This was a good read! The summary of the book immediately captured my attention and I was counting down days till I could read this story. I have read most of Sarah's stories and look forward to anything she does. With that being said, this story didn't really capture me like I thought it would. Maybe I had really high expectations? It was average. I never really felt connected to the characters, and I think that's where my struggle came from. The time travel plot also fell flat for me. I will continue to read Sarah's books. She has a fan in me for life! This book just wasn't for me.

What a beautiful and sweet story! Lili Minet is living in 1793 France where the horrors of French Revolution are at an all time high. Her brother, Geraud, is a member of the Tribunal and is hunting down Lili as a traitor of France because of her helping a countless number of refugees escape execution. As she is escaping on a ship set for England she is washed overboard in a terrible storm, but when she surfaces her brother and the ship are gone. Instead, a mysterious stranger who speaks a strange English rescues her and takes her to his lighthouse. As she recovers she learns that he is Armitage Pierce, a keeper of the lighthouse on Loftstone Island along with his grandfather. Their lighthouse is full of mysterious items she has never seen before, their clothing is strange and the books on their shelves have an impossible year on them. Lili has somehow travelled through time to 1873 England. Now, she must learn how to navigate this new time despite Armitage being wary and closed-off with her, before her own time catches up with her.

This was one of the sweetest stories I've read in a long time! Sarah Eden does a great job depicting different types of love and interweaving those relationships to create one cohesive story. Sarah also did an excellent job describing and creating such a contrasting atmosphere between the tension and fast paced French Revolution and the more calm and safe 1873 England. Lili's confusion with all of the "modern" advancements and culture shock was entertaining to read and helped set the tone of Lili truly being lost in time. Watching Lili and Armitage's relationship develop was also so heartwarming and I loved the tenderness of the feelings they had towards each other.

I really enjoyed Lili as a character. She is strong, selfless, and fiercely committed to her mission towards her people, and with Armitage and the people of Loftstone Island she is shown to also be compassionate, kind, and clever. Her confusion and helplessness at not knowing the intricacies of the time she is in makes her vulnerable but she never lets that put a damper on her spirit. Armitage is also the biggest sweetheart, I loved him and quirks and he makes the perfect partner for Lili.

The only thing I didn't enjoy was some of the pacing. I felt like for all of the events that occurred in the last portion of the book, the middle portion was too long of a build up for it. The ending felt very abrupt and I wish the author has expanded more on all of the things that happened at the end, and that there was a little more closure, though the unfinished storylines seem to be leading to a sequel. Despite this though, it was still a very enjoyable read.

I recommend this book for readers who enjoy time-traveling tales with historical romance, action, lovable characters, and magical elements.

Time flies when reading this time traveling romance! I couldn't get enough! So excited for book 2!

I received an ARC through Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

If I could give this book 10 stars, I absolutely would!! Oh my gosh, I was completely captivated by this story. From the very beginning, I could not put this book down. Lili’s life in Paris is absolutely scary, and crazy, and then it just gets crazier from there. Armitage enters the story, and it just gets oh so good. They are destined for each other and I am obsessed with them and their love story. Their adventures are insane and difficult, and will not allow you to ever put the book down.

So clear your schedule, because this book is about to take over. My only wish is that we had a little more of them in the end, I wasn’t quite ready to end their story. I wish I knew just a little bit more about their HEA. I neeeeed more Sarah 😉

Enjoy my friends!!

Thanks to the author for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Sarah M. Eden takes a dive into the crowded Time Travel pool and emerges with the unique "The Tides of Time". While assisting others in escaping from the horrors of the French Revolution, Lili Minet is propelled forward in time to England in 1873. Rescued from drowning by lighthouse keeper Armitage Pierce, Lili is a fish out of water, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Although the setting of Loftstone Island is fictional, the historical details are not. Eden vividly describes the French Revolution and its gruesome violence, frequently culminating in a visit to "Madame Guillotine". The speech patterns of the fictional island's residents is quite unusual; odd colloquialisms aside, pronoun usage is a bit difficult to wrap one's head around. Nevertheless, the author always pays attention to historical detail, so I'll assume she's not taking poetic license here.

Initially distrustful of the other, Lili and Armitage fall in love, and it's sweet and believable. In a refreshing change of pace, they are both working class, as are the secondary players. Characters are well-drawn, and Eden's descriptive prose brings scenes to life. There are a couple of twists, and one near the end makes the novel a 5-star read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC of this entertaining tale.

Oh my! I started this book and almost didn’t look up until I finished it. The Tides of Time is at minimum a dual time line book. Lili Minet starts in France in 1793. If you don’t know your history, that was the dark time of the revolution. It was a dangerous and deadly time.
Lili attempt an escape to England. She does reach England, but not in her own time.
Lili is an amazing character, such responses to the situations she finds herself in.
Armitage Pierce is a light keeper.
It was an amazing journey to follow these two souls, to go through revelation after revelation of how they intersect.
It is going to be amazing to follow this series as it goes back and forth through time. Yes, I know I used amazing at least three times. Pick up this book and see if it doesn’t create a reaction in you.
Thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a lovely time-travel historical book. I really enjoyed visiting the two time periods and watching Armitage and Lili's love grow. This book has just the right amount of history, love, mystery and adventure to keep you interested to the end.

There are no swears or alcohol and level 1 sweet, non-descriptive kisses only.

Sarah M Eden has been dishing out swoony historical after swoony historical. And now she has turned the “Tides” to try her hand at speculative fiction. I am pleased to announce that she has given the reader a fantastic story that had me glued to the pages!

This time travel historical was absolutely spellbinding. I am always in awe of an author’s ability to weave such an intricately complex storyline. The Tides of Time was fantastic! I was immediately drawn to the characters and their unique situations, the slow burn was sweet, and the fantasy aspect kept me on my toes.

I am excited to see the next book in the series.

Thank you Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I picked up this book because I like the author. I was hesitant because I don't often enjoy time travel stories. My mind can't handle that I don't understand how time travel would work. If I can't explain it, I don't like it. There has to be some logical reason. But like I said, I like Ms. Eden's books so I gave it a shot. I was sucked into the story from page 1. Seriously, I was sold on loving the book before I got to the bottom of the first page. I was so surprised. I still can't explain the logic of time travel but I loved the story.
The French Revolution is a horrible part of history and my heart pounded during the parts of the story that took place in France. Ugh, too awful to contemplate.
I grieved with the characters as they grieved their losses. I smiled as the romance progressed. I loved becoming aware of others who had experienced the tides of time. My heart ached as families were divided for various reasons. And my heart smiled as others were reunited.
My only complaint is that the book ended. I wanted to know what came next. What happens to the Grandfather? I hope that we see more of these characters in upcoming books but I don't know if all the books in this series are connected by characters or just the concept. Suddenly, I'm very much wanting to see the next time travel book in this series.

Eek! Sarah M. Eden does it again! This was sooooo good! It was a smidge slow at the start, but goodness when it gets going….i couldn’t put it down. I would have liked a little more at the end, it felt not quite a hundred percent resolved. It was still great, I’d just like a little more about where/when they end up. But maybe that’ll be in the next book! 😁😁

I'm not usually one to jump into time traveling stories, but I love Sarah's books and I knew I needed to give it a try. And I regret NOTHING. The way it is done is so beautifully done that it feels as normal as it can get!

I love that the times are all historical (vs. modern). Just as decades are so different here, they were very much so in the past as well. I loved the French and English mix, as well as a jump into this cute little British Island between France and England that is just the cutest little community!

She is helping people escape to England during the French Revolution. Even her own brother is hunting her to turn her in. So she makes her escape as well.
He is running a lighthouse with his grandfather, but his life changes when he pulls a woman from the water during a storm.

I am SOOOO ready for more of this series, but am also very satisfied with this story. Armitage is definitely on the book boyfriends list and Lili is my hero! Love them both and all the characters in this book!

This book shocked me (in a good way) so many times and I loved reading to see what was going to happen!

Sarah M. Eden begins a wonderful new fantasy historical romance series. Lili Minet helps people escape to England from France during the reign of Robespierre’s Tribunals in France. With agents after her she flees to cross the channel. She is rescued from the sea by Armitage Pierce, a lighthouse keeper on a coastal English island. When she left France it was 1793 but if the almanac is correct she is now in 1873. (I wouldn’t share that much if it wasn’t in the blurb.)

The author gets a good bit of history in the story. I didn’t realize how many changes happened in the span of 80 years. Stoves, trains, and matches are just a few new inventions. There are some language barriers between Lili and Armitage. Lili can speak some English which helps. I did enjoy the amount of French that is part of the dialogue. I was surprised at how much I could remember from my HS and college French classes. It was almost harder to get used to the island English slang.

The romance is lovely. Lili is confused at her surroundings, Armitage is distrustful of the stranger that his grandfather welcomes into the lighthouse. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow. I’m not a big fantasy reader but the time travel works in the storyline. And I sighed with contentment at the ending that was far better than I expected.

The story is clean and can be enjoyed by any romance reader. (4.5 Stars)

Just Read It!!! The End!

There are so many things that I want to say in my review but then I start thinking about each thing and second guessing myself because I don't want to spoil anything for you! Nope. Because you have to experience this book yourself! Hence my "Just Read It!!! The End!" comment. Hahaha! But that is accurate because I want to you pause what you're doing and read this book now! I need people to talk to about it. Oh the struggle of reading an early copy, really early and waiting patiently to talk about all of the twists and turns and THAT ENDING!!!! Oh my word!!! Sarah M. Eden, fabulous job on this amazing time-slip novel! I was hooked. You can write time-slip novels anytime you want to. I'm here for them all!!! Just sayin'!

I loved it all! I'm soooo beyond happy knowing there is a second book coming because I need answers. It's not a cliffhanger per se but definitely leaves it open for plenty more goodness to come.

I had some inklings and guesses that I really hoped would be the case and I loved seeing what the outcome was for it all. Some I was correct on and others were fun surprises!

It's a beautiful story of family, love, healing, sorrow, friendship, falling in love, and much, much more! Seriously, mark your calendars and just read it as soon as you can!

Content: Clean. The book is written with nothing more than a few kisses but it does deal with the French Revolution/the Reign of Terror and death and loss. But the author did a wonderful job portraying that without making it graphic. I'd happily have my teenagers read this.

I received a copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

•𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰•

{𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Book 1}

“𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚕. 𝙰𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚕.”

🌊 Release Date: March 4, 2025 🌊
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This was such an intriguing take on time travel! To be honest, I was a bit hesitant going into this book because I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Thankfully, true to form with Sarah M. Eden, this book was an absolute delight! The characters felt true to life and quickly pulled me into their fascinating story.

Lili Minet lived a life of constant fear, on the run from the Tribunal in France, as she worked to save the lives of others in danger of facing the guillotine. When one such excursion goes awry, Lili’s ends up thrown into the ocean in the midst of a raging storm in 1793 and is saved by a kindly lighthouse keeper, Armitage, in the calmer waters of England in 1873. As is to be expected, Lili’s life is completely thrown off its axis as she works to navigate this strange life in a new century. She begins to finally learn to depend on others, rather than just relying on herself, and discovers the beauty of love along the way.

Armitage was unsure of what to think of this strange woman he’d pulled from the ocean. She seemed to be hiding things from him, but the language barrier made it difficult to communicate, much less discover her secrets. Soon a tentative friendship formed between Lili and Armitage as she brought light into the lives of both him and his grandfather. But when an unexpected “guest” showed up, all of their lives were once again thrown into a jumble. Will they be able to overcome all odds and finally find a love that transcends time and danger?

I loved the story that this book told! It was so beautiful and filled my heart to overflowing ♥️ The “language” of that time did take me a bit to get used to, but once that was out of the way, the story flowed well. It was a lovely tale depicting the healing process of past hurts, the beautiful journey of discovering true love, and a riveting adventure spanning the tides of time!
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I received a complimentary arc from NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing. All opinions listed are purely my own.

''The Tides of Time'' is the first time travel series that incorporates history with a romantic story full of fantastical elements.

First of all, the author does a great job of creating the perfect atmosphere for the story in addition to the endearing characters. Also, the historical element was well interweaved with the story and learning more about that period was interesting.

On the other hand, the pacing of the story was off. The book probably needed a hundred or so more pages as to the plot to have some breathing space, especially in the final chapters, when everything happened way too quickly. Moreover, the love story suffered from that lack of more pages and it felt forced at some points. But, there was chemistry and they were both really sweet.

Another final note should be made on Lili's ability to speak English, which got pretty elaborate at times, but was quite elementary in others.

Author Sarah M. Eden takes readers through two historical eras in The Tides of Time, a suspenseful, mysterious, and time-traveling romance. The story begins in 1793’s Honfleur, France. Lili Minet waits in the shadows of a church with the Desjardins family. She is trying to help them escape death at the hands of Maximilien Robespierre’s revolutionary Tribunal in France.

Despite the bounty on her head, Lili marvels that she has been able to save 72 people so far from “Madame Guillotine” thanks to a network of other brave individuals. As she heads out with the family, she sees her brother Géraud Gagnon and must work to shake him off her trail. Despite their connection and the tragic deaths of their parents, Géraud wants to turn Lili, a.k.a Elisabeth Gagnon, over to the Tribunal, just as he has others as an “agent of death.” He zealously believes in Robespierre’s vision for France.

Lili pays for passage on a different vessel voyaging to England only to face her brother once more during a storm at sea. She is flung overboard and notices the change from darkness to light.

Armitage Pierce, a lightkeeper for Loftstone Island, off the southern coast of England, pulls Lili to safety…in 1873. Lili has traveled 80 years forward in time. (I suspect Sarah and I share a love of North & South actor Richard Armitage’s portrayal of John Thornton.)

While Armitage may have expected some gratitude for saving the half-drown young woman, he sees she is wary of him and says nary a word. He learns she speaks French, but he’s never learned the language, despite having a French mother.

Lili doesn’t trust “Armitage of the Lighthouse” right away, but she does trust his grandfather. She thinks the Tribunal, or their allies are tricking her when she finds books in the room she is staying with publishing dates of 1853, 1867, and 1870. The strange contraption in the kitchen she later learns is a stove. Then, this terrifying monster belching out smoke is a train. Armitage thinks Lili must have been in a rural village in France so remote that she’s just never seen these things.

But grandfather knows Lili has come from another time, which is a detail for later. Lili has one person she can talk to about her trip through time.

Later, Lili learns her mission has been time-travels in the making. She learned through a book on Loftstone folklore placed in a basket for her to find that the waters around the small village cause people to travel the Tides of Time. She and Armitage learn that this happens during storms involving green lightning. The problem is that the tides are unpredictable. One might go back to the time they lived in, or they might go to another time. But Lili and Armitage will visit different periods of time in this journey together. More than one life will be saved.

My Review

I found the opening of this story fast-paced with heart-in-my-throat action. I expected more of the same after those distressing events of the first chapters. I understand that Sarah wanted the reader to experience with Lili waking up 80-years in the future to a time beyond the Reign of Terror in France. I read an advance review copy so she might have trimmed away the extras that weighed down the middle. I skimmed a few chapters instead of reading word for word until a conflict, danger, or problem showed again. I also wished that she had translated the French passages so I didn’t have to highlight them to understand what Lili and Géraud were saying.

All the while, I did wonder what happened to Géraud, Lili’s brother. Did he travel with her to 1873? He could still be a danger to Lili. I imagined the siblings learning the truth about failed dictator Robespierre and the end of the bloodshed. Would they reconnect and find peace, or would Géraud still try to drag Lili back to meet her fate with “Madame Guillotine”? I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll leave those questions unanswered.

I felt like this book could lead to a series, and I learned while editing this review that this is book 1 of the Proper Romance Time-Slip series. Le Charon, the ship Lili and Armitage sail with Captain Travert, has been on many time-traveling adventures. Charon is a name out of Greek Mythology as well as British history and more recently Star Trek lore. Charon is the ferryman who travels across the river Acheron to take souls to the underworld. A second book is hinted at because of unanswered questions like how Lili Minet is “a linchpin,” vital to these travels through time.

Despite skimming through some chapters, I am a Sarah M. Eden fan. I enjoyed spending time with the Pierce family and their young chatty lighthouse apprentice, Mikhail McGuile. The Tides of Times teaches readers about 1790s French history, Southern English dialects and customs, and the tasks and duties of lighthouse keepers.

It is 1793, and Lili is trying to escape France's revolution; she hitches a ride aboard a ship headed for England, but a storm hits the water, and somehow she is transported to the future to 1873 England. She is rescued by Armitage, and he immediately notices there is something off about her. Lili is naturally guarded, but begins to come around to Armitage's friendship and safety. But political upheaval always is present, and Lili learns she cannot escape her past. But is her bond with Armitage strong enough to stand time, and possibly change it?

What I thought was unique about this story was that there was time travel forward - usually we have someone going back in time. While the impact and culture shock is always the same on the time traveler, it was great to get a different perspective on traveling to the future. This book had many layers to it, and I just really enjoyed this historical perspective and the marrying of different worlds.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i’m not a fan of the time-travel trope but when it comes to Sarah Eden, i am like “if she writes it, i’ll read it” so i was eagerly looking forward to reading this and it didn’t disappoint!! 👌🏼
i thoroughly enjoyed this! the plot was very engaging! the way the writer managed to hold everything together was impressive! the last 100 or so pages were the best! i wish there were more chapters or maybe an epilogue! i also liked the characters and romance was, as always, very sweeeet! ❤️‍🩹

thanks to the publisher and the netgalley for the copy!

What an interesting ride the Tides of Time was. It was such a fun concept of time travel. The time travel element mixed with the setting of the lighthouse was very atmospheric. A great story of healing and an epic adventure. Also a nice blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and romance. It’s kind of like a hallmark movie meets outlander. My biggest complaints about the story was the history in the very beginning felt rushed and unexplained, I was a little confused at first. The language at times was definitely very frustrating and hard to get used to. And the romance was very intsalove and needed more development but overall it was a beautiful magical story. I’m unsure if this is potentially part of a series but if it was I would definitely continue with this epic adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing & Sarah M Eden for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

3/5⭐️

The idea of a time travel novel set between the French Revolution and Victorian England is fantastic. The historical elements and portrayal of the era were what I liked most in The Tides of Time. Unfortunately, I found the concept of the book more appealing than its execution. First of all, the story itself isn’t bad, but the pacing is uneven—the middle drags quite a bit, and by the end, everything happens very quickly, within just a few pages. Secondly, I feel the magic system and the rules of time travel aren’t explained thoroughly enough. Thirdly, the romance isn't very convincing. I felt that Lili had more chemistry with other characters (they were not by any means love interests) than with Armitage. The love story between them seemed more like a plot device than a genuinely developed relationship. It was hard for me to get emotionally invested in it. Still, it was a quick read, and I enjoyed it. It wouldn't be my first choice for a time travel romance, but it's not the worst book either.