Ellie Carter is hiding, living a half-life and nursing scars that never healed. Abandoning her job and her family, she fled to the coast and hoped to escape her memories and pain. But she’s haunted by both.Owen Riggs is the eternal optimist, so when he breaks what little trust Ellie had in him, he knows he can earn it back.Step by step, touch by touch, he works to repair the damage he’s caused. … damage he’s caused. But no matter how deeply in love Owen falls, he learns that the scars you can’t see are the hardest to heal.
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You know when you just want to kick yourself for not reading a book sooner, well that is how I am currently feeling. I cannot believe I have not read New Tides before now; it blew me away! Rachel De Lune has written this story beautifully and I hope that I can now write the review that it deserves.
Ellie is the most incredible person – I absolutely adore her! Her story is one of strength, courage, determination and hope and I could see throughout that she had all of this in abundance, even when her struggles were at their worst. Her story broke my heart at times, especially when she spoke of the trauma that she suffered which led her to move to Cornwall. There were moments that I wanted to take her back so that she could receive the help and support that I wished she had sought at that time, but I know all too well that we all deal with situations in our own individual ways and what may be right for one person is not necessarily right for the next.
I dare you not to fall in love with Owen. I adore him! Fate certainly lent a hand in bringing this couple together. Owen is kind, considerate and understanding and I could see how much Ellie meant to him. It is these traits that enables Ellie to consider the possibility of getting close to him, along with the connection that they undeniably have and I prayed that they could work with each other, taking those small steps together to be happy together.
I felt that the author did an incredible job of writing Ellie’s story. She wrote about real life trauma and struggles with care and sensitivity without it ever feeling too heavy to read. I connected instantly with Ellie and was able to both sympathise and empathise with her throughout. The emotions that this story brought out in me were real and raw and even though I was reaching for the tissues at times, the interactions between Ellie, Owen, Kerenza and George had me smiling widely too.
New Tides will definitely be one of my top reads not only of this year but of all time! As well as enjoying spending my time with Ellie, Owen and the supporting characters, Cornwall has now been added to my list of places to visit in the very near future. I highly recommend for you to read this emotionally gripping story and I hope that one day we will have more visits to Tregethworth to catch up with the residents there.
Love this book! Tugged on my heartstrings, can’t wait for the next one!
This is an amazing beginning to a Trilogy. I was totally blown away by this book. I cried and I laughed and I yelled at my kindle because I was getting so emotional.
We meet Ellie who is running from her past. She has had a terrible life and I can relate to some of the things she went through so I was so emotionally invested in Ellie and what happened to her. She flees to Cornwall after everything that has happened to her to start her new life but she has no idea where to start. Then she meets Owen and oh man he means well but he messes up and shatters Ellie’s trust.
Owen knows he wants Ellie but he makes a mistake and regrets it right away. He spends all his time trying to restore his trust to Ellie and what he does is amazing. He is such a sweet heart and does everything to show Ellie that he loves her and she is the one for him.
This is a must read love story that will have your heart pounding as you read needing to know what happens next.
I didn’t really know what to expect with this book, but I still had no hesitation in wanting to pick it up and devour it, just like I have with every other book Rachel has written. She is proving that she can write in so many different genres. This book threw me for a loop and I honestly didn’t know how to process it. I loved it. The characters were endearing and their personalities tugged at my heartstrings. This book is a slow-burning relationship set in the beautiful and scenic area of Cornwall, UK. The images that Rachel has brought forth throughout the book have made me long to visit and vacation someday. The slow-burn may have gotten frustrating for me at times but it shouldn’t have. It is exactly what these characters needed to build their trust and feelings for each other.
What threw me about this book is the struggle the main character Ellie had with moving on with life after a very traumatic experience in her life. Ellie’s struggle opened my eyes to life living with anxiety. Ms. De Lune was able to convey the very real issues that anxiety can cause in the lives of those debilitated by it.
As a non-sufferer, I was shocked at how even the littlest things could cause such upheaval in Ellie’s world. I now have a new found understanding and hopefully empathy for those people in my life who deal with these very same issues on a daily basis. Even accomplishing the simplest of tasks like grabbing a coffee at the local shop can be overwhelming for some. I truly hope the readers don’t see Ellie as a weak character. She is strong! She is moving forward on a journey to heal, on a journey to wellness, and I hope readers get a sense of peace and understanding for this very real yet sometimes invisible disease.
Owen’s character was so patient, kind, and loving. It was impossible not to fall in love with him. He did everything right in his journey with Ellie. Since this book is only from Ellie’s POV, we sometimes have to wonder what Owen is thinking but Rachel always made sure he was open to conversation with Ellie to let us in to his head and know where his head was at. It made me love him even more.
What I loved most about Owen was his occupation and loved hearing about his daily writing struggles and deadlines, especially the wrath he may face from his editor. Rachel will understand why I loved these lines and she really made me chuckle.
I look forward the remaining books in The Cornwall Tides Trilogy and feel like they will just get better with each book. Ellie’s best friend and assistant, Kerenza, is instrumental in moving Ellie forward in her healing process and it seems like she is a real go-getter. I am so very excited to read all about her own struggle with love.
New Tides
By Rachel De Lune
5 stars
Reviewed on behalf of 3 Degrees of Fiction Book Blog
I think this is possibly one of the most amazing books that I have ever read. I finished this book over a week ago but it has taken me a while to try and find the words to give this book justice. I am so lucky to have read books by this author before but this one was completely different. It spoke to me on so many different levels, at time I am sure I was reading about myself. The way, in which Ms De Lune writes about Ellie was just so real and raw, it was honestly like I could feel everything she did, every anxious moment, every time her heart started to beat that little bit faster as she encountered situations that made her uncomfortable – I was right there with her. I was 100% immersed in Ellie’s story and I completely sympathised and empathised with every step of her journey.
Apart from the amazing characters what made this book for me was the writing. It was just so, so beautiful. Ms De Lune wrote with such compassion and was so respectful, it was clear that she had taken her time to make sure that her portrayal of a character who suffered like Ellie was realistic and true to life. I can 100% say that she did above and beyond this.
New Tides is a stunning story and one that I won’t forget for a while. I am so glad I read it and I cannot recommend it enough
This is my first time reading Rachel. I will be reading more. Loved this book!!! Ellie has been through hell and is trying to make her way back. Owen comes into her life unexpectedly and starts showing her there is life and he wants to show her how to live.
They both have things they aren’t proud of, but the feelings they have for each other are hard to ignore. Owen stays strong for Ellie and she starts to open up and let herself feel again.
I’m sitting here trying to put my thoughts and feelings about this book on to the page and I’m struggling, not because of anything bad, in fact the absolute opposite, no I’m trying to tell you just how wonderful this story is without giving too much away.
If I’m honest for me this was a totally different type of read to any of the other books by Rachel I have read… not sure that sentence makes sense but bear with me. Ellie’s story had my heart aching from more or less word one and yet I found myself smiling a lot as I read the interactions between Ellie, Kerenza, Owen and especially George. It managed to be an easy book to read about a difficult subject and believe me there was so much beauty in the words that they outshone the ugly parts of Ellie’s story. I had no idea what to expect from this book because hey it’s me and I enjoy going in blind and I have to say that like I said before it was totally different to any previous works it still held the beauty that I have always found in Rachel’s words. She knows how to make you feel as if you know the characters, as if you are there in the story with them, embracing their pain, smiling at their happy times and feeling their fear when they do.
I for one am eagerly looking forward to the next part of this series and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.
This was absolutely fantastic. This is my fist book from this author but it definitely won’t be my last. It was so well written and filled with so much emotion, you feel everything along with the characters. Ellie has anxiety and I love the way that’s portrayed in such a realistic manner. Then there Owen, sweet sweet Own, he is incredible and everything Ellie needs.
I highly recommend this book.
I really enjoyed New Tides the first book in De Lune’s new series.
Set against the stunning backdrop of Cornwall: a place I have enjoyed many a holiday with my family this had so much to recommend and also retain my attention.
Loving this area so much I was excited to embark on a book within this particular setting and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
Almost instantly here I was invested in the storyline following Ellie as she attempts to overcome and live with her crippling anxiety.
Whatever the cause, this type of disability has such an impact on everyday living: one I have myself struggled with and still do to a certain extent.
I felt that the author here has managed to impart with great sensitivity the battle individuals with this condition face and the daily fight to attempt to overcome and move forward with a condition that never really goes away entirely.
And Instead of shock plotlines to grab and enthral New Tides actually relies on its overall simplicity appealing to the reader with its emotion and an inert warmth: Enveloping me so completely in its warm embrace.
Both Ellie and Owen had such an authenticity and an overall sense of realness about themselves that was portrayed almost from the onset here.
I also really adored the slow burn aspect of this and the author has managed to convey a real sense of connection between both Ellie and Owen that didn’t feel forced one little bit.
Everything here seemed to have such a natural flow: a sense of believability if you will and given the circumstances behind Ellie’s chronic anxiety and trust issues with men I was worried initially if this would be the case.
Happily, my concerns were unfounded as the author here has indeed managed to pull this off with great sympathy and such credibility.
So New Tides was written from Ellie’s POV: this doesn’t always work for me in a romance as I feel this sometimes gives a lobsided characterisation where you tend to feel much closer to one individual more than the other.
It worked here maybe because Ellie was the person needing that centre stage position more than Ollie: I still would have liked to maybe experience events from Ollies side of the fence just to get more of a sense of where he was at.
So yeh that and Ellie’s relatives behaviour (especially the mothers) were my only minors here.
I just couldn’t get my head around how a mother could be that cold and being kept in the dark towards the reason is no excuse: I’m a mother myself and there’s nothing that would make me act in such a way towards my own child.
So this gets my wholehearted seal of approval I read it in one actual sitting not moving from the couch throughout: happy to recommend.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of New Tides (The Cornwall Tides Trilogy Book 1)
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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New Tides by Rachel De Lune is Book One in The Cornwall Tides Trilogy. This is the story of Owen Riggs and Ellie Carter.
Ellie had a past traumatic experience that has left her with a lot of anxiety. So Ellie feels safer in her own world but things start to change with Owen comes into her life. Owen is just a great ‘book boyfriend’, he has patience when dealing with Ellie and her issues. This was a slow build to their full romance story.
As someone who has anxiety issue, I felt this dealt with the story very well.
I hope to read more books from this author soon.