"The Heart of a Hero" by Susan May Warren

The Heart of a Hero (June 2, 2020) by Susan May Warren.*

Nightmares disrupt Jake Silver’s nights. There, he’s the devil; he destroys lives. Those nightmares stem from his time as a Navy SEAL sniper, but the skills he gained in the SEALs well-equips him on the rescue team for Jones Inc. On that team, he saves lives, like the life of pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Aria Sinclair. He saved her and her friends on Denali. A relationship between the two looked promising, then something changed. Aria ran. But, as it were, they both live in Minneapolis and have mutual friends. Aria is a leading pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, but it’s soon after Denali. Aria’s still healing more than physically, but she did the surgery, convincing herself no one else knew the procedure, letting arrogance take over. The surgery worked, until it didn’t. The newborn did not make it. Her boss sends her on a working vacation to Key West, but it isn’t until she’s there that she learns in a big way that a Cat 4 hurricane is coming. Jake takes the impulsive route and heads to Florida to find Aria during Hurricane Lucy. Aria has taken refuge in an evacuated hospital to tend to Mimi, who has COPD, and Mimi’s granddaughter, Yola, is with her. Jake arrives with a young woman who’s eight months pregnant and whose boyfriend has just left her. They’ll weather the elements together. And it isn’t only the weather that will be the threat. Escaped convicts from the Key West Detention Center are roaming the island. Is help on the way?

            Warren’s characters in Book Two of the Global Search and Rescue series are tested in faith, fortitude and forgiveness through trials of guilt, stressful situations and self-loathing in a story that’s a tsunami of action, a maelstrom of movement. The two main characters must also mountain-climb their way through unresolved issues surrounding their supposed not-a-relationship. This is the first story I’ve read from Warren, and I was hooked at the first mentions of SPAM (that museum is within an easy driving distance for me) and references to M*A*S*H (love that show). The author has definitely gained a new fan in me through this high-action, contemporary romance, inspirational fiction novel. The characters in the story are grounded in faith no matter the disaster, and I hope and pray that anyone reading this is, too.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”