Freya Barker

In a delicate balance of raw emotions and well-developed characters, Freya Barker paints the raw, beautiful Canadian North as it heals one woman and gives a man a brand new start, in this tale that is as unique as it is gripping.

A Change in Tide

Swati Raisinghani

A Change in Tide by Freya Barker was my second audiobook from Netgalley and I was anticipating the same kind of excitement I had felt with the first audiobook. 
Surprisingly I felt a different kind of emotion while reading A Change in Tide. I felt a sense of calm and peace while listening to the narrators Charley Ongel and Tor Thom. I have recently ventured into the world of audiobooks and so far I am liking the narrators.
This book is about two individuals Mia and Jared who have decided to live off the grid to come to terms with some incidents and tragedies in their lives. Over the course of the book, accidental circumstances keep throwing them together and slowly they start to trust and depend on each other. They start supporting each other to overcome their issues and get on with their lives. They also start slowly liking each other and ultimately fall in love. The characters are very mature and they have this stillness to them which makes you feel at ease with them. There were funny instances which made laugh like a maniac all to yourself.. The chemistry between the main characters is sizzling!!
It is a slow burn kind of a read. If it is a light romance with a touch of some serious topics you are looking for, this is definitely the book for you.
The narrators have done an amazing job giving life to characters just with their voices!!
Thank you #NetGalley and Spectrum Audio for this amazing audio experience.

Readometer rating - 3***/5

Shannon Lamoree

I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in just a few days. This is my first Freya Barker book and I was impressed by her writing. It was very easy to be pulled in and you were able to get a clear picture of the characters. Fairly lighthearted with some steamy scenes. 
The narrators were also an asset to this book. At first it sounded a little slow but the pace picked up. I love when books use two narrators especially to distinguish male and female characters. It helps to make the text feel more like someone telling their own story. 
Mia lives a quiet, secluded life on a lake after a traumatic subway ride. Jared, an ex pro hockey player, moves in across the lake with his sister and shakes up her world.
Thank you to the Netgalley for a copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Totally Addicted to Reading

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.

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.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

Chris

A great romance. 
Mia is agoraphobic, which is completely relatable right now. 
Jared is an ex-hockey player taking care of his pregnant sister. 
They are next door neighbors in cabins on a lake. 
This book hits several of my favorite tropes: man introduced having sex with someone else, sister mistaken for love interest, man is a good father, and woman thinks man is a player. The Canadian setting is very realistic with deer, moose, and loons everywhere. 

The two narrators, Charley Ongel and Tor Thom are excellent. They both do believable male and female voices. 

I'm looking forward to the next in this series.

A Change in Tide

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