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The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren Review

Good Morning Everyone :)

I hope you're all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I honestly think 2020 is going to be an amazing year for book releases. There is so many fantastic titles coming out this year, and each and every season is going to be showered with many I'm really looking forward to.

Even though I've been blogging and reviewing for almost four and a half years now, there is still a part of me that wants to squeal every single time I get the opportunity to advance read some of these amazing titles.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you probably are well aware that I've loved many of Susan May Warren's previous titles, and I couldn't wait to dive into her upcoming release.

Today I'm here to share with you all my overall thoughts about it.

The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren:




Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: January 7th, 2020

Genre: Christian Fiction/Suspense

Series: Global Search and Rescue


Synopsis:

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?

Leap into action with this high-octane, breakneck new series from bestselling author Susan May Warren.


(synopsis from goodreads)





My Review:

The Way of the Brave is the first title in an explosive new series by veteran author Susan May Warren. Over the last few years, I've had the privilege of reading many of her amazing books, and I was expecting pretty great things when I went into this one. I knew that when the action starts right in the opening chapter that it was going to be a thrilling ride, and while I was definitely proven right, it ended up not being quite the story I was initially expecting.

The Way of the Brave focuses (primarily) around Jenny, a former CIA profiler, and Orion, a former military pararescue jumper. The two had developed a friendship while serving overseas, but after tragedy struck, they went their separate ways without ever seeing one another again. Three years later, Jenny and her two friends have come to Alaska to climb mount Denali, and end up running into Orion, who's helping two of his friends strengthen their climbing skills. When Jenny and her friends go missing amidst horrific weather conditions, Orion will stop at nothing to see them found safe and sound.

I think this title will end up appealing to a lot of readers. The story is action packed from the get go, and I was kept on the edge of my seat as one disaster after another falls upon Jenny, Orion and their friends. I always appreciate how strong of a part the faith element plays in every Susan May Warren title, and this one was no exception. Orion's best friend Ham has the kind of faith that stays strong no matter the circumstance, and I enjoyed how he never wavers, no matter what he's forced to go through. 

Unfortunately, I didn't end up enjoying Orion and Jenny as characters, and that hindered my enjoyment of the overall story. I found their romance seemed really rushed, and gave off a lot of insta-love vibes. They only knew each other for a month, and it didn't seem believable to me that they'd both been obsessively thinking of the other for an entire three years after so few actual interactions. Similarly, I didn't agree with a lot of the decisions they made throughout the story, and I ended up not sympathizing with them because of it.

Probably my favorite part of the story was the amazing conclusion, and the set up and foreshadowing of the next novel. Throughout the story, I preferred the secondary characters of Jake, Ham and Aria to Jenny and Orion, so I'm very much looking forward to continuing on with the series, and I have a feeling I'll end up liking the second installment more than I did the first.

One last thing I'd like to mention is that I found the technical jargon about climbing, and in particular winter climbing, to be a bit too much, and most of the time it went right over my head. I usually enjoy reading books about sports that I have no interest in, but this time it just didn't work for me

I still did enjoy reading this one, but I think I enjoyed it more as the start to a new series, rather than enjoying the actual story in itself. I definitely still recommend reading it though, as I have a feeling that the rest of this series is going to be explosive and amazing!

Final Rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of this title to read and review! 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review. 

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