August 22, 2016
Warren (Christiansen Family series) begins a new series in roaring fashion with this romance set against the backdrop of fictional Mercy Falls, Mont. When the local search and rescue team needs a new pilot because of the unseasonably flooding Mercy River, they call in military hero Kacey Fairing. Returning to her hometown won’t be easy after 12 years in the army as a helicopter pilot, especially as she tries to reconnect with her teenage daughter and to fight the effects of PTSD. It’s even harder when she realizes Ben King is also in town—the country star returned to help his ailing father recuperate and to reevaluate his music career. When Kacey walks back into his life, the feelings he had in high school start to resurface: love for her, yet anger at her for giving up their daughter for adoption. As floodwaters make it difficult for a group of youth campers to return to town, Ben and Kacey must put aside their past to help those stuck on the mountain trail. Though the story does attempt to dive into such deep issues as combat trauma, premarital sex, selling out, and adoption, Warren doesn’t spend enough time on any of the issues to take them to realistic depth. This first book in the Montana Rescue series introduces the audience to weighty themes and notable characters who will no doubt get a chance at their own happy ending in future books. Agent: Steve Laube, the Steve Laube Agency