The Heart of a Hero by Susan May Warren {A Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

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?

Susan May Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of over 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.

Had I have taken the time to read the book description for this book, there's a chance that I might have passed it over. To be honest, I have a pretty major phobia of storms and tend to avoid books/movies/TV shows in which that is a focus for that reason. And this story? It centers around a hurricane. Still, if Susan May Warren's name is on it, it immediately goes on my TBR, without ever reading the description at all! And I have no regrets... storm and all, I loved this book!

The Heart of a Hero is the second book in the Global Search and Rescue series. I would say that you probably COULD read this as a standalone, however, it really does pick up where the first book left off. I think readers will get the most out of the story if they read them in order and know the full backstory of the characters, and the events leading up to this book.

While we catch up a bit with all the characters from the previous book, this one focuses primarily on Aria and Jake. I absolutely loved their chemistry in the first book, and was excited to pick it back up in this one. If you read that one, you'll remember that they ended on rather rocky ground... and nothing has changed at the start of this one. Still, when Aria ends up in Key West, ill as a hurricane approaches, Jake jumps on a plane and goes to her aid...whether she wants it or not. This book was packed with so much action and adventure that it was tough to put down. I had to know what would happen next. While I enjoyed the first book in the series, for me, this one was even better! Susan May Warren is definitely in her sweet spot with the epic romance adventure!

The only bad thing about this book was the ending... and not because it ended badly, but because the story line that had been set up for book #3 (Ham's story) ended in a cliff hanger that left me wanting MORE. I cannot wait to read what happens next...

If you are already a Susan May Warren fan, this is certainly one you are going to want to check out ASAP. If not, I'm certain you will be after this one. It might just be the biggest adventure yet!