Changing Tides Review — Is It Worth Reading?

Verdict: A warm, atmospheric second-chance-at-life romance on a small island off the Irish coast: gentle fisher Joey helps celebrity chef Marianne and her toddler settle in after her business and marriage fall apart. Readers praise the vivid setting, the nonbinary rep and the community; the review pool is small and mostly enthusiastic.

Best for: Readers who love cosy island communities, small children and a kind, steady love interest.

Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.1/5 — a 4.43 Goodreads average across 76 ratings and 4.6 stars across 106 Amazon ratings; StoryGraph has too few reviews to count)

Tropes: Single mom, fresh start, small-town/island community, nonbinary love interest, celebrity chef, found family.

Changing Tides is Iona Kane’s 2025 contemporary sapphic romance, book two of the Inishderry Island Romances. Joey O’Hara is content with a quiet life on windswept Inishderry — everything they need except someone to share it with.

It holds a 4.43 average across 76 Goodreads ratings, with 95% of them four or five stars, and 4.6 stars across 106 Amazon ratings.

What Is Changing Tides About?

Celebrity chef Marianne Browne needs to escape her failed business and broken marriage. With her young son, she retreats to Inishderry hoping the island will let them heal.

When Joey steps in to help Marianne navigate island life with a toddler, a spark ignites — but Marianne’s heart is set on a return to career success, and Joey is anchored to the island.

What Works in This Book

Sense of place: Readers say the island is so vivid they want to visit.
Joey: A kind-hearted fisher and lifeboat volunteer who readers adore.
Rep: Readers praise the nonbinary representation.
The toddler: One reader says Marianne’s little son stole her heart.

Book Synopsis

A chef who lost everything. An islander who never left.

Can the changing tides bring their worlds together?

My Review

This is an immersive, character-driven story about healing and belonging, with complex, flawed people and a supportive community around them. One reader calls it better than the first in the series.

The caveat is volume: with only 14 written reviews, several from advance copies, there is little dissent on record. Readers who dislike small-town settings or slow, domestic stories may find it quiet.

My honest note: A lovely, low-risk Kindle Unlimited read.

Element	In Changing Tides
Central relationship	Joey O’Hara (nonbinary fisher) & Marianne Browne (celebrity chef, single mom)
Core tropes	Single mom, fresh start, island community
Setting	Inishderry, an island off the coast of Ireland
Heat level	🌶️🌶️🌶️
Length	346 pages (Kindle edition)
Series	Inishderry Island Romances #2
Content notes	Divorce, a partner’s gambling and theft (per readers)

How Spicy Is Changing Tides?

Steamy, according to our listing source; readers focus more on the setting and characters.

Readers mention Marianne’s divorce after her wife’s gambling and theft.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you want a cosy island romance with a single mom and a toddler. It is on our single mom lesbian romance list.

You may want to skip it if: you want high drama or a fast pace.

In short: Salt air and second chances.

What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)

On Goodreads the split is 49% five stars, 46% four and 5% three, with no two- or one-star ratings.

Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Setting first. Second, Joey. Third, rep. Fourth, the community.

What readers argue about and complain about: Very little — the pool is small.

The comparison worth making first: Returning Home to Her, another single-mom fresh start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to read Where the Waves Kiss the Shore first?

It helps but isn’t essential. Changing Tides is book two of the Inishderry Island Romances; Joey appeared in book one, and that couple, Kasia and Tierney, feature as friends here.

Is Joey nonbinary?

Yes. Readers describe Joey as a nonbinary (and intersex) lesbian, and praise the rep.

Why is Marianne starting over?

Readers explain that her business and marriage collapse after her wife secretly takes money to fund a gambling problem.

How many reviews does it have?

Fewer than most books we cover — 14 written reviews on Goodreads, several from advance copies — so treat the glowing average with some caution.

Is Changing Tides on Kindle Unlimited?

Yes, when we checked — or $3.99 to buy on Kindle.

If You Loved Changing Tides, Read These Next

Try Eve Falls First or Returning Home to Her. Browse our single mom list or the full Book Reviews archive.

The Bottom Line

Changing Tides sets out to be a healing island romance, and its setting and characters deliver. What holds it back is only how few readers have weighed in so far. Recommended. Check Changing Tides on Amazon →