Rescue Me (Susan May Warren) – Review

~ About the Book ~

When Deputy Sam Brooks commits to something, nothing can sway him–not just on the job as liaison between the Mercy Falls sheriff’s department and PEAK Rescue, but in his private life. He’s the one who stuck around to take care of his mother after his father’s accidental death. And he’s the one–perhaps the only one–who believes Sierra Rose is the perfect girl for him. Safe, practical, and organized, she’s nothing like her hippie, impulsive, bleeding heart sister, Willow.

Willow, however, has been in love with Sam Brooks for as long as she can remember. But she wants her sister to have a happy ending. Besides, Willow has other things to focus on–namely, nabbing the job as youth pastor for her small-town church. Best thing for her to do is to purge Sam from her heart.

Neither can predict the events that will bring them together in a fight for their lives in the forbidding wilderness of Glacier National Park. Stranded, injured, and with the winter weather closing in, Sam and Willow will have to work together to save a crew of terrified teenagers. As they fight to survive, they might just discover a new hope for love.

~ Excerpt ~

Willow simply couldn’t take it. The darkness, the pinging of the sleet on the windshield, the shiver that shook her entire body—
“We have to sing something.”
Sam glanced at her, shook his head.
Well, he didn’t have to sing anything—and really, she didn’t want him to. Not with the road slick and his headlights cutting through the sleet like he might be in the Millennium Falcon, about to zap into warp speed.
But he wasn’t a sixteen-year-old youth in need of cheering up. She pulled out her iPhone and cued up her playlist. “Okay, how about ‘Don’t Stop Believin”?”
Fourteen eyes looked at her like she might be speaking another language.
“Seriously, you don’t know this? It’s an epic eighties song my mom loved. C’mon, I bet you do.” She pressed play, began to sing.
“Just a small town girl . . .”
Nothing.
“Livin’ in a lonely world . . .”
She kept going, turning up the volume. Noticed Maggy bobbing her head, Vi frowning.
Quinn looked away, and Josh was shaking his head.
Gus, however, began to hum. “I know this one.”
“Right?” Willow said. She kept singing. Louder.
And then, miracle of miracles, next to her, “Just a city boy . . .”
No. Seriously?
Sam glanced at her, and the slightest of smiles creased his face as he sang along with her iPhone.
With her.
And she couldn’t help it. She wanted to kiss him all over again. Especially when he raised his voice on the chorus.
And caused Dawson and Riley to sing along, Dawson reaching dangerously off-tune decibels.
“Some were born to sing the blues . . .”
And that’s when it happened. Maybe Sam drove too close to the edge and overcorrected. Maybe he hit an ice patch, tapped the brakes too hard.
Maybe he simply stopped thinking about the road, got distracted.
Suddenly they were sliding down the highway, toward the edge of the embankment.
Willow screamed, grabbed the armrest as the van hit the ditch, barely shuddered, then with a sickening crunch on the gravel, spun out over the edge.
Then they were rolling. Hard edges, stunning blows, chaos, and broken glass as they careened down the mountainside.

~ Review ~

I’m really loving this new series from Susan May Warren. The setting—Glacier National Park—deserves to be called a character in its own right, and what a fascinating character it is! I love any kind of suspense novel, but there’s something especially gripping about man vs nature—that intriguing quality of breathtaking beauty that can become life-threatening in the blink of an eye. And Susan May Warren (hereinafter referred to as SMW) is one of my favourite authors when it comes to bringing that combination to life on the page. Not only that, but just to make sure you’re really getting bang for your buck, she manages to pack a whole lot of interpersonal tension into her stories too!

In this case, we not only have the three-way tension between Willow, Sam, and Sierra, but also the long-existing tension between Sam and his brother Pete, and the romantic tension that is budding between Pete and fellow PEAK team member Jess. Best of all, SMW does a fabulous job of bringing the characters’ own weaknesses and strengths into direct conflict in situations where their choices could mean the difference between life and death.

Don’t be surprised if you have to remind yourself to breathe on occasion!

I have to admit to having a soft spot for Willow—being a kindred heart-on-the-sleeve kind of spirit—so I was cheering Sam and Willow on from the get-go. And boy, did they give me a reason to cheer! A man on emotional edge, a compassionate woman, a case of mistaken identity, and WOW! What a scene! But Willow also has an amazing heart, both for people and for God, and I loved seeing that showcased in this novel. And Sam learns the spiritual truth that we ALL need to be rescued—in a very powerful and concrete way!

If you’re after dynamic writing, gripping romantic suspense, and fully-fleshed-out human characters, look no further! I can’t wait for the rest of the series!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review.

Series:  #2 Montana Rescue
Release date:  31 January 2017
Pages:  336
Publisher:  Revell

Amazon US  //  Amazon AU  //  iBooks  //  Goodreads  //  Koorong

~ Other Books in the Series ~

   Read my review for Wild Montana Skies

Releasing 4 July 2017

~ About the Author ~

Growing up in Minneapolis and attending the U of MN, I learned to love city life, although I’m a woodsy girl at heart. Or maybe I’m an adventurer — having lived and traveled all over the world, including Siberia Russia as a missionary for eight years. Probably that’s why my characters can’t sit still, and seem to get into one scrape after another — they’re too much like me! I love God, my family, my country, my church, and feel privileged every day to be able to write stories.

Here’s my “Official” Bio.

With over 1 million books sold, critically acclaimed novelist Susan May Warren is the Christy, RITA and Carol award-winning author of over forty-five novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill, and Summerside Press. Known for her compelling plots and unforgettable characters, Susan has written contemporary and historical romances, romantic-suspense, thrillers, rom-com and Christmas novellas.

With books translated into eight languages, many of her novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. She’s a three time RITA finalist and an eight time Christy Finalist.

Of her books, Publisher’s Weekly has written, “Warren lays bare her characters’ human frailties, including fear, grief, and resentment, as openly as she details their virtues of love, devotion, and resiliency. She has crafted an engaging tale of romance, rivalry, and the power of forgiveness.”

And Library Journal adds, “Warren’s characters are well-developed and she knows how to create a first rate contemporary romance…”

Susan is also a nationally acclaimed writing coach, teaching at conferences around the nation and winner of the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Mentor of the Year award. She loves to help people launch their writing careers and is the founder of http://www.MyBookTherapy.com and http://www.LearnHowtoWriteaNovel.com, a writing website that helps authors get published and stay published. She’s also the author of the popular writing method, The Story Equation.

Connect with Susan:  Website  //  Facebook  //  Twitter