Book Review! TIDES OF TIME by: Luna Joya

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A “good girl” witch hiding secrets from her family…

Cami wants a normal life. Or at least as normal as a life in a family of witches can be. She can’t tell her sisters about her violent ex. Or that she broke the first rule of magic to “harm none.” When her youngest sister asks for help unraveling the death of a 1930’s star abused by those she loved, Cami can’t say no.

A reformed bad boy who doesn’t know his own family’s secrets…

Sam lives for his restaurant and coveted screenplay expertise of Hollywood history. He avoids the entanglements of relationships since even his own parents didn’t want him. But when the enchanting Cami needs his help to crack an unsolved mystery, he can’t resist. The closer they come to finding a killer, the more they crave each other. But someone is determined to stop them.

Can they solve the mystery before history repeats itself?

I made a HUGE mistake when I swiped my finger across the screen to start reading Tides of Time. Mostly because I didn’t have the time to finish it all in one sitting. And it literally made me SO GRUMPY until I could get back to it and lose myself in the magic and wonder of Cami and Sam. Ya know that irritation that you feel when you’re hangry that you can completely identify as irrational, but you can’t help yourself? Yeah, that was me. There were several moments where I was extremely grateful to have a very forgiving boss when I bit his head off. Annnnnnyway…

Let’s talk about Cami, shall we? Okay this is seriously one tough chick. First and foremost, she has survived vet school and is a hair away from having all the certifications she needs. Just GETTING IN to vet school is impressive with, roughly, a 2:1 placement which is basically on par with medical school. Don’t ask me how I know these numbers off the top of my head, it is a long and pathetically boring story. So yeah, clearly our girl is brilliant. But then we add in conversing with animals, having elemental water power/connection, and, oh, did I forget to mention BEING A WITCH and you’ve got a seriously impressive heroine. As though that wasn’t enough, Cami is a survivor of domestic abuse and carries all the strength and scarring that comes with that heroic title.

Cami is also extremely devoted to her family. Which unfortunately can create issues for her. Such as when she has to rescue her baby sister from the edge of a cliff where she has gone chasing after the no-longer-with-the-living-but-not-really-gone Sunny Sol. The positive of this adventure? Cami and her sisters Mina and Delia stop at a restaurant for breakfast because, ya know, experiencing the final days of a former Hollywood starlet and conversing with the water can really take it out of a couple of girls. This particular eatery not only houses replenishing food, but a sexy owner who takes a shine to our brilliant Cami.

We all know (mostly because I say it on repeat) that I love me some broken boys. Now, I definitely had my caretaker spidey senses go up when I very first met Sam because he just carried that weight that I knew meant he went through some stuff. You can absolutely feel when a character is broken. But… all seemed pretty well at first. Right up until Sam and Cami start doing research into Sunny Sol’s life and mysterious death and secrets about Sam’s own family come to light.

Ms. Joya does an exceptional job of world building in a way that sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. I felt as though I had stepped onto the pages of the book and was in SoCal with Cami and Sam. The descriptions were lush and vibrant and the compelling plot hooked me hard and wouldn’t let me go. Reading through Leslie Sol’s journals brought a tear or two to my eye (just go read so we can commiserate) with the depth of emotion.

And can I just say that a first kiss that is punctuated by a break-in and fire alarm may be my most favorite moment in the world **insert mega heart-eye emoji here**.

If you enjoy paranormal romance or urban fantasy (although be warned if you aren’t a lover of romance, Ms. Joya is a master of the sexy times *fans self*) you absolutely need to grab a copy of Tides of Time A.S.A.P.