Had a tough time finishing this one which is surprising since I love this author. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for chance to read.

Total disappointment. I liked the first book so much, and while I was happy to catch up with these characters again, 1) I could not care less about the brother in America. I found myself skipping those chapters because they were totally irrelevant to the rest of the story. 2) I was irritated at how stupid the mother and daughter had become and how easily they were manipulated by someone who was practically screaming at them that she was trouble. I'm not sure I'll read a third book in the series.

DNF 25%

I really wanted to love this follow-up to tidelands. But Gregory lost the charm of her original characters and got distracted by new and side characters who are very one-dimensional. If this had been a book about how Alinor and Alys had grown and changed since Tidelands, I’d be down for it. But instead they’re pushed to the side. I did not care about Ned’s POV. Livia is completely transparent and not believable. And James is still an idiot.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I love Philippa Gregory and wanted to enjoy this more than I did.

Another beautiful read by Pippa Gregory!! I loved this book start to finish, readers can’t help to feel characters strife, joy, fear, exhaustion because they were so well molded and presented. Thank you!!

The sequel to Tidelands reintroduces Ailnor and her family in 1670 among many dramatic events that take readers from London to Venice to New England. I was on the edge of my seat all the time even if it did take me a little longer to feel immersed. Philippa Gregory has a way of weaving a tale and making even the most villainous of villains a character worth reading about.






Publication Date 24/09/20

Goodreads review 06/09/21

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

This is the second in the series by Phillipa Gregory. There’s another storyline in Dark Tides where Alinor’s brother, Ned, moves to New England to break free of England during this time period. While you could read Dark Tides on its own, I recommend reading both books in succession for a richer story. Reading in this way also offers more perspective on the characters; Alys, especially, because her history is important. Philippa Gregory casts her story within the deep rushing waters of characters transfixed on deviously dark motives.. Dark Tides is book 2 in The Fairmile series. Tidelands (book1) left us with two strong, determined women leaving Sealsea Island, heading to London to start a new life. I was excited to to see how Alinor and her daughter Alys would fair in this new adventure. Dark Tides is set 21 years later. Alys has 21 year old twins, Sarah and Johnnie. Alys now runs a wharf on the poorer south-side of London whilst Alinor brings in money making packs of herbs and selling them. They are not rich but they get by and both Sarah and Johnnie have apprenticeships. Alinor's brother Ned has also left the tidelands now that the new king is on the throne. He has decided to make a new life where he can be his own master in New England (USA). The story held plenty of suspense as the setting moves from London to Venice. Ned's story, although not as compelling, I loved learning about the native Indians, the Pokanoket people, and their ways with the land. Ned was, one with both the natives and the settlers. He was keen to learn the ways of the natives and their wisdom. the reader clearly see Alinor with her herbs and natural healing would also be one with these people. Gregory explains how these peaceful people were lied to, cheated and betrayed by the settlers and how they were not prepared to loose everything, including their way of life.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) and Philippa Gregory for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Dark Tides by Phillips Gregory is the second in the Fairmile series. It has been many years since I had read Phillipa Gregory, and I had always enjoyed her work.

Not so with Dark Tides. It was slow, with a disjointed, meandering plot, and uninteresting characters. A big disappointment.

I received a copy of Dark Tides from the publisher and Net Galley. The opinions are my own.

Dark Tides is the 2nd book in The Fairmile series written by Philippa Gregory. I've read about half of her Plantagenet and Tudor series, and I aim to complete it by the end of this year... but when the two books in this series popped up earlier this summer, I got copies and jumped right in. I definitely enjoyed the first book more, but this one was still good. Let's dive in further.

Twenty-one years after the first book ends in the mid-17th century, Alinor and her children have moved closer to London where they run a small business by the shipyards. Alinor is an invalid now, and her daughter, Alys, is raising twins. Alinor's son Rob left for Venice for work, and her brother, Ned, left for the New World (America). You might not want to read more of this review as it's hard not to spoil book 1 and still cover what happens in this book... so pause and stop reading if you don't want to know... that said, Rob's widow - a very suspicious character - shows up with his baby and claims Rob is dead. Alys believes her. Alinor does not. Plus, in the last book, both Alys and her mother were pregnant... now only one has twins. What happened?

So many great things here about the continuation of their story. Loved that aspect, and the Venetian widow is a character you will love to love or hate. She does so much good and so much bad, but you can never tell which is which. And when Sir James returns, we see him being pulled back into their dark story. On the flip side, Ned's journey to America was mostly boring. Very little happened. I liked what transpired, but for it to be 50% of the book with minimal plot was quite hard. It was a nice counterbalance to his sister's story, yet I found myself wishing it were only 25% of the book. I flipped a few pages and couldn't really connect with his friends and the story of the new land. Usually I love that stuff; it was hard with the suspense of Alinor's plot in opposing chapters.

In the end, I enjoyed the book. I hope there is a book 3, although it didn't finish with a major cliffhanger like book 1, so this could be the end. I give it 3.5 stars but since I liked book 1 a lot more, I am rounding down here. Definitely give book 1 a chance, and if you love the characters, stick with it.

Dnf. Didnt really enjoy first book. Im surprised as I usually love her books. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Dark Tides continues the story of the characters of Tidelands, albeit with a 21-year gap from the first novel to this one. Perhaps the time gap is what makes this one feel so different but, regardless, to me this title didn't really feel like a sequel. We barely see Alinor, who was the heart and soul of the earlier book, and Alys and James are as different from their previous incarnations as to appear like completely different characters. Most of our time is spent with one of the children who were expected at the end of the first book, Sarah, and Rob's Italian wife, Livia.

Livia is awful and the reaction of some of the other characters to her didn't ring true throughout the entirety of the book. The second half of the book, or at least the portions featuring Sarah, were a bit more interesting than the rest. However, I feel the action suffered throughout by the fact that Ned (more of a bit character in the first novel) rose to such prominence this time around, with half of the chapters being dedicated to his story. The fact that his story all takes place in the Americas, following his experience as a settler and his dealings with Native American tribes, while the rest of the story takes place in Europe with little interaction between the two narratives made this one seem like two different books which had accidentally been typeset into one novel.

The emotion and passion which were so prevalent in the first book are lacking here, and the book left me rather cold. Perhaps I went into this one with unrealistic expectations, since it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. I'm interested to see what comes next in this series, but am not sure the next instalment will go straight to the top of my reading pile.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

As always Philippa Gregory did not disappoint. This is the sequel to Tidelands and had the same characters though I think you could read it as a standalone if you didn't read Tidelands. I enjoyed the change of scenery and will definitely read more books by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a sequel to Tidelands which I had read and really enjoyed. Both books contain the same people but this book could standalone. In fact, I think, readers may enjoy this book better as a stand alone novel as the characters all seem very different. I wanted to read about Alinor, the strong healer woman—not Alinor the week. I wanted to read about Alys the ruthless thief and scheming young woman who cares only for herself—Not the Alys who would turn away James, the wealthy ex-lover of her mother’s. The two stories did not jibe for me. The names had not changed, but their characters had. Again, maybe better if you don’t read it as part of a series.

Set in the glamorous opulence and the impoverishment of Restoration London, the canals of Venice, and early America, I read Dark Tides immediately after finishing Tidelands.

Although hIghly researched and well written in a lush and descriptive style, I found it more difficult to get through than I usually find P.G’s novels (I think, perhaps, I should have taken some more time between readings). Take my opinion there with a grain of salt, as there are plenty of readers who absolutely loved this second title; I plan on rereading this series in the future to see if I can find more love for it.

Special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a reader copy of this novel. All opinions shared are influenced by nothing other than my own reading experience.

3.5 Stars - I usually really enjoy and immerse myself in this author's books but this one was a "meh' from me. I found it hard to connect to most of the characters. The addition of a new location seemed like a good idea but that part of the story never really took off. in full disclosure, I did not read the first book in the series, but I usually am quick to pick up what an author leaves out. This time I was really lost. I will read the next series by this author but skip the rest of this series. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Bit of a change to also encounter colonial America in this story. London at the end of the 1600's is both swank and desolate. Well researched and sent me looking for more info as always.

The Book Maven’s Journal Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for Providing this Advance Review Copy

Dark Tides – Fairmilie Series Book 2
By Philippa Gregory

“Dark Tides” is the sequel to “Tidelands,” Book 1, in Philippa Gregory's Fairmilie Series. Set more that 21 years in the future, we find Ailnor and her daughter, Alys, no longer in the marshy wetlands of Southern England, but living along the poorer quays of London’s River Thames. Here, Alys is an independent woman running a warehouse and supporting the family.

Recalling the emotional rollercoaster ride ending of “Tidelands” that left readers in suspense about the survival of Ailnor and her unborn child, “Dark Tides” opens with just this mystery.

Father James is now Lord James. He is also frantic to know these same answers because he desperately needs an heir to inherit his family title and legacy.

However, as 17th C. playwright William Congreve phrased so perfectly, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” (The Mourning Bride, William Congreve,1697)

Ailnor has never owned many personal possessions, but what she always maintained is her honor, integrity and faithfulness. These are also character traits that she values in others—especially those she loves.

James has been weighed and measured by Ailnor, and he is found lacking. Consequently, as much as James now, after all of these years, wants to make amends with her, he is barred by Alys from visiting Ailnor. Does he have a child or not? Will he find the answer he is seeking?

Complicating matters along the wharf, a smoldering Italian beauty arrives from Venice carrying a baby, proclaiming that she is Ailnor’s widowed daughter-in-law.

Ailnor is suspicious of this person and her tales from the get-go because Ailnor was born from a long line of “wise cunning women” with second-sight. If her son was dead, she would “know it!”

The intermingled mysteries of James' and Ailnor's child, as well as Ailnor’s son’s Venice bride are both very well done. They each unfurl in twisted and tangled knots. Although, I don’t want to spoil the story for you, I must say aspects of it bring me to tears. It's so heart-wrenchingly beautiful and poignant in so many ways.

Now, I must also let you know that there is a third aspect to this novel. It's an aside, as far as I’m concerned. Ailnor's brother, frustrated that Charles I is back on the throne of England, after fighting in the conflict against him immigrates to the American Colonies.

Ailnor maintains a correspondence with her brother throughout the novel, discussing her thoughts about her son, while he relates his exploits on the frontier.

In conclusion, I just have to say that I'm a huge Philippa Gregory fan, and consider many of her books on my all time favorites list: The White Queen, The Red Queen, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Constant Princess and The Lady of the Rivers…I highly recommend these as well for your reading lists.

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I haven’t read Philippa Gregory’s book in a very long time and after reading Tidelands and Dark Tides I am very happy that I have rediscovered her books. These books were so entertaining and interesting reads and I complete them in record time.I will definitely recommend these books.

This novel is set in the poverty and glamour of Restoration London, in the canals of Venice, and on the tensions contested frontier of early America. This is a novel of greed and desire for love, for wealth, for a child, and for a home.
James is a man recently elevated to the aristocracy. He wants to make up for a wrong in his past.
Alinor is the woman that he has wronged. A young widow claimed 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.
This is a novel by best-selling author Philippa Gregory and is about bigamy, forgery and love.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.