Against the Tide ~ Book Review

   I first discovered Elizabeth Camden, who majors in historical Christian fiction, through her first book, "The Lady of Bolton Hill". I fell immediately in love with her writing style, and her fresh characters, so when I had the opportunity to receive her third book free to review, I jumped on it!

The pros:

   As I read this book, I was struck by the historical depth and accuracy, as well as the consistency that Camden shows throughout the changing settings in her book. I have read too many stories where the author can't keep their facts (dates, ages, events, etc...) straight, so this was very refreshing. Also, the story itself was riveting! Camden, throws in several plot twists, some, I could see coming, but several surprised me and kept me turning the pages. I especially loved that the story did not drag. Many books, even good ones, have 'dead spots' in them, which I generally skim through to get to the action. This plot however, was so cleverly planned, that when I most expected to be coming upon a lull, I would find a twist instead, which definitely kept the story hopping. And, since this is a Christian novel, there are no dirty words, or bad scenes, which is a plus. 

The Cons:

    As much as I love a good mystery and romance, I prefer to read books that leave me longing to be a better Christian, and this book just didn't do that for me. The hero, is a Christian, and the heroine is not, but instead of guarding his heart, the hero jumps right into love with the girl, which was disappointing to me. Also, I was saddened to find that the Gospel is not mentioned in the story. It appears at the end that the heroine is following Christ, but there is no mention of her making a specific decision to accept Christ as her Savior, which I found anti-climactic.

In conclusion:

   If you are looking for a clean, adventurous, well-written story to pass some time, you cannot go wrong with "Against the Tide". If, however, you are seeking a spiritually edifying story line that will leave you thirsting for more of Jesus, you can take or leave this book.

*I received this book free from Bethany House publishers for my honest opinion.