Books,  Reviews

Book Review: London Tides by Carla Laureano

9781434708229_3D (2)London Tides by Carla Laureano
Reviewed by Lori Twichell
Radiant Lit Blog Tours
Genre: Romance
Publisher: David C. Cook
Date: June 1, 2015

Grace Brennan travels the world documenting war zones and conflicts. She’s known for bringing the more human side of conflicts to the foreground. She’s won acclaim all over the world. But her career came at the sacrifice of her heart. Years ago, she left the man she loved before they could get married and it’s haunted her ever since. Now, trying to pull her life back together after the loss of some close comrades, Grace is back in London to see what Ian’s done with his life and if there’s any chance of a new romance between them.

Carla Laureano doesn’t shy away from the tough issues in her books. She’s known to confront them head on. So having a character suffering from PTSD and the loss of several close friends isn’t surprising. What is surprising is the depth of her heart when exploring these issues. Laureano sheds a new light on this world with this surprising glimpse of a photojournalist suffering these issues. As a woman who is married to a disabled vet, I can say that she touched on some of these subjects with a deft hand that opened the door for people to understand more.

But beyond just an exploration of PTSD, London Tides ventures into some interesting plot areas that aren’t usually seen in Inspirational Fiction. What happens when a couple goes too far in their relationship? When they stop putting God as the center and they begin to think selfishly, where does that lead them? And is there a way to come back from that? I appreciated Laureano’s stance on this because as much as I’d like to believe everyone does a good job keeping themselves free of sexual sin, I understand that it’s prevalent in our world. Even in the Christian world. So having a couple make these mistakes and then come back to rededicate their relationship in a new God-centered way, is something that I appreciate. I understand that doesn’t work for everyone, but I appreciated it.

I love Laureano’s books and I’m not ashamed to say I tell her that often. I appreciate her fresh perspectives on romance and the realistic characters that don’t sit on a pedestal. When I’m reading, I don’t feel preached at, but I know God’s love is still woven throughout the stories in a plausible way.

If you haven’t had the chance to read Carla’s work, I’d encourage you to give this one a try!

Carla Laureano is the author of the RITA® award-winning romance Five Days in Skye as well as London Tides and the Celtic fantasy series The Song of Seare (as C. E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.

London Tides is available for purchase from Amazon.com

Note: I received this book as part of the London Tides blog tour from Radiant Lit.  I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Review copy provided by the publisher.