The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren

The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren ISBN-13: 9780800735845 Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Revell Released: January 7th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
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 man she nearly killed. They'll have to put their wounds behind them to survive, but at what cost? In order to truly set Orion free from his painful past, Jenny will have to reveal hers.


My Review:
The Way of the Brave is a Christian romantic suspense novel. The author thoroughly convinced me to never climb to tall, snow-covered, windy peaks. If something could go wrong, it did go wrong on their way down. It was clear that God had a hand in what was happening since one disaster led the rescuers to the women and another led them to find something that needed to be found. But the suspense was high as accidents kept happening and people were injured. There was also tension because of the guilt that Jenny carried about what happened to Orion, someone she cared about and didn't want to hate her.

Jenny was a skilled, capable climber, and it was a freak wind that blew them into danger. I did wonder why Orion, a PJ and mountain rescue worker who explained to a group why they needed a guide prepared for certain emergencies, didn't bring along some critical things for the rescue. Otherwise, he seemed very capable as well. All the main characters worked well together. Jenny and Orion supported and encouraged each other.

Both Jenny and Orion questioned why God would let innocent people suffer and if God was really interested in rescuing them. Their friends later discussed with them why God might have let them get in trouble on the mountain and how God can use difficult situations to heal and shape us. There was some intense kissing, but there was no sex. One couple nearly went too far, but that added tension (guilt) to the relationship. There was no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this intense and suspenseful novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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