#susanmaywarren

The Heart of a Hero
by Susan May Warren
Book 2 in the Global Search and Rescue series
Rating: 5/5

So I definitely lost some sleep over this amazing ride! I love how Susan May Warren keeps outdoing herself. This is the second book in the series and I highly recommend reading the first but it’s not necessary to enjoy this thrilling adventure. While her first book dealt with blizzards in Alaska, this one deals with hurricanes in Key West. We continue getting to know the main characters after she introduced them in the first book, The Way of the Brave.

“Funny that when skies were clear, he was the storm. But in the middle of the storm…He was the calm.”

As a former sniper and Navy SEAL, Jake Silver was born to help people, and being a part of Jones Inc rescue team was only the next logical step. After helping save Dr. Aria Sinclair and her friends in Alaska, Jake knows that he and Aria have formed a connection that he can’t get away from. He shared things about his past with her that no one else knows, and she shared things with him that only made him want to protect her more. Too bad she doesn’t seem to want anything to do with him. Why does she seem to be running away from a relationship with him?

While Aria can admit that she and Jake have a connection after the traumatic events in Alaska, she is not that girl in real life. On vacation was different. She could be more adventurous like her twin sister, Kia, used to be, but when she returns back home, she has to be back to skilled pediatric heart surgeon with everything under control. There’s no room in her life for Jake and the risk he has on her heart. After a difficult patient loss, Aria’s boss sends her to a medical conference for some R and R. However, things get cut short when she finds herself stuck in Key West when category 4 Hurricane Lucy hits. A misdirected text also brings Jake to her rescue but can she find it in her heart to give their relationship a chance? Can these two heroes find a way to heal from their pasts and find their true identities?

The author has such an authentic way of incorporating her faith into her stories and I love how she is not afraid to deal with hard issues regarding PTSD and all that entails. Her writing always feels so genuine and well-researched. Her characters have their strengths and weaknesses that seem to only draw the readers into their world. The action and suspense force the reader to keep going until they reach the end.

Warning: The author also has a substory with characters from her next book who are part of the rescue team, but that story arc ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.

All in all, I couldn’t put the book down and I highly recommend reading this action-packed suspense thriller with romance and a message about forgiving yourself. I also recommend reading the first book in the series before to get the full effect.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

The Way of the Brave
by Susan May Warren
Book 1 of the Global Search and Rescue series
Rating: 5/5

Words cannot describe how much I loved reading this adrenaline-fueled climb up and down Denali. I wasn’t ready. The love story is surrounded by the suspense found in all of Warren’s search and rescue books and does NOT disappoint. The tension never let up and forced me to keep reading till the end.

Orion’s past continues to haunt him as his friend tries to lure him to join his global search and rescue team. As former SEAL buddies, he enjoys their friendship but doesn’t want to go back to his life as a pararescue jumper. When he and his friends are called out to rescue three women stranded on the mountain, he finds himself back in the game whether he likes it or not – only this time one of the women who needs saving is the one that got away before his entire life changed. Back in Afghanistan, he and Jacie had connected but he’d never seen her after that fateful mission where he busted his knee. For some reason, she changed her name to Jenny but he’d recognize her anywhere. Can Orion and his buddies find and rescue the woman of his dreams and her friends before it’s too late? Or will Mother Nature or God just allow obstacle after obstacle to get in their way to safety?

My heart can’t take this. Haha. I loved everything about this story. If you’ve ever seen the movie, Vertical Limit, you will understand but this book is better! (The movie was also referenced in the book which made me smile.) The main characters are dealing with their own issues and fears but Warren has a way of weaving in forgiveness and redemption into all her stories that just makes me cry and laugh and stand in awe of the Savior. The technical terms she must have researched makes the story authentic but still a bit confusing since I’m not as familiar with all the mountain climbing terms. You can tell she put her heart and soul into this story. She really starts preaching near the end which I loved; she’s not afraid to share her heart and God’s heart when it comes to forgiveness and shame.

I highly recommend this book for those that love Christian romantic suspense and I can’t wait for the next in the series!

My thanks to Revell and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.