A Matter of Trust (Susan May Warren) – Review

~ About the Book ~

Champion backcountry snowboarder Gage Watson has left the limelight behind after the death of one of his fans. After being sued for negligence and stripped of his sponsorships, he’s remade his life as a ski patrol in Montana’s rugged mountains, as well as serving on the PEAK Rescue team. But he can’t seem to find his footing–or forget the woman he loved, who betrayed him.

Senator and former attorney Ella Blair spends much of her time in the limelight as the second-youngest senator in the country. But she has a secret–one that cost Gage his career. More than anything, she wants to atone for her betrayal of him in the courtroom and find a way to help him put his career back on track.

When Ella’s brother goes missing on one of Glacier National Park’s most dangerous peaks, Gage and his team are called in for the rescue. But Gage isn’t so sure he wants to help the woman who destroyed his life. More, when she insists on joining the search, he’ll have to keep her safe while finding her reckless brother, a recipe for disaster when a snowstorm hits the mountain.

But old sparks relight as they search for the missing snowboarder–and suddenly, they are faced with emotions neither can deny. But when Ella’s secret is revealed, can they learn to trust each other–even when disaster happens again?

Series:  #3 Montana Rescue Series
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Release date:  4 July 2017
Pages:  336
Publisher:  Revell

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

~ Excerpt ~

Ella Blair could still dismantle him. First, simply from the shock of seeing her as she opened the door. Gage thought his heart had stopped, right there, banging to a halt in his chest. She looked—well, almost like the first version of Ella Blair, the one who’d wooed him with her smile, her laughter on the ski slope. Her amazing hair might be shorter but was just as tangled, just as pretty. A sunburn on her nose, those cherry lips, and she wore pajamas.
He nearly didn’t recognize the woman who’d later dismantled his life. Buttoned up. Lethal.
Seeing her in those penguin-printed bottoms, the tank top and sweater, reminded him that he’d known a different side to Ella Blair.
A kinder, sweeter side.
Yeah, seeing her unsettled him, but it was her words that nearly took him apart. Because sometime after his heart started beating again, after he’d grabbed ahold of his emotions, she’d become the woman that, once upon a time, he’d fallen in love with.
“You’re a good guy, Gage. I’ve always known that.”
And that nearly had him unraveling the tight first of control he had over his words, his hurt, to hurtle at her the one question he still hadn’t found the answer to.
Why?
He pulled up to the duplex and into the garage, got out, and headed inside, not waiting for Ty.
Who hustled in on his tail anyway.
“Okay, I let you simmer on the way home, but clearly that just built up a head of steam.”
Gage wrenched off his boots, pulled his fleece over his head, hung it on the entry hook, shucked off his snow pants, and headed up the stairs to their main floor.
“You can run, but you can’t hide!”
“Leave me alone.” Gage headed to the kitchen, opened the fridge. Stared inside, for what, he hadn’t a clue.
Mostly for the cool air that wafted over him.
He could nearly feel the way her hair sifted through his fingers, heard her tiny moan when he kissed her—
He slammed the fridge door.
“Dude—take a step back from the appliances,” Ty said, now coming up the stairs in his stocking feet. “Who was that girl? Because, I’m sorry, but you were a royal jerk.”
Gage’s mouth pressed tight, and he grabbed a bag of chips off the top of the fridge and headed into the family room, where he flopped onto the sofa. He picked up the remote. Maybe he’d find a decent western, something that might lull him to sleep without memories of Ella.
In his arms.
Block out the sound of her laughter. The shine in her eyes when he told her stories about the many peaks he’d torn up.
The taste of her lips on his.
He settled on a rerun of The Fugitive.

~ Review ~

This series is just getting better and better. I love it! The great outdoors, extreme sports, man versus nature, and a nice dose of romance to round it all out! What’s more, they are such immersive reads. I could feel the spray from the powdered snow, I could feel the bone-numbing cold (if one could be said to ‘feel’ such a thing!) and I could feel the rush of adrenaline that comes from flirting with that fine line between exhilaration and danger.

Gage and Ella first met three years prior to this novel, at Outlaw Resort. Three days together was all it took for their instant rapport to develop into something deeper, and one accident and the ensuing legal case was all it took to leave everything, including Gage’s career, in tatters. That’s some pretty intense emotional conflict to be dealing with while you’re trying to navigate dangerous terrain in the middle of a snowstorm, and Gage doesn’t even know the whole story yet!

I’m a big fan of characters who handle conflict maturely, in spite of their pain. Yeah, there’s the initial anger and resentment, the “I really don’t want to deal with this” reaction, but it doesn’t take long for grace to smooth the edges as they respond to and support one another in their search for Ella’s brother. And in so many ways, the search becomes a powerful metaphor for what it means to trust God, and for the rebuilding of Gage and Ella’s relationship. It’s dangerous country, and Ella has to stay in Gage’s line, to trust his judgement, even when it doesn’t make sense. It makes for some pretty breathtaking moments, for all sorts of reasons!

As with the other books in the series, there’s a second story brewing that will no doubt be continued in a future release. But first, Ian and Sierra’s story. I can’t wait!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

~ Previous Books in the Series ~

 

Read my review for Wild Montana Skies or Rescue Me.

~ 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