The Tides Of Time by Sarah M Eden (EXCERPT)

Hi, readers! Today we have an excerpt from a terrific time-travel romance (rated G!) by USA Today bestselling author Sarah M Eden. The Tides of Time is the first in a proposed series of swoony historical novels perfect for anyone looking for an escape from the nightmare of the modern day.

In 1793 France, Lili Minet boards a ship bound for England, making a desperate escape from the clutches of Robespierre’s Revolutionary Tribunal. When a violent storm hits, it not only throws Lili overboard but launches her eighty years into the future, leaving her stranded in unfamiliar 1873 England.

Rescued from the sea by lighthouse keeper Armitage Pierce, Lili struggles to trust her savior while guarding the secrets of her extraordinary journey. Armitage does not anticipate her silent, cold response to his gallant efforts. As Armitage’s grandfather offers her solace and understanding, Lili begins to heal, and a fragile bond grows between her and Armitage.

But the shadows of her past refuse to stay buried. The same danger that forced Lili to flee Revolutionary France threatens her new life, putting her love and her future at risk. Together, Lili and Armitage must face the ultimate challenge: whether their bond is strong enough to overcome the perils of time and history itself.

Read on for an excerpt, which reveals intriguing secrets about Lili’s journey!

~~~~~~~

He pulled from beneath his chair the book he’d been reading before dozing off: the narratives and recounting of the French Revolution.

It was a topic he had not been unfamiliar with before obtaining the book. But reading accounts of that time knowing Lili had been in France while all these things were happening had added a painful poignancy to it all. He’d wanted to reach through the pages, reach back through time, and shield her from it all. He looked over at her sleeping fitfully. She was safe from it now. Whatever magic these waters held, it had brought her to him. Her face had begun bruising already. A gash on her arm had needed sewing up. And she was peppered with dozens of other smaller wounds. Yet even in this state, she was safer than she could ever have been in the Paris of the Revolution. She muttered again, still in tones of near-desperate pleading, still so quiet that Armitage could hardly make out the syllables.

“Non . . . Ne vous approchez pas . . . Arrêt.”

She’d told him once that she dreamed at night of the terrors she’d fled, though she’d not specified what those were. He knew now.

Armitage leaned closer and whispered, “You are safe, my dear. I’m here with you.”

Lili moved again but didn’t speak. She wasn’t sleeping very well, which worried him. Her recovery would be more difficult if she weren’t able to rest.

From the doorway, Grandfather asked, “Do you think us ought to fetch some analgesic powders from the village?”

“Might help,” Armitage said.

Grandfather stepped inside, watching Lili with concern in his eyes. “Her is fortunate not to’ve been injured more severely. The tree limb that came through her window ain’t a creeny thing.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever taken the stairs as swiftly as I did last night when I heard the crash.” Armitage released a tense breath. “I’ve been trying not to think how much worse it might have been.”

“Her’s a dear.” Grandfather watched Lili with unmistakable fondness.

“Unfortunately, her brother’s a—” Armitage bit back the end of that sentence. Lili was sleeping, but he still felt reluctant to speak bluntly what he thought of her one remaining family member.

“I don’t imagine him’ll stay long,” Grandfather said. “And for all our sakes, I hope that proves true.”

Lili groaned softly, a grimace flitting over her features. Armitage rubbed his thumb in a soft circle along the back of her hand.

Grandfather thrust his stubbly chin in Armitage’s direction. “Doing a bit of lighthearted reading?”

His book was on his lap. “I found it at Mr. Vaughn’s shop. It were too intriguing to pass up.”

“Intriguing.” Grandfather nodded slowly. “Enlightening.”

Enlightening was precisely the right descriptor, but Grandfather couldn’t possibly know that. Why, then, was he holding Armitage’s gaze so intensely? A long moment of silence passed between them before Grandfather walked slowly from the room.

“Enlightening,” Grandfather had said.

What did he know?

“J’ai mal au visage.” Lili’s sleepy whisper pulled Armitage’s eyes to her immediately. “And my arm hurts too.”

“I suspect it does, darling.” He set his book down so he could turn fully toward her and lean near enough that she wouldn’t have to raise her voice to speak to him.

Sleep hung heavy in her eyes. “Did you ever finish your supper?”

“My supper?”

“You hadn’t finished it last night.” How like her to be worried about him when she herself was recovering from such a harrowing experience.

“I ate,” he assured her. He enveloped her hand in both of his.

“Are you hungry, Lili? I can fetch you some breakfast.”

“I’m not.” Her eyes opened and closed slowly. “What I am is exhausted.”

“You’ve been through an ordeal.” He lightly kissed her fingers. “And you didn’t sleep well.”

“I dreamed of Paris. I always awaken more tired when I do.”

“Your Paris was not a peaceful place,” he said.

Her eyes barely opened before closing heavily once more. “I need to tell you,” she whispered through a fog of encroaching sleep. “I don’t know how yet.”

Did she truly mean to tell him the secret she guarded? He hoped so. He hoped he’d earned that much of her trust. Yet knowing now what that secret was, how reasonable it was for her to think he wouldn’t believe her, he understood her reluctance.

“I love you, ma Lili.” He carefully kissed her forehead. “Don’t ever doubt that.”

Lili Minet was as stubborn as she was remarkable. They were still finding glass and splinters on the floor of her room and tucked into furniture even three days after the horrifying storm. Armitage had insisted she keep using his room. She had insisted she could sleep on the floor of the storage room. He’d countered by saying that was where he could sleep. For a time, it had looked as though they would be at an impasse indefinitely. He’d finally convinced her by saying he seldom had the opportunity to be heroic and she’d be doing him a favor if she let him claim this one.

Being a hero, it turned out, gave a person a horrible crick in his neck.

He waited that day until he spied Géraud down on the beach. Mikhail and Grandfather were at the top of the tower, doing maintenance. This was Armitage’s chance to talk with Lili without interruption or being overheard.

She was sitting on the sofa in the parlor and looked up as he stepped inside from the galley.

With a sigh of self-directed annoyance, she said, “I cannot countenance how easily exhausted I am.”

“You were attacked by a tree three days ago.” He sat next to her, tucking his book on his other side. “I think some weariness is to be expected.”

“I caught sight of myself in a mirror this morning. I am surprised you don’t all run away screaming in fright every time I’m nearby.”

He nodded solemnly. “It has taken a lot of effort, Lili.”

She bumped his shoulder. The whisper of a smile she sometimes wore had been even fainter these past days. He suspected her face hurt too much for anything more significant than this attempt.

“I’m needing to ask you about something, Lili.” He took her hand. “I’d intended to let you introduce the topic when you were ready, but I can’t sort something out.”

She watched him closely. The bruising and cuts on her face broke his heart. His sweet Lili, she was hurting physically, and he suspected he was about to cause some emotional distress as well.

“I found this at Mr. Vaughn’s bookshop.” With his free hand, he set his book on his lap where she could see it. “And I’ve been reading it.”

He could tell the moment she’d read enough of the title to realize the topic. She stiffened.

“Before you panic,” he said, “I know, Lili. I know.”

~~~~~~~

From The Tides Of Time by Sarah M Eden. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission.

The Tides Of Time by Sarah M Eden was published today March 4 2025 by Shadow Mountain and is available from all good booksellers, including