Book Review - Sound of the Tide -Emily Bold
Book Description:
When the love of her life, and father to her unborn child, dies unexpectedly, Piper’s world collapses. In an ill-advised attempt to keep his memory alive, she moves into their dream home—the one that Daniel was working on when he died. Alone and grieving, Piper struggles to carry on and pull herself out of her spiraling depression in time for the birth of their baby. When Kevin, Daniel’s best friend, offers his support and confesses a long-held love for her, Piper must ask herself some hard questions. Will she ever be able to let go of the plans she had made with Daniel and recover from her heartbreak? Can she overcome the guilt she harbors over her own blossoming feelings for Kevin? Will Piper learn to love again?
About the Author (as stated on Amazon):
Emily Bold, born in 1980 in Germany, is a bestselling author of historical romance and paranormal romance novels as well as young adult fiction. Her novels are full of love, passion, and adventure. Her debut novel, Gefährliche Intrigen (Dangerous Intrigue), was a 2011 bestseller in Germany. Sound of the Tide is her sixth book to be published in English, following The Curse series for young adults and the Midnight Kisses series of historical romances.
Review: The emotionally raw way of life with its Tides running high and low
Life isn’t always about the great moments, the lovely ones that are infused with luck. Now, that would rather seem biased and boring. How can one appreciate the really happy times in life if on the other hand life’s downside and grief are unknown? Isn’t it rather like that? Where deep sorrow is felt there’s also always sincere affection and love involved. Love that encourages. Love that shows, that no matter how deep and impenetrable dark the chasm seems one is about to fall in, there’s a loophole ahead. That is because one never truly is alone.
Within ‘Sound of the Tide’ Emily Bold marks that particular path. A path in which grief and joy are united. A path that is never abandoned by love. Not even when Piper – the main female character – feels utterly alone and misunderstood. A path without a prime example because it is as unique and inimitable as the people who are treading it in this story. ‘Sound of the Tide’ stands for remembrance, change and upheaval. The novel’s cover quite reflects that, too.
Piper is a strong and happy woman who seems to have achieved everything in life one could only ask for. Her life is nothing but bliss. At least she’s almost there. Just a few more steps to take and there’s nothing left one could dream of that hasn’t already become reality. Her reality. She’s working in a hospital and she therefore is able to help those in need. This reveals a compassionate and helpful side of her character. In Daniel – the first main male character – she’s found a caring, protective and utterly handsome man and father to her unborn child. She’s expecting the baby that should complete and top off their luck. Her life is just perfect.
Those who wander and see with love will always feel the luck that surrounds them. (~Jil Aimée Bayer)
In addition to complete their joyful life, both together are carrying out their dream of living in a house close by the ocean. Everyone has dreams because dreams add colour to our lives. So do them. As it seems, it cannot get more perfect than that for this little family. But as life is nothing but another rollercoaster ride, there isn’t just always the upwards movement. Piper is about to figure that out for herself, too, as the story unfolds. She’s about to be introduced to the other side of luck and life. A flipside in form of a tragic accident that will lead her into abyss and hold her captive there for long. Piper secludes herself from everyone and as hard as she wishes she could actually live again, she just doesn’t know what for. But then she remembers the little wonder she’s carrying out. A wonder that is worth living for. And even if it’s not quite enough reason yet to actually live and be happy, it is worth it to fight for. It is worth it to get up in the mornings – no matter how sad and hard the day may be – and live through each 24 hours knowing that eventually getting-up will be rewarded.
The process of bereavement isn’t an easy task and it will never really let you go. And it shouldn’t. Beloved men are missed, when they pass on. That’s just life. A great gap and severe emptiness will be left behind. It takes some time for them to heal. Piper has to learn that, too. It’s a long process in which she is accompanied by her best friends Jenna and Daniel’s parents as well as new characters that are about to enter her life. But the greatest comfort and guidance is her unborn baby and a lot of courage. It is courage that will help her seal the gap in her heart. It eventually helps her fill it with all the great memories she experienced with the love of her life and one day it begins to hurt less. She’s keeping all the lovely times, she’s holding onto them. They are her treasure. But also, she learns to let go and move on. Grief and loss don’t mean that one is supposed to give in and to stop loving. It is love that sustains life. Piper recognizes that and learns to understand that there is nothing outrages about letting love shine again. But as said before, this is a very long and painful way for her. A path that is stamped with asperity, rebounds and obstacles, but in the end will be flattened- out with affection, faith and love. To allow a new person to enter your life and heart doesn’t necessarily mean to let go of another forever. A heart is big, it bears much. That’s what it’s made for.
Piper will see that, too. Eventually. And it is then, when she realizes that she’s not the only one in grief. There are so many more: Family, best of friends, colleagues. Shared grief – alongside love – joins people and heals wounds that seemed to be remediless. It moves mountains. It overcomes abysses the mind deemed to be infinitely large.
Piper’s story is a whole new way of telling stories for Emily. I must say ‘Well done’. It suits her well. Emily melds emotional depth with a lot of charme and humour. It takes away a bit the fear of loss which threatens us all eventually. It’s a story that offers hope and comfort. I read the book in German and in English and could not lay it down for just one second. Emily’s style of writing is fluent, captivating and congenial and makes ‘Sound of the Tide’ a page-turner. With the very first sentence I found myself drawn into Piper’s rich world of memories and emotion.
“Tears were stinging my eyes, and waves of pain shock my body.”
It felt like I was experiencing all that she was faced with. I felt pure joy as well as deep pain. Her fear and desperation made me weep whilst the process of emotional healing send little butterflies through my belly whose wing flaps gained strength from time to time. Within the story I was wishing for a little bit more detail and background, but this is a merely small criticism compared to the joy of reading it.
To sum it up: ‚Sound of the Tide‘ by Emily Bold is a strong story that is worth reading it. Long after you finished the book, its virtues will ring in your mind and heart. Thanks to the author for writing that particular story which took me by surprise and touched me most deeply.
--Jil Aimée
