Customer Reviews

Rhythm Tide

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dramatic rollercoaster story

It's not your typical romance and is quite dramatic. It's also a real heartbreaker where you feel the emotional turmoil of each character when misunderstandings occur and when it seems everything they wish for might never come to be.

I only wish the story were a bit longer and the beginnings of the romance were more developed so the reader can become fully engaged in caring about the characters. I loved all the settings of the story and found the pace and writing carried me along.

I enjoyed this so much that I bought all the author's other novels.

This is a description from the publishers website - Despondent after years of abuse, Clara Webster decides to end it all and swims out into the deep waters of the Texas Gulf. Totally exhausted, she surrenders to the relentless pull of the tide - only to feel strong arms wrap around her. Struggling to free herself from her would-be rescuer, Clara nearly drowns the woman and ends up saving her instead. The woman, reclusive artist Randi Kosub, invites the distraught Clara to stay with her for a while. With nowhere else to go, Clara accepts.

As Clara strives to get her life together, the women grow closer and begin to fall in love. With Randi at her side, Clara realizes that her life is indeed worth living. And in Randi's arms she learns for the first time what it feels like to desire passionately and be passionately desired.

When Clara's youngest son is seriously injured in an accident, she rushes home - unwittingly putting herself in the power of her vengeful husband, who has no intention of letting her go. Caught in the swirling crosscurrents of past and present, Clara is forced to make a devastating choice...

The book had some nice ideas that were not developed. How many times must the heroine fall in love, but then fondly realize that it was only lust or convenience? If you want to read most of the same ideas, but with developed characters and steady story lines try Lyn Denison's Dream Lover or Karin Kallmaker's Painted Moon.

Frankie Jones's "Room for Love" was so delightful I'm making my way through her earlier books. I found "Rhythm Tide" both heartfelt and true-to-life. Some of us wander before we find what we're looking for. The journey was believable and diverting; this was good entertainment!

Rhythm Tide is not as tightly plotted or smooth as "Room for Love," which means that unlike some other writers, Jones is learning from experience and is delivering better and better books.

The story was often choppy and the characters were not developed. I could never quite believe that the heroine was in love. It's far from being the worst book I've ever read. I would not, however, recommend it.

Rhythm Tide was a nice couple hours of reading. It was not long and drawn out for the plot itself. I thought the love story could have been touched on a little more but all in all I thought it was a good story. Not a best seller but enjoyable. It is worth the read...especially if you can pick the book up cheap!

From the back cover... "Despondent after years of abuse, Clara Webster decides to end it all and swims out into the deep waters of the Texas Gulf. Totally exhausted, she surrenders to the relentless pull of the tide -- only to feel strong arms wrap around her. Struggling to free herself from her would-be rescuer, Clara nearly drowns the woman and ends up saving her instead. The woman, reclusive artist Randi Kosub, invites the distraught Clara to stay with her for a while. With nowhere else to go, Clara accepts. As Clara strives to get her life together, the women grow closer and begin to fall in love. With Randi at her side, Clara realizes that her life is indeed worth living. And in Randi's arms she learns for the first time what it feels like to desire passionately and be passionately desired. When Clara's youngest son is seriously injured in an accident, she rushes home -- unwittingly putting herself in the power of her vengeful husband, who has no intention of letting her go. Caught in the swirling crosscurrents of past and present, Clara is forced to make a devastating choice..."

I enjoyed this book, but felt a little shorted on the overall story. For starters, the seemingly straight Clara falls quickly in love with Randi. At the same time, Randi is reclusive and opens her home to this stranger. Jones doesn't develop their relationship before she tears it apart after Clara's son is injured. On the same token, Jones does a great job exploring Clara's coming out process after Randi is out of the picture. In fact, that's the main part of the book. However, toward the end Clara and Randi come together again and this reader couldn't understand the experienced Randi accepting Clara's explanation easily.

A little short on substance with regard to the Clara/Randi relationship, but long on the emotional struggle Clara experiences in her coming out, this book is typical of Jones'writing... enjoyable, but not necessarily memorable.