Hold Back the Tide

Alva has always known that something very dark happened to her mother, and she knows that her father was responsible for it. While everyone in the small town of Ormscaula believes that Alva’s father murdered her mother, they also know he is the man sworn to protect the loch. With the town’s very survival depending on the loch, they turn a blind eye, allowing Alva to live in constant fear that she will be next. However, Alva is done living in fear of her father and finally finds an opportunity to flee. But just as she plans to leave, something strange and scarier than the truth stops her. Maybe the stories of monsters in the loch aren’t just tales, and maybe the reality of what really happened to her mother lies deeper than the loch itself.

Hold Back the Tide is a gothic tale that reads like Scottish lore that has been passed down through the generations. Melinda Salisbury pulls in her readers ever so delicately, luring them in for a surprise ending with the book’s slow, deliberate tempo. A strong female lead adds to the storyline, making readers want to stick with it through the lulls and discover the truth behind the fabled monsters.