It took me a while to get through this book, not because I did not enjoy it, I did, but there was a lot to unpack. I had so many conflicting emotions. I loved how Sam and Maria meet, thought their story is rather tragic - star-crossed lovers from the beginning. They are together for a short time at the beginning, but Maria’s family make sit quite clear that he is not good enough for her. He sets off to make his fortune so that he can return to her worthy. So much happens to each Sam and Maria throughout the story. Both of their characters grow tremendously through the trials and tribulations they experience. I cannot deny that my heart broke several times for each of them, with so many different reasons why. I really was rooting for them, but felt so much despair - this is why it took me so long to get through their story.
There was also a fair representation of injustice towards women (witch accusations) and indigenous peoples (land disputes, among other things). This was a beautifully written historical fiction. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was quite good. She had a very soothing voice which, in my opinion, suited the author’s style of storytelling.
I would recommend this book if you enjoy having your heart torn out, ripped to pieces and be put slowly back together, if you enjoy some piracy while seeking one’s fortune, or slow burn period piece.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for a review copy of the audiobook. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

I was instantly untried by the title, cover, and premise of this books. Give me pirates and women accused of witchcraft any day! The story kept me intrigued with a Rollercoaster of events that ebbed and flowed like the sea itself. I enjoyed the narrator for this audio as well. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a male narrator for the man's perspective to help me keep track of which character's head space the narration was coming from.

I don’t really do historical fiction often but this was such a beautiful and poignant story. The author truly brought this world to life and clearly did her homework! It was feminist, romantic, and I love books with women who challenge societal norms. Mix that with pirates and two POVs and this was delightful.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this ALC!

What a beautifully narrated story. I enjoyed the premise, the historical period, and the coming of age of it all. There is just so much that goes on unseen and I love it when an author peels back the layers of history to the wants and desires and questions of the characters. A poignant read, indeed!

“They fear what they do not understand.”

This story is told in third person alternating points of view following two characters on their separate journeys after their initial relationship hits a roadblock and circumstances lead them in different directions for a prolonged period. There’s a romantic element but most of the timeline is spent apart in separate stories with no contact. I switched between the ebook and the audiobook which was narrated by Pilar Witherspoon. This was my first time listening to this narrator and I enjoyed her pleasant tone.

This is another one of those books where had I lived at the time, I would have been burned as a witch at some point during the story. It takes place in a small community in Massachusetts beginning in 1715. I really enjoyed Maria’s story though at times I was rather perplexed by the conflicting sentiments and actions of her parents as well as a sister who comes in and out of the story disapproving at will. Maria was a woman with obvious interests and pursuits that did not benefit a woman living during those times, so shortly after the events of Salem. She falls for a boy that her parents deem inappropriate and puts all her unwavering faith in his promises, sometimes to her detriment.

I also enjoyed the story of Sam as he leaves the community in search of his fortune so that he may come back for Maria and make a life with her. Unfortunately, his path to earning his fortune takes a turn towards piracy, which I loved reading about. He has encounters with Blackbeard and others that delighted my pirate-loving heart. I had only a cursory knowledge of Samuel Bellamy before reading this fictional account of his exploits, but I really enjoyed learning more about him.

Recommended to historical fiction lovers who enjoy stories of the early colonies and pirates.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Books, and Recorded Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are entirely my own.
If The Tide Turns was a little slow paced in the beginning and a little predictable. I thought about DNFing, but I continued on and enjoyed the story. I liked the addition of the Native American woman and that story line. I was able to connect with Maria and wanted to finish her story. A good book also makes you want to learn more about the characters. I looked up Black Sam Bellamy and Little King and learned about them-very interesting.
If you are a historical fiction lover give this one a try.

Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for the ALC of this amazing book!

We all know historical fiction is hit or miss with me, and I typically have to realllllly be in the mood for it. BUT when I heard that Rachels book got pirated just days before it was to be released, I knew I had to support her and get it. I requested the ALC, pre-ordered the Kindle version, and made plans to order a physical copy of it from a trans/queer owned bookstore.

And I’m so glad I did. I’m glad I listened to it, because the narrator, @pilarwitherspoon, was absolutely amazing. It’s amazing what a narrator can do to make a book even more enjoyable that it was to begin with.

But If The Tide Turns is amazing. It tells the story between Maria (pronounced Mariah) and Sam Bellamy (a turned pirate). Told in both POVs over 2 years, it breaks down the effects their relationship has to a family and a community during the 1700s. It’s such an incredible read. There were parts that left me gasping and clutching my pearls. Rueckert did a phenomenal job doing the research and I even told her that I wish there was more - which she does include an authors note, and I do need to finish it as it was not part of the ALC.

But go get this book. Now. You will NOT regret it.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a story of a man looking for purpose and the means to provide for the woman he loves and a woman who never gives up no matter her circumstances. It’s a look at the treatment of women who did not follow the status quo’ for that time and at piracy. The romance really takes a backseat to the individual character development and I loved that.

I recommend to fan of historical fiction and stories about the sea!

What a great story. Set during the time period of pirates and just after the Salem witch trials. Wonderful combination of those two eventful periods of history, based on the true life Samuel Bellamy.
Maria Brown was the willful daughter of strict well to do parents, that has her future planned out for her in a trade of sorts. There was no way she would fall into that trap. She meets Sam as she is determined to learn to swim. Sam having quit the Kings Navy has time to teach her. As they spend time together they fall in love, but her parents refuses Sam’s suit. He leaves as he is given a job opportunity and promises to return. As time passes Sam career has him now going from privateer to pirate and Maria finds herself pregnant and no word from Sam. To protect her unborn child she does as her parents expect and marries the man they had chosen.
The story goes back and forth between Sam and his life as a pirate and Maria’s hardship as the truth unfolds about her pregnancy. Very compelling story that I throughly enjoy with the audiobook version. The narrator was awesome! The only part was near the end it seemed it skipped a small part? I did re-listened to the section so not sure if that was the way it was written. Overall excellent story, can’t wait to see what next Rachel will write. Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions expressed are mine and mine alone. #IftheTideTurns

I really enjoyed the unique premise of this book and all that it entailed. It was an interesting look into that era and what it would have been like for women at that time if they had committed a social crime. I’m intrigued by Samuel Bellamy and his life story. The audiobook book was well done and overall it was a great story.

This romantic tale of a real sailor turned pirate and the lover he leaves behind is exciting and heartbreaking. The themes of social justice make the story feel fresh and relevant...this is more than just adventure on the high seas, it contains reminders of our nation's sordid history. The audiobook narration was well done.

Inspired by a true story, Mehitable (Moira, Maria) Brown is the daughter of a fairly prominent conservative family in Massachusetts. The Salem Witch trials were a dozen or so years earlier and so are still fresh in everyone's memory. Moira wants to learn to swim, and wants to learn so badly that she and her sister sneak away to she can practice in the ocean, even though she knows her parents would be horrified by the thought of her breaking the unspoken rules of the colony, and opening herself up to a charge of witchcraft.

Her parents want her to marry the old but wealthy widower, John Hallett. Moira is less than enthused with that idea, especially after meeting Sam Bellamy, an orphaned sailor who saved her life. With her sister's help, she and Sam meet repeatedly and he teaches her to swim. Sam asks Moira's father for her hand in marriage but is, of course, denied. He vows to make his fortune and come back for her quickly. But he doesn't come. She is forced to marry Mr. Hallett.

Sam becomes a pirate, the infamous Sam Bellamy and does become rich. Moira's marriage disintegrates after she is accused of killing her newborn (Sam's child) and she is banished, to live on her own. In addition to being a compelling read, the book is an interesting commentary on social mores and the accepted 'justice' of the time and place. Read the book to find out if the two manage to reunite with one another.

Note: I received an advance audio galley of the book, courtesy of NetGalley.

I revived the audio version of this book via NetGalley, I liked both the story and the narrator.

Taking place in Massachusetts a few decades after the which trials of Salem, this book follows the life of a young women who finds herself if love with a will be pirate, while her parents are trying to arrange a marriage for her to someone else. A sweet closed door romance that talks about some of our darker history as a country.

Maria is the daughter of a gentleman. She is betrothed to an "honorable" ( older) man. Her whole life mapped out for her. She has always known this. She just wants to have an adventure first.

Sam Bellamy is a sailor. His contract is just about up when he finds a drowning Maria. He does his best to be courteous. He doesn't realize his planned destiny is about to change.

My Thoughts

At its core, I felt like this book was about freedom. The difference in the meaning of freedom based on gender, race, and status. Not everyone has the same opportunities for the same freedoms.

"No one can decide what freedom means for someone else."

Set in colonial New England, where women have few freedoms, especially not the freedom to love who they choose, Maria and Sam find each other.

A chaste love story. A brush of the hand and the blush of the cheek. First love between two people of very different social statuses. What spice is alluded to is very fade to black.

This book was heart-wrenching and made me glad to be born in the time period I was. Single women were more or less ostracized, and being a single unwed mother was a punishable offense. I longed to reach through the pages and give Maria a hug, letting her know this would not always be the female fate.

Maria's character strength was awe aspiring. She holds her head high through the worst life has to throw at her. She stays strong for those she loves even when her loved ones turn their backs to her to save face.

I wasn't a huge fan of Bellamy. I understand he was the MMC and the love interest, but his lack of understanding of what Maria faced when he left made him come across a callous. I wanted to shake him as he groaned about his own trouble, when he was having adventures and making friends, while she was cast out to fed for herself in a world that didn't take kindly to women.

The author isn't afraid to touch on hard truths of the time period. The plight of the native Americans and their treatment from the settlers. The way women were more property than people. The lack of ability in society to love the same sex. I greatly admired how she wove in plot with history.

About the Narrator
The Narrator did a good job here. I could feel everything in the story and all the emotions. The characters POVs were clear from the narration. The setting was portrayed so well. Each distinct POV made it interesting and I truly appreciate the narrator’s effort to bring each character and their opinions to life. The inner monologue of Maria,FMC was narrated so well.


Book Review
The story has everything action, adventure, love, sea adventures, strong FMC and Salem Witch trials.

I am deeply touched by the story and I felt so many emotions while reading it. This wasn’t my usual read but the book was so compelling and gripping. The writing is poetic and lyrical. This book has been narrated in dual perspectives and set during the golden age of pirates and aftermath of the Salem Witch trials.

Maria is a highly spirited person and she always followed her heart until one day, destiny became just too cruel for her. But in the hardest times, we actually find ourselves. The story is inspired by the real-life pirate Samuel Bellamy. Maria is from a wealthy family while Samuel is an orphaned sailor. The two of them forms an unbreakable bond and soon they begin to see future together but life is unpredictable. When he asks for Maria’s hand to her father, her father refuse him because he is not wealthy enough to provide her financial freedom. And in an order to give Maria financial freedom, he falls into piracy and a promise of returning in a month turns into months.

While so many things happen with Maria. She had to fight for herself. She unveils the real meaning behind the term sacred and how their religious beliefs has restricted women. Maria gets tangled in wrong accusations, injustice and the fight for her freedom. While the perilous sea adventures kept me on the edge. This is a story of courage and resilience with a woman determined to fight for her freedom.

I didn't re-read the publisher's blurb on this book before I started listening to it. So about halfway into it, I found myself checking to see whether this book was based on real people, because it definitely sounded as though it was. And sure enough, Captain Samuel "Black Jack" Bellamy and Maria "Goody" Hallett are both actual historical figures, whose paths cross in 1715 on Cape Cod. Sam has just lost his job on a British sailing vessel, Maria's family is negotiating her marriage to an older businessman that will be advantageous to her family financially. When Sam and Maria fall in love, he goes to her parents to ask to marry her. Unemployed and with no visible prospects, they chase him away. He vows to make his fortune and return for her, and sets off on a treasure-hunting expedition. But instead, he ends up living and loving the freedom of the pirate life, and becoming the commander of his own vessel. But always, he's anxious to return to Maria.
Meanwhile, Maria longs for Sam's return. She sees reports that he's become a pirate, but has difficulty believe the loving man she knew is now living that life. Her life becomes increasingly unbearable, and the one hope she clings to is that her Sam will return to her.
Rachel Rueckert does an excellent job of combining known facts and speculation in this story of two star-crossed lovers who both long for a life in a different, better world than the one they know.
The audiobook is narrated by Pilar Witherspoon, who does an excellent job with voicing multiple characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media/Recorded Books for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

This book was a great historical fiction read. It was fun and somewhat easy to read - would be a great vacation read or something to read at bedtime. There were a few spots where I couldn't put it down but for the most part it wasn't overly capturing which is why it's perfect for bedtime. I loved the point of view shift from one character to another between chapters. This also helped to be able to put it down. The story was also well written and really interesting because of the time period and also how these two outcasts survived in the world. I enjoyed listening to this book because the narrator did a wonderful job. I would recommend!

I found myself transported to the 1700s Colonial America in
Rachel Rueckert's "If the Tide Turns". This story is very well written, and the characters were well rounded and interesting. The Narrator did a phenomenal job bringing each individual character to life.

Calling all pirate story lovers! And lovers of stories about early colonial America too. If The Tide Turns will satisfy both with this fictionalized version of the life of Samuel Bellamy and his reputed love interest Maria/Mehitable Brown. So if you’re a fan of star-crossed lover stories, this will also appeal to you!

I was sucked into the story right from the start. The time is 1715 to 1717, when despite decades having passed since the Salem Witch Trials, there was still widespread belief in witches and very strict religious and societal pressures to conform in the Massachusetts Bay colony. Maria’s parents want her to marry a much older widower, a wealthy and influential man in their town. Maria absolutely does not want to do this! She was a wonderfully independent spirit, which was not an easy road for a woman in that place and time. (She wants to learn to swim, GASP!) A lot of the story takes place on Cape Cod, in the area in around Eastham and Wellfleet. Once Sam sets out as a pirate, we get to travel with him to various Caribbean locations. Life aboard ship and daily life in Eastham are described so well that I had no trouble picturing them.

Many real historical figures show up in these pages, including famous names like Cotton Mather and Edward Teach (“Blackbeard”), as well as less widely known ones. We get a bit of information about how the indigenous people were treated and how the colonists destroyed the environment on the Cape, turning meadows into farms with methods that depleted the soil and turned many areas into sand. I enjoyed having the perspective of the fictional Abiah, and appreciated learning about the Wampanoag people. While we follow Sam’s travels, we come across the evils of slavery.

The chapters alternate between Maria’s POV and Sam’s.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, and allowed me to continue with the story even when I could not sit down and read - or when I could not listen. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Pilar Witherspoon.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert is a book about a young woman coming of age after the Salem Witch Trials. Mariah is strong and independent, but society just isn’t ready to accept women like that, so she has to keep her true self hidden from almost everybody. She meets Samuel Bellamy by chance and the two fall in love. The problem is, Sam is from a different social class and Mariah’s parents have dreams that revolve around her taking a different path. Mariah and Sam are forced apart, but true love never dies…the question is, what sacrifices will they each have to make in order to be together?

If the Tide Turns is the perfect book for readers that love historical romance (especially the low steam/slow-burn variety). Personally, I would have loved a book where events happened a little differently as I prefer something with more action and adventure. At first, I really enjoyed Sam and Mariah, but there were several times where their decisions were questionable to me. I would have loved a book that had more action and adventure as I had high hopes for the piracy part of the book. Overall, I feel like there was some of that, but I really would have liked to see more of it.

The audio production was good and I really enjoyed the narrator. I would absolutely listen to other audiobooks with this narrator in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Recorded Books for the opportunity to review this digital audiobook.