Tides and Torment

by Caitlan Honer

“Has anyone ever told you that you look ravishing when you’re dying?”

Roisin—an indestructible, heavens-approved assassin—has once again found herself imprisoned. Luckily for her, she once tricked a god into servitude, and he now has no choice but to obey her every command, which includes a (relatively) swift rescue and escape. Thaddeus—aka Thadaryx, God of Sight—would love nothing more than to kill the girl holding his chains and be free to trick more souls into damnation. Instead, he’s forced to help her escape, posing as husband and wife aboard a ship that quickly takes a turn when someone starts killing the passengers one by one.

After Roisin is targeted, she realizes that Thaddeus is the only one whose murderous intents she can trust while on a ship full of suspects. The two strike a deal to hunt down the Thaddeus helps Roisin play detective, and once a day he can test her indestructibility. Together, Roisin and Thaddeus must navigate murder, ocean storms, and the rising tensions beginning to infiltrate their fake marriage. Bodies are piling up, and time is running out to uncover the truth before they reach land.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Pirates, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Mystery

Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 10, 2026

Reviews

[Taskin⋆彡⭒ · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

4.25/5⭐⭐⭐⭐
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼

Roisin is a literally indestructible, goddess bound assassin. Thaddeus is the nearly forgotten (and ironically blind) god of sight, bound to obey her after a bargain gone wrong years ago. They genuinely hate each other at first, which makes it so satisfying watching them slowly learn to depend on and care for one another.

The story kicks off with Roisin in jail, again, and Thaddeus reluctantly pulled in to save her. When the two escape and stow away on a ship, passengers start disappearing one by one, and they're dragged into a mystery just twisty enough to keep you guessing without being impossible to figure out.

But honestly, the real draw is the tension. The banter is phenomenal, the dialogue made me giggle more than once, and the yearning, especially from Thaddeus, hit exactly right. Both characters are carrying real trauma, and watching that complexity unfold alongside the slow burn felt genuinely emotional.

The worldbuilding, particularly the lore around the gods and forgotten gods, is fresh and inventive, even if it's a little hard to fully grasp at times. Also plus points for the GORGEOUS cover on this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Author for providing me with this ARC in exchange of an honest review

[˚★. Sohaatje ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the arc!

This story was fun, it took me a while to finish it because I was busy but every time I got back to read it, time went by so fast!!
- Fast paced
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- Forgotten God x Gods assassin
- Enemies to .. idk
- Murder Mystery
- Fake marriage

It’s not your typical “love story”

Loved Roisin! This is the first time I feel kind of connected to a character because I see myself in her, the way she feels about herself, how she copes with things etc. Thaddeus on the other hand.. I didn’t feel much, cuz literally until 60% he was trying to kill her 😭 I was wondering if they’re going to end up together or what because they’ve been constantly on each others throat lol.

Absolutely loved the Murder Mystery vibes in this was kinda creepy and had my mind spinning, you never knew who is who and if they’re guilty or not!!

It was funny too!! Omg when I first read “Thaddy” BAAAHHAHAHA I laughed so hard 😂😭


IM SO UPSET WE DIDNT GET MORE OF THESE TWO..!?!? The ending reminded me of bed time stories (I didn’t receive them but based on what I know) when they say “and now they lived happily ever after” when they don’t ELABORATE enough...? If you know what I mean I can’t really explain it😭💔 they were talking and you get to see Thaddeus feelings and thoughts about all that got going on and that’s it.🥲

It was a little hard to fully understand the world building, yk surrounding the Gods and Hidden ones etc. But it didn’t affect the story much so if you didn’t fully understand everything (like me) you won’t have much trouble with understanding the rest of the book!💕
Little spoiler ahead:‼️

I truly wished we got more of them, so this book is definitely YA. I had my “awww” moment when he got in the tub to comfort her.
I also loved when they opened up about their past and their traumas. Very intimate.

I liked the fact that Roisin stopped making excuses for what he did because at some point she thought “yeah there’s no way he actually likes me and I’m just falling for his charms” eventually I think she got over it and he fell for her PFFFF

MERRIK AND ELOYN oh my god I miss yall and I wished yall got to see your family 💔

I always felt something sketchy about Alonzo and I was right 🙌🏻
In the epilogue we got to see Devikas pov and more about what her plans are.. I wished we got to see if Roisin and Thaddeus found Sawyer.🥲

I may add to the review later on because I have a problem with barely remembering anything about books I just finished reading…😬😀

[fey · Rating 3 out of 5]

─── ⋆ ㅤ⤹ 🌊 3 stars! 𓂅★ˊˎ-
♡ full review with free spoilers . .

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ ⟡ ֗ ۪ “has anyone ever told you that you look ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ‎ ‎ ‎ravishing when you're dying?”

⠀ ⠀🛟. . tropes in the book .ᐟ #⃞ 🫧⚓️
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 fake marriage
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 enemies to lovers
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 dark atmosphere & angst
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ‎ ‎ 𑇛 forced proximity
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ‎ ‎ 𑇛 gods & assains
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 nautical fantasy
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 murder on the ship

𑣲﹙ ᩠ ⛈️ ᩧ゙ ﹚ㅤㅤ⋆ ৎ summary.
The story follows Roisin, an undefeated, Heaven-sanctioned assassin who finds herself imprisoned. To secure her freedom, she is forced to strike a deal with Thaddeus, a blind god with heightened mystical senses whom she had betrayed and deceived in the past.

Their mission takes them onto a ship traversing open seas, where they must pose as a married couple to stay undetected. However, the voyage turns deadly when a murderer begins taking out passengers one by one. Trapped on the ship amidst raging ocean storms, Roisin and Thaddeus must combine her deadly combat skill and his divine insight to track down the killer before they become the next targets.

𑁤﹙ ᩠ 🌊 ᩧ゙ ﹚ㅤㅤ⋆ ୭ thoughts.
now *this* is what you call enemies to lovers yall 🫵🏻i bow respectfully to the author omg i absolutely ADORED the tension between the characters the early chapters dragged a bit for me, though, because i was trying to get a handle on the plot there were events in the book that i struggled to understand or couldn't quite grasp, but I think that has to do with me.

𑣲﹙ ᩠ 🦑 ᩧ゙ ﹚ㅤㅤ⋆ ৎ characters.

roisin vane. ˖ ৎ
this is exactly how you write a strong female character i absolutely loved that she didn't fear the gods. She’s my new favorite female character; she never made a wrong move and always acted using her intelligence

thaddeus vance ˖ ৎ
i loved how he pretended not to care about Rois but would get worried whenever something happened to her i loved that "yearning" vibe, aside from the part where he actually hated her and wanted her dead he fell in love in the end.

∿ ⚓️🏴‍☠️ ⌗ ⌇ this book as a weather : rainstorm .ᐟ 🌪️໑ ₊˚ “if i am to drown in these tides, i will make sure i drag you down with me.”


֗ ۪ ﹡ㅤ ֗ ۪ ⟡ ֗ ۪ ﹡ㅤ ֗ 

⠀ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎.ᐟ‎‎🗡️ ♯ pre-read ‎ ᰋ
🌊 ── started on : 18.09.26, finished on : 29.09.26

i requested for arc cuz the story looks interesting and i liked the cover, it’s so pretty <3 eek i got the arc 💐😼 it will be the first book of the author's that i read, the universe looks beautiful 🏴‍☠️🛥️


‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⚓️ৎ ⋆ ── ⟡ what to expect :
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 fake marriage
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 enemies to lovers
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 dark atmosphere & angst
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ‎ ‎ 𑇛 forced proximity
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ‎ ‎ 𑇛 gods & assains
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 nautical fantasy
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ 𑇛 murder on the ship


ㅤ⤿ thank you to netgalley and turner publishing, for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[jas ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy received from Netgalley

This book is what we call a true enemies to lovers. The story begins with Thaddeus despising Roisin, and his reason for doing so is completely valid. But I love them together so damn much. I was burning with anticipation the entire time waiting for that hate to turn into something else. It’s definitely a slow-burn though, and I can’t wait to see their relationship evolve further in the next book.

I won’t say what Roisin does at the end, only that I was hoping she wouldn’t follow through and I don’t know how I’m going to forgive her for it. A shame, because prior to that moment, I really liked her. But she has a lot of character development to go through, so I expect some major improvement from her in the next book. And Thaddeus got over what she did pretty much instantly, which doesn’t hurt.

Speaking of Thaddeus, I’m obsessed with this man. Fucking love him. Thaddy is damn right. One of the things that struck me the most about him is that when he was a full-fledged god worshipped by humans, he was a kind one. Watching him edge back towards who he used to be was wonderful.

The worst part about this book is that it doesn’t come out until November, meaning book two is even further away. Which pains my soul.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It was well-written and the premise is just so damn cool. An indestructible assassin and an immortal god chained to her command? Say less.

I will note that there were some typos and numerous formatting errors, but that’s normal for this being an arc. And again, the book doesn’t come out until November, so there’s plenty of time to fix those.

This was a buddy read with my friend Cris who thankfully loved it just as much as I did. Because if she didn’t, it would have been on sight 😊🔪

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

thank you to the publisher for the arc♡

[Annabel (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)]

Thank you Netgalley and Turner Publishing/Keylight for the eARC!

𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ໒꒰ྀི ᴗ͈ . ᴗ͈ ꒱ྀིა
excited to start on this - first off, the cover art is so pretty!! and the premise does sound interesting omg the God of Sight butting heads with a deadly assassin 🤭

[Bethany Crow · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

⋆ Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC! ⋆
| 4.25 ⭐️|
If I had to describe this book in one sentence, I would say it's an incredible fantasy book with enemies to lovers, mystery subplot- but make it on a pirate ship.
Going more in depth though, this has everything I loved. The tension was simmering, it was a true enemies to lovers, and it was written very well. They genuinely hated each other, then learned to depend and care for one another and there past and current struggles.
The yearning- especially from Thaddeus- was top tier. And it had forced proximity trope which I absolutely adore.
The banter was phenomenal, the dialouge sometimes made me giggle. And the scenes where they were getting to know eachother- amazing.
The mystery had me intrigued, and I was able to guess a part of what was going on.
All I'm saying is this book left leaving me wanting more. I really hope this author writes more in this world or with these characters, and if she does, I'll be lining up to read it.

[little fox ⋆˚✿˖° · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟
I love when they serve genuine enemies to lovers that don't fall in love five chapters into the book, AND have an amazing plot
Roisin and Thadaryx, I can't wait to read more of you 😩

[Chrissy (alostbookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, the publishers and the author for this eARC in return for an honest review!

This book was exactly what I needed! A dramatic enemies to lovers with a murder mystery in the mix, that was incredibly well written. The characters, the world, all of it I loved and I'm dying - DYING - for book 2 in the series, because I want to continue with Roisin and Thaddeus on their adventures.

Horner built an amazing world, filled with gods, goddesses, mortals and more, and I loved that she made it feel familiar without spoon feeding us, instead she drip fed us information and tidbits about the world when we needed to know it. There are still a few things that have been left unsaid, which I'm so excited to discover more about.

The characters I adored - the chemistry and tension between Roisin and Thaddeus gave me whiplash in the best ways, as they started to let their guards down amd then remember who they were. Roisin being a badass immortal assassin, and Thaddeus being a blind god, relying on the sight of others - I loved the ideas behind their characters and they were executed so well!

And then the ending! Drama, plot twists, more murder - ugh it had everything and it was so unexpected! I love a mystery that I can't predict and that always makes a book highly rated for me! And the cliffhanger at the end, I am desperate for the next book already!

A superb read and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves their murder mysteries with a little bit of fantasy and romance tied into it!

[KazReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roisin and Thaddeus are the stars of this murder mystery romantasy. They’re funny, murderous, and vulnerable. Both have great character arcs and a relationship progression that makes sense in this fast paced story.

The plot is heavily based on the murder mystery, with the fantasy elements—the world building and magic system—taking on a more supporting role. I think despite knowing the story would centre around the murder mystery, I had still expected the fantasy of it to take centre stage. The world building is set at the foundations, but not explored in depth. Though I expect it will be in further instalments on the series.

The murder mystery and cast of side characters and villains felt like a classic iteration of the genre, with the character types, villain, and entanglements, without being trite.

It’s easy to feel for the characters we get to know well, their motivations and struggles relatable. I look forward to exploring more of Roisin and Thaddeus as individuals and together.

[Lotta Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company | Keylight Books for this ARC - all thoughts are my own!

This is another cover that I loved and the concept of the book seemed interesting too BUT unfortunately this one was a DNF for me at page 87.

There was some banter going on back and forth between the two main characters. The start was pretty faced paced with the plot which was good. I think the main issue for me was that the MC's really, REALLY hated each other. They are both quite messed up to be honest. I just don't like where these characters are going and for me there is no going back when they started trying to kill each other. That's a line I'm not willing to overlook really, threat of violence is fine, hate vibes, verbal banter/fighting is all fine, but the barrier of physical violence between supposed future lovers is just not something I'm vibing with right now.

[Jami Montgomery]

I was so excited to receive an e-arc of this book! I dove right in.

First of all, I loved the writing. There were so many moments that made me wish I had a physical copy so I could break out my highlighters and pens. The banter between Roisin and Thaddeus was so good. You can very clearly tell they have a long and complicated relationship with each other. I felt like their attitudes toward each other and themselves made a nice progression through this first book, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow in the next book!

I also loved the world building in this book. The magic was so cool. It's not fully.explained, but I think it leaves a lot of room to keep growing in the next installment. I can't wait to see what these characters get themselves into next.

The murder mystery aspect was also fun. Until the reveal, I really had no idea who I could trust and who I couldn't, which I think is good for a mystery.
Overall, a fun and entertaining read that kept me up until 2 am to finish it. Can't wait for more from
Caitlan 🩷🩷

[Bree Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not ready for how amazing this book was going to be. The god of sight being indebted a badass assassin?
The banter had me kicking my feet and giggling. I read it in one sitting! I also thought I was knew who the murderer was like 3 times. Wow! Can’t wait for the next one.

[Juls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good banter, a murder mystery, true enemies-to-…? and one of the best FMC ever!
That forced-proximity trope took an entire other level with a fake marriage AND a curfew. 👀
Had a difficult time rooting for the MMC but I think that was the point of his character so well done!

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Turner Publishing Company, Keylight Books, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I don’t even know where to begin with how much I loved this book!!

Read this if you like: ACTUAL enemies-to-lovers, an indestructible assassin x a god tied to her and genuinely hates her, forced proximity, fake marriage, dual POV, murder mysteries, vicious banter, and slow-burn relationships where every tiny shift between the characters has you losing your mind.

Tides and Torment gave me ALL of that and more.

If you’ve read The Wicked King and loved the whole “she can command him and he HAS to obey her, but he freaking HATES that she has that power over him” dynamic? Then yes, you’re going to want to read this one.

Except here, that loss of autonomy isn’t just delicious fuel for the enemies-to-lovers tension—it becomes a genuinely important part of their relationship and the way trust, choice, and intimacy develop between them.

It’s basically fantasy murder mystery meets enemies-to-lovers romcom, wrapped up in a much larger story about gods, dangerous bargains, memory and the things people are willing to sacrifice for power.

And I ate it UP.

📚 So, what is Tides and Torment actually about?📚
“Has anyone ever told you that you look ravishing when you’re dying?”

Roisin Larke is an indestructible assassin in service to Ilenea, the Goddess of Souls. For decades, she has been carrying out the goddess’s orders, hunting down those who make dangerous bargains with the forgotten gods known as the Hidden Ones.

There’s just one slightly inconvenient complication: Roisin has a Hidden One of her own.

Thaddeus—or Thadaryx, God of Sight—is magically bound to her, forced to answer her summons and obey her commands despite the fact that he would very much prefer to see his captor dead.

So when Roisin gets herself imprisoned during an assassination gone wrong, she does what any reasonable person would do and summons the god who hates her to come rescue her.

One bloody escape and a set of stolen identities later, Roisin and Thaddeus find themselves aboard a ship bound for Zilwyn, posing as a perfectly ordinary married couple while surrounded by strangers and trapped together for the duration of the voyage.

And then someone aboard turns up dead.

What begins as an already rather inconvenient journey becomes a murder mystery as Roisin starts investigating the other passengers, secrets begin emerging, and it becomes increasingly clear that there may be far more happening aboard the ship than either of them realised.

All while Roisin and Thaddeus are forced into close quarters, pretending to be happily married and trying very hard to ignore the increasingly inconvenient chemistry developing between two people who, by all reasonable accounts, should absolutely fucking hate each other.

📚FMC: An indestructible assassin I ADORED📚
Roisin’s indestructibility could so easily have been nothing more than a cool supernatural ability, but I loved how deeply it shapes who she is. Because being indestructible does NOT mean being immune to pain. Roisin can still bleed, break bones and suffer horrific injuries. Her body simply heals and refuses to surrender.

And the price she paid for that ability when she made her bargain with the Hidden Ones as a child is considerably more devastating than she ever understood.

Roisin has lived longer than an ordinary mortal should, survived things nobody should have survived, and carries losses that all the supernatural healing in the world can do absolutely nothing about.

The more we learn about her, the more you realise how much grief and history sit underneath the personality she presents to the world.

Roisin is dramatic, clever, reckless, vicious when she needs to be, and catastrophically committed to looking fabulous at all times. She’ll make jokes while bleeding and prioritise pretty dresses at wildly inappropriate moments. Her own indestructibility has given her a completely warped relationship with danger, and I loved every second of it.

But what I especially loved is that she doesn’t suddenly stop being funny when the story reveals something painful about her. If anything, the more I understood what she has lived through, the more her humour, recklessness, and determination to enjoy beautiful things made sense.

She’s a badass. She’s vain, violent, ridiculous and funny. But she’s ALSO carrying an enormous amount of grief. Women can contain multitudes!!! And I loved her so much.

📚 Enter Thaddeus, the God of Sight📚
Thaddeus. The God of Sight… Who has no eyes. I LOVE THIS CONCEPT SO MUCH.

Because while Thaddeus has no eyes of his own, blindness means something very different when you’re the God of Sight.

Rather than seeing through his own eyes, he can borrow the vision of creations around him. A person, a bird… or a spider. Whatever happens to be watching. And I absolutely LOVED how creative the book gets with this ability.

Sometimes it’s genuinely useful, allowing him to gather information or notice things nobody else can. Sometimes it gives us fascinating glimpses into just how differently he experiences the world. And sometimes his best friend is a freaking spider sitting in the corner of the room giving him eight glorious angles of Roisin… in the bathtub (help).

His Sight makes for SO many excellent scenes because it actually influences how he experiences the story. What can he see? Whose eyes are available to him? What information does that give him? And what remains inaccessible?

And Sight itself means so much more in this world than ordinary vision. It encompasses perception, memory, imagination, dreams, and the ways people mentally experience reality. I loved gradually discovering what that means and getting little glimpses of just how powerful Thadaryx, God of Sight, once was.

Because the Thaddeus we meet is nowhere near his full power. Being bound has severely restricted his abilities, and I loved that those limitations genuinely matter. He might be a god, but he never becomes a convenient solution to every problem. There are established rules governing what he can see, how he can see it and what he is capable of doing, and the book continually finds creative ways to work within them.

I also loved the slightly devil-like quality of Thaddeus as a Hidden One. He loves to lure mortals into bargains with forgotten gods, tempting people with the power to get whatever they desperately want… for a price.

And I especially loved how this puts him directly at odds with Roisin, because those mortals who make deals are literally the people Ilenea sends her to kill. Thaddeus can tempt someone into making a bargain with a Hidden One, while Roisin’s job is to hunt down the people who make them. It’s such a clever two-birds-one-stone piece of worldbuilding: it tells us more about Thaddeus and his role as a forgotten god while simultaneously giving these two yet another very real reason to be on opposing sides.

Also, it made him super hot, why lie?

📚 He does not secretly like her. He HATES her📚
And THIS is where you need to understand what being bound actually means.

Knowing Thaddeus’s true name gives Roisin power over him (like in Wicked King, if you know you know!!!). When she commands him, he has to obey. If she summons him, he has to come—and resisting that compulsion physically HURTS him.

His autonomy is quite literally in her hands. And Thaddeus absolutely HATES her for it.

One of the first things we learn from his POV is that he would very much like his captor dead. He resents answering her summons and commands, and what being bound has taken from him. And the glimpses we get of his history make it very clear that his feelings about being controlled did not begin with Roisin…

I cannot express how refreshing I found that because THIS is the kind of antagonism I want when a fantasy romance is selling me enemies-to-lovers. He isn’t “grumpy MMC who claims to hate the FMC while internally thinking about how beautiful she is.”

Their conflict exists independently of their attraction. There is history between them. There is a serious imbalance of power between them. There are legitimate reasons Thaddeus cannot simply shrug off what Roisin has done just because she’s hot.

And crucially, the attraction develops INSIDE that conflict rather than replacing it.

The book allows him to become curious about her without forgetting that he resents her. He can be attracted to her and still want his freedom. They can have an unexpectedly vulnerable moment and then immediately return to antagonising each other because one conversation hasn’t magically resolved decades of resentment.

THAT makes every tiny change between them SO much more satisfying.

And the dual POV is absolutely essential to making it work because we know his hatred is real. We’re inside his head. We also get the full comedy of watching two extremely stubborn people gradually become more interested in each other while both remain committed to explaining away every single piece of evidence.

A look means nothing… A moment of concern means nothing. That weird little flicker of jealousy DEFINITELY means nothing. They are simply enemies who happen to be increasingly obsessed with what the other one is doing at all times. Obviously.

And because their starting point feels genuine, every tiny crack in that hostility feels earned, which makes the slow burn SO freaking good.

📚 The banter. THE BANTER!!!📚
I could probably recommend this book based on their dialogue alone. Their dynamic is hilarious!

Roisin knows exactly how much Thaddeus dislikes her and seems to take that as a personal challenge to become even more irritating. Thaddeus, meanwhile, has had centuries to refine the art of contempt.

Put them in close quarters and let them pretend to be married? Perfection.

The fake-marriage element works especially well because neither of them is remotely interested in making the experience easy for the other. I loved the constant competition to see who can make the other one more uncomfortable, except underneath all of it there is increasingly obvious chemistry that neither of them particularly wants to acknowledge.

And I especially loved how the book uses the rules surrounding Thaddeus’s autonomy to make that tension even better. Without getting too far into Thaddeus’s history, there are very good reasons why he doesn’t automatically trust Roisin when she tells him that she would never use their bond to force intimacy from him.

But Roisin is adamant. She would never do that to him. In fact, she makes it part of their deal—if she ever commands him to be intimate with her, the deal is off and he is free.

So naturally, Thaddeus decides he’s going to seduce her into asking. Because if Roisin asks HIM to do something intimate with her willingly, then surely that counts and he’d be free.

The absolute confidence with which this man embarks upon his master plan while apparently failing to consider the tiny problem that if HE willingly initiates something with HER without her asking for it, that is very much NOT the same thing??? And GOD, the scenes that come out of this…

It makes their flirting so much more entertaining because they’re not simply attracted to each other and refusing to admit it. Thaddeus is over there convincing himself that whatever increasingly questionable thing he’s doing is obviously part of a cunning strategy to regain his freedom, while Roisin is desperately trying not to let her VERY touch-starved heart fall for it.

📚 The romance has more going on than chemistry📚
As funny as all of that is, I think what ultimately made their relationship work so well for me is how seriously the book takes the idea of choice. Because for all the power Roisin technically holds over Thaddeus, what SHE desperately wants is for someone to choose her. To WANT to stay and WANT to help and WANT to care about her.

To do something for her not because a god, a bargain, a command, or an obligation says they must, but simply because they want to. And once you understand that about her, so much of the way she treats Thaddeus becomes more meaningful.

Despite how much she enjoys pretending to lord her control over him, Roisin actually avoids commanding him unless she feels she has to. She asks. She bargains. She gives him the opportunity to agree.

Because forcing Thaddeus to give her something might satisfy an immediate need, but it can never give Roisin what she actually wants from another person: willingness.

The murder mystery gives us possibly the best example of this.

Roisin needs Thaddeus’s help investigating. She could command him to cooperate and be done with it. Instead, she offers him a deal: Help me willingly, and in return you get one hour every day in which you’re allowed to try to kill me.

It is such an absolutely unhinged arrangement, and LET ME TELL YOU, the scenes this leads to!!! Gosh…

But underneath how entertaining it is, I loved what the bargain represents. Rather than taking away Thaddeus’s choice to get what she wants, Roisin gives him more freedom and offers him something HE wants in exchange for his voluntary cooperation.

And that distinction between obedience and choice continues to matter in increasingly emotional ways as their relationship develops.

A request means something different from a command. Cooperation means something different when he could have refused. An act of kindness matters because it didn’t HAVE to happen. A moment of vulnerability matters because neither of them can FORCE genuine trust. And affection means so much more when you know it was freely given...

So gradually, underneath all the insults, murder attempts, threats, and completely deranged flirting, you start noticing the things they do for each other when they don’t HAVE to.

Those were some of my absolute favourite moments in the book. It’s built through the increasingly obvious gap between what they SAY they feel and what they CHOOSE to do.

📚 I was obsessed with the worldbuilding📚
Some of the mythology confused me at first, particularly understanding the distinction between the Hidden Ones and the other gods, how the Immortal River worked, and exactly where everyone fit within it all.

But the more I read, the more everything started falling into place. And I actually really appreciated that!

Rather than stopping the story for massive infodumps or explaining every aspect of the mythology the moment it’s introduced, the book trusts you to learn about the world as you go. We pick things up through the characters, their histories, religious beliefs, divine bargains and the different things they encounter along the way.

It made discovering the world feel like part of the actual story rather than information I had to memorise before I could enjoy it.

And there is SO much here I found fascinating: forgotten gods, divine bargains and their consequences, the Immortal River, the complicated relationship between mortals and gods, and the underlying importance of memory and remembrance that just keeps becoming more intriguing the deeper you get into the story.

There are histories we’ve only glimpsed, questions about the gods I desperately want answered and parts of this mythology that feel like they could become SO much bigger.

So yes, I will be needing book two immediately, thank you very much.

📚 If you like actual antagonism in ETL-books...📚
READ THIS.

Especially if you’re tired of “enemies-to-lovers” meaning two attractive people exchange three sarcastic comments before immediately wanting to sleep together.

Roisin and Thaddeus’s chemistry is there, absolutely. But there is also a genuine reason for the antagonism between them. Or, more accurately, a genuine reason why he hates her. And the book never forgets that.

Their attraction doesn’t erase the resentment. Their resentment doesn’t prevent reluctant understanding. Their growing understanding doesn’t magically fix the much larger problems between them. And wanting each other certainly doesn’t mean they’re suddenly ready to admit that anything about their relationship has changed.

There is genuine emotional work left to do, which is exactly why I became so invested.

We get all those tiny shifts that I absolutely LIVE for in a slow burn. A moment of unexpected concern, an act of kindness neither wants to examine too closely, vulnerability that slips out before someone can hide it again… The increasingly flimsy excuses they make for why they’re behaving differently towards each other.

And those moments hit SO much harder because the book has actually convinced me of where these two started.

One tiny moment of softness can mean more than pages of romantic declarations when you know that earlier versions of these characters would rather have died than give it to each other.

And I think that sums up why Tides and Torment worked so well for me in general. It gave me all the things that made me want to pick it up in the first place—an indestructible assassin, a forgotten god, fake marriage, forced proximity, a murder mystery, vicious banter, and ACTUAL enemies-to-lovers—but there was so much more underneath all of it than I expected.

And when I finished, I immediately wanted more. So, yes. Five stars. I freaking loved it.

Now give me book two.

[Sasha | omgitssmk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I shift myself just slightly so that my right eye aligns with the gap between the doors of the closet I'm currently sitting within. The room is very dark except for the light shining from the outside window where I can see just barely a gloved hand pulling out a knife that gleams a few seconds as footsteps slowly make their way over to the left side of the bed; the bed that is only a few feet in front of where I'm hiding.

The grip on my waist tightens from the man behind me as he bring his mouth to my ear and faintly whispers, "Don't move". I roll my eyes and would have whispered something sarcastic back if it weren't for his rough, calloused hand that so happens to be placed firmly over top of my mouth. While I know he is telling me this so that we both don't get caught by any sudden movements that I may accidentally make, the fact that I could hear the smugness within his voice of the control that he has on me was definitely hitting a nerve.

I focus back in front of me as I watch the person, who looks to be cloaked in all black, raise the knife while pulling open the duvet and swiftly swiping it across to the right. Unfortunately for them, the person they were looking for was not there; as who they were expecting to find is right now sitting in the closet with someone gripping their mouth so that they don't make a sound.

As soon as the mystery killer realizes I was not there, he immediately throws his head back and groans while frantically searching around to see any hiding places that I might be. Unfortunately for me, this and the bathroom were the only places that I could have really hidden - and both were not my first choice. In fact, I didn't want to hide at all and if it weren't for just 10 minutes ago that the "bane of my existence, Zade" busted through my door telling me that I need to hide and threw me in the closet with him which is where we have been, I would have probably been dead at this point.

My mind started racing at trying to gather all of the information that I knew so far from the current murders that have been happening on this ship. This would have been the fourth murder on this ship and we have yet to figure out who is the culprit between the passengers and crew. Both Zade and I took an interest in this after the second death happened, and while we are pretty much each other's least favorite people on this planet, both of us came together with clues and an agreement that we would make sure both of us made it out alive together by the time the boat reached our destination. The only question that I'm now having is how in the world did Zade know I needed to hide and that I was next on the list?

"Shit…", Zade mutters as he removes his hand from my mouth and reaches toward his back to pull out a gun. My eyes widen at the realization that Zade has somehow found a gun that he brought with him and at the fact the mystery killer seems to have heard the sudden movement that has come from the closet. Just as the sound is made, the mystery killer sharply turns their head toward the closet where my I could see the person who was attempting to find me. I let out a silent gasp as I realize who the killer actually is - those eyes are ones that had been warmly shared with me at dinner last night; the same eyes that left a soft kiss on my hand as he lead me to my door promising of meeting for breakfast in the morning.

Zade brings his mouth to my ear and whispers, "When I open this door, I want you to run and don't look back no matter what you hear. Do you understand, trouble?"


When I received the approval from NetGalley for the ARC of Tides and Torment by Caitlan Honer, I was ESTATIC as not only did the cover art of the book catch my attention, but the description had me sold. With the promise of a murder mystery on a pirate ship where two enemies have to work together which more than likely will end up as lovers, this was definitely up my alley as something I couldn't WAIT to get my hands on before it releases on NOVEMBER 10, 2026. Before I go into too much detail about my opinions on this one, let me give you a run down on the premise of the story….


We start off this read with our FMC, Roisin, a trained assassin, who has been captured and is in need of escaping from the current situation she is in within prison. The good news is that she saves instances like this for the God she has tied herself to, our MMC, Thadaryx (AKA: "Thaddeus", AKA: "Thaddy") who is bound to serve her through her commands. After once again helping her get out of the difficult situation, they find themselves escaping onto a boat disguised as a married couple who were the original ones supposed to have board the ship. The only problem here though is that both Roisin and Thadaryx DESPISE each other and they are going to have to play husband and wife staying undetected until they reach their final destination. To make matters even more difficult, the voyage journey turns deadly…literally. A murder has happened aboard this ship and that means the murderer is between the passengers on that boat. As the passengers go down one by one, everyone on that trapped ship needs to figure out who is the culprit before it takes everyone out on this ship. And if there is one thing that Roisin does know, is that both her and "fake husband" need to use their skills to figure out who it is before the next target becomes one of them.

Sounds like a fun ride, right?
Don't forget about the tropes that you can find as well…..

🛥️TRUE Enemies To Lovers
🛥️Forced Proximity
🛥️Murder Mystery
🛥️Fake Marriage
🛥️Slow Burn x Tension x Spice
🛥️Gods x Assassins


I'd like to note that one of the things I really loved about this book was the "Blind God" as our MMC. The way he is able to see within various different people and animals, especially convenient spiders, was a phenomenal touch to the story as I have not read about a character with this type of ability before. I was so interested in seeing how he was able to not only view things around him, but continue through when there are challenges of not having anyone but the FMC to see through. It made me stop and think at times how life would be so different if I were to not be able to rely on my sight but others which was definitely a wild thought process during those couple of days while reading.

Another thing that I found myself loving was the interactions between both our FMC and MMC. Whereas the trope of "Enemies To Lovers" is mentioned quite often within stories, the actual enemies portion is always "loosely based"; the MCs never really have that enemies spark to them and often are just mad/angry, or sometimes just a teasing bully, but never a true enemy. In this case, both of the MCs really do have that "enemies to lovers" situation happening between them. You can feel the hatred, distrust, and dislike that they have for each other - even going as far as attempting to "kill" each other as well. It was very refreshing to see this and follow along with the fun surprises of what happens next.

One of the things that I just couldn't get myself through with this storyline, however, is the world building; or lack thereof. I felt as though when first reading the journey of our MCs, we were thrown in to navigate through understanding where we were, who we were talking to, the importance of people, the importance of Gods, and the life around them. This is very common with many reads so I didn't think too much of it as I started, since this meant that I would more than likely begin this way while taking bits and pieces of information to stitch together in building a "big picture world" for me to experience. Unfortunately, that world building never came and I found myself ending up having more questions than anything as I was reading through. Are they are on an actual pirate ship? Is this ship like a Titanic ship? What time period are we in? What is the significance of the Gods within this world and how does this interact within the everyday lives of these people and those around them? What about the Hidden Ones? What is the lore here? While I do appreciate the pacing and fast concepts through to keep the reader interested, I felt as though it could be that single thought of keeping up with "fast action pacing" lead to reduction in actual world building which was needed to keep readers attached and living within the pages they are reading.

With that said, while I was lost at first getting into the book and it's concept of world building, I did find myself VERY INTRIGUED that we were not only on a boat with the MC's journey to their destination, but also had a murder mystery on our hands. It was fun to go through the "WHO DID IT" along with the two MCs and the person who was involved with this was not actually blaringly obvious like we find in most reads. I was finding myself literally trying to guess as we went through which was a lot of fun.

Even though I had more of a "push and pull" connection with this book, I do think it's a good one to pick up to add to your current Fall TBR and am actually interested in seeing what happens next in this storyline. So if you are someone interested in adding a fun new murder mystery to your cozy fall reads, be sure to add this to your TBR Cart when it comes out NOVEMBER this year!

[Naomi Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I sincerely hope there’s a book 2 because that ending 🤯

So we have an assassin who made a deal with the hidden ones (essentially gods who are like “fallen angels”) and was gifted indestructibility. Insert the god of souls, who decides to make Roison her personal assassin to aid in un-Aliving other individuals who call upon the hidden ones.

On a job Roison stumbles upon a fallen God, the god of sight, and after tricking him into revealing his true name she forces him to become her protector. At her beck and call Thaddeus found himself relieved of one captor and took by another. But when Roison is captured and commands Thaddeus to save her, they end up on a ship as their escape route, and smack dab in the middle of murder scheme thanks to their stolen identities.

I love how the author blended fantasy with the mystery element. I also really enjoyed the banter and tension between Roison and Thaddeus! It was gruesome, it was questionable, it was swoon worthy, and I was here for it all 🙌🏽 The end reveal was done fantastically, same as the extra plot twist!
A job well done.

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of an Advanced Reader Copy received from NetGalley. 📖✨

Enemies to lovers, a heaven-blessed assassin, the literal God of Sight AND immaculate pirate vibes? SIGN ME THE HELL UP. 🏴‍☠️

I really loved Roisin as our FMC. This woman is an absolute badass and can more than hold her own, but I also loved that she wasn’t afraid to be a little conniving when she needed to be.

But Thaddy Daddy… 👀🥵

This man absolutely stole the show because HOLY DAMN. He is every bit the god he’s supposed to be, and I was eating it UP.

The world-building and overarching plot were so gripping and incredibly easy to get lost in. This is definitely a slow burn, but it’s a GOOD slow burn. The kind where you’re happily sitting there waiting for everything to unfold because you know it’s going to be worth it.

Now… that ending. 😭

Let’s just say some of the choices that were made had me sitting there like EXCUSE ME?! I was definitely not on board with everything, and Roisin has some making up to do because, at this current moment, I am NOT rooting for her.

That being said, I’m still incredibly excited to see where the next book takes us and how everything resolves, unfolds and (hopefully) causes even more chaos.

I want to say SO much more, but I refuse to risk spoiling anything, so if this sounds like it’s up your alley, make sure you check it out when it releases November 10th!

As for me? I’ll be over here impatiently waiting for book two. 😭

[Aki Kobayashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tides and Torment is a debut novel by Caitlan Honer. It follows Roisin, a (lowkey indentured) assassin, and Thaddeus, her indentured god? Stuck on a boat with a bunch of murderers while they pretend to be a married couple. It was nice to see their relationship actually be slow burned as advertised. I really enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to the sequel.

Roisin Lark aka Rosalyn - she is a really funny assassin who prioritizes fashion over survival but she can’t die so its all good 👍

Thaddeus aka Thadaryx aka Thaddy 😂aka Harvey - he has a very interesting and unique power, being able to see only through others’ eyes.

I loved the world and its gods, especially how their powers worked. I also found it interesting how the gods were divided. The dynamic between the “good” gods and the hidden ones was well written and I felt that it added a lot to the relationship between Roisin and Thaddeus, where they both are at odds with Ilenae. Thaddeus was a super interesting character and his powers were super cool. His eyesight definitely made his pov more intriguing, funny (the spider 🤣), and helped develop the worldbuilding. I am totally invested in seeing how the cliffhanger ending is resolved in book two. I requested this book because I wanted a silly little pirate adventure, and while this book was more oceany than pirate-y, it was full of adventure and magic and was a super fun read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a magical adventure story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company for providing eARC

[BookishKB]

🌊⚓ Tides and Torment ⚓🌊

📖 Bookish Thoughts

My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.

✨ What to Expect
• Fake Marriage
• Murder Mystery
• Forced Proximity
• God x Assassin
• Enemies to Lovers
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: November 10, 2026
Thank you to Turner Publishing Company, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Candice HappyCatastrophy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Turner Publishing/Keylight for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this delightful book!
This appears to be Caitlin Honer’s debut novel and if so, I will be reading more of her future creations including the sequels to this fun book, Tides and Torment.

In this story, we are thrown into the wild life of Roisin, the mortal-but-unkillable assassin for the goddess Ilanae. This is a world where one can have a wish granted or gain special abilities via entering into a bargain with one of the gods, whether worshipped or forgotten. However, these deals are often full of pitfalls and trickery where the gods always come out far better than the mortals. Go figure. We mortals can be so dense.

Roisin is no exception and now she is forced to kill any human her goddess wishes, in exchange for the promise of a safe passage across a magical river and to a peaceful afterlife once she dies. But it’s beginning to look like she will never ever die and will be forced to kill forever.
So she’s one messed up girlie.

Enter stage right, one of the many forgotten gods in this world, called The Hidden Ones. These forsaken gods live in and under this river of souls- angry and forgotten - entertaining themselves by making their own deals with mortals and pulling any they find down into this hidden world with them. So having Ilanae’s protection across the river is a huge thing and this promise keeps Roisin going as she spends decades being a pet killer. On one of these assignments she ran into this Hidden god, the God of Sight - who is ironically blind- but has many wondrous and scary powers. However, he is being kept as a slave by the very king Roisin was sent to kill, and she makes a deal to free the god only to bind him to herself and force him to do her bidding.

Yeah. Trust no one in this book.

However, the banter and completely hate-hate relationship between these two is what gives this book wings. Honer describes the ridiculous predicaments these two find themselves in as “Scooby-Doo moments” and as I laugh until I cry, I couldn’t agree more. There is one point, where Roisin is having a bit of a moment, and promises the God of Sight that he can attempt to kill her once a day for one hour. And he definitely takes her up on it and what ensues is some of the funniest moments in the book.

Honer also promises absolutely no insta love and by all the book gods she keeps her word on this. Hallelujah. The fact that none of the more touching moments ended up as a jump in the sack, but more than likely ended in yet another hilarious conversation between the two was so refreshing! Slow burn? The slowest! But it’s the only way that makes sense when one is master and one is slave and both are completely maladjusted and slightly unhinged. It’s perfect.

What isn’t so perfect is the world building. It is obvious that Honer is a reader herself and has her finger on the pulse point of the reading community. She knows we all hate insta love. She also knows we prefer being shown the world and let it unfold with minimal telling. Too often, authors will feel the need to info dump and tell us in a long exposition exactly how their fantasy world works. Honer doesn’t do that. In fact she so avidly avoids telling us anything about this world that it is a bit confusing and I found myself lost at times. This world is so big, with so much history, with this fresh, new take on the gods-among-mortals trope, that I believe it would benefit greatly by a little more explaining. The chapters alternate between our two main character’s viewpoints, which I love, and we get puzzle pieces of this world via their actions and contemplations and conversations…but I needed more to really understand what was going on. Many important characters from their past are only just mentioned, and some names are very close to one another. Maybe it’s a me thing, but plot points would come up that were dependent on how this world works and I could not understand what was happening or why this thing was important to the character.

And there are a LOT of characters. And I loved them all. But they were also not very well explained so I quickly lost track of who was who. I was even surprised at the appearance of several who seemed to come out of nowhere and yet had a pretty big influence on the trajectory of the book.

All that feels to me like a first time author who hasn’t yet fine tuned their style of story telling and an editor that maybe should push harder for details and cohesion. I am hoping for her subsequent books to smooth out as she gains experience. Because making sure you explain a world enough is something that can be taught and learned. What cannot be taught as easily are all the things I love about this book and that Honer seems to be able to do consistently and with ease. Things like incredible banter and conversations between characters. The absolute hilarity of the situations Roisin and her god get themselves into. The eeeeevil tricks they plot and play on each other which have a spectacular ability to backfire. Balancing the characters’ immortality and superhuman abilities with real-life sticky situations, annoyances and danger. (There is a running joke about Roisin and her ability to ruin every dress she ever wears that is fantastically funny )

So although this book has some very real story telling flaws, the writing is so good and the humor so on point that these flaws are easily forgivable. They need to be fixed as we move on in the series but give me this “look what you got us into now” banter and the slow slow emergence of emotions and humanity in our superhero main characters and I will eagerly read whatever Honer writes.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to have received this arc from NetGalley, Turner Publishing Company, and Keylight Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and writing are my own.

Tides and Torment was such a fun read! This book is for all the people who watched Pirates of the Caribbean and experienced either their bi awakening or confirmation with Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner! Caitlan Honer’s Tide and Torment is a swashbuckling murder mystery that will leave you searching for clues and motive among the passengers and crew on Samira’s Beloved. The main character, Roisin, loves wearing beautiful dresses that, may or may not, interfere with her job as a goddess-approved assassin; how could she not wear the perfect matching slippers to her lilac dress when death is on the menu? The second main character, Thaddeus, the God of Sight, has been forced into servitude by Roisin, whom needed rescue from said slipper-murder incident. However, as they were fleeing, they boarded a ship sent to sail a week away, and neither were expecting to be forced to reckon with each other in such close quarters. As if it couldn’t get any worse, the other passengers start to be murdered. Imagine: who could be better to solve the mystery than the literal assassin and God of Sight caught on the ship?

Honestly, when I saw the cover on Netgalley, I knew I had to get my hands on it. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the beauty does not stop at the cover. The inside has chapter illustrations that added to the aesthetic and atmosphere of the book. You should go look at the author’s instagram for more art from real human artists (love that!). Tides and Torment grasped my attention right away and did not let me rest until I finished the story. I loved learning how everything came together as the mystery unfurled. Caitlin Honer wrote complex, compelling characters that were very interesting to get to know as the story progressed, and it never felt like there were too many people introduced. Caitlin Honer does not shy away from making the characters experience hardship and have them question everything. It was so important to read about the master/servant relationship between Roisin/Thaddeus and Ilenae/Roisin (the goddess that Roisin works for). It will never matter if the person holding the chains is kind and does not demand a lot of you, they still hold the chains that keep you from freedom.

I look forward to reading more about how both main characters progress and grow individually and together as the story continues in book two. Plus, who would say “no” to more romance developing between the two hotties that are the main characters? Not I – which is why I will be waiting patiently for the release of this book in November and then the second book.

Things I forgot to mention that I loved: the world building and experience/emotions that come from loneliness.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Advanced Copy Received from NetGalley

⭐ 4.5/5

I'll start by saying I absolutely adore the cover and artwork. It was one of the first things that drew me in and made me request an ARC. It dares to stand out in a genre where so many covers tend to look the same.

The story opens with our main female character, Roisin, in jail—actual jail—a place she unfortunately finds herself in quite often. The one man who absolutely despises her has no choice but to help save her. I love an enemies-to-lovers romance, but this takes it to another level. You genuinely believe these two cannot stand each other, and when they're forced into close quarters, the stakes become even higher. As bodies begin to drop, they're left with no choice but to work together to unravel the mystery.

Both characters are deeply tormented and carry their own trauma, each with very valid reasons to hate the other. Roisin is a heroine with real depth. During the first half of the book, she's portrayed as fearless, resilient, and seemingly unbreakable. As the story progresses, though, so does her emotional complexity. Watching her process everything happening around her and seeing the ways she copes felt incredibly personal and emotional.

Thaddeus initially comes across as broody, aloof, and emotionally detached. But the more you learn about his past, his motivations, and the weight he carries, the more layered he becomes. He ended up being one of my favourite characters. Everyone sees the gods as cruel, uncaring beings, and while he insists he shouldn't care what people think, a part of him still desperately wants to prove them wrong.

I absolutely devoured this book. The tension was razor-sharp, and watching these two slowly gravitate toward one another, only to be violently torn apart again, had me completely hooked.

I'm already sad that I probably won't be able to get my hands on the paperback since I live in the Netherlands, but hopefully it'll get a European release once it's officially published.

Was it perfect? No.
Was it close? Absolutely.

I genuinely think this has the potential to become an incredible series, and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to read an ARC.

A few of my favourite quotes:

"This should be fun, don't you think?" Roisin whispered to him on the walk to their cabin. "Playing husband and wife?" He couldn't imagine a worse punishment for rescuing her.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look quite ravishing when you're dying?"

"'My husband is not a threat to me.' The stab wound implied otherwise. Luckily, wounds couldn't talk."

"Consent isn't a luxury afforded to the enslaved."

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tides and Torment" is a debut novel from Caitlan Honer and book one in a series called Immortal Tethers. Roisin is an indestructible assassin, working for a goddess to kill mortals who make deals with the Hidden Ones. At the beginning of the novel, she finds herself captured and tortured after carrying out her latest kill. Luckily for her, she once tricked a god into servitude, and he has to come to her rescue. Thaddeus—aka Thadaryx, God of Sight—would love nothing more than to kill her and be free to trick more souls into damnation with the Hidden Ones. Instead, he helps her escape, eventually posing as husband and wife aboard a ship, when someone starts killing the passengers one by one. They make a new deal to work together to hunt down the killer and begin to slowly develop feelings for each other.

I want to start by saying I almost never read romantasy and I typically would say that I hate enemies-to-lovers. I was aware that this was the genre and trope upon picking up this book, but I interpreted the synopsis as much more of a mystery storyline and that is why I wanted to read this book. I thought that a locked-room mystery, so to speak, with gods and assassins was a great idea. And I think that it delivered on that. I loved the banter between Thadaryx and Roisin. These are both truly morally-gray characters who have done terrible things and are not good people, which helped me put them on the same footing. I liked the world building and I can see how the author left room to explain more about the Hidden Ones and the magic structure in the future.

I did find the story a little slow to start but really picked up in the second half and I loved the reveal of the murders. This is an extremely slow burn, which I think made me like it better because one of the reasons I don't like enemies-to-lovers is because they seem to fall in love so easily, and so quickly. That is not the case here. I will also add a couple of warnings. There are some fairly dark topics here and graphic depictions of violence, torture, and murder. Also, and this book ends with a type of cliffhanger. I normally loathe cliffhangers, but she did wrap up this plotline and explained the murders, ,so it wasn't that upsetting. But this is clearly setting up a much larger story and things between the main characters are in no way resolved or settled. Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I haven't read an eccentric, immersive fantasy in quite sometime and this was a fun trip.

Thank you NetGalley and Turner Publishing for a free eArc in return for an honest review.

[bookishbunna]

SYNOPSIS: Roisin is an indestructible assassin working for a goddess, yet when she finds herself imprisoned, there's only one god who answers her calls. Too bad it's Thaddeus, the god she tricked into servitude, who understandably carries a grudge against her and would love nothing more than to kill her to attain his freedom.

To escape her pursuers, they hop onto a departing ship and must keep up their stolen identities as a married couple for the duration of the trip. Yet as the passengers on the ship start being murdered brutally one by one, Roisin and Thaddeus must team up as an unlikely and tenuous detective duo in order to hunt down the culprit.

◆ Slowburn True Enemies to Lovers
◆ Murder Mystery on a Ship
◆ Fake Marriage & Secret Identities
◆ Fast-paced & Full of Action
◆ Forced Proximity & Only One Bed

At last, an enemies to lovers relationship that actually lives up to both the 'slowburn' and 'enemies' descriptors! 🥰 I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed them actively being antagonistic to each other in the first half, and that the change in their relationship happened gradually and felt hard earned. Despite this being a relatively short and fast read, the slowburn still felt like slowburn, while the plot and action was fast-paced so there was never a dull moment.

The snark and banter was genuinely witty and enjoyable, and the characters were intriguing and pretty well fleshed out. I really enjoyed their chemistry together and how FMC showed attraction and care for MMC's vulnerability. The situations they got into while investigating the murders were also full of fun hijinks and forced them to keep their cover as a married couple in front of others 😳

As a great lover of mysteries, I was reading into every detail and trying to pick up every hint for the murder mystery part 😂 However, despite giving my best attempts at figuring out the culprits, the second culprit remained unguessable to me. I also found myself confused by the leaps of logic FMC and MMC were making to figure out the second culprit's backstory and motives, and I just wish there was more foreshadowing or hinting done for the character beforehand! I was throwing conspiracy theories all over the place but it almost felt like the exposition for the second culprit was coming out of the blue 🥹

Overall, if you're looking for a slowburn true enemies to lovers relationship with charming and interesting main characters, this is definitely recommended for you! 😍

[HB the Nocturnal Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun whodunit book. I loved the plot twists and turns of the murders and being trapped on a boat. The story had witty banter reminiscent of the movie Clue, and the FMC was enchanting. I kept wanting to know what was happening next, and I read it in a few sittings.

The more we got from how the FMC, Roisein became indestructible was so sad, and it made me invested in her journey. This am so happy to see this is a genuine enemies to friends type of book, and they still think they have a lot to go to become lovers. Friends with benefits sure, but they are still on the slow burn journey.

I think the MMC is a very interesting character. Hopefully his background will be expanded upon. He is very burly and I would love to know more about his and Roisein's interactions and what made their dynamic so surly. Additionally, it is eluded that being bound limits his power. Will we learn what that is? Is it just because she bound him or because he is a Hidden One?

I will say that the worldbuilding confused me at times. I wish we had more explanation into why the gods treated her and her followers the way that they do. Additionally, I was confused about the difference between the Hidden Ones and Gods and why there was continued animosity between them. By the end of the book, most of it made sense, but the trickle of information throughout left me disoriented.

There were so many characters and their descriptions were quick and not very detailed. I got a bit blurred on who some of them were, and was unable to picture them, or remember some of their ages. For example, Roisein's mother's name was introduced quickly, and when it was referenced later, I was not sure who they were speaking about.

However, because of the relationships Homer writes as the story unfolds, you become emotionally attached to the side characters and fear they might be a villain or in peril. This definitely kept me on my toes because I did not know who was to blame as the clues kept shifting. I really enjoyed the story and hope it continues. Personally, I might just need a bit more help following the worldbuilding as it develops.

I am looking forward to the next one the series!

[Alyssa Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I give Tides and Torment 4 stars for excellent worldbuilding, an intriguing murder mystery, and attention-grabbing characters.

I do think this was a little slower on the slow burn than I usually go for, but for those that like real slow burns, I think this will be right up your alley. The dynamic between Roisin and Thaddeus was engaging and complex, with their different goals and the tethers they have to each other and to others that pushed and pulled on them and their relationship. I was more intrigued by their give and take than I was actively shipping them and wanting them to get together, so it felt less like a focus on the romance and more on just the complexity of their relationship with each other.

I do really love a good murder mystery and this one had me interested. I think on a re-read I might be able to pick up more clues, and I wasn’t actively trying to figure it out ahead of the reveal, but it felt like it was laid out in a way where you can follow the signs and aren’t just led to them by the main characters.

I was very interested in the dynamics between the known Gods and the Hidden Ones, and the way that gods are impacted by their believers, as well as the interplay between deities themselves. It reminded me somewhat of the dynamics of the gods in Dimension 20’s Fantasy High series (which I absolutely love), so I was very invested in that and I’m very curious to learn more about how that works in this world.

I thought the ending was a little abrupt, but not necessarily bad - just left me wanting more than I was expecting. The resolution of the murder mystery was done somewhat differently than I would have expected - less a detective moment and more appropriate for the kind of character Roisin is, so it makes sense within the context. I think there’s some parts of the end that are setting up for book 2, so I’m willing to shelve my questions until we can see how things play out.

Overall, it’s a really good book with really solid characters and interesting worldbuilding. Recommended for “haters to reluctant allies to maybe something more romantic” enjoyers, especially those who like it slow.

[Allix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into TIDES AND TORMENT not expecting much – I figured I’d probably have fun, but that the story and world would be simple and that the reading experience would be largely brain-off. I like books like that as much as anyone else does, and honestly, I was looking forward to an easy fantasy/mystery romp. I’ve never been so delighted to be wrong about a book!

TIDES AND TORMENT is definitely fun, and I would certainly class parts of it as an easy fantasy/mystery romp, but I was honestly enthralled by the tiny bits of worldbuilding we got throughout the book. The conflict between the gods and Hidden Ones was incredibly interesting to read about, and I found myself wanting to know more about Thaddeus’ “life” and Roisin’s memories re: her deal with the Hidden Ones. Roisin and Thaddeus are both interesting characters, and I hope future entries in this series focus on them and their continuing story because I was left with so many questions.

I did wish there was more worldbuilding in general. This story takes place almost entirely on a ship, so I think it makes sense that there isn’t much information about the rest of the world or society, but I was definitely left feeling kind of unmoored (pun intended?) by the lack of overall context. I don’t feel like I understand much of anything about the world itself, other than there are conflicting systems of deities, possibly some kind of accepted/understood magic and magical creatures, and there are different countries, some of which have monarchies. The issue is that I really enjoyed the bits we got, but I just really wanted more. I think the ending was also pretty rushed, and I know this is the first in a series, but when I’m reading a series I still want to feel some kind of satisfaction at the end of each book, and I didn’t really get that here.

I’d recommend this to people who are craving characters who are described as smart/witty/intuitive by other characters and whose actions actually reflect that characterization. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads!

Thank you to Netgalley and Turner Publishing Company, and Keylight Books for the ARC!

[Anna Grace Debiec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tides and Torment by Caitlan Honer is a fantastic spin on murder mystery with a splash of meddling gods, indestructible humans, and daunting tasks.


The book unfolds on a ship following a daring prison break orchestrated by Thaddeaus - the god of sight who is tied to Roisin. Roisin and Thaddy embark on the ship disguised as two different guests; however, a murder takes place the night they leave. Roisin begins to form relationships with several of the other passengers. She finds kinship with some of them but is soon betrayed and falls into a sense of despair. I felt deeply for Roisin and Thaddy. Both have had to struggle through the past and relieve treacherous moments while aboard the ship. Thaddy is a god who is stuck with Roisin because she was able to ensnare him during an assassination. He is a complex and interesting character, that I hope to read more about in the next books.


Meanwhile, Roisin is a passionate, lonesome, but kind soul. She yearns for connections and hopes to retrieve the memories stolen from her by a goddess. Roisin's loyalties are interesting throughout the story. She is indebted to Ilenae, the goddess, and forced to assassinate followers of the Hidden Ones, who are gods and goddesses forgotten by humans. She is loyal to Ilenae, but understands that theirs is not an equal partnership but rather a leader and a subject. Ilenae does not aid Roisin when she is in trouble, and she certainly does not help her through precarious situations. Instead, she uses her as a tool to find and execute those who are no longer her followers.


I believe the overarching plot will be interesting in the next books. The main focus in this story were the murders on the ship and the dynamic between Roisin and Thaddeaus; however, the epilogue reveals more about the next book. I am excited to continue this series and read more about Roisin and Thaddeaus.


Thank you to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company for a copy of this book for an honest review.

[schniefelise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tides and Torment is a fantasy murder-mystery by Caitlin Honer. It is the first book in her Immortal Tethers series.

Roisin is an indestructible, gods-approved assassin. Whenever one of her missions goes awry she relies on Thadaryx to bail her out. Thadaryx is the forgotten God of Sight who resents Roisin for methaphorically holding his chains and repeatedly commanding him to rescue her. When one such rescue mission lands them on a ship posing as a married couple while other passengers start turning up dead Roisin and Thadaryx reluctantly work together to identify the murderer.

This book was an honest to god surprise for me. The world build by the author is quite unique and makes for a compelling background for the murder-mystery. The slow unraveling of the story keeps you guessing, I didn't know who the murderer was until the end which is quite a feat considering the limited suspects. I liked the complex personalities of our two main characters and I loved to see them start growing. At the end of the first book Roisin and Thadaryx have finally found some common ground. They still have lots of development ahead of them, individually as well as together. The book is described as enemies-to-lovers by some other reviewers. We do see that Roisin and Thadaryx are true enemies for most of the book. There are certainly hints that they might progress to lovers in a next installment. Anybody looking for a spicy romantasy in Tides and Torment will be dissapointed, this is more for the extremely slow-burn crowd. The handful oder side characters in this book are also very well developed. I can't wait to see some of them again in the next book. I liked the pacing and the writing.

Overall this was so refreshingly different from most fantasy books I have read lately that I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series. In the meantime I will recommend Tides and Torment to everyone who will listen.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gooooooooooooods, this book.

The story follows Roisin and Thaddeus ('Thaddy' for the enemies. It rhymes with Daddy. I was instantly sold). Roisin has enslaved Thaddeus, the God of Sight, and calls upon his aid whenever she finds herself in a bind. (Quite literally, too, as she's often found chained up in dungeons.) You'd think being a goddess-blessed assassin would be a glorious lifestyle, but alas... no.

When Thaddeus rescues her from her latest assassination attempt and subsequent dungeon stay, they wind up aboard a ship. A ship where people keep dying. After Roisin is targeted on their very first night aboard while the two are posing as newlyweds, master and god must rely on one another, put aside their differences, and look past their prejudices to survive.

This would have easily been a five-star read if the world had been fleshed out a little more. I loved, adored, worshipped Thaddeus as a character. Blind characters are my weak spot, as an optician, I simply can't help myself. Their banter was incredible. Roisin was a strong female lead whose reasoning I could rarely fault, and yet... I often found myself frowning at the pages, having missed a nuance or insight that wasn't revealed until several chapters later.

I think that's my one true complaint: the reader is often left to fill in the gaps. That's perfectly fine when it's done subtly, but here I was very aware of it. I kept wondering what this or that meant, or what the lore behind a certain phrase was, instead of simply trusting that everything would eventually click into place.

That didn't make the story any less compelling, though. On the contrary, I devoured this book and was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Easily one of my favourite reads of the year.

Thank you, NetGalley and Caitlin Honer, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.