I love books where the setting is almost a character. And in Lindsey Brackett's debut, Still Waters, Edisto Island definitely qualifies. It seems to breathe life around the main characters of Cora Anne, her grandmother, and Tennessee, the hometown boy vying for Cora Anne's heart.

I also love a book that is so descriptive that I can picture everything and everyone precisely in my head, and this hits that nail on the head for me, too. There aren't overly long passages about nature or anything, but enough descriptives that I could see the whole beach house, the restaurant, the moments. Just love that.

Brackett's novel is filled with complex familial relationships that are just as important to the novel as the romance factor. Cora Anne lives with several tragedies hanging over her head, including her parents' divorce a few years prior. She's tried to block everything out with practicality but the enchantment of Edisto and a persistent grandmother can't help but start to peel back her layers.

This didn't have any of the ridiculous aspects that some Christian fiction does. Brackett has truly nailed it with making this feel true to life in the romance as well as the spiritual aspects. My only brow furrow was that I didn't feel that I understood all the family history by the end of the novel. But I've seen Lindsey talk about a sequel, so I hope she means to keep exploring those old relationships.

Thanks to Lindsey Brackett for supplying me with a copy of this book.