My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it
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?
My Review
This second book in the Global Search and Rescue series picks up where the first one leaves off, with a continuation of Jake and Aria's new and undefined relationship, the appearance of Ham's secret daughter, and the search for answers to his wife's mysterious disappearance. It would definitely help to read The Way of the Brave first, to get to know Jake and Aria since their story begins there as a subplot. While the first book left me feeling frigid from the snowy mountain setting, The Heart of a Hero took us to tropical Florida, but no less dangerous with a hurricane devastating the area. Aria is dealing with her regrets from the mountain climbing trip and her continued attraction to Jake, who seems all wrong for her (but of course he's just what she needs). Jake is drawn to Aria and her compassionate way of drawing out his deeper feelings that he's struggling with. They each have issues with their past that involve siblings, and I loved that even though they are both uncertain and vulnerable with their feelings for each other, they still provide support and encouragement for each other as they work through their emotions. Others that they have rescued also provide inspiration with the themes of forgiveness and being enough, and Mimi was a favorite. The chapters from Ham's perspective were more difficult for me because they dealt with past missions and flashbacks from his early relationship with Signe, but I always felt like I didn't quite understand what was going on. He was a source of spiritual strength for his friends in the first book, but in this one he seemed more lost. I'm looking forward to his story being featured in the next book. Overall, this book provides the author's trademark adventure, romance, and inspiration with complex characters that you can't help but root for.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
