A Vast and Gracious Tide by Lisa Carter

A Vast and Gracious Tide

by Lisa Carter

Caden Wallis has suffered several devastating blows that have left him reeling. He's lost friends and now his girlfriend to the ravages of war. He arrives on the Outer Banks for one final mission--to thank the woman who sent him a quilt while he was recuperating from his wounds at Walter Reed Army Hospital.

McKenna Dockery knows all about loss. She lost her mother at a young age, and her father has never been the same since he came home from his own war. She juggles the family business, her ailing father, and an aging grandmother. Much to Caden's surprise, she--not some elderly lady--is the quilter. The quilt was something she'd begun for her future husband but shipped to the military hospital after the tragic death of her fiance.

When a man is found snared in a net and murdered on McKenna's property, she and Caden must work together to bring the killer to justice. Each must learn to trust the 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. A nor'easter, a sea turtle named Cecil, and a surf-crazy hound named Ginger conspire to bring these two searching hearts together through the vast and gracious tide of God's love.

Reviewed by phyllish on

5 of 5 stars

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A Vast and Gracious Tide by Lisa Cox Carter


A murder saved his life…

Caden had lost his leg in Afghanistan, lost his best friend to the same IED, lost his girlfriend as a result of his “deformity”, lost his ability to serve in the Army, lost his purpose in life, lost his hope. He had everything figured out and was on his way to drown the ocean of misery that was his existence in the waves of the sea.

As you can imagine, Caden underwent a significant spiritual journey and a complete change of mind about his life. His transformation from the gaunt (both physically and especially spiritually and mentally), hopeless man to one with purpose and, most importantly, a relationship with God unfolded in a most natural and beautiful way in this story.

A Vast and Gracious Tide is such a rich story, containing just the right mix of mystery, suspense, action, romance, spiritual lessons and even a touch of humor. It was so well written and was certainly a page-turner. The setting of the Outer Banks in North Carolina allowed for the plot elements of sunken ships and unauthorized entry into the country of undesirable elements and substances.

I loved the way McKenna seemed to instinctively know to allow Caden to do things for himself and not treat him like a cripple. Even from the very beginning, she didn’t try to help him up from the sand or coddle him in any way. They alternately fought and capitulated to the strong attraction between them, each one fearful of being hurt.

Though I had a premonition about who was responsible for the crimes around the island, the hints were quite subtle. There were details that I would never have dreamed up, which of course, made the story much better than if it was predictable.

Here are a few more of the things I really liked about the story:

McKenna’s grandmother, Lovely, calling Caden “Dear Heart” – for some reason this touched me greatly
The scene where he had to go to a beauty shop to get his hair cut – gasp!
Sea turtle rescue
The quilt that brought them together
McKenna dancing
Learning WWII history in the Outer Banks


This review was originally posted on Among the Reads

Get a preview of A Vast and Gracious Tide at amongTheReads.net


I would like to thank Gilead Publishing, Just Read Publicity Tours for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

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  • 25 June, 2018: Reviewed