this book made me feel emotions i haven’t felt since getting on my antidepressants

Disclaimer: I don't usually read inspirational romances. I tend to not like them, since most of the ones I've read have been way too heavy-handed on the religion and thin on the relationship between the two main characters. This is an exception.

Larkspur Cove is an inspirational romance set in Central Texas that does very well in making life, and it's characters, real.

The heroine, Andrea, is a divorced woman, looking for meaning in a life that's been shattered by her husband's actions. She's uptight, and far too concerned with putting her world into neat, little boxes, but that's part of her charm. She's just realized life doesn't work that way, and she's not sure how to handle it.

The hero, Mart, is a man's man game warden, still trying to get over the pain of losing three people very close to him, two in particular. In spite of his rough ways, he's a kind and intelligent man, who's more easygoing than Andrea first assumes.

Naturally, there's conflict when they first meet. Dustin, Andrea's son, isn't taking the divorce well and starts off with the wrong crowd, found, of course, by Mart. But their relationship develops well, and is far more realistic in that development than some of the other romances I've read.

As far as the religious aspect goes, this book doesn't get even mention it for the first half, beyond whatever fits in the world (e.g. Reverend Hay inviting Andrea to church as part of welcoming her to the community...community tends to revolve around church here in Texas, no matter what your denomination). It isn't until close to the end of the book that any sort of "seeing the light" occurs. It's debatable how necessary it is to the ending, and to the resolution of the relationship, but either way, it's not annoying.

The action is good. The plotting is excellent, though I wished some aspects were more clearly resolved so that I could have had some emotional resolution, instead of only the intellectual kind. Not every problem is easily resolved in this book. In fact, there were times when I literally was on the edge of my seat, wondering how they would get out of their predicament. And just because they find a little peace now, doesn't mean things have gotten better.

The secondary characters and the world itself are well-drawn. This is obviously a woman who knows small-town Texas. However, with that comes some things that are sure to make more liberal-minded folks squirm. Some of Mart's thoughts regarding being a man, for instance, and references later on to Mart's getting a switch as a kid, making it sound like getting switched was a good thing.

In fact, the only weak characters, I thought, were Dustin and his dad. However, the "deadbeat" was drawn with more depth than I expected.

I don't feel I can end this review without mentioning Birdie and Len. They were the cutest, sweetest thing in this book. There were real dangers, yes, but that relationship restores my faith in humanity.

Overall, a nice, light read that made me smile, and got me turning back to spiritual thoughts without outright preaching at me.

3.5 stars..Sweet read

Divorce has forced Andrea Henderson to accept the hospitality of her parents' lake house and to dust off her barely-used counseling degree, taking a job working with families referred by Child Protection Services caseworkers in rural Texas. Her first day is already not going well when she gets the news that her 14-year-old son has gotten in trouble with the local game warden, Mart McClendon, for climbing an off-limits rock formation and boating without permission but with alcohol on board. The parents of most of the other teens opt to pay the fine, but Andrea chooses to have Dustin attend the water safety course as a sort of diversion program.

Mart McClendon is not impressed with Andrea's parenting skills when they first meet. She is late, and he is exhausted and in no mood to put up with mothers who shield their punk kids from consequences and try to buy their way out of trouble. But when they begin working to figure out how an older local man with brain damage ended up caring for a traumatized small girl about five or six years old, he soon realizes Andrea is not the spoiled rich woman he assumed her to be.

Both Andrea and Mart have demons to face, remnants and reminders of their pasts. The challenge is learning to trust the future and let love back into their lives.

Johanna Parker and Scott Sowers take turns narrating chapters from Andrea and Mart's points of view. Their voices bring the story alive, Johanna's inviting you to linger and savor the warmth of the words, Scott's evoking the sounds of crusty old Texas fishermen.

Faith and faith struggles are an integral part of this story, but never once did Lisa Wingate get preachy. Rather, God and the church were just part of the fabric of life for most of the characters--much like they would be if someone told the story of my life or of anyone raised in a community of faith, no matter the religion. I'm so thankful to have found a Christian fiction author who doesn't make me cringe!

For readers' advisors: character doorway, with story, setting, and language sneaking in as secondary doorways. No sex, and I honestly can't remember if there were a couple of swear words or not, but probably not.

Lisa Wingate is always good for an enjoyable read, and she doesn't disappoint with this romance that throws in a few elements of suspense. Andrea--a recently divorced mother who has moved beck to Moses lake to work as a Social Worker and live in her parents lake house with her son Dustin meets Mart--the local game warden who has some painful past secrets that he doesn't want to confront, at least not when the book starts. As Andrea and Mart get to know each other--they meet after Dustin gets picked up by Matt for horsing around with the wrong crowd out on the lake--they are intrigued by the mysterious appearances of a young girl who appears to be with the local recluse.
I enjoyed the community of Larkspur Cove, the suspense of what was going on with the little girl, and some aspects of Andrea and Mart and their relationship. The story was told in alternating points of view between the two of them. I felt that the author could have gone a little deeper with their characters (or maybe they were just being shallow in their own thoughts and avoiding their own issues). Andrea was dealing with a recent divorce where her husband (a minister) left her for another woman and Mart's beloved nephew had passed away in an accident that he blamed himself for. This set them up to be characters that needed a lot of emotional healing (which made me question the wisdom of them getting involved with each other) and while there is some growth and healing it was not gone into in depth. For fans of romance and romantic suspense who don't get into analyzing it too much this would be a wonderful read.

3.75. A sweet story, not too intense. Good character development. There was a lot of internal monologue that seemed to go on longer than made sense, especially when trying to determine how to answer a question. I only wish the book had an epilogue. I wonder if the next books in the series revisit these characters as minor players.

Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate
Read some of the other works of the author and really liked them.
Andrea Henderson is a social worker with a teen age son, Dustin and they live in her parents lakeside house but they don't want them there.
Moses Lake, TX is where she was raised and she returns there to heal her wounds.
She is a counselor and has just gotten stuck in a ditch with a flat tire and the cell is dead. What else could possibly go wrong with this day?
Game worden, Martin McCullen is healing from pain in his past. Locals Sheila and Darcy run the grocery store at the end of the lake where others can buy food for their day at the water.
Wall of wisdom is for anybody to write a quote and each chapter begins with one. Each chapter also alternates between Martin's life and Andrea's life.
Mart has to keep Dustin til his mother picks him up as he is in trouble with the others who took a boat out and had beer on the boat-all are underaged.
They combine their knowledge and together go after the little girl who appears to be abused and abandoned...they also get to know one another by talking...
Lots of action and danger-Andrea recalls he said to head for the water...Moses Lake can heal others if you faith in God and yourself.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).