Tidewater Inn - A Hope Beach Novel (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Libby Holladay restores old buildings by flipping them. She and her partner, Nicole, are checking out Hope Island for a developer, Lawrence Rooney. Nicole is kidnapped while Libby is watching on her computer. Libby becomes the prime suspect especially when she finds out she has inherited the inn on Hope Island as that is where her Dad had lived, even though her mother had told her that her father had died years ago. Libby realizes she will have to be the one to find Nicole so she embarks on a quest to find her. In the meantime, she falls for Alec Bourne, a coast guard member. Together, they manage to find Nicole and solve the mystery of who did this. Tidewater Inn was a book club selection and I found it to be a quick and enjoyable read. A romantic mystery is the best way to describe it. The characters are interesting and the setting terrific. The story takes place on an inhabited but as yet commercially undeveloped coastal island in the Outer Banks (barrier islands primarily off the coast of North Carolina.)The principal character Libby rejuvenates old buildings and is checking out a potential restoration job on Hope Island when her partner Nicole goes missing. Libby is initially considered a suspect and she stays on the island longer than planned to clear her name and but primarily to find Nicole, never wavering in her belief that Nicole is still alive despite the odds. Libby gets help with her search from numerous town folk, including Alec, a full-time fisherman and part-time coast guard. Libby and Alec are the romance. Looking for Nicole is the mystery, plus there are a number of other surprises in Coble’s plot.The flow was good and the story kept my interest. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the island and ocean venue and the camaraderie of the people on the island. I thought Coble did a good job of painting a picture of what living on a small coastal island must be like and how when nature plays such a dominant role in the environment, it brings neighbours together to help each other out.Tidewater is a Christian based book and while I appreciate books that are rooted in beliefs, whatever faiths they might be, I found the book to be a bit too in your face about born again Christianity. I’ll try to explain. When meeting new people in person I enjoy finding out more about them but I don’t necessarily want our entire exchange to be centred on our religious beliefs. I felt this book was a bit too over the top on the subject - a bit preachy and almost like it was trying to convert readers. There were lots of actions in the book that displayed the characters as people of faith, so I really didn’t see the need for verbalizing it repeatedly. I did get that Coble was showing that one’s faith should be at the centre of one’s life and of everything one does. Nonetheless, I found the overdone born again Christianity to be detracting. It is clear that many readers enjoy Coble’s writing style and content as she has quite a loyal following. For me it was an enjoyable 3 star read.
What do You think about Tidewater Inn - A Hope Beach Novel (2000)?
This was an enjoyable quick read. It would make a great book for the beach.
—rabbit360
Read this book in one day....now to start the next one!
—Desree
Trite but clean. Enjoyable but predictable.
—mayank
