Turning the Tide by Christine Stovell

Turning the Tide by Christine Stovell
Buy Turning the Tide by Christine Stovell at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Women's Fiction
Reviewer: Louise Laurie
Summary: Tomboy Harry is leading an idyllic life in a coastal backwater, 'messing about with boats.' Until hotshot property tycoon Matthew Corrigan appears on the scene - with a shocking proposal and suddenly Harry's (that's a she, by the way) world is turned upside down.
Buy? Maybe	Borrow? Maybe
Pages: 336	Date: June 2010
Publisher: Choc Lit
ISBN: 978-1906931254
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We're in the seaside location of Spitmarsh. It's seen better days, frankly. And that's putting it mildly. It has ... a local economy so depressed it was almost suicidal. Ms Harry Watling loves her town in spite of the negative vibes. She wouldn't change a thing. You can tell that she's an optimist because even although she's having difficulty keeping her business afloat, she's still happy with her lot. She's not afraid of hard work and seems to work almost round the clock and in all weathers to carry out her boat-building and repairs business. But it's a constant battle.

When Matthew Corrigan makes a brief and unexpected visit, bringing with him the aura of London sophistication - and money, he expects a smooth negotiation. He's an ambitious young man with a good business track record. Until now. The meeting does not go to plan. I can almost see his furrowed brow when he says If only Harry had been a solid, straightforward bloke ... That was a deft touch by Stovell which I enjoyed. However, she seems to have been pretty pleased with it herself as she repeats it, albeit ever so slightly altered, several times and tends to ruin the overall effect. I know I've said this several times in other book reviews, but often, less really is more.

Then we're into Mills and Boon country for a spell. Matthew has a gorgeous girlfriend, he's absolutely devastatingly handsome etc etc. The upshot is that he's not interested in Harry, has no time for Harry, thinks Harry should get herself a life ... In other words, he's interested. So far, so predictable. But Stovell goes overboard (no pun intended) with her descriptive text ... he definitely wasn't about to climb under Harry Watling's duvet. He'd leave that dubious pleasure to braver men ... liked to test their survival skills in frozen wastelands or who hunted crocodiles ... Slushy, or what? And so we have this constant sexual tension between Harry and Matthew. She hates him. He can't stand her. Yawn, yawn. We're heard it all before a million times, haven't we?

We learn that Matthew wants to throw his money at this sad, little town and drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. We meet an assorted bunch of local residents and business people. They are divided in their thoughts for their town. And in these parts of the story I was reminded of real-life situations and the current plight of many of our coastal towns. Sink or swim indeed. But all this economic doom and gloom is far too heavy and very much an aside for this book. It's all about the sparring between the sexes. We're given some background about Harry so that we understand why she can be er, a little difficult and prickly at times. And as is often the case she can show one face to the world professionally but when home alone it's a different matter.

Stovell gives us a likeable heroine but she's so stereo-typed. And yes, I did guess the outcome about half-way through the book. Some of the other characters work a little better. For example, I must admit to liking the salty, old sea-dog, George. He's gruff and a bit lazy and has some of the best lines of dialogue in the whole book. For me, at least he came over as a walking, talking character. Some of the others were just too pat, too forced to fit in with the rather flimsy plot. I mean, how many oddballs would you encounter in your average High Street?

On a positive note, Stovell makes the most of her chosen seaside location. She gives her readers some nice, descriptive paragraphs about the local wildlife and the changing seascape, for example. Overall, this is a gentle, modern. escapist, romantic read. So, in the best traditions of a choc-lit published book, dig out the posh chocolates, put on those fluffy slippers - and escape.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

If this book appeals then try A Date in Your Diary by Jules Stanbridge.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Turning the Tide by Christine Stovell at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Turning the Tide by Christine Stovell at Amazon.com.

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