A Vast and Gracious Tide

GIVEAWAY

CARTER, LISA
A VAST AND GRACIOUS TIDE

A wounded vetran and the police chief's daughter must work together to bring a killer to justice.

Caden Walker lost friends, his girlfriend, and even his leg to the ravages of war. He arrives on the Outer Banks broken and still reeling, struggling to make peace with his new life.

McKenna Dockery has been stuck in limbo since her fiance died three years ago. Now, when the handsome yet heart-broken Caden arrives at her doorstep, she starts to wonder if there may be hope for her heart after all...

But no sooner do they meet than a man is found murdered on McKenna's property -- and Caden is the prime suspect. The two must learn to trust each other, or no one will be safe in the tangled web of conspiracy, greed, and deceit lurking in the tidal marshlands of the Outer Banks.

My Review:

Major Squeeep Alert!!!! So major that my brain is a scramble of euphoric reader bliss so I'm giving you fair warning -- this review may end up being a bit of a fangirling ramble. Cue our stalwart hero, Caden Wallis. Excuse me while I clear my fainting couch because even writing a review about him creates havoc with my equilibrium.

Caden is in a dark place when he arrives on the Outer Banks. He takes brooding hero to a whole new level. He alternately broke my heart and made me spitting mad -- sometimes in the same sentence! What a complex man and the more Carter reveals about him the more complicated things get. Deliciously infuriating about sums him up.

Which keeps McKenna spinning in a vortex of emotional angst. These two together are exasperating perfection. Fair warning: you will want to have a pre-approved venting process in place before you begin reading. Otherwise you will be in danger of damaging the spine of your book from repeatedly throwing it against a wall out of sheer frustration. I found a stress-reducing yoga session or a brisk walk around the block to be tremendously helpful. :-)

This is the kind of book that takes days to read because you can't stand the thought of it being over while, at the same time, dying to reach the happily ever after you're hoping for. Trouble is, there are so many detours to that end that a genteel, emotionally fragile reader such as myself (no eye rolling) must take the time to pause and digest certain scenes. Perhaps even re-re-re-read particularly toe-curling ones (first kiss alert! thud!) All this takes time, so adjust your calendar accordingly.

I haven't said anything about McKenna yet...perhaps because, if I'm truthful, I'm a bit jealous. I mean, she did get her man in the end (no spoiler alert since this is the kind of romantic suspense that guarantees readers a HEA.) And while I enjoyed living vicariously through McKenna, it was kind of a let down when Caden turned to her, not me there at the end. I mean, couldn't he see how vested I was in him? How much I cared? And wasn't I completely and totally on his side (even when he was being his most obnoxious) right from the very first page? Humph -- I can tell you  McKenna wasn't! She was her own kind of stubborn. And the wall she built around her heart? Well, only an ex Green Beret could break it down.

And then there's the suspense. A slow build, lots of twists and turns but I armchair sleuthed my way through with the best of them! In fact, not wanting to brag or anything, but I was a good clip ahead of Caden and McKenna as far as figuring things out. So much fun to feel validated at the end. I may have lost the hero, but I'm thinking of opening up my own Armchair Sleuthing agency. Well, with a friend who is also an excellent literary gumshoe.

A truly magnificent read!

PS...this really shouldn't be an afterthought but I did warn you how rambling I'd be. Lisa Carter has done a tremendous job with the inspirational thread in this novel -- from the title tie-in to the very real and raw struggle to find God in the midst of the impossible. Powerful and memorable.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Vast and Gracious Tide, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday July 8 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck.