Caught by the Tide (Beyond The Dark Anthology) by Diane Whiteside

Historical Romance meets Harry Potter!  Lol, it wasn’t that bad. But, I was somewhat disappointed with this story. As a reader, I like to use anthologies to get an introduction to new authors. For readers who are looking for a taste of what to expect, I’m not certain “Caught by the Tide” would be the best sample of Whiteside’s work. While I have not read other stories by this author, I have seen many a great review and, I admit, I was disappointed here. To be honest, I am not entirely certain that this particular novelette was a good fit for the other three stories found in “Beyond The Dark”.

With the premise being that magick is commonplace in the Regency period, a King’s mage is apparently key to defending England from Napoleon’s imminent attack. Injured and washed ashore during a magickal storm, Owen is near death when Emma discovers him.  With a power lent from the mage’s own gryphon ring, Emma is able to get the unconscious Owen back to her home where he is nursed to health. In a somewhat tedious plot progression, Owen & Emma are destined to use the earths power (intensified by their romantic encounters) to eventually defeat Napoleon and protect England from what was sure to be an utter and bloody defeat.

Synopsis from Author Website
England, 1803

Exhausted after more than a decade of bloody war, England and Napoleon signed a peace treaty two years ago. England paid off her army and navy and set about healing her people.

Napoleon consolidated Europe under his rule and rearmed. Now he stands less than twenty-five miles from England’s coast with the greatest army Europe has ever seen, determined to conquer the only country that’s refused to bow before him.

England is defended only by a handful of troops, the few ships left in the Royal Navy – and the King’s Mages.

Owen Bentham, a King’s Mage, carries a message Napoleon will do anything to stop from reaching London. A howling gale washes him ashore on the Cornish coast, more dead than alive, where he’s rescued by Emma Sinclair, a naval officer’s widow. But the same treasonous mage who wrecked Owen’s boat has trapped Owen and Emma on her estate, unable to deliver the message or even call for help.

To break free, Emma must give more than her heart to this chance-met stranger – or England itself may fall…

To learn more about Diane Whiteside, you can visit her website here. 

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