Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden Review

Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description: Love and Lives are Threatened in Camden's Latest Offering

As a child, Lydia Pallas became all too familiar with uncertainty when it came to the future. Now, she's finally carved out a perfect life for herself--a life of stability and order with no changes, surprises, or chaos of any kind. She adores her apartment overlooking the bustling Boston Harbor, and her skill with languages has landed her a secure position as a translator for the U.S. Navy.

However, it is her talent for translation that brings her into contact with Alexander Banebridge, or "Bane," a man who equally attracts and aggravates her. When Bane hires Lydia to translate a seemingly innocuous collection of European documents, she hesitantly agrees, only to discover she is in over her head.

Just as Bane's charm begins to win her over, Lydia learns he is driven by a secret campaign against some of the most dangerous criminals on the East Coast, compelled by his faith and his past. Bane forbids any involvement on Lydia's part, but when the criminals gain the upper hand, it is Lydia on whom he must depend.

My thoughts: This historical fiction novel takes place in a time period I know very little about which is the end of the nineteenth century when countries shared their ship blueprints openly. The real conflict is the beginnings of the opium trade and the ugliness therein. It would be a few years after this time period that the innocuous Mrs. Winslow's syrup for babies would be attributed to the national addiction to opium. At this point in time, however, it was kept mostly to the pharmaceutical companies and politicians in their back pockets.

Enter Lydia Pallas who, against all odds is making it in the world of work with her unique set of skills. She is witty and optimistic and never wants to be in poverty again. With an intriguing man named Bane against a sanity challenged book collector and opium dealer, the story takes interesting turns.

I enjoyed the book completely. Well written with interesting and fleshes out characters.

 *I received a free copy of this book from publishing company in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.