Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden

 
Summary
As a child, Lydia Pallas, grew up aboard her father’s fishing boat alongside her mother and baby brother.  Eventually, her mother insists that Lydia must go to school.  Every day her father takes their family out in their boat after dropping her off at school.  At the end of each day he fetches her.  Lydia loves school and every day looks forward to going, but one day her father does not return to pick her up at the end of the day.  Because the boat never returned to port, it is assumed that Lydia’s parents and brother died aboard the boat.  Lydia is placed in an orphanage and, when old enough, is sent on her way.

Now Lydia is working at a Boston Harbor shipyard as a U.S. Navy translator because of her unique skills with languages, which brings her into contact with Alexander Banebridge, better known as “Bane.”  Bane hires Lydia to do what seem to be innocent translations, but eventually Lydia gets in over her head as she falls for Bane and gets herself fired from her Navy translator job.  She sets out on a quest to help Bane defeat the Professor, one of the most dangerous and illegal opium traders, as well as to rescue the lives of two innocent boys.  Lydia must decide who she can trust and who she cannot as she struggles with her own addiction to Mrs. Winslow’s medicine, which she has been spoon fed since her time in the orphanage and contains opium.

Can Lydia save the lives of two little boys, find the love of her life, and overcome her opium addiction?

Review
Once again, Elizabeth Cameden has written a delightful story.  This novel continues the story of Alexander Banebridge, while including characters from the previous novel in this series, The Lady of Bolton Hill, and adding new characters.  This page-turning novel will keep readers on the edge of their seats wondering what will happen next.  Tugging at heart strings, readers will become attached to the characters in this novel as they learn their stories that include pain, grief, and at last happiness.

Genre: historical fiction, Christian fiction, romance, inspirational
Literary awards: RITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Best Inspirational Romance (2013), Christy Award for Historical Romance (2013),Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense (2013)
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication date: October 2012
Number of pages: 362

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