I love wartime historical fiction, but the thing is there's so much of it out there, so if you're going to write something, it's gotta be 1) great and 2) fresh. Unfortunately this is neither. The dual storyline/timeline falls flat as there's not much to differentiate the two protagonists from each other - both are forgettable. I would have liked more of an exploration of the historical context and fewer lengthy, meandering descriptions of nothing important.

In two world wars, intelligence and counterintelligence, prejudice, and self-sacrifice collide across two generations

In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the SS officer he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own.

Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, never expecting to fall in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. But when war breaks out in Europe, their relationship is put in jeopardy and may not survive what lies ahead for them.

As the ripples from the Great War rock Evie and Sterling's lives in World War II, it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.

This story features a duel storyline, which would not have been an issue, except that in this case, both the FMC and the MMC sound the same, there was nothing distinct about either of them. The other issue I had was the descriptions. If a character thought something, it was a thought that went on for half a page. I found that I was constantly having to go back to remind myself of who was talking and what they had been talking about.

This would have been a far more enjoyable read if the plot had been more structured and concise.

Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Yesterday’s Tides by Roseanna M. White was a hard story for me to follow. First, it features two different timelines: 1914 and 1941. Usually, I have no problem following these types of stories because I can follow with each individual characters and their different settings and interactions. But in White’s stories, both of the heroines and heroes did not stick out any differently to me. They were bland and boring. One of the glaring issues I had with the writing was that White would have a character look over the water, then the story went on with the thoughts of the characters for about a half a page. Descriptions of the characters took a long time and always had to relate to something. Way too much exposition in the story. Sometimes I would have to go back and see where the last important through, action, or movement was to see where the story was headed. As I kept reading, I wanted more of the “tracking down [of the] elusive German agent” that was mentioned in the synopsis. The German U-boats were an interesting concept. Something I definitely wanted to read more of, but the story does not really deliver this idea. Overall, Yesterday’s Tides by Roseanna M. White did not capture my attention. Way too much description for my taste. I needed more showing and action to the plot with characters that I could care about.

I received a complimentary copy of Yesterday’s Tides by Roseanna M. White from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.