🌀🌧️🚁The Heart of a Hero 🚁🌧️🌀 (2020) [Global Search and Rescue #2] - Book Review
MY REVIEW
Series: Global Search and Rescue, Book #2
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell (June 2, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800735854
ISBN-13: 978-0800735852
Click
Picture for Purchase Information
“Jake Silver may not be able to put the
memories of his time as a sniper and Navy SEAL behind him, but at least he can
put his skills to use as a part of the Jones Inc. rescue team. Saving the life
of pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Aria Sinclair on Denali helped too. Now he can't
get her out of his head, and when he hears she is in the path of a hurricane down
in Key West he can't help but jump on a plane to rescue her.
Aria has dedicated her life to helping children born with defective hearts. After all, she was one of those children. Now driven to succeed, she lives a lonely, stressful life. One she would have lost on Denali if it hadn't been for Jake. Jake is exciting and handsome, but he's also dangerous, and she's already lost one person she loves. She can't bear it again.
It's not until she finds herself trapped in the middle of a category 4 hurricane that she can admit she needs Jake desperately. With their very survival in the balance, can they hope for a second chance at life . . . and love?”
Aria has dedicated her life to helping children born with defective hearts. After all, she was one of those children. Now driven to succeed, she lives a lonely, stressful life. One she would have lost on Denali if it hadn't been for Jake. Jake is exciting and handsome, but he's also dangerous, and she's already lost one person she loves. She can't bear it again.
It's not until she finds herself trapped in the middle of a category 4 hurricane that she can admit she needs Jake desperately. With their very survival in the balance, can they hope for a second chance at life . . . and love?”
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell (by
way of a Library Thing win), for sending me a complimentary advanced review
copy. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
Earlier this year I had been chosen through the
Revell Reads reviewer program to review the first book in this series, The
Way of the Brave. Since I really enjoyed that, I was looking forward to
this book to see where the series was going. As I was going to review this anyway, I signed
up for the JustRead blog and review tour.
 |
| [Don’t these two books look great together? I’ve seen the cover for #3 and it looks good too!] |
The Way of the Brave introduced
readers to Hamilton “Ham” Jones’ private Global Search and Rescue (SAR) Team consisting
of Ham, Jake, and a reluctant Orion Starr. The three men, former Navy, are also
friends. The Way of the Brave was Orion and Jenny’s story. If you haven’t
read that one, I highly suggest it as parts of that novel are included in this
plot line and could be essential.
Where that one had a lot of climbing jargon
that could make it difficult for the reader – this one has boating, medical,
and diving terminology. This book doesn’t have as much technical jargon as its
predecessor did though. As I was familiar with the medical jargon, that part
didn’t confuse me. And, I was able to get through the other technical jargon.
It shows that Warren has indeed researched her subject for technical accuracy.
Readers who enjoy climbing, boating, or medical will probably enjoy the
attention to detail.
Some books that are part of a series work great
as standalone reads. Thus you don’t have to read the first one or subsequent
ones to get a clear and connected picture. For me, this one does not work as a
standalone. And, as parts of it deal with Ham, the plot of book #3 – The Price
of Valor – is closely woven into this story almost from the beginning.
As a result, it would be best to read all of these together or in close
proximity such as their release date. Like The Way of the Brave, the cover
features that story’s hero on it. This is Jake Silver and Aria Sinclair’s
story.
This picks up about two (2) weeks after the
incident on the Denali (The Way of the Brave) and also after
Ham left Alaska and went to pick up a daughter he didn’t know he had. Already
the reader, if they have read the first book, has been introduced to the trio
of men as well as Jenny and Aria. Sasha, one of the women with Jenny and Aria
on that fateful Denali trip, isn’t featured too much in this book (she doesn’t
appear in the end of it). Orion and Jenny are mostly M.I.A from this story as well.
Told in third person POV, this alternates from
Jake/Aria to Ham’s search for his wife (and his daughter’s mother), Signe in
Russia. Bouncing between the Jake/Aria story to the Ham/Signe story was a bit
confusing. Some flashbacks blended in with current time and it made it somewhat
difficult to follow. There are also references to someone the team is looking
for from a military rescue that occurred prior to the series, this is also
mentioned in the previous book as well. These multiple plots can, for some
readers, make the story seem “busy” and cluttered with too much going on.
Jake is trying to forget what happened with
Aria in an Alaskan Hotel room, and she is too. After losing a neonatal patient,
she then gets a chance to go on a conference.
And, it is that conference that will have her
in need of Jake’s services, much like when she was on Denali. A hurricane is
heading Aria’s way. A cryptic and erroneous text message from her, along with a
category 4 hurricane heading in her direction has Jake jumping in for another
rescue. Unlike the previous novel though, Jake is this rescue by himself. And,
the reader soon learns why he does what he does – it is because of a sister
that went missing and is still missing. I really hope the writer builds on that
storyline for the third book as I can tell there is a mystery behind it. It
would be very interesting to see where this is going or could go.
Aria has her own faults and frailties to
contend with – namely her heart, and not figuratively. It is quite literal in
that she is battling her heart. In the first book, it was disclosed that Aria’s
twin, Kia, was killed in an accident and as a result Aria got her twin sister’s
heart as her own was defective. Aria is battling the level head side of herself
and the adventure seeking side of her sister’s heart. This slight plot line
makes one consider the mental aspect of organ donation. Aria feels like she is
two different people at times. This is also what leads her to the complicated relationship
she does and doesn’t have with Jake. They have a lot in common, yet are so
different.
Readers will finally learn the reason for Jake’s
departure from the Navy SEALs six months earlier, and it was one I wouldn’t
have guessed. This emphasizes the importance of mental health in the military.
The rescue does not go at all the way it should
with damage from the storm, an electrocution, and other surprises that Warren
throws at the characters and readers. It is almost like a wild thrill ride that
lasts longer than three minutes.
The action and description of the hurricane’s
damage is realistic and vivid. The reader could almost feel like they’re going
through it along with the characters. In addition to the fast-paced drama,
there is the human element of the “evacuees” and what their parts are in this
story. This is where the character development both blossoms and fails. I was
frustrated with Aria at how much she was conflicted. There were times, that
despite her brilliance in her field, I wanted to shake her. Not that I would’ve
dated Jake (he’s a bit too young for me), there was nothing wrong with him and
even Aria knew that – she just kept pushing him away. While the independence
was a good thing, and I didn’t want her to be clingy, there was a happy medium
to be found. And, for me, it took her way too long to see that. If the covers
are any indication as to who these guys are, he’s the most handsome of the
three (Orion, Ham, Jake). The other minor characters were beautiful and
charming, except some “criminals” that were thrown in.
This is definitely a fast-paced, high-action
story. Danger is added in chapter 10 with a character I didn’t trust from the
beginning of his introduction. I was hoping to get more background into a few
characters that were introduced here. I’d like to see what was going on there
as well as an open plot line with the mentioned “criminals”.
With everything going on with the hurricane, I
would’ve liked to see more focus on those characters as I feel there was a bit
too much focus on the Ham/Signe story line, despite how fascinating and complex
it seemed. The background suspense of the rescue and hurricane was enough to
carry this story.
One character that was introduced was a
pregnant girl by the name of Angel, who had decided to name her baby Hannah after
her friend. This is why I’m eager to read the third story. I just have a
feeling something is going on with that. Or at best I’d love to see where that
leads.
Readers will get a sad death in this story
line. It was one I didn’t see coming and it is still shocking. Not too violent,
but shocking none the less. This was truly an engaging and entertaining read. I
could almost see it being played out as a movie.
As this is distributed by Revell, a
Christian/Faith themed publisher, the story has a lot of references to God and
faith. This has far more references than its predecessor, but these references
are not key elements of the plot. They are still strong and used for themes of
salvation, forgiveness, and redemption. While not many in the beginning, by
half way they do get more frequent.
Fans of the author and those who’ve read the
previous book might enjoy this follow up. They will definitely need to catch
the third and final installment, The Price of Valor as well. There is
a big reveal at the end of book two about Signe and readers will be stunned. For
those not wanting spoilers, I would recommend avoiding the blurb for book three
until you’ve read The Way of the Brave and The Heart of a Hero.
This was slow at first for me to get into, it
did start picking up after the 2/3 mark. Overall I did enjoy this book and hope
that some of the plot lines and sub-plots introduced here are resolved or
continued in the third and final book which releases later this year.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating
explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
Other Books in the Series:
Series: Global Search and Rescue
(Book 1)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell (January 7, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800735846
ISBN-13: 978-0800735845
Click picture for purchase information
“Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is
haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska
now, but the pain of his failure--and his injuries--has followed him there from
Afghanistan. He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones's elite rescue team, but
he also can't shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost
climbers on Denali.
Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun's yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret mission to root out the Taliban, she green-lighted an operation that ended in ambush and lives lost. When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she'll be forced to trust her life and the lives of her friends to the most dangerous of heroes--the man she nearly killed.
Her skills and his experience are exactly what's needed to prevent another tragedy--but in order to truly set Orion free from his painful past, Jenny will have to reveal hers. They'll have to put their wounds behind them to survive, but at what cost?”
Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun's yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret mission to root out the Taliban, she green-lighted an operation that ended in ambush and lives lost. When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she'll be forced to trust her life and the lives of her friends to the most dangerous of heroes--the man she nearly killed.
Her skills and his experience are exactly what's needed to prevent another tragedy--but in order to truly set Orion free from his painful past, Jenny will have to reveal hers. They'll have to put their wounds behind them to survive, but at what cost?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling
author of 65 novels with more than 1 million books sold, including The Way of the Brave and the Montana
Rescue Series. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as
well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers' Choice Awards, Susan makes her
home in Minnesota. Find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com, on Facebook
@SusanMayWarrenFiction, and on Twitter @susanmaywarren.
TOUR GIVEAWAY
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