Just what is a hero? That’s what Susan May Warren’s “A Matter of Trust” asks again and again. Who is a hero? What makes someone a hero? And who deserves to be a hero?
PEAK Rescue member Gage Watson is rescuing skiers and saving lives in the mountains of Montana after a devastating fatality ended his career as a superstar snowboarder three years ago. But when Ella Blair, the woman who stole his heart but was partially responsible for taking his career away from him, walks back into his life, he knows there is going to be trouble.
When Ella’s seemingly irresponsible brother, Ollie, decides to follow Gage’s renowned and very dangerous ride down the mountain, Ella begs Gage to go find him. She is steeped in fear that Ollie, too, will meet a fatal ending.
What follows is an intense journey down a mountainside as Gage and Ella freeride down an insanely dangerous mountain — dodging near blizzard conditions, avalanches, crevasses, high potential for injuries, and even wild animals.
Gage and Ella must learn to trust each other, as well as trust in God and his protection. They must overcome the bitterness of their past, and rely on each other. Will they be able to recover the relationship they had three years ago?
Warren’s latest novel also circles around the story of Ella’s journalist friend, Brette, and Ty, a fellow PEAK member who is still recovering from a helicopter crash. As each has secrets to hide, they find themselves growing closer to each other while keeping an eye on the rescue operation from PEAK’s base of operation.
“A Matter of Trust” is an intense, action-packed dish with a side of romance — but it’s so much more than that. The concept of a hero and who makes a hero is a major theme running throughout the story. It also deals with so many other goodies, like the power of prayer; learning to trust God, time and time again; the importance of faith — in God, one’s self, and in others; dealing with how we hope people view us; the fact that we make mistakes, but thankfully God doesn’t; what happens when we careen full speed into life; how fear can hold us back; that accidents do happen, and sometimes good can come out of those accidents; and God will always save us.
I loved this quote from Ella: “It reminds me of something my dad used to say. That God proved his love for us even before we asked for help, when we were still not only a mess but his enemies. We didn’t trust him … but he didn’t let that stop him from saving us.”
Susan May Warren never disappoints. She always does a great job developing and blending her characters, so much so that you wish you could hang out with them, having a slice of pizza and throwing some darts. And she always manages to perfectly blend the amount of romance with just the right amount of action. I can’t wait for book #4!
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“A Matter of Trust” (Montana Rescue series, #3) by Susan May Warren