EMBRACING THE TIDE

An elderly widow has a second chance at love in this romance.

One year after losing her husband of five decades, Ericka Reed leaves her Marin County home for a fresh start. The real estate agent–turned–bestselling romance author heads north with only her beloved miniature Yorkie, Fritz, for company. She plans on meeting her best friend, Amanda, a fellow widow and author, in Seattle and ending the trip in Vancouver. After years of caregiving for her late husband, Bob, Ericka is content with her own company and is fortunate to be close to her two grown sons, her grandchildren, and Amanda, but she wonders if she’ll ever find love again. Enter Liam Lachowski, a handsome, charming, and single man about her age, whom Ericka meets at a coastal seafood restaurant and can’t quite shake from her thoughts. Strengthened by her resolve to “embrace the tide” of her new life, Ericka gives Liam a call, and this simple action kicks off a whirlwind romance with a sexy, loving man who will stop at nothing to give Ericka anything and everything she wants. Though Ericka at first doubts Liam’s true feelings, the widow’s new paramour quickly wins her over with trips on private jets, swanky dinners, and, finally, a proposal in Paris. Life seems perfect—until a tragedy threatens to tear it all apart. Williams dedicates the book to Carole and “the Bobs,” making the reader speculate whether this novel is inspired by real life, a romantic fantasy, or both. Ericka and Amanda’s friendship is the core relationship of the book, and the two are strong, confident older women who encourage each other in their respective pursuits of love and the high life. Though the novel’s copious details of delicious meals and shopping sprees may entice, the lack of any conflict that isn’t resolved in two pages makes the story feel incomplete.

A glossy read without the necessary conflicts.