Title: Against the
Tide
Author: Elizabeth Camden
Pages: 362
Year: 2012
Publisher: Bethany House
Elizabeth
Camden has written a very creative story with an interesting premise and
plot. Against the Tide is a story
about fighting against the opium trade that was so pervasive in the city of
Boston in the late 1800s as Boston was one of the biggest ports where ships
unloaded all sorts of cargo. It is also
the story of a romance between two people, one who will do anything to have a
life together and one who will do anything to keep the other safe, which means
a life apart.
Alex
Banebridge is very handsome and charming.
He also is pressuring certain politicians and those who support them to
pass legislation making the import and sale of opium illegal even in pharmacies
where it was sold under a different guise as a cure for headaches, rowdy kids,
toothaches or whatever else might hurt.
Orphanages and parents were given their children opium unknowingly, and
it was legal! When Alex was six years
old, he was kidnapped from this mother’s arms and never saw her again. He was kidnapped by the evil Professor, who
used the kidnapped victim as leverage to get the family to do whatever he
wanted. Alex was not the first or the
last boy this happened to. The Professor
was the largest dealer in opium on the east coast. Alex lived with him for 11 years and the
Professor raised him as his own son, showing him the opium trade, how to
cultivate alliances and how to manipulate people. Alex was able to escape the Professor when he
became a Christian. Now he has dedicated
his life to outlawing opium to make up for the time he spent spreading and
encouraging the use of opium. He served
with Lydia’s boss in the Navy and needs her skill translating shipping
documents that will help him find where the opium is coming into the
country. He lives his life without any
personal possessions or a home, and he is always on the move, traveling all
over to accomplish his mission. He has
vowed not to marry or have any close friends because if the Professor finds
out, he will take that person and be able to control Alex. He falls in love with Lydia, but he will not
marry her. He must leave her life so as
to not put her in danger from the Professor.
Will they meet again?
Lydia
Pallas is a young woman of Greek and Turkish parents who works for the Navy as
a translator. She knows six different
languages, and she loves her job. She
grew up very poor and lived on a fishing boat with her parents. They never had a home, except on the boat and
were constantly on the move. She feels
she had a happy childhood until her family came to America. After school one day when she was nine years
old, she goes to meet her father at the dock, but he never shows up. Her family is believed to be lost at sea and
she is sent to an orphanage. She has no
possessions, except the clothes on her back and must be on guard against thieves
in the orphanage. As part of the
nighttime routine there, each child is given “medicine” to help him/her
sleep. Of course, this is Mrs. Winslow’s
Syrup, aka opium. Now that she is older
and has left the orphanage, Lydia longs for security and order. She still has her little blue bottle of
“headache medicine” that is the same Mrs. Winslow’s Syrup. She meets Alex and begins doing translations
for him. He gradually tells her his
mission, so they team up to bring the guilty parties to justice. While working together, Lydia falls in love
with Alex. However, Alex will pursue no
relationship with her to keep her safe.
Lydia has all the signs of an opium addict and doesn’t even know it, but
Alex does. The Professor kidnaps another
boy and Alex needs Lydia to infiltrate the Professor’s house and come to the
rescue. Lydia desperately searches for
security, and Alex leads her to God.
Alex won’t marry a drug addict, which Lydia finally realizes that is
what she has become. Will they be able
to be together? Can Lydia’s newfound
faith sustain her through her trials?
This is
just a wonderful story. The pages turned
quickly and provided much enjoyment.
This is one you will like from cover to cover.
My
rating is 4 stars.
Note: I received a
complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely
my responsibility. Other reviews can be
read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/
. Also follow me on Twitter
@lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457
