Yesterday's Tides by Roseanna M. White

Yesterday's Tides
by Roseanna M. White

ISBN-13: 9780764240010
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: January 24th 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the man he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, but he doesn't count on falling in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. When war breaks out in Europe, and their relationship is put in jeopardy, will their love survive?

As Evie and Sterling work to track down an elusive German agent, they unravel a story that goes back a generation. The ripples from the Great War are still rocking their lives, and it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.


My Review:
Yesterday's Tides is a Christian historical set in 1914 and 1942 on Ocracoke Island in America. Both timelines have a full story, but the mystery of the 1942 timeline was about the identity of Evie's parents. Since everyone seemed to be her grandma, aunt, or uncle (even when we knew those characters weren't related), it was sometimes difficult to sort out who was related to whom in what way. Still, you could follow the basic stories just fine.

In 1914, Louisa was poor, did the inn's handyman work, and wasn't sure if she had a black grandma. Remington's rich and visiting on a vacation, but he's intrigued by the beautiful, skilled Louisa. He knew that her ancestry and social status would make it hard for her to fit into his world, but he's attracted to her personality and character. She's also attracted to him, but his relatives will go to cruel lengths to keep them apart. As WWI begins, the war also threatens to separate loved ones.

In 1942, Evie lived in America but helped the British crack enemy codes by using the local Coast Guard telegraph for communication. When British spy Sterling survives a U-boat attack and washes up on her beach, she helped keep his secret and nurse him back to health. She agreed to help him track down an enemy spy (though they spent little time actually doing that). While Evie's willing to answer any of Sterling's questions about her life and past, he's determined to poke around instead and piece together clues until he can figure it out. When the Coast Guard brought Evie coded telegrams, he suddenly suspected her of being an enemy spy...who somehow managed to fool every local resident and Coast Guard into trusting her yet also was the Worst Spy Ever in terms of keeping her "enemy" telegram communications a secret. His belief that she was an enemy when all her actions pointed toward her being an ally made no sense.

Overall, though, the stories were suspenseful as the dangers of two World Wars and relationship tensions stressed the characters. I understood why Remington and Louisa were attracted, though Evie and Sterling seemed more like mild friends until suddenly they realized they loved each other. The characters trusted in God through difficult circumstances. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.