Customer Reviews

Night Tides (Lady of the Lakes)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rachel writes a crime-fighting blog called "The Lady of the Lakes" wherein she posts details of crimes, past and present, that have been revealed to her by lake beings. The police read her blog for the hot crime clues, but can't hack her blog and trace her. Is she, perhaps, an excellent networking computer goddess, you ask? Nope. Apparently she's just extra special.

She also manages to have sex with bodiless lake spirits/aliens/ohwhocaresjustgowithit beings. She isn't sure what they are, except they are ancient. Apparently showing her good time is how they communicate. The heroine is more than willing to communicate with them on a regular basis despite her uncertainty about what exactly she is communicating with.


"She also tended to inadvertently dress in ways that showed off her assets, as she had this morning, in a sports top bra and tight denim shorts."

I'm not quite sure how Rachel manages to dress inadvertently, or why she would want to expose that much skin to the possibility of encountering hot oil, spilling coffee, or other kitchen hazards on a daily basis. But Rachel is OMG shocked, appalled, and dismayed that men look at her while she is working in her jog bras and short-shorts.

The hero appears at her diner when a handsome stranger shows up, looks at her short-shorts, and then follows up his evil ways by trying to rescue her during an unnecessary confrontation that Rachel has with a villain. There is after another confrontation with earlier in the book with two drunk men. All of which is intended to establish Rachel as a heroine in the Spirited and Can Take Care of Herself types.

I wasn't able to finish the book so I can't comment on more than I have. I picked up the book because of the cover art, and purchased it in the hope of finding a new urban fantasy author. I thought that this one was awkwardly written and rather silly. I wasn't going to bother to post about it, but when I saw only a single glowing review, I felt an obligation to fellow readers to comment.

If you like Laurell Hamilton's current books, you might enjoy this one. It features similar elements; an extra-special heroine, supernatural sex, and crime.

I have to start by saying that after reading the snippet from the story inside the front cover, and laughing at what was there - and no it wasn't intentionally humorous - the only reason that I actually ended up reading the book was so that I could write this review, because I don't generally review a book I haven't finished. However, I have to admit that I actually ended up liking Night Tides more than I thought I would - there were moments in the story that I liked - hence the 'ok' rating.

The whole premise behind the Night Tides is that after a 'drowning incident as a child, Rachel has a psychic connection with the lake which allows Rachel to see visions of crimes. Rachel uses this knowledge to help bring the perpetrators to justice by offering anonymous tips about the crimes in her blog. The part of Rachel's powers that I had difficulty with: Rachel's 'connection' includes a sexual relationship with the lake, and since the lake took her virginity (yep, seriously), Rachel can only find completion with the lake and not on her own or with a man.

As the story begins though, instead of her usual getting glimpses of cold case crimes, Rachel is getting glimpses of women who have been kidnapped recently and have disappeared with only their clothes left behind. The suspense part of Night Tides is fairly well done, we get glimpses of the kidnappings and the victims being held by their captor, but the reason which ties the victims together and abuse that the captives suffer while imprisoned aren't revealed until late into the book.

Along side of the mystery, Rachel meets Ethan, a traumatized veteran of the Iraq war, and the pair become thoroughly obsessed with each other - even though their first encounter doesn't go well and it looks to Rachel as if nice guy Ethan may be every bit as stalker-y as the men she usually attracts. But it turns out Ethan's okay and when Rachel shares her secret he's even willing to do a ménage-a-lake.

Leaving wierd water interludes behind, Rachel and Ethan were pretty good characters and I liked that Rachel was acustomed to rescuing herself, this served Rachel in good stead when she was forcibly 'invited' to the kidnapper's little party. Despite Rachel's strange relationship with the lake, I probably would have liked Night Tides even better if Prentiss hadn't denied us the happily ever after that I wanted for Ethan. But since this is apparently a series starter, I guess Prentiss was just saving something for the sequel, Dark Waters (December 2010).

'Night Tides' was a pretty decent debut - a mix of paranormal romance and kidnapping mystery.

Rachel Matre, our heroine, is somewhat unusual. She appears fairly normal on the surface - a divorced woman who owns a diner in the prosperous college town of Madison. However, Rachel has a couple of secrets; one is that she writes the 'Lady of the Lakes' blog; the second, and more dramatic, is that she has a weird relationship with two of the local lakes, skinny dipping there and having some kind of sexual experience with the mysterious lake spirits or creatures.

When young women are kidnapped, leaving behind just their clothes, local police realise there's something serious going on. The lake spirits seem to be telling Rachel to help the women - but how can she? And what if she is a target for the kidnapper too?

This summary gives a bald outline of the plot which is actually exciting and gripping in places. The weird relationship-with-the-lake thing isn't as odd as it seems (although it is a bit peculiar) and doesn't take over the story too much. The author has a good writing style and the mystery of the kidnappings was handled well as the perpetrator's motivations were gradually revealed.

However this book did show itself as a first novel in some ways. The above summary completely ignores the love interest which felt tacked on and entirely unnecessary; the oh-so-attractive-and-manly Ethan Walker was entirely unnecessary to the plot. I also found that Rachel, the heroine, wasn't always a sympathetic character. She was fairly self-centred and didn't seem to think much about others - just about her own needs. She also seemed to have gathered a surprisingly long list of stalkers which suggested that she might not be the easiest person to get along with.

it was an enjoyable read, and presumably the start of a series (in that it didn't entirely wrap up all plot threads). Alex Prentiss is probably an author I'll read again.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2010

In a genre packed with werewolves and vampires, Night Tides stands apart. It's more of a psychological thriller than a standard urban fantasy novel, but its so creative, erotic, and compelling that it is damnably tough to put down. Unlike other sex-filled UF books, the pacing is fantastic too, with no drawn-out boring parts. Believable characters, witty dialogue, and taut action belie the fact that this is author's first novel. In fact, the plot twist that's exposed by the autopsy results totally caught me by surpise, yet the foreshadowing made it a "duh'oh!" moment in retrospect. I love that. Very well done! I can't wait for the sequel.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Blinded by the Night, among other titles

Two decades ago as a child in Madison, Wisconsin, Rachel Matre drowned. She somehow survived and as a result has a special relationship with the nearby lakes that caress her senses. The diner owner also uses her skill to provide the police undercover help in solving crimes as the author of the blog "The Lady of the Lake".

However, recently her unique connections with the spirits of the lake are confusing as women vanish and she is unable to provide answers to what is going on since her visions are foggy with the spirits pleading with her to save them. She fears her attraction to Ethan Walker may be interfering with her communication with the lakes. He feels that same regard as she does and wonders if she is the one to help him overcome his issues. Soon after she reveals her secret that she has concealed from everyone for twenty years, Rachel vanishes. Ethan must trust in his loving link to her to find and rescue her and hopefully the other missing women.

This is a fascinating paranormal suspense thriller starring an interesting lead protagonist whose special skill brings a special freshness to the mission of saving the abducted college age females. The story line is fast-paced form the onset while the romantic subplot enhances the amateur sleuth inquiry. Fans will appreciate Night Tides due to the heroine whose connection to the spirits of the lake makes for a unique enjoyable read.

Harriet Klausner

i hate to give bad reviews but i just cant say i loved this book. the potential was there but it just didnt flow for me or keep me hanging. i can accept the spirits of the water having sex with her but something was just missing for me.

I've never read a "Paranormal Romance" book so this was a first and found it very interesting. I relatively enjoyed it. I just felt that the "bad guy" wasn't bad enough and that the story did seem a bit jumpy at times. I liked it overall, though. You really do fall in love with Rachel Matre (the lead character) and cheer her on. Looking forward to the follow up book in the Fall. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could but, since I liked how the author left the romance hanging, I'll jump it up to a 4.

Night Tides is positioned, both by the cover art and the description, as urban fantasy, but that is not where the book really succeeds. More on the urban fantasy piece in a moment.

Where the book works well, really well in fact, is as a psychological thriller. It reminded me very much of books by PJ Tracy, or even Silence of the Lambs. We have switching perspectives, short, tense chapters, and hints of omninous pasts. The villain is completely freaky. All in all, this is a strong entry into that genre. If you like books by James Patterson, you'll find a very familiar feeling story and tempo here.

Where the book doesn't work is the urban fantasy. While it's certainly possible to weave these genres together, in this case, in part because the writing style is so strongly influenced by (or descended from) the modern thriller, the fantasy element does not come across as fantastic. It comes across as creepy. Not what I was looking for when I spied the cover.

Personally, I was also disappointed by the romance in the story (meaning, I wanted more of one, based on the description), and I found the ending especially unsatisfying in that regard.

Another reviewer mentioned the discrepancies between the heroines apparent fear of men and her actions, and I will agree that this was a bit jarring. I also had a hard time connecting with her. Her distance from others made her ultimately hard to connect with. Again, these faults are more annoying when you're expecting an urban fantasy (with romantic elements) than if you approach this as a thriller.

Overall, my recommendation would be to pick this up if you're in the mood for a hair-raising thriller (one of those books where you check the locks after you read it, maybe even leave a light on that night). I would not recommend this as an urban fantasy.

The description of the plot reads as if this is a new urban fantasy series or a work in the tradition of Heather Graham. Unfortunately,the idea of a grown woman sneaking out to a lake to skinny dip and have intercourse with lake spirits of unknown origins comes across as foolish. The male lead is a flat stereotype of an Iraqi War veteran bravely trying to come to grips with witnessing the aftermath of his fellow US soldiers raping and murdering an Iraqi woman. Her insistance on this as a plot device borders on slander of US soldiers. Her other military character, a grizzled veteran of Desert Storm with an entitlement complex, is just as bad. Her attempts to be "even-handed" and portray a "good veteran" and a "bad veteran" are juvenile and illustrate the poor characterization that dominates the story. If you have loved ones who are serving in Iraq or have done so in the past, I recommend avoiding this book. The characterization was very upsetting. The plot was decent, with a mystery that could have been intriguing, but even that fell flat with an obvious resolution to the crimes. I liked the concept of a blogger who uses the supernatual aide of lake spirits to write her column and to publish information that helps police solve mysteries, but I just could not get over her stereotypical characters and insults to the US military.