Night Tide (A Seal Cove Romance #2) by Anna Burke
- Publisher: Bywater Books, January 26th 2021
- Genre: Romance
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 300 pages
- My Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.
You know when you hate someone so much you ended up knowing every tiny thing about them? Well, I don’t, but Lillian and Ivy do.
Dr. Lillian Lee (31) and Dr. Ivy Holden have been archenemies throughout vet school, so when Ivy relocates to Seal Cove where Lillian is working, the latter is not pleased. To Lillian, Ivy is a spoiled rich kid who made her life hell. But what if she isn’t horrible anymore now?
I love books with wonderful imageries and great thematic choices. In Spindrift (my review here), I adored the opening and ending scenes of the dock, from boat to land, and here in Night Tide, the freedom on an isolated island with crashing waves, persistent and ever-growing vines of ivy, the somberness of Edgar Allen Poe references, etc. are as beautifully interwoven as I could have wished for.
The intense lust and hate were so well-balanced I couldn’t decide if Lillian and Ivy making out is a good idea or not. Even so, I rooted for them both to be together so hard, seeing the pain and insecurities and overwhelming feelings they have for each other, and yet I also know that there is a lot of their history that we don’t see, the hurt caused by each other back in vet school. There are a few flashbacks throughout the story, and we are gradually let in on parts of their past, scenes that surfaced because of certain events in the present. Yes, they were horrible to each other, and yes, it is easy to fall back to old patterns with people one has known for years, but I understand their choices both back then and now. Burke wrote everything in such a heartfelt and candid way that it is impossible not to love both Lillian and Ivy and see their growth and attempt at being better human beings.
“White guilt” is called out in the text, and a lot of the passing thoughts of both Lillian and Ivy serve as social commentaries, on privilege, capitalism, racism, etc. These narratives worked well for me but it might not be for everyone. Yet the fact that we get to see them in the characters thoughts, somehow makes them more relatable not just for the acknowledgment—which is better than nothing but not as good as actually doing something—but that these are topics that crosses our minds, too, things we talk about and experience in life. As an Asian person who grew up in Asia, I couldn’t say much about this, so take my thoughts as a grain of salt.
Oftentimes, romance is tender and loving and sweet, but in Night Tide, there is tension and passion and fierceness as lust overrides animosity. Most of the scenes involving Lillian and Ivy were either sex or sexually charged, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt the warmth in my stomach stretch throughout an entire book. Everything was deliciously dangerous. There is a lot of biting and physical pain regarding the intimate scenes, which is very on-brand for them. And despite the hate, how quickly they were to throw each other under the bus, Lillian and Ivy are incredibly cute together, allowing vulnerability and redemption and something more.
The writing and descriptions are truly awesome: details of the surroundings and Ivy’s chronic pain. As a non-disabled person, I don’t know much about the spoonie rep, but even though Ivy struggles to accept it as part of her life, I think it being recently diagnosed, makes a lot of sense. And like in Spindrift, the side characters are all wonderful. I love Lillian’s moms June and Daiyu, both of whom are precious and adorable. There is the constant cast of friends, including Morgan and Emilia, whose romance is featured in Spindrift, Angie, Stevie, Stormy, etc. We also get more scenes with Lillian’s dogs and are introduced to Ivy’s Jack Russell Terrier Darwin and 15-year-old dressage horse Freddie.
I admit I didn’t like the conflict—who likes conflicts when you can have perfect love—but the inevitability made it ever more believable for them to stay together in the long run. And oh how I couldn’t wait for them to get the happy ending they deserve! Also, there were a few odd sentences and statements which may or may not be an ARC issue that confused me, such as I couldn’t understand how they knew that a random bartender is “a cute transman” or why Daiyu would make Mid-Autumn Festival “moon cakes for the Lunar New Year,” but overall those parts didn’t affect the story.
Night Tide is a hate-to-love romance with a mix of pain and sadness and humor. Every scene is intense and charged and very Lillian and Ivy, making the romance all-consuming and worth savoring.
I received a digital review copy from Bywater Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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