This is the second book in Philippa Gregory’s Fairmile series and this time Gregory takes readers away from the tidelands of Sussex and into London, Venice and New England. I must admit, the descriptions of Venice were so interesting that I think this was my favorite part of the book.

After the catastrophe at the tidelands in the first book, Alinor, her daughter Alys and her brother Ned all move away in order to start a new life. Alinor and her daughter end up running a warehouse on the wharf in London. Ned decides to leave England and try his luck in America.
Alinor’s son Rob goes to train to become a doctor and ends up practicing in Venice.

Ned’s storyline puts him in close contact with the Native Americans and he is soon conflicted over which side he must be on if the English and the Indians are to battle. I didn’t feel like Ned’s storyline tied in very well to the story, but I did enjoy it on it’s own.

In London, Alinor and Alys have two unexpected visitors. One is James Avery, the man Alinor loved who betrayed her when she needed him most. The other is a woman from Venice claiming to be Alinor’s daughter-in-law. She brings a baby with her that she claims is Alinor’s grandson.

What transpires when the two visitors meet is nothing but the best dose of karma ever inflicted on two richly deserving individuals. I was a bit shocked at how Gregory wrapped up the ending. It was a bit unbelievable, but still satisfying.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give an honest review.

(2.5⭐️ rounded up) We return to the Reekie family. This time in London and 21 years from where we last encountered them. And while the last installment was more of romance mixed with family drama, this one is much more old English soap opera. A new character, Rob’s supposed widow, is added in this sequel. And with her comes the cunning deception of any quintessential, duplicitous soap opera villain.... twisty, dark, misdirected, and far more interesting than honest. One thing that remains the same is the deep stubborn streak holding strong in both Reekie women. Is this stubbornness a matter of self preservation or if stupidity? It’s often hard to tell.

I was pleased that this story takes place after the political strife which bogged down the previous book. Unfortunately it was replaced by Ned’s troubles in the New World. You learn of Ned living amongst the English and yet befriending the local “savage” natives. To me, this storyline had no place in the novel. Aside from the fact that Ned is Alinor’s brother, these read as two completely separate entities.

While I rooted for Alinor in the previous book, I wasn’t as strongly connected to any character in this book. I missed Alinor’s strong sense and charm, as she was mostly absent from this book. Overall, the story is fine. But after the ending of the previous book, I had hoped for more than fine.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I have read 15 Philippa Gregory novels and loved them all, but I'm sorry to say that this one was just not that good. I enjoyed the first book in the series and was so excited that I received an ARC from NetGalley for this one. The plot just made no sense. The book started off so slow and at the halfway point I thought it was going to finally get good, but it didn't. I even skimmed the last few chapters just to see how it all ended. The chapters with Ned were completely pointless. All the action was happening in London and Venice. I thought James was at least going to be smart and string Livia along, but he was just an idiot and so was Alys. Everything that happened in Venice was ridiculous. Felipe was just going to believe Sarah and become a changed man?! Just disappointed.

"You want me to lie to her," Alys accused. Alinor nodded. "Do you think she doesn't lie to you?"

This book was very slow in the beginning. It picked up quite a bit in the middle and the ending was very enjoyable! Not super thought provoking, but entertaining. I enjoyed how it took place on three different continents at the same time. While predictable and annoying, the protagonist is clever in the end.

This sequel set 21 years after the ending of Tidelands was pretty good. I have to say that I enjoyed Tidelands just a little more but all in all this one was worth the read. I liked that it followed the same vibe as book one but just felt a little less than what I was hoping for. I loved the characters and will totally read book three.

This title was lackluster. So much of the backstory was left unsaid and that led to seemingly undeveloped characters. The 21 year jump in storyline between books was not smooth. None of the characters really jump off the page to grab the reader, except perhaps Livia who is not the least bit appealing. Ned's storyline seems the most plausible and therefore the most relatable. Gregory did very well in providing context for three separate locations. She consistently excels at providing description of surroundings and events. While the majority of the plot was predictable, Gregory did successfully give the reader some twists at the end. Overall the book is good. Perhaps this would have been better as a third installment of the series instead of the second.

Dark Tides, by Philippa Gregory. Philippa Gregory is an old friend. I’ve followed her through the War of the Roses, the locked rooms of the Tower of London, and the gloomy Highlands. I’ve loved her Tudor and Plantagenet series - her research is meticulous (with the possible exception of Anne Boleyn) and she’s brought every last princess and queen to life fo me. So, I was intrigued by but maybe a little skeptical about her new Fairmile series, which is decidedly not about princesses and queens but about a poor woman scrabbling to keep her family alive in the marshes of south England just after Cromwell’s victory against Charles I. This is the second installment in that story, and picks up years after Tidelands left off (you definitely will want to read these in order). This time, Gregory puts us right in the middle of Restoration London, and treats us to a trip to Venice, governed by the secretive, dangerous Doge. The characters are perhaps a bit predictable, but we aren’t really there for them, anyway. We are there because reading Gregory is the next best thing to time travel. Thanks Atria Books & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Tides is book two in the Fairmile Series created by Philippa Gregory. Once again Philippa has created an amazing story with an unforgettable cast of characters and a series that is intriguing and heart breaking. Even with this being book two in this series it can indeed be read as a stand alone, as the author does an excellent job in filling in gaps the reader will need to aid in understanding.

Our story begins twenty-one years after the first book, Tidelands, ended. Alinor is now living in London with her daughter, Alys. She is still selling her herbal remedies while Alys busies herself running a receiving warehouse for ship freight out of their warehouse/home. We find out that Rob is now living in Venice practicing his doctoring skills and Alys and Alinor are raising two children between them. The women are still hardworking as ever, but are not having to scrape from one day to the next as they previously were. The two children raised between them are at the completion of apprenticeships, hopefully creating a better life for their future families than the ones their mother and grandmother have had. Ned, Alinor's brother, is now living in the New World, because he could not stomach living in England with the king on the throne again after fighting against the king to be a free man. The horrible circumstances at the ending of book one seem to be a distant memory and the family seems to be pulling themselves up out of their previous shames. Unfortunately, as the title hints, dark tides are coming to wash over the family in London as well as the New World.

A visitor arrives at the warehouse one day with a baby and a maid in tow and claims to be Rob's widow. Alys immediately arises to trying to help the woman out being a diligent sister to Rob and trying to honor his memory. Alinor, however, is very skeptical about her newly introduced daughter-in-law, Livia. Rob's proclaimed widow, is Italian, beautiful, and plays deeply on the family's heart strings. She quickly has Alys wrapped around her finger doing anything and everything she asks. Personally, I found this to be a shadowing of Alys's character from Tidelands she again lets her heart blind her, this time almost bankrupting what her and her mother built over the last two decades.

Ned in the meantime is facing his own troubles in the New World. He is enjoying living on his plot of land as a free man, but questions his freedom and the actions of his fellow colonist. Ned finds that he can relate more to the local Indians than his fellow country men and has a very hard time understanding the ideals of the colonist wanting to encroach and rule over the Indians that so graciously helped them when they begin their settlement. The colony quickly starts to feel like the monarchy he left and he questions his loyalty to the colonist versus the Indians.

Dark Tides is a very inspirational installment to the Fairmile series. It brings the reader news of hope from Tidelands. Alinor, Alys, and Rob came from nothing but are moving up in the world on their honesty and dependability. I found myself glad to see characters deserving justice getting theirs in Dark Tides, were as in Tidelands the good honest people seemed to be the ones constantly being held back. Dark Tides left me feeling that honesty and hard work will always pay off well in the end, while as lies and deception will always get their justices eventually.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy for an honest review!

I like this story that takes place in the past in a London wharf. I like how the story is built and it is told through different characters perspectives. I just didn't care much about the storyline of Ned, that was taking place in the US, and at some points I found myself skipping some parts. But other than that, it was actually pretty interesting to find out how the story unfolds.

Dark Tides is the second novel in the Fairmile series, the first one being Tidelands, by renowned historical fiction author Philippa Gregory, just love her books. Although the novel itself can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading Tidelands. I read this book not realizing it was the second book in a series.

No one captures the time period and rich historical retelling like Phillipa Gregory, the sequel to Tidelands is a must-read. Beautifully written and doesn't disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory from NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-one years after Alinor, Alys and Rob leave their home for new beginnings, James Avery is back in hopes of providing Alinor the life he promised her. Livia, Rob's Italian wife, comes to London claiming Rob drowned in the shallow waters of Venice and wants to help Alinor and Aly's position in trading by selling her Italian antique collection. Deceit and questionable circumstances have Alinor and Alys' children questioning Livia's stories and motivations. A trip to Italy creates clarity, and more confusion for everyone involved.

Dark Tides was a well-researched, yet extremely slow-paced novel. For me, the book did not pick up until 60%-ish in. Venice truly turned the novel around for me and reminded me of why I love reading Philippa Gregory's historical fiction; however, there are many pages between the beginning and Venice and I can see why people would give up on the novel before then.

Part of the novel tells the story of Ned in New England and his struggles with allegiances--continuing from Tidelines--but with the Natives and colonists rather than the English subjects and their King. I have no idea what the point of it was within Dark Tides. I was reading two stories that did not connect other than the siblings would occasionally write letters to one another and send each other goods. The Ned story-line did not need to be in Dark Tides; however, it was extremely good. Phillippa Gregory is missing an opportunity if she doesn't write more historical fiction based within the early colonies. There is little well-written and well-researched novels on the colonies. I enjoyed his story, but would have appreciated it in a separate book.

What really saves this second novel of the ‘Fairmile’ saga, is Philippa Gregory eloquent and graphic writing. She really is a master in the art of taking the reader ‘there’. She also is a great fighter for women empowerment. In a gentle, historically accurate way, Philippa roots for her heroines and highlights their strengths and powers.

I would highly recommend reading ‘Tidelands’, the first book of the serie before this one. They are not quite standalone books.

‘Dark Tides’ is a slow read but the characters are engaging and one definitively desires to discover who is good, who is bad, how bad they are, if there is redemption for some characters or not. In this installment the light shines on two new female characters Alineor’s Italian daughter in law Livia and Alineor's maybe-grand-daughter Sarah.
I was a little disappointed that Alinor, the main character of Tidelands, becomes a back story character in this book, leaving the reader wanting to know more … did she have the baby ? did she have a girl as she thought or a boy ? how can she be content without the love of her live ? will one of the children inherit James name and fortune ?

The book introduces a parallel story line following Alineor ’s brother Ned who immigrated to North America in 1650, giving the reader an insight into the struggles of the first settlers and their relationships with the American natives.
The two accounts seldom intersect and are not relevant to one another. They feel somehow disconnected.

Being from Europe and having read extensively about Venice in the 15th and 16th century, I loved the Italian characters ( Livia and Phlippe) the writer’s description of 1670 Venise and the corrupted Italian system in which official papers can be ‘fixed’ and impossible meetings can happen … though the episode related to Rob rescue seemed rushed and most improbable.

At the end of ‘Dark Tides’ the reader can feel, without a cliffhanger, that there is definitively room for a third installment.
I would definitively recommend both Fairmile books, but reviews are always so personal and close to one’s experiences and likes.

I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster, Atria Books and Philippa Gregory in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 10 November 2020.


Book reviews are always subjective. Philippa Gregory is a fabulous novelist and the stories are well written. But try as a might, this book was a challenge for me to finish. Perhaps because I hadn’t read Tidelands, I wasn’t completely invested in the characters. Or maybe it was because this book came on the heels of reading and reviewing four fluffy Christmas novels. Whatever the case, I did not love this book.

Dark Tides follows the Reekie and Stoney family in the 1670s. Alinor is the matriarch. She lives in a wharf side warehouse with her daughter Alys who runs the family business, shipping cargo. There are two children, Johnnie and Sarah, who are apprenticing for their future jobs, Johnnie as a sort of account in the shipping industry, and Sarah as a milliner.

Alinor’s brother Ned has moved to the “new country” because he could not live under a King any longer. He has settled in the town of Hadley, somewhere in New England. He is called “ferryman” as he is responsible for the ferry that takes both natives and settlers across the river. He is friendly with the natives, trading and learning from them. This is not widely accepted by the settlers. But Ned’s story almost appears as a secondary novel within a novel. There is not much interaction between Ned and Alinor.

Suddenly one day a woman in black clothing appears at the doorstep of the wharf side warehouse. She is the Nobildonna de Ricci come to live with her family in England after her husband, Alinor’s son Rob, has perished, drowning in the waters off Venice. Rob had gone there to train as a physician. She brings with her a nursemaid and their son, Matteo.

So there you have it. The background on the entire clan that will be featured in this novel. The most fascinating, and unlikeable, character in the novel is definitely the Nobildonna. The story is a good one in the final third of the novel, where it picks up speed. The first two thirds of the novel definitely are more slow and steady. Which is why I am giving this 3.5 stars. I felt that the story was a good one in the end, but it was just so slow and tedious to get there.

I love Gregory and her writing, and this cover is beautiful. I do wish I had read the first book, as I think it would have led to a smoother transition in the story for me. It was slow narrative throughout, with random scatterings of romance between sisters-in-law, which seemed out of the blue and unnecessary to me. I am glad for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I made the mistake of reading this book before I read Tidelands, but that did not ruin the magic of this story. I am such a fan of Philippa Gregory and this book did not disappoint. I like that this was a departure from the stories that I have read from her. I think that if you like reading historical fiction than she is one of the best authors out there and this book is a shining example of her talent. She transported me back in time so easily that I didn't want it to end and not to mention how invested I became in the characters are just two examples of said talent. Now, I'm off to right my wrong and I'm going to devour Tidelands.

I’m a huge fan of Phillippa Gregory’s books, and loved the first book in the series,Tidelands.

I’m sorry to say that the pace of this is slow and the constantly changing points of view from chapter to chapter makes it difficult to connect with the characters or the story. I’m the wrong reader for the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy but it’s a DNF for me. Since I didn’t finish it I won’t leave a review on goodreads or on social media.

Sorry to say that this book is a huge disappointment to me. I have been a Philippa Gregory fan for many a year but this book is just not holding my attention. I believe it is the jumping from one chapter to the next from one character's life to another in the following chapter that makes for a tedious read. It makes the story disjointed and lacks the clarity needed for this to be a relevant story.

I am so disappointed as I did enjoy Tidelands, but this sequel left me bored and putting the book down after a few minutes reading. It's too long and that makes also for a story that is dull and just does not possess the right pace to be an interesting tale.

I am quite sad at having to send this review, but I do thank Netgalley for sending the advanced copy to me.

This was not Gregory's strongest book, and I'd highly recommend readers pick up the first title in this series, "Tidelands", to really understand the full scope of the story. Alinor's story is extremely compelling in that first book, but this second book is dedicated to Alys, her daughter, and her wily Italian daughter in law, who comes to England with terrible news: her husband, Alinor's son, is dead. Alinor's second sense tells her this isn't the truth, but she sends her granddaughter to Italy in the late 17th century to explore the real reason why her daughter in law is lying.

I found the book with a lot of weak characters; I love Gregory's sense for historical scenery, and you do get the scents of England and a deep dive into what poverty for women could look like in the 1660s. But overall, the characters fell flat for me. I'll still read the next in the series--hoping for better!

Dark Tides is the sequel to Tidelands. The plot is well crafted and character-driven. Philippa Gregory is an auto-buy author for me, and this book does not disappoint.

Not having read or been aware of the Fairmile series by Philippa Gregory before, I went into this book almost completely blind save for the synopsis. I absolutely loved the characters and the story itself.

The story is character driven and the details for the locations are very richly detailed as well. I was not able to put this one down! I look forward to reading the first book and anything else Gregory writes.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!
All opinions are my own.