Dark Tide by Greg Herren

Title: Dark Tide

Author: Greg Herren

Genre: Mystery

Length: Novel (264 Pages)

Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (September 15, 2014)

Heat Level: None  

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5 Hearts

Blurb:  For Ricky Hackworth, a summer job to save money before he leaves for college is a necessity. When he lands a job as a lifeguard at the Mermaid Inn in Latona, Alabama, on the beautiful Gulf Coast, it’s like a dream come true. But once he moves into the Inn, he starts hearing stories about the lifeguard from the previous summer…and how he vanished without a trace right in the middle of the summer. Before long, Ricky realizes the Inn and the town are hiding some dark secrets…secrets someone is willing to kill to protect, and Ricky has to find out the truth before he, too, vanishes without a trace.

ISBN:  978-1-62639-254-0

Product Link: Bold Stroke Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Lisa

Review:  I have read two complete series by this author and have loved each one of them, so it wasn’t a far stretch that this would be any different.  It is not part of a series but a standalone story.  At first it is a bit misleading; what with finding out some of the information half way though the story so I was a bit miffed with that.  However the mystery soon moves into something a bit darker then I normally read. 

At first I must admit that I was thinking paranormal type story, but it definitely was not.  Which was a plus for me.  Although I do love paranormals, mermaids were never one of my favorites.  They always gave me the creeps. 

So what you get here is a complete mystery with a lot of twists and turns to keep you guessing.  I felt bad for the young man in the end, but damn it was good.  It is not as action packed as I had expected though.  I was also not really into the supporting characters as I should have been I suppose.  The girl comes off as a waste but she soon picks up in the story.  And here I thought Ricky really went there for the job, the blurb definitely doesn’t let you know.  I felt a bit let down on that part and the fact that you don’t find it out till the book is halfway done.

Ricky was trying his hardest to save money to go to college.  He had decided to go away from home to do so, but there is a hidden reason behind it all.  Zack had gone there during the summer to work and within a short time there ended up in a world that was dark and nasty.  He turned up missing and Ricky wanted to find out why and how.  That is if it doesn’t get him killed as well.

Now I am not a fan of having the readers think this is a romance, because it is not.  It is just a dark mystery surrounding another, who just happens to be the main guy’s boyfriend.  It starts off with a description of the place and let’s just say that I would never visit there, not even if someone paid me to do so.  It is a very fascinating story that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout it all.  

Now the story is very good and the writing was perfect, however it was just a bit too dark for my taste.  I figure it is definitely not a story to read before going to bed, that is if you dream of what you read. 

I am afraid that even though I connected with the story and Ricky, the story was just not for me.  However I can’t wait to read more by this author.