Tide and Tempest by Elizabeth Ludwig

Two years ago, her fiance perished
during their voyage to America.

Now she discovers it may have been murder...

Dreaming of a better life, Tillie McGrath leaves Ireland behind and, with her beloved fiance by her side, sets sail for America. But when illness robs her of the man she holds dear, she's left alone with only a handful of tattered memories. While forging on proves difficult, Tillie soon finds some new friends at her New York boardinghouse, and begins pursuing a new dream--to open a home for orphaned children.

Despite two years passing, Captain Keondric Morgan has never forgotten the lass who left his ship so heartbroken. When a crewman's deathbed confession reveals her fiance's demise was the result of murder, the captain knows he must try to contact her. But his attention draws the notice of others as well--dangerous men who believe Tillie has in her possession something that could expose their crimes. And to their way of thinking, the best way to prevent such an outcome is to seize the evidence and then hand Tillie the same fate as her naïve fiance.

Tide and Tempest by Elizabeth Ludwig is the third book in her Edge of Freedom series, and it is an exciting and heartfelt read. The novel ties back wonderfully with the first two novels in the series and continued the backstory that began in the first book. However, a person could still read this novel on its own without too much confusion, though they would not have as much connection to the characters. The plot line of the novel was interesting and well developed and included a good mixture of romance, danger, and mystery. The themes of the novel were convicting and clear and were based on topics such as the importance of forgiving yourself and others, trusting God, and realizing that there are many events in life you cannot control. The characters in this novel were primarily characters that had been seen, sometimes only briefly, in the previous two novels. I already liked Tillie from the previous books, but I enjoyed getting to know more about her and her struggles in this novel. Both Captain Morgan and his brother Cass were wonderful additions to the storyline, and I was amused both by their interactions with each other and with Tillie. While I liked both brothers, I really liked Cass and my heart broke for him, so I hope there is a future novel that stars him a little more. I thought Captain Morgan and Tillie worked well together as they both learned more about one another and how to move past the guilt and shame they carried both from previous mistakes and challenges.

Overall I enjoyed this novel, and I look forward to reading more of Elizabeth Ludwig's novels. I would highly recommend Tide and Tempest and the rest of the Edge of Freedom series to any reader who enjoys historical romance novels with a twist of danger and Irish flair.
I received this novel for free from Netgalley.com and Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.