everyone should be able to read what they enjoy and writers should be able to write whatever they want. HOWEVER, if there are certain aspects of the story that can be particularly problematic for readers, especially if they are atypical to the genre/subgenre, generally that is disclosed post-blurb by the author.
This had none of that.
And, unfortunately, because there is a very limited number of reviews available for it, there was no way for me to research it more in depth to figure it out on my own either. I relied solely on the author's transparency and was greatly disappointed.
At 53%, there were a few elements that were NOT typical for the genre, as well as a couple that I know some readers like to know ahead of time so they can make an informed decision as to whether the book is for them or not. I would like to shed a little light on some of those.
This is when I warn you of potential spoilers! So if you're not interested in that, now is the time to skip out.
The book opens with us finding out that a girl of around 9 or 10 years old and her older brother have just been orphaned. They've been left in the care of their two uncles, but with the brother being 18, enlists in the British Navy to try make enough money to take care of his sister and ensure a promising future for her. It's hinted the uncles are a little strange, but not elaborated on. He will soon be leaving and asks his best friend to check in on his sister from time to time because he's worried about her being left to just them. We find out in the next chapter that jumps 11 years in the future that the brother has died and the little girl is now a woman. The friend never checked on her (not once) as he promised her brother and she has grown up confined to the uncles' house, regularly sneaking around to watch them have sex with whores on dining room tables and such. It goes into detail about her watching her uncle thrust his hips...
But it's ok, because even though she's a virgin, she's schooled in the ways of sexperts because of her peeping tom habits.
She later overhears that her uncles have made an arranged marriage for her to a man old enough to be her grandfather so they can settle their debts. We learn that one uncle in particular had been infatuated with her since she came to be with them at the tender age of 9 years old and the other uncle had to keep her safe from him so he could preserve her precious virginity since that was the only thing of value she possessed. It didn't stop the pervert from trying to grope and fondle her though.
After hearing this she goes into the woods and jumps the bones of the first male she sees and welcomes him to have sex with her right there on the ground and he happily obliges. Of course this is the MMC of the story and so their tale begins.
I know it doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture as far as storylines go, and you can't help but question some of the author's choices, but Ms. Porter is a very talented writer and I was truly invested in this story. I chose to approach it from the stance that she came from a very unfortunate situation and I wanted the absolute BEST for her from thereon after. And maybe one would argue that the author thought that the MMC giving her the freedom to be intimate with anyone she wants is a part of “the best” package, but I would disagree. In fact, I feel like the author wasn’t so sure about that choice either, otherwise why even introduce it to the reader if she didn’t feel comfortable exploring it in depth on page? Maybe I’m wrong. Hell, maybe in a strange twist, the author tried to deceive the reader and we later find out that the FMC “didn’t have sexual relations with that man” [said in my best Bill Clinton impersonation voice 🤣] and if that’s the case, someone PLEASE correct me! But I can’t bring myself to read any further to find out on my own— which is also part of the risk an author willingly takes if they do choose to utilize that kind of deception within their story. JS. I doubt this is the case, though. Anyway. I don’t want to waste anymore of my time on this, as I’ve already sank so much into it without any positive return. I can only hope that maybe all of this ranting can help someone else make an informed decision about reading or not reading this book too.
Things a reader MIGHT want to know:
~ Death of a child
~ Voyeurism
~ Death of a sibling
~ Death of a parent
~ Time Jumps
~ Sexual Relationship between MC's is NOT monogamous
~ Age Gap
~ Abuse
~ Sexual Deviance (explanation is within my rage review unfortunately)
You can scroll down to a quick bulleted list of things you MIGHT want to know prior to going into this book that was NOT disclosed by the author or adequately *hinted* at in the blurb.
For anyone else, I'm sorry but,
At 51%-53% I was completely BLINDSIDED.
I mean, I was devouring this book. Raving about it to others when I was forced to work for a living instead of reading it. The writing was absolutely beautiful. And thorough. Yes there were some things at the beginning that felt a little strange, but I pressed on because I was emotionally invested in the story and the two main characters. Then even tragedy struck and
But it was the kind of sadness that still offers hope. And I was living on that hope. Desperately clinging to it.
Then WAM. All of a sudden, this bitch's stare is "lingering longer than appropriate" on another man!
They were such a beautiful couple that had went through some SHIT, but seemed to be completely enamored with each other. This story literally went from one page where the MC's are finding their passionate spark again after enduring heartbreaking loss, to the MMC telling the FMC that they're moving to Naples by assignment of the king and the very next page-- to open a new chapter-- they're in the midst of a party in Naples with the FMC randomly eye-fucking some newly introduced character.
At that point
Then one married couple separates from talking while the wife takes the arm of another man, they put their masks on, and enter a tent together where other "festivities" are taking place. Automatically, my nervous system starts spiraling and I'm like
But nope. The MMC starts saying some kind of bullshit about how they can enter if SHE wants to. Then compares it to her sampling wines she hasn't yet tasted.
He goes on to say something about wanting her to be free to find her pleasure in all forms.
They enter the tent only to confirm that the orgy fest I had already suspected was indeed going down in there and the chapter ends with her taking the hand of the guy she had been previously eye-fucking.
Thankfully we're saved the sordid details because it then cuts to a new chapter which is actually the next "part" of the book which starts "seven years later". At this point, though, all the beautiful, deeply emotional, and complex illusions I had about this story were completely destroyed.
For me, this is not a romance. It would probably be more accurately labeled an erotica in my humble opinion— which is fine and has its place within literature— but absolutely nothing about the blurb or it being labeled a "Regency Romance" or "Historical Romance" prepared me for this rather startling revelation.
And when I say that I was so upset by this, I mean, I was UPSET.
The disbelief.
Feeling deceived.
The rage.
I WAS LIVID...
... to say the least.
Now that I've got all that out of my system.... I'm going to try to explain my position a little more rationally.
I went into this book with such high hopes.
I've read Wolfsgate by Cat Porter. It was the first book in this series and I absolutely loved it. It was heartbreakingly beautiful even though I wasn't quite satisfied with what was deemed as adequate comeuppance for the villain of the story, I still got over it because it was so well written. I haven't ventured into her contemporary work because the subject matter just doesn't seem like my jam... a lot of MC Club stories and such and I just don't tend to vibe well with the tropes of those. But I know that, so I stick away from those kinds of books. I don't ONLY read historical romance, though. I read subgenres of romance all across the board. BUT, I intentionally stick away from some of them because I know there are some subgenres that have the potential to go against what I, PERSONALLY, identify as love. Now, I have no problem at all with others enjoying them. Everyone should be able to read what they enjoy and writers should be able to write whatever they want. HOWEVER, if there are certain aspects of the story that can be particularly problematic for readers, especially if they are atypical to the genre/subgenre, generally that is disclosed post-blurb by the author.
This had none of that.
And, unfortunately, because there is a very limited number of reviews available for it, there was no way for me to research it more in depth to figure it out on my own either. I relied solely on the author's transparency and was greatly disappointed.
At 53%, there were a few elements that were NOT typical for the genre, as well as a couple that I know some readers like to know ahead of time so they can make an informed decision as to whether the book is for them or not. I would like to shed a little light on some of those.
This is when I warn you of potential spoilers! So if you're not interested in that, now is the time to skip out.
The book opens with us finding out that a girl of around 9 or 10 years old and her older brother have just been orphaned. They've been left in the care of their two uncles, but with the brother being 18, enlists in the British Navy to try make enough money to take care of his sister and ensure a promising future for her. It's hinted the uncles are a little strange, but not elaborated on. He will soon be leaving and asks his best friend to check in on his sister from time to time because he's worried about her being left to just them. We find out in the next chapter that jumps 11 years in the future that the brother has died and the little girl is now a woman. The friend never checked on her (not once) as he promised her brother and she has grown up confined to the uncles' house, regularly sneaking around to watch them have sex with whores on dining room tables and such. It goes into detail about her watching her uncle thrust his hips...
But it's ok, because even though she's a virgin, she's schooled in the ways of sexperts because of her peeping tom habits.
She later overhears that her uncles have made an arranged marriage for her to a man old enough to be her grandfather so they can settle their debts. We learn that one uncle in particular had been infatuated with her since she came to be with them at the tender age of 9 years old and the other uncle had to keep her safe from him so he could preserve her precious virginity since that was the only thing of value she possessed. It didn't stop the pervert from trying to grope and fondle her though.
After hearing this she goes into the woods and jumps the bones of the first male she sees and welcomes him to have sex with her right there on the ground and he happily obliges. Of course this is the MMC of the story and so their tale begins.
I know it doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture as far as storylines go, and you can't help but question some of the author's choices, but Ms. Porter is a very talented writer and I was truly invested in this story. I chose to approach it from the stance that she came from a very unfortunate situation and I wanted the absolute BEST for her from thereon after. And maybe one would argue that the author thought that the MMC giving her the freedom to be intimate with anyone she wants is a part of “the best” package, but I would disagree. In fact, I feel like the author wasn’t so sure about that choice either, otherwise why even introduce it to the reader if she didn’t feel comfortable exploring it in depth on page? Maybe I’m wrong. Hell, maybe in a strange twist, the author tried to deceive the reader and we later find out that the FMC “didn’t have sexual relations with that man” [said in my best Bill Clinton impersonation voice 🤣] and if that’s the case, someone PLEASE correct me! But I can’t bring myself to read any further to find out on my own— which is also part of the risk an author willingly takes if they do choose to utilize that kind of deception within their story. JS. I doubt this is the case, though. Anyway. I don’t want to waste anymore of my time on this, as I’ve already sank so much into it without any positive return. I can only hope that maybe all of this ranting can help someone else make an informed decision about reading or not reading this book too.
Things a reader MIGHT want to know:
~ Death of a child
~ Voyeurism
~ Death of a sibling
~ Death of a parent
~ Time Jumps
~ Sexual Relationship between MC's is NOT monogamous
~ Age Gap
~ Abuse
~ Sexual Deviance (explanation is within my rage review unfortunately)
Read
June 3, 2026Okay, I skimmed this book after I read a review about the hero letting her indulge with someone else. The reviewer was hoping, as was I, that they didn't actually share but they did. I then discovered they were the notorious couple from book 2 who led a scandalous life. They shared, had orgies and assorted nauseating stuff. I didn't realize they were the hero and heroine of this book. But she tired of that life after seven years and they decided to be a normal monogamous couple by the end. The book is divided into two parts. The first part is how they found love and how he introduced her to his depraved lifestyle. In part 2 of this, is seven years later and she is sick of that life. There were no detailed scenes just some brief memories. I didn't get the relationships between the characters. I only skimmed it though. They then recall events that happened but we were not privy too. At least I was not. They must be in the other books. I don't know. I read Wolfsgate a year ago and i loved it but I do not remember all the details. I may go and reread it. Evil uncles, A return from the dead, a new baby and assorted misfortunes. The romance was very minimal in that part. But in the end there is an HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2026
Spellbinding and Mesmerizing!
Cat has done it again! I was caught up in the first few pages. Rowen and Cassandra’s relationship is off the charts and there are many twists and turns! A must read!
Cat has done it again! I was caught up in the first few pages. Rowen and Cassandra’s relationship is off the charts and there are many twists and turns! A must read!
April 22, 2026
This is such a great book. Love this series but I think finally getting the Dukes and Duchess’ story was worth the wait. These are great books that have great characters and are great historical stories.
April 29, 2026
An historical romance that will have you clutching your tiara, and gasping as the characters figure their way through all the obstacles that life was throwing at them.
A young lady who was left in the care of her uncles is not cared for in any way whatsoever. The night Rowen becomes Duke of Oakley, is a bit disturbing, but not unlike what I would have believed for that time period – when women were brokered for an advantageous alliance. But Cassandra had already figured her way to get back at her evil uncles. And a big twist near the end had me gasping, then cheering because all was going to be okay.
I found the beginning of the book a bit slow. Perhaps because there was just so much information and character development to do. But once I got to about the half way point, things started to really happen, and made up for the slow beginning.
In my opinion, I think I like the Lock and Key series better - I simply couldn’t get enough. Maybe it’s because I’m not a huge fan of the historical romances. Even so, after reading Wolfsgate (Book 1), I had to read more.
Thank you Cat Porter for this gifted e-book. The above is my own and personal opinion.
A young lady who was left in the care of her uncles is not cared for in any way whatsoever. The night Rowen becomes Duke of Oakley, is a bit disturbing, but not unlike what I would have believed for that time period – when women were brokered for an advantageous alliance. But Cassandra had already figured her way to get back at her evil uncles. And a big twist near the end had me gasping, then cheering because all was going to be okay.
I found the beginning of the book a bit slow. Perhaps because there was just so much information and character development to do. But once I got to about the half way point, things started to really happen, and made up for the slow beginning.
In my opinion, I think I like the Lock and Key series better - I simply couldn’t get enough. Maybe it’s because I’m not a huge fan of the historical romances. Even so, after reading Wolfsgate (Book 1), I had to read more.
Thank you Cat Porter for this gifted e-book. The above is my own and personal opinion.
June 29, 2026
I think the author had the perfect words for this imperfect love story…. “Wildly improper and un-classic”.
Some love stories get a start, a middle and an ending where everything runs so smoothly. Other love stories are hard fought and everyone comes out battered and bruised. This one is more like door number two. I was obsessed with the story of Rowen and Cassandra. It was so appropriate and real for the times. It was beauty and ugly wrapped in a package of deception, but bound with a ribbon of trust and love.
This entire series is wonderful! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Some love stories get a start, a middle and an ending where everything runs so smoothly. Other love stories are hard fought and everyone comes out battered and bruised. This one is more like door number two. I was obsessed with the story of Rowen and Cassandra. It was so appropriate and real for the times. It was beauty and ugly wrapped in a package of deception, but bound with a ribbon of trust and love.
This entire series is wonderful! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews