(Maybe 3.5 stars ...)

I've only read one other book by Barker and I remember really enjoying it. She's really good at creating characters and growth that keeps you glued to the pages. However, I will say that this one has a bit of a misstep that bothered me (and quite a few other people according to their reviews and I'll go into it in a minute) but once you get by it things definitely get SO much better.

~There are small spoilers throughout the rest of the review so if you don't want to know any details about the book I'd recommend stopping here. Check out some of the reviews on Goodreads, I saw many that were good without giving away too many secrets.~

Jared is at a crossroads in his life thanks to a career ending injury. Finding out that his sister is pregnant and the father has left her has him moving them both to the country for a little peace and a chance to evaluate. In the short time he's been there, he's only gotten glimpses of his neighbor but not enough to make an impression of her, other than she's reclusive. Mia had a horrible event happen that has left her with severe panic attacks and agoraphobia. She also moved to the country for the peace ... peace that has been disturbed by her new neighbor.

Here's where the possible misstep comes in. The first chapter has Mia seeing Jared have unprotected sex with a woman on his boat dock and she gets turned on by it. Now Barker does use all of that in the rest of the story (but not in the way you'd imagine - there is no "surprise, I'm pregnant" or "I have a disease" moments and the other woman just disappears after Chapter 1). It all starts with Jordy, Jared's VERY pregnant sister, arriving the next day, so of course Mia thinks she's his SO and that he's a cheater. The rest flows into the story in different ways but I think that the introduction of it may bother some. Another review suggested that you could always start at Chapter 2 because Barker does a good job of bringing in the relevant parts of the encounter without the play-by-play details :)

Mia was a professional midwife so you can see how she will end up coming into closer contact with Jared and Jordy. From that point on, there's lots of reflection and growth as both Mia and Jared figure out where they stand and where they are going from here. There're quite a few misunderstandings along the way, but with Jordy's help both of them do a good job of being patient and sensitive to the other. As a group they work hard to get a grasp on the way things are changing and weathering any difficulties that come up.

A Change in Tide is a very emotional read. It's not a quick one, but instead you have take it slowly and digest everything as the characters experience a lot of ups and downs on their way to a HEA.

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***