Author Philippa Gregory is back with book number 2 in her Fairmiles series. Last year’s Tidelands was one of my favorite books. Her follow-up novel Dark Tides does not come close to how good the first book was. It’s fun to visit the characters again and see where they are but the story is just too predictable and I found myself even bored sometimes reading it.
It’s 21 years later and Alinor Reekie is now living in London with her daughter Alys after being forced to flee the Tidelands after the scandal of those days. They run a small import-export warehouse with Alys twins Sarah and Johnnie (both 21 and working as apprentices). They barely make enough money. And Alinor is not in the best health.
And on this day Sir James Avery has shown up wanting to talk to Alinor and to meet his son. He was married but is now single, rich and has helped restore the King. He wants to keep his promise to her and marry her. She refuses and also claims his son died. And now news has come that Rob, the son of Alinor has died by drowning. His widow shows up with her baby and is now staying with them. She had come to believe that they had money but they don’t. She meets Sir James and puts her hooks into him.
Alinor doesn’t believe Rob is dead and puts what could be a dangerous plan into motion to get to the truth.
Meanwhile in the new country named New England her brother Ned has fled to. We learn about his life there dealing with the others that went there and the local native Americans. This whole story was not necessary at all. I found myself just flipping the pages.
The best part of the book is when we finally learn the shocking truth and the climax to the story.
You can pick up Dark Tides in stores on Tuesday, November 24th from Atria.
