Dark Tides
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- Create Date：2020-11-25 04:11:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Philippa Gregory
- ISBN：9781501187186
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Summary
#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s new historical novel tracks the rise of the Tidelands family in London， Venice， and New England。
Midsummer Eve 1670。 Two unexpected visitors arrive at a shabby warehouse on the south side of the River Thames。 The first is a wealthy man hoping to find the lover he deserted twenty-one years before。 James Avery has everything to offer， including the favour of the newly restored King Charles II， and he believes that the warehouse's poor owner Alinor has the one thing his money cannot buy—his son and heir。
The second visitor is a beautiful widow from Venice in deepest mourning。 She claims Alinor as her mother-in-law and has come to tell Alinor that her son Rob has drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon。
Alinor writes to her brother Ned， newly arrived in faraway New England and trying to make a life between the worlds of the English newcomers and the American Indians as they move toward inevitable war。 Alinor tells him that she knows—without doubt—that her son is alive and the widow is an imposter。
Set in the poverty and glamour of Restoration London， in the golden streets of Venice， and on the tensely contested frontier of early America， this is a novel of greed and desire: for love， for wealth， for a child， and for home
Midsummer Eve 1670。 Two unexpected visitors arrive at a shabby warehouse on the south side of the River Thames。 The first is a wealthy man hoping to find the lover he deserted twenty-one years before。 James Avery has everything to offer， including the favour of the newly restored King Charles II， and he believes that the warehouse's poor owner Alinor has the one thing his money cannot buy—his son and heir。
The second visitor is a beautiful widow from Venice in deepest mourning。 She claims Alinor as her mother-in-law and has come to tell Alinor that her son Rob has drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon。
Alinor writes to her brother Ned， newly arrived in faraway New England and trying to make a life between the worlds of the English newcomers and the American Indians as they move toward inevitable war。 Alinor tells him that she knows—without doubt—that her son is alive and the widow is an imposter。
Set in the poverty and glamour of Restoration London， in the golden streets of Venice， and on the tensely contested frontier of early America， this is a novel of greed and desire: for love， for wealth， for a child， and for home
Editor Reviews
11/02/2020
A mother and daughter’s lives are disrupted by two visitors in the plodding second volume of Gregory’s Fairmile series （after Tidelands）。 Alinor Reekie and her daughter， Alys Stoney， live quietly as wharf owners in 1670 London。 Alinor refuses to believe the news that her physician son， Rob， has died in Venice， based on what she gleans from her “sight，” which allows her to feel the truth of a given situation。 Then Sir James Avery， who’d abandoned Alinor two decades earlier， shows up and declares his wish to marry her and legitimize the child he insists she bore him， which Alinor denies。 After Rob’s wife， Livia， a master manipulator， arrives with their infant son， she earns sympathy from Alys， but Alinor and Alys’s daughter， Sarah， are suspicious。 Desperate to save her family from heartache， Alinor sends Sarah to Venice to learn the truth about Livia and the circumstances of Rob’s alleged death。 Gregory’s talent for evoking time and place is on full display， but the plot never picks up steam。 Though Livia tells Alys， “I am far more interesting than honest，” Gregory fails to show it。 Readers who enjoyed Tidelands will be disappointed to find Alinor relegated to a minor role and Alys reduced to a dupe。 With any luck， Gregory will find her form next time out。 Agent: Zahra Glibbery， Levon Publishing。 （Nov。）
About the Author
Philippa Gregory is the author of many New York Times bestselling novels， including The Other Boleyn Girl， and is a recognized authority on women’s history。 Many of her works have been adapted for the screen including The Other Boleyn Girl。 She graduated from the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh， where she is a Regent。 She holds honorary degrees from Teesside University and the University of Sussex。 She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction。 She is an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck， University of London。 She founded Gardens for the Gambia， a charity to dig wells in poor rural schools in The Gambia， and has provided nearly 200 wells。 She welcomes visitors to her website PhilippaGregory。com。
Reviews
Stalota1
，
21 years after Tidelands comes Dark Tides。 A masterful tale that will grab you in immediately and you never want to put it down！ Only thing that bothered me was the main protagonist in Tidelands becomes a weaker character and stays in the background of Dark Tides。 Not to bother！ Her daughter and grandchildren step up nicely。 There are new characters that are deeply enriched and turns this into a tale that twists and turns and shocks！ This one is HIGHLY recommended。 It could be a stand alone。
Nelda Brangwin
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Don’t worry。 If you haven’t read the first book in the Fairmiles series， you will still enjoy this book。 I love a book with a clear villain in it and Livia， a widow from Venice， who has come to live with her mother-in-law and family in London。 Livia is a conniver and she’s out to take advantage of her in-laws as she seeks to sell antiquities。 But Livia fails to recon with her mother-in-law who doubts Livia’s tale and send her intelligent granddaughter to Venice to find Livia’s husband。 While Liv Don’t worry。 If you haven’t read the first book in the Fairmiles series， you will still enjoy this book。 I love a book with a clear villain in it and Livia， a widow from Venice， who has come to live with her mother-in-law and family in London。 Livia is a conniver and she’s out to take advantage of her in-laws as she seeks to sell antiquities。 But Livia fails to recon with her mother-in-law who doubts Livia’s tale and send her intelligent granddaughter to Venice to find Livia’s husband。 While Livia ensnares people in her trap， a second story is taking place in New England。 Ned， a son for Grandmother Alinor， has fled to New England because of his ties to the Roundheads and Oliver Cromwell。 While I’m not sure how this fit into this story， other than to continue the characters from the first book， I enjoyed reading about a Puritan sympathetic to the Native way of life in the 1670’s。 But the best part of the book is the end when granddaughter， Sarah， shows her iron strength and Livia gets her come-uppance。 I really enjoyed this book。 So often， historical fiction set during the 1600’s focuses on royalty and this book focused on strong women finding a place for themselves in business。 I hope there’s a third book in the series， focusing on Sarah and where she directs the family fortunes。 。。。more
Marie Aitchison
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Dark Tides is book two of the Fairmile Series。 Twenty one years have passed since where the first book， Tidelands， left off and it felt good to be reunited with the characters again。 I’ve always loved historical fiction novels by Phipps Gregory。 She excels at creating strong female characters and examining England’s complicated past。 I appreciate all the work she puts into researching for these books and loved learning about life on the banks of the Thames River in 1670。However， I felt like some Dark Tides is book two of the Fairmile Series。 Twenty one years have passed since where the first book， Tidelands， left off and it felt good to be reunited with the characters again。 I’ve always loved historical fiction novels by Phipps Gregory。 She excels at creating strong female characters and examining England’s complicated past。 I appreciate all the work she puts into researching for these books and loved learning about life on the banks of the Thames River in 1670。However， I felt like something was missing from this story and it fell a bit flat。 I wanted more atmosphere and emotional involvement。 I’m still interested to see where this series goes and want to stick with it to find out how it continues to evolve。 。。。more
Johnette
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Love， family， deception， truth and lies。 This book has it all。 I read late into the night。 It was too good to put down。 The story drew me in and took me way back in time， to 1670。 I could see in my mind the wharf in London and the village in the new world。 The slimy river and the pristine snow， worlds apart but under the same moon。 The story was deep and made me think。 The story was light and made me smile。 The end made me want more。 Looking forward to reading more from Philippa Gregory。
Kritika
，
Hmm this was pretty disappointing
Laura plantladyreader
，
This is the second installment in Philippa Gregory's Fairmile series， and it did not disappoint。 Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for this advanced copy。While the first book ends in the Tidelands in the 1640's， this book starts in the 1670's， 21 years after Alinor and her daughter Alys have fled their home in scandal。 Now， they run a small shipping wharf in London， taking in ships cargo and holding it in their warehouse for a profit。 When Alinor's son Rob is learned to have drowned in Venice This is the second installment in Philippa Gregory's Fairmile series， and it did not disappoint。 Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for this advanced copy。While the first book ends in the Tidelands in the 1640's， this book starts in the 1670's， 21 years after Alinor and her daughter Alys have fled their home in scandal。 Now， they run a small shipping wharf in London， taking in ships cargo and holding it in their warehouse for a profit。 When Alinor's son Rob is learned to have drowned in Venice， his widow shows up with his son， seeking refuge and help。 Claiming to have Italian antiques to sell in order to provide Rob's family with some money， Livia quickly has the family in debt and struggling， not only to survive but to find the truth。 When Alinor's previous lover comes to rekindle their past， Livia takes full advantage of this wealthy Englishman， and it's soon obvious that she will manipulate everyone to get what she wants。 Alinor never believes Rob is dead， and doesn't trust this woman claiming to be his wife。While I was disappointed to skip 21 years of the story， this was still a gripping tale of a family trying to survive during the 17th century。 The villain throughout was someone who was easy to hate， and I was turning pages frantically to see what was going to happen。 Because this is the middle book， I was unfortunately left with many questions， and the ending was definitely lacking in resolution。 I have a long wait before the third book comes out， but I will definitely be picking it up when it comes， so I can have the resolutions I am craving！4🌿 。。。more
Susan Johnson
，
This was a disappointment to me for several reasons。 First of all you must have read the first book to understand what is happening。 I have read the first one but it was some time ago and lots of books ago and it would be nice if the author had done a little reminding of what we had read。 She does not and just plops us back into the story。 It took me awhile to get my bearings and remember how everyone was related。 The beginning of the book was slow but James Avery was introduced along with Livia This was a disappointment to me for several reasons。 First of all you must have read the first book to understand what is happening。 I have read the first one but it was some time ago and lots of books ago and it would be nice if the author had done a little reminding of what we had read。 She does not and just plops us back into the story。 It took me awhile to get my bearings and remember how everyone was related。 The beginning of the book was slow but James Avery was introduced along with Livia， Rob's widow。 She just shows up at the door and announces the son's death by drowning。 Alys， the mother is sure that Rob， her son， could not have drowned without her knowing because of her past experience。 Livia is one of the more maddening characters you would want to meet。 She supposedly has old antiquities she wants to transport from Italy to make her fortune。 The story then evolves into Livia planning her sale。 James Avery， now rich， is roped into the planning。 It is going to make Alys rich too。 Alinor， the daughter， then develops a strange relationship with her that includes them brushing each other's hair a lot。 It's just irritating。 The last 50 pages are quite entertaining。 There was a section on Interfaith marriage that was quite interesting。 It's just a lot of work to get to that point。 Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
Amanda Hupe
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Thank you， Atria Books， Philippa Gregory， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book！Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory is book two in the Fairmile Series。 Possible Spoilers Ahead if you have not read book one， Tidelands。 Twenty-one years after the events in Tidelands， Alys and Alinor are set up at a wharf along the river。 James Avery has had his lands returned to him after the restoration of the King， and now he needs his heir–an heir that he believes the Alinor carried all those years bef Thank you， Atria Books， Philippa Gregory， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book！Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory is book two in the Fairmile Series。 Possible Spoilers Ahead if you have not read book one， Tidelands。 Twenty-one years after the events in Tidelands， Alys and Alinor are set up at a wharf along the river。 James Avery has had his lands returned to him after the restoration of the King， and now he needs his heir–an heir that he believes the Alinor carried all those years before。 But James Avery isn’t the only visitor。 Livia is the grieving widow of Alinor’s son， Rob。 Alinor cannot believe her son is gone， but that would mean Livia is betraying them。 However， she has always had the sight and she must trust it now more than ever。I had such high hopes for this book。 The first book was good， slow but good。 But it was the ending that made me desperate to read this book。 Unfortunately， it failed。 It is hard to imagine but it is even slower than the first book。 It also lacks the historical detail and aesthetic that the first one。 I was hoping for Alys and Alinor to be fierce women who survived the garbage men of their past。 Sure， they survived but they are still idiots。 Good god。 My 5 year old wouldn’t believe Livia for a hot second。 It was PAINFULLY obvious from the first moment she arrived。 There was absolutely no mystery to her， she isn’t clever…everyone around her is just an idiot。 So I spent most of the book just angry at the stupidity。 Oh， and also how unbelievable this plot actually is， it did not feel realistic to the time period in the slightest。Then don’t get me started on the random Ned storyline that takes place in the Colonies。 While I did appreciate the plot of how the Colonies took over the Indigenous Peoples land and how cruel the Colonists were to them。 The problem is that it did not fit in with this story in the slightest。 It would have made a phenomenal spinoff story and I would have much preferred it as its own story。Needless to say， this book just didn’t work for me， which is a shame because I was really looking forward to it。 I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars。This book will be released tomorrow （11/24） if you are a Philippa Gregory fan！！ 。。。more
Anne
，
Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory was a terrific story with two storylines。 One was of Ned Reekie who had gone to the New World in search of freedom。 He had been a part of the revolution against the king and had been pardoned but he wanted to live as he saw fit， not hurting anyone else， and having a minimum of rules。 The other was of the family he left behind: his sister， Alinor; his niece， Alys and her twins: Sarah and Johnnie。 A new arrival was the widow of his nephew， Rob， Alinor's son， and her Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory was a terrific story with two storylines。 One was of Ned Reekie who had gone to the New World in search of freedom。 He had been a part of the revolution against the king and had been pardoned but he wanted to live as he saw fit， not hurting anyone else， and having a minimum of rules。 The other was of the family he left behind: his sister， Alinor; his niece， Alys and her twins: Sarah and Johnnie。 A new arrival was the widow of his nephew， Rob， Alinor's son， and her baby， Matteo。 The reader watched as Livia manipulated and cheated everyone except Alinor who had suspected her from the beginning， especially her story of Rob's death。 It made no sense， but she bided her time。 Another important character was Sir James Avery， who had been Rob's tutor years ago， and Alinor's lover， pregnant with his child。 He denounced her but has now come looking for her and for his son。 Livia manipulates him， as well。 This was not a terrible story。 In fact it was interesting and good， although it was easy to see much of what was coming， although not all。 The problem was， it took was it took way longer to read because it kept putting me to sleep。 One issue was that she used too many words。 I typically love her books so this was somewhat of a disappointment to me。 Good characters， good story， should have been a good book， but something kept it from being。 I recommend it only if you are a diehard Gregory fan。 I was invited to read a free ARC of Dark Tides by Netgalley。 All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own。 #netgalley #darktides 。。。more
Annette
，
I usually really like this author’s books。 I had not read the previous book in this series which might be part of the problem。 It’s told by alternating characters which made it a bit hard to follow， at least for me。 There were times during the book I thought were really good and others kinda boring。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early
Carol lowkey。bookish
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Philippa Gregory does it again！ Dark Tides is a multi-POV historical fiction novel that takes place in 1670’s London， New England， and Venice。 This is Book two in the Fairmile series， picking up 20 years after the first book， Tidelands left off。 Alinore Rikke and her family are living in London after fleeing Fairmile in a dramatic fashion in the first book。 Her family has made a meager but honest living running a business dockside in Southwark。I enjoyed that we get to experience this richly deta Philippa Gregory does it again！ Dark Tides is a multi-POV historical fiction novel that takes place in 1670’s London， New England， and Venice。 This is Book two in the Fairmile series， picking up 20 years after the first book， Tidelands left off。 Alinore Rikke and her family are living in London after fleeing Fairmile in a dramatic fashion in the first book。 Her family has made a meager but honest living running a business dockside in Southwark。I enjoyed that we get to experience this richly detailed historical fiction though several characters’ POVs。 I preferred Sarah’s POV because she is such a strong and resourceful character。 I really hope we get to hear more from her in the next book of the series。（view spoiler）[And James， what are we going to do with that guy？ I was rooting for James in the first book and he let me down。 Dark Tides was his opportunity to do right by Alinore and make reparations。 Instead he is just as big of a gullible， cowardly， selfish fool as he was in Tidelands。 （hide spoiler）]The genius in Philippa Gregory’s writing is that she provides such rich detail swirled amongst the fascinating lives of these characters。 I learned about the London shipping trade and the sufferance wharf business of Alys and Alinore。 The chapters about Venice had such a strong sense of place that I felt the intrigue of Venice in the 1670’s。 Ned’s chapters in Colonial America were richly detailed with information about how Ned hunted， grew crops， and survived in the rugged new land。 I highly recommend Dark Tides to readers who enjoy richly detailed historical fiction with vivid well-developed characters。 4。5/5Thank you to Atria Books for this ARC via Netgalley for this copy of Dark Tides in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Diana Brown
，
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the chance to read an advanced copy of Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory。 This is the 2nd book in the Fairmile series， and it picks up 21 years after Tidelands ends。 While some people could probably read without it reading the first book， I personally wouldn't suggest it。 While Tidelands background was Charles I imprisonment/trial etc， Dark lands now turns to the newly restored King Charles II and begins on Midsummer Eve 1670。 Two unexpected visit Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the chance to read an advanced copy of Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory。 This is the 2nd book in the Fairmile series， and it picks up 21 years after Tidelands ends。 While some people could probably read without it reading the first book， I personally wouldn't suggest it。 While Tidelands background was Charles I imprisonment/trial etc， Dark lands now turns to the newly restored King Charles II and begins on Midsummer Eve 1670。 Two unexpected visitors arrive at a warehouse The first is a wealthy man hoping to find the lover he deserted twenty-one years before and the second is a beautiful widow from Venice in deepest mourning。 She claims Alinor as her mother-in-law and has come to tell her that Rob， her son has drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon， but Alinor—without doubt—knows her son is alive and the widow is an imposter。 While I found Dark tides just a engrossing， as Tidelands， the side story of Alinor's brother Ned in New England， while interesting was almost a story in its own rights。 Perhaps， there is more to his story in the next book。 I was a fan of Sarah， who has a fair bit of the last part of the story， butJohnnie seemed to fade into the background。 And as for James Avery， I am quite disappointed in how his character was written， and turned out。 This could have been a 5 star book， but lost 1 1/2 stars because some of the characters were disappointing。 。。。more
Jamie
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Historical Fiction is my favorite genre。 And Philippa Gregory is my favorite author。 Put the two together， and it's always a win for the reader！ Dark Tides does not disappoint。 I can't wait for her next book。
♡Ellie
，
It’s important to note that Dark Tides is the second installment of The Fairmile Series。 If you have not read Tidelands， it would be super helpful， and will give a better understanding of the back story and the characters。 You can read my review of Tidelands on my blog elliesinfinitebooks。com。 After reading Tidelands， i was left somber， very sad， but grateful。 The tone of the first novel was very different compared to how I felt after reading Dark Tides。 I don’t think I have ever read anything It’s important to note that Dark Tides is the second installment of The Fairmile Series。 If you have not read Tidelands， it would be super helpful， and will give a better understanding of the back story and the characters。 You can read my review of Tidelands on my blog elliesinfinitebooks。com。 After reading Tidelands， i was left somber， very sad， but grateful。 The tone of the first novel was very different compared to how I felt after reading Dark Tides。 I don’t think I have ever read anything quite like Philippa Gregory’s work， and in a way I would describe it as beautiful in its own way。 It will make you feel so many emotions。 ALL at the same time。 In Dark Tides， the past has a way of staying very present in the lives of the characters。 Even though it has been over 20 years。 By this point， our main characters had pretty much made peace with the past， and were moving on， although not forgetting what happened either。 As a reader I was tested many times， there are some important twists I hadn’t expected， but understood。 The novel felt very long at moments， but I think it was the tone of the writing。 If you read Tidelands， and were left with questions， and yes concerns。。 You’ll want to read this one， I felt like I finally got some answers， and am happier on the stance of the story now， then I was after the first book。 。。。more
Katie
，
Yikes。 I love Philippe Gregory’s writing to bits， but this was not her best novel。 Please do not judge her writing by this book if you’re a first time Gregory reader！！ The book was choppy and I felt like the ending was thrown together。 If it had been written by a different author， I would have given it a higher rating。
Suzanne
，
Philipps Gregory has been a favorite author of mine in the past and I was excited to catch up with her again。 I did not realize that DARK TIDES was the second in a series， so that is entirely my fault。 I read the first half of the book。 I read other reviews on goodreads。 Frankly， I have no idea what is going on in this story。 The women’s names are much too similar and the descriptions not different enough to make any sense to a new reader of this series。 I learned more from other reviews than I Philipps Gregory has been a favorite author of mine in the past and I was excited to catch up with her again。 I did not realize that DARK TIDES was the second in a series， so that is entirely my fault。 I read the first half of the book。 I read other reviews on goodreads。 Frankly， I have no idea what is going on in this story。 The women’s names are much too similar and the descriptions not different enough to make any sense to a new reader of this series。 I learned more from other reviews than I understood from the book I was reading。 There is a letter in the beginning of the book， written in penmanship and language that appears entirely modern。 If there is a reason for it， I don’t know what it is。 This is not a stand alone book。 But I don’t have the motivation to start the first one。 Other readers seem to love it， though。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more
Julie
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This is the second in the Fairmile saga。 I didn't read the first and though it left me with a few questions at first， I don't think it was necessary to read the first to figure out what was happening in this one。 The book takes place in three locations London， Venice， and New England， but Venice only comes in very near the end of the book。 The historical details were wonderful。 This is one of Philippa Gregory's strengths and it shined in this book。 I would have loved to have more of Alinor and h This is the second in the Fairmile saga。 I didn't read the first and though it left me with a few questions at first， I don't think it was necessary to read the first to figure out what was happening in this one。 The book takes place in three locations London， Venice， and New England， but Venice only comes in very near the end of the book。 The historical details were wonderful。 This is one of Philippa Gregory's strengths and it shined in this book。 I would have loved to have more of Alinor and her "sight" and skills with herbs， but I'm guessing that was highlighted more in the first book when she is nearly drowned for practicing witchcraft。 As it was， she was almost a secondary figure in this book。 Rarely appearing or speaking。 It seemed to me as the wise matriarch of the family that she still should have had a more active role。 Alys was a capable woman who had run a business that was trusted by the locals for its honesty and fairness。 It wasn't large and the family barely scraped by financially， but for the time in which this story takes place that was more than many women on their own could have managed。 Yet she seemed easy manipulated and rather naive。 Also she appears to no longer acknowledge her mothers gifts。 That all seems rather inconsistent。 Livia was so clearly a liar and a manipulator that I found reading the segments with Livia to be exhausting。 Also I was uncomfortable with Livia using sex to manipulate Alys because the trope of evil bisexual people using sex to manipulate others is both overused and offensive。 It was clear that she could have controlled Alys without introducing a romantic relationship between the two。Sarah and Johnnie were rather non-existent for the first half of the book， but Sarah truly bloomed near the end。 She proved to be clever， resourceful and rather interesting。 Though I'm not sure how a girl of her class standing learned two languages。 While I appreciated the story with Ned in the New World I do think it wasn't necessary to the primary story which was taking place in Europe。 It would have been sufficient for the family to receive the occasional shipment and letter from the New World without introducing and entirely different storyline there。 However， I do think Ned's story would have made an interesting stand alone book on its own。I received this book free from Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an impartial review。 ***Spoilers below***While I do feel that James got what he deserved in the end， I do feel that Livia got off way too easily。 She will make him miserable for years， but meanwhile she will live in luxury and be left free to cause more chaos。 I think it would have been more just for her to be locked up and shipped back to Venice to answer charges for the murder of her first husband and false imprisonment of Rob which won't happen because of Avery's need to protect the family name。 That made it a disappointing conclusion though I suppose it could be resolved in the next book。 。。。more
Karen
，
I was excited to start Dark Tides， Philippa Gregory’s second book in her new series。 I was particularly interested in getting reacquainted with Tidelands， main character Alinor， a midwife and herbalist。 It is now twenty-one years later and the setting is moved to the river in London。 She runs a business with her daughter， Alys。 Answering a knock at the door， we find Livia， a young Italian dressed in black and carrying a baby。 She professes to be Alinor’s son Rob’s widow。 Something about her stor I was excited to start Dark Tides， Philippa Gregory’s second book in her new series。 I was particularly interested in getting reacquainted with Tidelands， main character Alinor， a midwife and herbalist。 It is now twenty-one years later and the setting is moved to the river in London。 She runs a business with her daughter， Alys。 Answering a knock at the door， we find Livia， a young Italian dressed in black and carrying a baby。 She professes to be Alinor’s son Rob’s widow。 Something about her story does not sit right with Alinor but Alys gets along well with Livia。 Soon， James Avery shows up to try to make amends with Alinor。 The starts of a good story。 I found the first half of the book to move slowly even though the chapters are short。 Gregory is a very good descriptive writer and the reader has “you are there feel” which I appreciate。 And then there is Alinor’s brother Ned’s story。 He is settled in New England。 I felt like there were two different and independent stories。 It didn’t add to the story other than maybe Gregory is preparing us for the third book。 I liked the last part of the book。 I just think there needed to be some more editing in the first half of the book to improve the flow of the story。 I will be interested to read the next installment。 Thank you Atria Boks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
donna
，
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the free arc via netgalley。 I loved the first book。 It was a nice change of pace from royalty stories。 This sequel did not disappoint。 We pick up twenty years later and quickly get answers to what happened to everyone。 The scene has moved to the city from the marshes。 The story is full of romance and deceit and adventure。 One of the highlights was hearing about Ned's time in Hadley as I grew up not far away。 It just felt good to be back in this world and I want mor Thank you Simon & Schuster for the free arc via netgalley。 I loved the first book。 It was a nice change of pace from royalty stories。 This sequel did not disappoint。 We pick up twenty years later and quickly get answers to what happened to everyone。 The scene has moved to the city from the marshes。 The story is full of romance and deceit and adventure。 One of the highlights was hearing about Ned's time in Hadley as I grew up not far away。 It just felt good to be back in this world and I want more。 。。。more
Vonda
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21 years after Tidelands comes Dark Tides。 A masterful tale that will grab you in immediately and you never want to put it down！ Only thing that bothered me was the main protagonist in Tidelands becomes a weaker character and stays in the background of Dark Tides。 Not to bother！ Her daughter and grandchildren step up nicely。 There are new characters that are deeply enriched and turns this into a tale that twists and turns and shocks！ This one is HIGHLY recommended。 It could be a stand alone。
Lynette Burnett
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I’m going to start this review of Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory with a short review of the previous book， Tidelands。 Tidelands begins Ms。 Gregory’s newest Fairmile series。 Tidelands begins on Midsummers Eve as Alinor Reekie hopes to meet the ghost of her husband， Zachary， who has deserted his family。 If his ghost is met， Alinor will know she’s a widow and her life can move on。 Alas， Alinor does meet a man but not her missing husband。 Tidelands is set during the Cromwellian era in British histor I’m going to start this review of Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory with a short review of the previous book， Tidelands。 Tidelands begins Ms。 Gregory’s newest Fairmile series。 Tidelands begins on Midsummers Eve as Alinor Reekie hopes to meet the ghost of her husband， Zachary， who has deserted his family。 If his ghost is met， Alinor will know she’s a widow and her life can move on。 Alas， Alinor does meet a man but not her missing husband。 Tidelands is set during the Cromwellian era in British history。 The man she meets is a Catholic priest who she hides for a night before taking him on to his assignation。 This act will change the course of her， and her children’s lives。 Tidelands is a very descriptive， beautifully told story of a woman who is neither wife nor widow， who lives at the edge of Britain at a place neither land or sea， set in an ever changing climate。 Dark Tides begins 21 years later。 Set primarily in London and New England， it continues the story of Alinor Reekie， her daughter Alys Stoney and Alys’s twins， Sarah and Johnnie。 Alys runs a successful wharf。 While the family is not as poor as they were in Tidelands， they are still just barely breaking even。 The priest who changes Alinor’s life in Tidelands returns at the beginning of Dark Tides hoping to reclaim what he believes is his from Tidelands。 But instead he meets Livia， Alinor’s now deceased sons widow， who will turn all their lives upside down and make everyone question what is true and what is false。 Dark Tides is faster paced than Tidelands， but it’s still a slow stroll through a good， well told， story。 Ms。 Gregory leaves no detail untold。 She is masterful at creating a vision with her words。 Sometimes， though， I think a tree can be a tree if it propels the story。 But I do appreciate all the effort that Ms。 Gregory gives all her books。 While the ending was not what I had hoped for， it was satisfying。 I look forward to the next story in this series about very independent women and how they shape British history。 Thank you to #netgalley and #atriabooks for the advanced copy of #darktides！ 。。。more
Christina （Confessions of a Book Addict）
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3。5 stars - I didn't love this book as much as book one in the series， but it was still a solid historical read。 It did take quite awhile to get going， but once it picked up， I was hooked。 I felt that some parts were a bit repetitive and I wasn't as interested in Ned's portion; however， I will definitely be continuing with the series as I do care a lot about the characters and the world that Gregory created。 Full review to come。
Andrea Johnson
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This book is the second in a series， takes place 21 years after Tidelands， in 1690。 Alinor and Alys have moved to the outskirts of London and they are eeking by。 Rob has gone to Venice and Ned is in New England。 This book goes back and forth between these three locations， weaving the stories of the family。 There is a lot of family drama and intriguing things to keep you turning the pages of this book， and hoping that there will be a book 3。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced This book is the second in a series， takes place 21 years after Tidelands， in 1690。 Alinor and Alys have moved to the outskirts of London and they are eeking by。 Rob has gone to Venice and Ned is in New England。 This book goes back and forth between these three locations， weaving the stories of the family。 There is a lot of family drama and intriguing things to keep you turning the pages of this book， and hoping that there will be a book 3。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy。 。。。more
Sheri Konschak
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This is one of the best novels by Philippa Gregory I have read！ Loved the story line。 Story flowed right along and keep getting better and better the further you got into the book！ Loved the characters and their roles in the story！ I got hooked on Victoria Holt books way back in high school and have her whole collection in my personal library。 Philippa Gregory writes very similar to Holt。 This was book 2 in the series， now I need to get book 1， Tidelands to see how it all started。 I won this boo This is one of the best novels by Philippa Gregory I have read！ Loved the story line。 Story flowed right along and keep getting better and better the further you got into the book！ Loved the characters and their roles in the story！ I got hooked on Victoria Holt books way back in high school and have her whole collection in my personal library。 Philippa Gregory writes very similar to Holt。 This was book 2 in the series， now I need to get book 1， Tidelands to see how it all started。 I won this book in a Good Reads giveaway， and am so happy I did。 I will be keeping this book to add to my library。 Thank you Good Reads！ 。。。more
Linda
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Caught up within the Dark Tides。。。。。。。Philippa Gregory casts her story within the deep rushing waters of characters transfixed on deviously dark motives。 I would suggest reading the first book in this Fairmile Series， Tidelands， first in order to get a feel for what has already transpired in the past。 A change of setting for these multi-layered characters will bring on even more adventures。Alinor Reekie has left her home in the Tidelands and is now living along the River Thames near London in 16 Caught up within the Dark Tides。。。。。。。Philippa Gregory casts her story within the deep rushing waters of characters transfixed on deviously dark motives。 I would suggest reading the first book in this Fairmile Series， Tidelands， first in order to get a feel for what has already transpired in the past。 A change of setting for these multi-layered characters will bring on even more adventures。Alinor Reekie has left her home in the Tidelands and is now living along the River Thames near London in 1670。 Alinor， a renowned herbalist and midwife， is now an invalid from a near death drowning。 Her daughter， Alys， and Alys' teenage children， Sarah and Johnnie， run a warehouse business along the wharf。 They live month by month with very little profit。Gregory spotlights two incredibly different individuals who will enter into their lives。 Sir James Avery wishes a meeting with Alinor。 He and Alinor had a past relationship which James desires to rekindle。 He is up in years and wants a family to bestow his estate to。 Alinor wants nothing to do with James and refuses his offer。 But this will not be the last of James。No sooner does James take leave of Alinor when a fashionably dressed young woman with a newborn shows up at Alinor's door。 She claims to be the widow of Alinor's son， Robert。 Nobildonna Livia da Ricci of Venice brings shocking news。 Robert has died and she is his widow with their son， Matteo。 With no other recourse， they take the young widow and baby into their home。 Oh， Momma。 This is the beginning of a wild ride。 You'll never sweep Livia into a corner。 Not ever。To magnify situations even higher， Gregory does a split-screen here with a corresponding storyline of Alinor's brother， Ned Ferryman。 Ned has left England and traveled to New England。 He was a follower of Oliver Cromwell and can no longer tolerate the reign of Charles II， son of Charles I who was beheaded。 He only wishes to have a plot of land and run a ferry as he did in England。 We will experience the escalation of broken treaties and land grabbing by the settlers。 Because of this， resentment is building up by the Native Americans and war may be eminent。Dark Tides is heavily cloaked with historical and religious situations of the time period。 That's Philippa Gregory's strong suit and she doesn't disappoint in this one。 Dark Tides has spirit as you'll experience as these characters are prone to antagonizing one another。 Mind battles will dominate as craftiness comes into play。 We'll find that high energy brain cells have been gifted to the poor as well as the privileged。 Let the games begin。。。。。。I received a copy of Dark Tides through NetGalley for an honest review。 My thanks to Atria Books （Simon & Schuster） and to the talented Philippa Gregory for the opportunity。 。。。more
Tami
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This is the second book in Philippa Gregory’s Fairmile series and this time Gregory takes readers away from the tidelands of Sussex and into London， Venice and New England。 I must admit， the descriptions of Venice were so interesting that I think this was my favorite part of the book。After the catastrophe at the tidelands in the first book， Alinor， her daughter Alys and her brother Ned all move away in order to start a new life。 Alinor and her daughter end up running a warehouse on the wharf in This is the second book in Philippa Gregory’s Fairmile series and this time Gregory takes readers away from the tidelands of Sussex and into London， Venice and New England。 I must admit， the descriptions of Venice were so interesting that I think this was my favorite part of the book。After the catastrophe at the tidelands in the first book， Alinor， her daughter Alys and her brother Ned all move away in order to start a new life。 Alinor and her daughter end up running a warehouse on the wharf in London。 Ned decides to leave England and try his luck in America。Alinor’s son Rob goes to train to become a doctor and ends up practicing in Venice。Ned’s storyline puts him in close contact with the Native Americans and he is soon conflicted over which side he must be on if the English and the Indians are to battle。 I didn’t feel like Ned’s storyline tied in very well to the story， but I did enjoy it on it’s own。In London， Alinor and Alys have two unexpected visitors。 One is James Avery， the man Alinor loved who betrayed her when she needed him most。 The other is a woman from Venice claiming to be Alinor’s daughter-in-law。 She brings a baby with her that she claims is Alinor’s grandson。 What transpires when the two visitors meet is nothing but the best dose of karma ever inflicted on two richly deserving individuals。 I was a bit shocked at how Gregory wrapped up the ending。 It was a bit unbelievable， but still satisfying。Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give an honest review。 。。。more
Amy Blehm
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（2。5⭐️ rounded up） We return to the Reekie family。 This time in London and 21 years from where we last encountered them。 And while the last installment was more of romance mixed with family drama， this one is much more old English soap opera。 A new character， Rob’s supposed widow， is added in this sequel。 And with her comes the cunning deception of any quintessential， duplicitous soap opera villain。。。。 twisty， dark， misdirected， and far more interesting than honest。 One thing that remains the sa （2。5⭐️ rounded up） We return to the Reekie family。 This time in London and 21 years from where we last encountered them。 And while the last installment was more of romance mixed with family drama， this one is much more old English soap opera。 A new character， Rob’s supposed widow， is added in this sequel。 And with her comes the cunning deception of any quintessential， duplicitous soap opera villain。。。。 twisty， dark， misdirected， and far more interesting than honest。 One thing that remains the same is the deep stubborn streak holding strong in both Reekie women。 Is this stubbornness a matter of self preservation or if stupidity？ It’s often hard to tell。 I was pleased that this story takes place after the political strife which bogged down the previous book。 Unfortunately it was replaced by Ned’s troubles in the New World。 You learn of Ned living amongst the English and yet befriending the local “savage” natives。 To me， this storyline had no place in the novel。 Aside from the fact that Ned is Alinor’s brother， these read as two completely separate entities。 While I rooted for Alinor in the previous book， I wasn’t as strongly connected to any character in this book。 I missed Alinor’s strong sense and charm， as she was mostly absent from this book。 Overall， the story is fine。 But after the ending of the previous book， I had hoped for more than fine。 Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Lisa
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Thank you for an ARC of this book。 I am a HUGE Philippa Gregory fan and always enjoy her books。 This one， however， just didn't do it for me。 Her writing， as always， is superb， detailed and well researched。 But being a fan of historical stories， this one seemed to put the history in the background - more of a minor character。 I found it a challenge to stay engaged， when usually I can rip through her books in one or two sittings。 Perhaps it's also the time period in which the story is set。 Anyhow， Thank you for an ARC of this book。 I am a HUGE Philippa Gregory fan and always enjoy her books。 This one， however， just didn't do it for me。 Her writing， as always， is superb， detailed and well researched。 But being a fan of historical stories， this one seemed to put the history in the background - more of a minor character。 I found it a challenge to stay engaged， when usually I can rip through her books in one or two sittings。 Perhaps it's also the time period in which the story is set。 Anyhow， still a huge fan and will look to her next work - hoping it's more in the vein of what she usually writes。 。。。more
Casey
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Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review。A somewhat interesting second book， I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one。 I found that this one was much too long and a lot of nothing happened for a long while。 Near the end things ramped up but it was a case of too little to late for me to fully get on board。 Still enjoyable and interesting to see where Aly and her mother Alinor end up after the first book but it is much more antic Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review。A somewhat interesting second book， I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one。 I found that this one was much too long and a lot of nothing happened for a long while。 Near the end things ramped up but it was a case of too little to late for me to fully get on board。 Still enjoyable and interesting to see where Aly and her mother Alinor end up after the first book but it is much more anticlimactic。Alys is almost unbearable in this book。 In the first book her mother warned her about something and she didn't listen which resulted in dire consequences。 In this book her mother once again warns her but she is stupid enough not to listen once again。 She knows her mother has the sight and still she does not listen。 She was a young girl the first time， but this time she is older and there are no more excuses。 She does things for Livia that she wouldn't even do for her own children and that makes it both infuriating and unbelievable。Sarah I enjoyed， and her bravery， although it seems she inherited some of their mothers foolishness towards the end。 The Venice part is where the book finally gets interesting for me。I wish there was more Alinor。 I liked her so much in the first book and while she was in this one， there was much much less of her。 I think if she was involved more it would have been better。Neds parts were sometimes interesting but mostly unnecessary。 Although I did like the end to his tale， I didn't see how his part really added anything to the story。 Also I have to note that in the book there was mention of "Canada" which would have almost certainly referred either to Rupert's Land or New France。 I thought it was funny that where Ned was was called New England （not the USA） but Canada was still called Canada even though it didn't exist as a county yet。Check out my blog Tayside Book Blog 。。。more
Jennifer
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Received through FirstReads。。。So， I'm feeling kind of let down by this one。 It started out not so great but then picked up steam， so I got my hopes up， and now I'm sitting here feeling tremendously let down by the ending。 The descriptions of surroundings， scents， weather， etc， are spot on as usual。 The storyline involving Ned in America felt completely unnecessary and like it belonged in a different book。 Those chapters， however short， really broke up the flow of the story。 I had to grit my teet Received through FirstReads。。。So， I'm feeling kind of let down by this one。 It started out not so great but then picked up steam， so I got my hopes up， and now I'm sitting here feeling tremendously let down by the ending。 The descriptions of surroundings， scents， weather， etc， are spot on as usual。 The storyline involving Ned in America felt completely unnecessary and like it belonged in a different book。 Those chapters， however short， really broke up the flow of the story。 I had to grit my teeth for quite a bit， as the way Livia spoke was incredibly irritating。 Eventually I just became used to it and it made me hate her more。 I found it kind of hard to swallow that the savvy characters from the first book in the series would be so easily taken in by such an obvious con artist。 And so you're getting closer and closer to the end thinking she's going to get her just desserts， right？ But then it ends and it's so unsatisfying。 I mean， drown her in the river or something。 Also， the word antiquities is used about 2，309 times in this book and I never want to see it again。 。。。more
Lola Riley
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Still reading - love it！！ The new characters are really good - and one is delightfully evil！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dark Tides
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dark Tides&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dark Tides&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0