The Rhythm Tide by Frankie J.Jones

Everytime I choose a book to read, I have got two criteria to consider: the title and the description or the author’s note, if available.

The title is appealing, one can look at it from different angles, but it suggests the passion of the sea, life’s up’s and down’s, that each of us tries to balance or rather, find a balance. The description was also nice, it’s always nice to read about a straight woman fall for another woman who knows exactly what her sexuality is: a lesbian in acts and facts.

And, a romance is always a romance.

Yet, this is not the typical lesbian romance: it has drama, strange decisions and awkward relationships, the reader can guess the development of the plot, but it is never certain of it.

The book starts with a rather confused woman with suicidal thoughts standing on the shore and starting to go towards the sea and get over with the guilt, the horrors and her life.

I believe this part is very well written and transpose the reader in the skin of the character.

Surprisingly, the woman won’t drown, because another woman tries to save her, yet the latter is almost drowned by the one she tries to safe, yet she herself is saved by one that almost killed her.

Clara wanted to end deals with life by getting lost in the Texas bay. Yet, she manages to save the woman she almost drowned while trying to save her, Randi with an “i”.

Having nowhere to go, or rather she left her home in Louisiana and needs a roof under her head in Texas, Clara accepts Randi’s offer to stay the night at her home.

Clara stayed more than just that and even helped Randi paint birds from the coast to comply a good job. They get to know and like each other and so do we, even it’s awkward the mystery about Clara’s past and Randi’s present remain between them.

Getting along, we find out that Randi kind of checked Clara’s purse and found out she was Clara Webster, was married and had two kids and Clara found out that Randi Kosub was a reclusive artist that lived alone and tries to rebuilt her career that was neglected because of a lover from her past, whom Clara saw in Randi’s paintings and realized Randi was a lesbian.

Clara is gets so caught up in Randi, in the safety her arms provide, in the freedom to live side by side without anger or spitting words, but a growing desire and passion for Randi. Clara realizes her relationship with her husband Allen was a turbulent, toxic one, all he cared was her taking care of their children and trespass his affairs with other women. She missed her two boys, yet from the moment she left Allen the note, that she couldn’t live with him anymore.

The one who cared about her was here : Randi, oh, and there was good ol’ Belinda, her best friend that always cared.

She is like a child, learns new emotions, tumultuous passions from a patient woman that really cares about her.

Randi is surprised by her desire for Clara and tries to do everything to make her feel at home, comfortable and a little more.

She takes Clara to her good friends and she sees how is like to be with a woman for real.

Their passion combusts on Randi’s friends’ boat, when she and Clara make passionate love for the first time.

It is a beautiful choice for lovemaking the author did.

Randi and Clara spend beautiful days and amazing evenings together.

So far so good, but the paradise lasts shortly, Belinda calls and tells Clara that her son was injured in a car accident and she needed to go home.

With Randi at her side, Clara goes straight into the wolf’s mouth, her husband is not thrilled she wasn’t there to take care of her children and put all the blame on her and even hit her.

It was a terrible scene, as Randi had to intervene, Clara didn’t let her, Randi told Allen she’s Clara’s girlfriend, Allen goes mad and threatens Clara to ask Randi to leave, otherwise she won’t see her children again. Clara does tell Randi to go and drowns once more into the mud of her marriage.

Her husband won’t spare their son, nor Clara and tells him that his mother had an affair with another woman and Clara’s life is ruined. She has nowhere to go, as Randi stormed out the door and never looked back. Her husband put her luggage at their house door and change the locks. So, Clara had to ask Belinda a favor, to live with her.

Remember, Clara was a housewife, she has no job, but a journalism diploma. She is torn, having nothing.

She tells Belinda the truth about Randi, as the reason of her divorce. Belinda comes out as a surprise as she confesses she is a lesbian, although she had three husbands. She helps Clara to get a part time job at a lesbian magazine, than to go to different meetings and Clara’s career is on it’s way as she starts developing as a woman and as a lesbian and a fighter for women’s rights.

In the meantime, Clara and Belinda become lovers, yet after a couple of months, Belinda is offered a country tour as a speaker and Clara a brand new full time editor job at a lesbian magazine in Los Angeles. Their paths separate here, Clara has another affair with Stacey, the creator of the magazine, yet it’s just passion, that burns out quickly.

It’s enjoyable to see Clara at forty one years old, building a new career and have a tumultuous private life that has just started.

Yet, she always remembers Randi, the warmth of her body, her arms caress, her everything.

She won’t ever be able to get over her.

A great surprise is when Belinda tells Clara to call Randi, as she felt Clare never got over her first lesbian lover.

The turning point is when Clara needs to interview some artist that none has time to for her magazine, which will of curse be Randi.

She arrives at the exhibit and recognizes the painter, as well as herself in some painting and when she turned to leave, she got face to face with Randi and her new girlfriend.

She just ran off.

And the running off continues, when Randi finds out where Clara lives and comes to her, yet when the door is opened there is another woman with Clara and it seems they just awoke. Randi flees. It was Clara’s assistant and they were dead drunk the night before and her assistant brought her home safe and sound.

Conclusion: Clara gives up her job and comes to Randi’s house, where she had lived in such difficult moments of her life, yet other some beautiful and so many more amazing to come.

They just embrace and the whole world is watching and theirs for the taking.