Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Private investigator Ari Danner is out of money and out of luck in Las Vegas when she’s offered the biggest contract of her life. The first problem? The job is in California. The second problem? She’ll have to go undercover as a beach babe and she can’t even swim. But the money is too good to pass up, and she’ll do anything to secure her daughter’s future, even cosy up to pro surfer Zach Torres as she gathers evidence of his role in a sports betting scam.

Zach doesn’t usually pick up women by giving them CPR on his surfboard, but right from the start, he knew Ari was different. Smart, easy to talk to, interested in more than his billboard-worthy abs. But secrets can tear love apart, and Zach soon finds that there’s more than his relationship at risk.

Hard Tide is a standalone romantic suspense novel in the Blackstone House series.

578 pages, ebook

First published December 31, 2022

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Elise Noble

86 books686 followers
Elise Noble is an English rose with a few thorns who loves chocolate, sleep, and well-defined abs. Not hers, unfortunately. She lives near London with a horse who eats all her money and three dogs who eat everything else.

Elise writes real, gutsy heroines and flawed but swoon-worthy heroes in stories that mix mystery and mayhem, humour and happily-ever-afters.


You can get find her current freebies HERE.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
113 (80%)
4 stars
20 (14%)
3 stars
4 (2%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Missy .
67 reviews3 followers
December 26, 2022
Loved this book! Was fabulous to "see" Alexa and the others from the Blackstone House. Elise said this was a longer read but I found that it didn't take any longer to read but kept me rapt in the mystery of who was guilty. Elise is great at the intricate details of telling a story.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Profile Image for Siti.
Author 3 books17 followers
January 3, 2023
The longest writing ever from Elise! So many new characters introduced and even a plug of the Blackwood universe. Can’t wait for the eventual crossover haha.

And Alexa, what a badass you are. Can’t wait for the day you go toe to toe against Emmy Black 😁
Profile Image for Kris.
352 reviews40 followers
September 28, 2023
The mystery was pretty good, but the romance was underdeveloped and kind stale. And as the story went on there were also some odd decisions made storytelling-wise. Questions of morality were brought up in several situations, to the point that it's a running theme, then just never resolved. It was just a bit odd at first, but got crazier as the story progressed.

The story goes back and forth tone-wise between "people are complicated and fallible, and sometimes it's hard to tell what is the morally right thing to do in a situation" and "some people are just bad and maybe they actually don't deserve rights or to be alive" It was weird and jarring.

And as the story goes on, basically EVERY female character experiences SA. Like… WTF? It was already not needed in the beginning, then it just comes up again and again, with these over the top evil men. This was a story about a financial fraud investigation. Why did the author think this was necessary?

But by the end I guess it was to differentiate these "bad" people from the protagonists who are "good" people. Even though they do some really bad stuff themselves. But the "good" people don't have to face consequences because they've got a friend who is talented and rich. Oh but when the "bad" people use THEIR money to escape consequences, that's awful.

I was honestly having a pretty good time for large portions of this book, because I was invested in the case and Ari seemed a likable enough character. But she made 1 really out of nowhere bad decision, then just kept enabling other bad decisions later. And Alexa is a WHOLE other story. She's written like she's the "cool secret hacker chick" but she's basically an anarchistic cyber terrorist with a personality disorder? That sounds overblown, but she kind of is if you actually look at her character? By the end I just hated her, and honestly was upset with everyone who let her bullshit slide. I thought they put the morally questionable stuff on the back burner after the case was all figured out, but then…

WOO BOY THAT ENDING.

I gradually went from thinking this was like a 4-star read, to getting bothered enough that it was down to around 3-star, then that ending happened and I'm so annoyed that I honestly think it needs to be bumped down to 2-stars.

Mystery itself, rather good.
Romance, almost didn't even need to be included.
Tone, not balanced.
Message/theme, all over the damn place, and honestly bullshit.

(Side note, the author cannot write children. This is not how a 9 year old speaks)
Profile Image for Taiyeaba.
764 reviews41 followers
March 4, 2023
4.5⭐
🌊🏄‍♂️I didn't even complete chapter 2 and my heart broke for poor Ari. I hope she has skills and nail the job without making a fool of herself cause I'm rooting for her.
🌊🏄‍♂️I hope the mess is sorted before they go to bed.
🌊🏄‍♂️Agh....why the investigation is not ending? It's creating too much buildup.
🌊🏄‍♂️Ok they met, fell in love, living the bliss life and all without Zach knowing about Haven. I just don't see how they'll deal with it.
🌊🏄‍♂️Oh! I forgot all about Erin.
🌊🏄‍♂️This book is full packed. So many things has happened and it's not even 60%
🌊🏄‍♂️Holy shit balls! Chase came outta nowhere. It's been a high time I'm properly shocked.
🌊🏄‍♂️Wakanda interrogation technic is this Ari?
🌊🏄‍♂️We really needed more of Zach's pov. Cause I'm quite sure Ari is having a mental breakdown and whining at everything. As a PA she should know everything is not black and white.
🌊🏄‍♂️The book is nearing the end and Zach still unaware of Haven. Idk if it's just me but relationship with a kid need development. Which is absent in this book. We didn't see any decent interaction between Zach and haven. The connection was important to me.
🌊🏄‍♂️Ehh... So they just moved to Zach's just like that? They could have moved to nextdoor where Ari was staying. I mean......Idk how I feel about this.
🌊🏄‍♂️And just like that Zach is convinced.....
🌊🏄‍♂️Why the heck they didn't do anything about nelson before the championship? Ari and Alexa even had proof of his fishy work ethics. I really didn't like how they handled his situation. Zach won so the contract is finished so why would Maya go to see zed again? That man deserved more than a quick death.
🌊🏄‍♂️ I freaking loved the book until the end. The championship and Zed Nelson's plot was dissatisfying. But it's been awhile I was so engrossed by a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
169 reviews2 followers
January 15, 2023
Once again, Elise Noble crafted a kaleidoscopic novel. The plot is extensive, rich, and full of twists and cameo episodes that deserve a story on their own.
The cast of characters expands on the ones of the previous episodes, detailing those who were already introduced, albeit briefly, and presenting new ones. They are a fascinating group of skillfully crafted, intriguing personalities; there's no hero or heroine because everyone has strong and weak traits, making them more realistic and leaving the readers the choice of whom to favor.
During the narration, Ms. Noble touches on a few somber topics, such as the extremes of cults or blackmailing and psychological violence, using a detached and analytical tone; this way, the story keeps its light tone while eliciting moments of reflection on critical social problems.
Overall, the book is light and entertaining, deep enough to be interesting, while the rich plot makes it difficult to put down.
Even though Hard Tides is a standalone novel, the team of characters is promising, and I look forward to hearing more about the Blackstone House friends!
784 reviews6 followers
January 20, 2023
Hard Tide is the second book in the Blackstone House series. This book features Zach who was a former Blackstone House resident. Now a pro surfer he travels the world on the world tour with a small but close circle of friends. Ari, a private investigator is hired to find out what he is up to. He is extremely private and she hates water.

Do not be put off if you have no interest in surfing as this is an extremely good read. Elise Noble has a way of drawing you into her books and her characters lives and although this started a little slowly for me it soon had me reluctant to put it down. This book is far from predictable, it has so much depth and many different storylines running through it. It is not simply about surfing. All the characters are wonderful. The new ones are an intriguing mix and there are a few that were in the first book in this series which is always welcome in a series.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and have no hesitation in recommending it.
42 reviews
January 18, 2023
Hard Tide is book 2 of the Blackstone House series by Elise Noble. We follow Ari and Zach around the world solving a betting scam and surfing the waves.

It’s a fun read full of mystery and intrigue. It’s always a blast trying to solve the crime with the characters because you never know where it’s going to go.

We also have a very interesting story about Blackstone House and I’m following closely as we get snippets of all that happened and I can’t wait until we get the full story.

Absolutely love the old and new characters that are so hilarious and ridiculous that you can’t help but love.

Highly recommend! Can’t wait for the next Blackstone House book.
Profile Image for Karen.
105 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2023
Hard Tide (Blackstone House Book 2) by Elise Noble

Elise has provided us with yet another intriguing mystery with twists and turns to keep you guessing. It dabbles back and forth between morals vs reality, briefly touches on some seedier parts of life and has you riding the lines of gray before you know it. A suspense filled, love story that hits all the right spots.
I’ve happily been sucked in to the Blackstone world and can’t wait to read the next one.
I recommend you read Book One in the series to help set the scene for Book 2.
893 reviews5 followers
January 2, 2023
Above par

No plot spoilers, although it is a twisty turney plot!
No potential triggers
There is a tiny bit of swearing and a couple of sex scenes lightly written.
The characterisation is absolutely flawless, with the author creating believable characters the reader wants to see succeed.
There are no errors that I can recall.
If you are a fan of the genre I have no problem recommending the book
16 reviews
January 3, 2023
thank you yet again Elise Noble

I love when an author throws multiple plot twists in that I didn’t see coming, along with some red herrings. Makes for an exciting and entertaining read—far better than the cookie cutter books with predictable plots and endings. I can’t wait to read
More Blackstone House books, as well as more crossover characters. I can’t recommend Ms Noble’s books enough.
Profile Image for Sandra.
388 reviews1 follower
January 23, 2023
This series rocks! Ari is a private investigator hired to find out who bets against Zach in the WST but she manages to almost drown in the ocean and Zach is the one who saves her. That's when Ari becomes too involved and when she gets fired, Alexa makes an appearance. I absolutely love her character! Thanks for this brilliant story, it was thrilling until the end and I really think this series should be made into a movie!
Profile Image for Tracie Langley.
14 reviews
February 9, 2023
Another great read from Elise Noble. Hard Tide has all thing things I love about Elise's books. Characters that you love and some that you hate. Lots of interesting plot twists and relationships between the characters that you never see coming. Of course the dialog is witty and the romance is steamy. You could read this as a standalone book, but trust me you are going to want to go back and read Hard Lines as soon as you finish Hard Tide!
Profile Image for Kat Wes.
401 reviews3 followers
December 31, 2022
Excellent Story!

This was an excellent book! I really adore Arizona and Zach was a character I wanted to get to know better after the last book. They were a great couple. I was really sad when they didn't last like I had hoped. 

This story Was chock full of twists and turns. I am wholeheartedly enjoying this series. I can't wait for the next book in this series. 

Profile Image for Darrell.
469 reviews
January 4, 2024
Wonderful read

I forgot I had this Elise Noble book in my Kindle and just found I had’nt read it yet , and boy what a read.
I have always like Elise Nobles books as she introduces such great characters and the way she builds the story around them is wonderful entertainment !!!!
21 reviews
February 10, 2023
Amazing book! Usually books are not long enough for me...but this book was a good length. I really liked all of the characters and felt like they were my friends! Cant wait for the next book in the series!
4 reviews
April 17, 2023
amazing as always!!

Another fantastic book from Elise Noble. Her books draw you in and leave you impatient for the next book. I highly recommend this author!

Can’t wait for the next one!!
20 reviews
January 4, 2023
good read

Enjoyed the storyline and characters. Got completely lost from the real world. Love a happy ending. Thanks Elise and keep them coming
January 29, 2023
OMG

Loved it! Deserves a few more reads, didn’t want it to end! I’ve loved every one of Elise,s books fantastic Author
Profile Image for Jezza Mae.
49 reviews
February 13, 2023
Hard Tide is the 2nd book in the Blackstone Series by the amazing Elise Noble. I love every bit of this book. A total page turner. A must read.
85 reviews1 follower
February 20, 2023
I absolutely love the book...there's so much going on in the story, you just cannot put the book down until the last page...thank you so much Elise for this exciting book!
Profile Image for April Kelley.
20 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2022
This is Ari & Zach's story but it is also so much more! In this second installment of the Blackstone House series, we are not only introduced to Ari, a down-on-her-luck private eye but we also get drawn deeper into the fascinating world of the Blackstone House murder. Throughout her investigation, Ari discovers a web of intrigue surrounding Zach and his surfer friends as she falls head over heels for Zach - but will her deceptions kill their budding romance? That question as well as the quintessential question to all crime books "who dunnit?" keeps the reader on the edge of their seats all the way to the final chapter. It was also fun to learn tantalizing tidbits about what happened on that long ago night at Blackstone House and to learn more about the house's youngest resident, Alexa. I can't wait to see more of her in the third book! (I hope).

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2022
Hard Tides and Hard Abs!
Loved how intricate this book is! If you are a hardcore fan of Elise Noble’s, which I definitely am, you will revel in the many ties to other storylines and characters – and get excited about the set-ups for many future books. As always, the characters in this book are well developed and relatable, though there is a bit of a darker spin to this story than many others. There are mentions of good people doing bad things, perhaps justified, but definitely taking justice into their own hands.
In typical Elise Noble fashion, there are plenty of humorous one-liners and snappy comebacks. This story is a bit addictive and despite it being long, very difficult to put down.
Definitely don’t miss the extra chapter about Jerry – just click on the link at the end of the book.
33 reviews1 follower
December 23, 2022
I loved this book so much! It was by far her longest book, not counting the black trilogy because it was just that, a trilogy. Excellent follow-up to the Blackstone House series. I think Alexa will probably be my favorite character throughout the series, and the clues to the circumstances surrounding the Blackstone House affair are present, even if you don't know what they are leading to. I recommend starting the series from the beginning, not the middle as the clues and the characters are developing more with each book and you don't want to miss any clues that you'll learn along the way about their personalities. Ari and Zack's story had me up all night. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book
Profile Image for Trish Goodgame.
434 reviews1 follower
February 23, 2023
I loved this 2nd book in the Blackstone House series and can't wait for the next instalment! I feel a particular affinity with the lead character who is a single mum, who has had problems with more than one man in her life, having raised my own 2 sons since they were babies and having my own history of abuse. This book, as with all of Elise Noble's books is fast-paced and hard to put down. Well-defined characters round off the book with elements of drama, mystery, excitement, thrills and spills and of course, romance with some humour thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend this and all of Ms Noble's books - one of the best writers around. Her books never disappoint.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book, thanks to the author. The opinions expressed are my own.
128 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2023
Another great book keeping me hooked from the beginning. A standalone romantic suspense that is also the 2nd in a series. As with all of Ms Noble’s books, each book is fantastic by itself but has a whole next level of enjoyment if you’ve also read some of her other books as you always get some more information about characters and stories in other books and series. I’ve made some new friends in Ari and Zach and it excites me that I will see them again in later books. Their characters were so well developed, that it really feels as if I know them. I do want to know more about Alexa but definitely a dangerous person to get too close to. With many twists and turns, the culprits stay very well hidden right until the end. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Whitney.
719 reviews5 followers
January 6, 2023
This is book 2 in the blackstone house series. It is a stand alone book but is even better if you read the 1st one (hard lines) first. I absolutely loved this book and was immediately in love with these new characters!
I never thought I'd love any character more than emmy (blackwood series), but then Alexa (who was also mentioned in book 1) Gets reintroduced. Alexa is the epitome of bad ass chick! I absolutely love her and hope she has her own book!
In this book, more so than the 1st one, I can totally see how the blackstone and blackwood universes are going to collide.
I cant wait for the next one to come out and see where this goes!
Another great book by Elise Noble! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

*I was given an ARC for my honest opinion*
276 reviews4 followers
January 7, 2023
Elise has another winner with Hard Tides! Hard Tides is the second book in Elise Noble’s new series: Blackstone House. Ari Danner, private investigator, is asked to research and scrutinize surfer Zach Torres’ performances and finances during the World Surf Tour. Ari’s client, AnyBet, suspects that Zach is involved with strange betting practices that is costing the company to lose money.
The investigation into the world of surfing provides an excellent background for romance, intrigue and peril. Since Zach travels with a small close friend entourage, Ari must figure out who of his close friends is behind the dangerous incidents that are happening to Zach. Who can Ari trust? Who can Zach trust?

"I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book"
69 reviews
January 3, 2023
Hard Tide is the second of the Blackstone House books and is well worth your time. Although long, it is completely engaging, with plenty of twists and turns as the plot evolves. More tantalising snippets are revealed about the central Blackstone House mystery and the people involved, keeping readers immersed. Elise is drawing a world of people that you would really like to meet in real life, and whose stories you want to know. I can't wait for more! This series is one that needs to be read in order, although each couple's story is individual, the background plot about the Blackstone House mystery evolves in each book.
22 reviews2 followers
December 29, 2022
Hard tides was a great book! I do have different favorites, but I loved all the little mentions of the other books she writes weather it be different characters she mentions from a couple different series! I also like the fact that we got to hear more from a certain hacker and learn more about them as a person! Can’t wait to see where this series takes us and looking forward to meeting/reading about all the other roommates of the Blackstone House.
I received and advanced copy a this book for my honest review
Profile Image for Karen.
105 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2022
Hard Tide (Blackstone House Book 2) by Elise Noble

Another piece of sheer brilliance from Elise.

Elise has provided us with yet another intriguing mystery with twists and turns to keep you guessing. It dabbles back and forth between morals vs reality, briefly touches on some seedier parts of life and has you riding the lines of gray before you know it. A suspense filled, love story that hits all the right spots.

I’ve happily been sucked in to the Blackstone world and can’t wait to read the next one.

I recommend you read Book One in the series to help set the scene for Book 2.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.