Narrator: Charley Ongel

?Review: A Change in Tide by Freya Barker?

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in Reviews / 22 Comments

?Review: A Change in Tide by Freya Barker?Title: A Change in Tide
Author(s): Freya Barker
Series: Northern Lights #1
Also in this series: A Change of View
Narrator(s): Charley Ongel, Tor Thom
Published by Spectrum Audiobooks on June 2, 2020
Length: 9 hrs 17 mins
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Source: Netgalley
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Series Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Heat Level: One FlameOne FlameOne FlameOne Flame

Listening Length: 9 hours and 17 minutes
What impact would it have when everything suddenly faded to black?
For Mia, a crowded subway ride changes her entire life. Retreating to the wilderness helps her cope with a world that is suddenly too loud, too turbulent. Her existence safely contained to the small cottage on the lake, she is unprepared for the neighbor that moves across the bay.
A career-ending injury has Jared permanently benched. His reputation as The Enforcer won’t survive the unanticipated responsibilities awaiting him. Away from the public eye, he adjusts to his new reality, under the quiet observation of the intriguing hermit on the other side of the water.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

 

A Change in Tide introduced me to the work of Freya Barker.  I thought the main characters would be in the late twenties or early thirties age group. However, it surprised me to discover they were older, which I appreciated. This is the first book in the Northern Lights series, and I have to say it’s off to a good start.

In this installment, we get Mia and Jared’s story. Mia, a divorcee and a midwife, lives in seclusion in a lake house, a choice she made after being diagnosed with agoraphobia. Living at the lake house provided her , however her peaceful life would be disturbed when Jared, a retired hockey player, moved in next door.

Mia’s first impression of Jared did not go well.  Witnessing him in a compromising position with a woman she believed to be his girlfriend, then not soon after she sees a pregnant woman moving in with him.  However, things are not always as one may first perceive.

I have to my first impression of Jared was far from flattering, but as the story progressed my feelings towards him changed. Jared oozed confidence. Strong, determined, protective and an excellent cook.  He refused to let his career ending  injury impact him negatively.  Instead, he worked on finding other ways to utilise his skills. He was not afraid to go after what he wants, and Mia was in his sights.  I admired Mia’s willingness to help someone in need and her feistiness. Both are complex characters and I had fun peeling away their layers.

I loved the friendship and the romance which developed between Mia and Jared. They took time to know each other and learnt a lot. The biggest revelation was learning of their connection through a tragedy they both suffered on the same day. Both characters showed tremendous growth throughout the story, especially Mia. 

The story featured some humorous situations that had me giggling whenever they occurred. It moved at a steady pace to a large extent. The reader got the chance to witness Jared’s sister going through her own share of issues and finding happiness in the end.

Narration

With this story we got a dual narration. This is the first time I have listened to narrators Tor Thom and Charley Ongel. I think they did an excellent job in bringing out the temperament of the characters. Their range of voices and tone enhanced the listening experience. Their voices were distinct making easy to distinguish between the characters they are representing.

Overall, A Change In Tide delivered a well-written romance featuring mature characters with real-life problems and realistic flaws.

 

 

Story Evaluation
Plot
4.5
Characters
4
World Building
4.5
Writing Style
4
Pacing
4
Cover
4
Narrator (Audio)
4
Enjoyment
4
Ending
4.5
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

About Freya Barker

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories. Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives. Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading

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