Storm Front (Susan May Warren) – Review

~ About the Book ~

A tornado has destroyed a small Minnesota community and among the missing are not only a group of students but PEAK Rescue team leader Chet King. Ty Remington will stop at nothing to rescue his mentor, not even when the girl he loved–and lost–walks back into his life. But Brette needs his help more than he knows, despite her stubborn determination to push him away. And when he gets a second chance, loving her just might cost him more than he can imagine.

A blogger for Vortex Storm Chasers, Brette Arnold didn’t expect her adventures to land her in the same place as Ty, the guy who she walked–no, ran–from over a year ago. She had her reasons–good ones. The kind that tell her that falling for him again would only lead to heartache. But Ty isn’t the kind of man to give up–not on the missing students, or on her.

Life and love hang in the balance in Susan May Warren’s breathless story of holding on to hope during a deadly summer of storms.

Series:  #5 Montana Rescue
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Release date:  1 May 2018
Pages:  338
Publisher:  Revell

Amazon US  //  Amazon AU  //  iTunes  //  Goodreads  //  Koorong

~ Excerpt ~

“Hey, Brette, you out of the shower yet? We need your camera!”
Ty’s heart stopped. A sharp, brutal halt that also cut off his breathing as a woman came down the stairs, toweling off her hair.
Her short, very short hair. She hung the towel around her neck. “It’s in my pack, why?”
Gage’s hand landed on Ty’s shoulder, as if he was holding him back, or down, or maybe just trying to keep him from shaking as the woman he’d tried to forget walked over to her backpack and pulled out a rather nice Nikon. She turned to Jonas.
Her gaze fell on the congregation around the table. She blinked, and in that space of time, Ty’s gut roared to life with such fury he nearly gasped.
Something devastating had happened to Brette Arnold. Her bones protruded from her face, her collarbone ridged out from the T-shirt that hung on her. Even her arms appeared thinner. And her hair—oh, that golden long hair had been shorn so short it now stuck up, as if she might be a cancer patient.
Still, despite the changes, she possessed a beauty that took a hold of him, riveted his gaze to her. Her blue-green eyes seemed bigger, albeit haunted.
He managed to close his mouth, swallow.
She’d been hurt, or maybe attacked, or something terrible—and she hadn’t called him. That wounded him even more than the way her gaze bounced off him, the way she took a long breath, as if in resignation, and offered a grim smile to the group.
“Hi.”
“Hey, Brette,” Gage said from behind him. “Good to see you.”
She simply nodded, turned to Jonas. “What are you looking for?”
“A gray Taurus. Or maybe a white van. Chet’s car, and the cross-country coach’s van.”
“Okay. I’ll take a look.” She sat down at the bench near the door and flipped through her digital shots, not looking up.
Ty just stared at her. She wore a pair of baggy, faded jeans, her bare toes peeking out the cuffs.
He noticed a scar at her neck, something thick and dark red and it stirred a darkness through him. He’d find out what happened, and if anyone had hurt her . . .
“Everyone grab something to eat before you leave,” Jenny Marshall was saying, but he barely heard her. His feet moved on their own.
“Ty—”
He ignored Gage. What was she doing here, with Jonas . . .
And then the thought had him around the throat.
Was she with Jonas? Dating him?
Jonas had helped himself to a plate of pancakes and a couple sausages and headed over to the coffeepot.
Ty couldn’t stop moving, couldn’t stop looking. Couldn’t ignore the gut-twisting sense of regret that burned through him.
It didn’t matter.
He should have searched harder for her.

 ~ Review ~

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of this series and of Susan May Warren’s books in general, so keep that in mind when I say that Storm Front wasn’t my favourite Montana Rescue story. Is it worth reading? Absolutely. I love Ty Remington—probably the quietest and most steadfast of the PEAK Rescue team members—and I loved the storyline between him and Brette, but overall, this one seemed less edge-of-your-seat and not quite as tightly edited as previous books in the series.

But as I said, that’s not to say it’s not worth reading, especially in view of the series as a whole. The beginning of Ty and Brette’s relationship played out in A Matter of Trust, so I was already invested in seeing its resolution. As with each of the books in this series, there’s also a secondary couple whose story develops alongside the main characters’. In this case, Kacey and Ben (from Wild Montana Skies) are back, sorting through a few issues that have arisen. Then there are some developments with Pete and Jess (I am SO eagerly anticipating the resolution to their story!!) and an epilogue that very strongly hints at what’s to come for Shae (Esme). Throw in the odd tornado or two and you can see there’s plenty going on, despite my feeling it was less edge-of-your-seat than others in the series!

But back to Ty and Brette. Despite this not being my favourite of the series overall, theirs is the story that has tugged at my heartstrings the most—well, unless you count Pete and Jess’s complete mangling of the heartstrings, but that’s a different kind of tug! Brette is dealing with breast cancer and a double mastectomy, and while Ty is resolute in his determination not to give up on either Brette or the missing students, he’s all but given up on himself, struggling to believe he still has a place on the PEAK Rescue team. Theirs is a sweet story amidst the drama, in large part because Ty is such a sweetheart (in a manly kind of way!)

But now, it has to be said: BRING ON PETE AND JESS’S STORY!

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 reviews: Wild Montana Skies // Rescue Me // A Matter of Trust // Troubled Waters

~ 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 www.MyBookTherapy.com and 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