Rescue Me

Rescue Me
Susan May Warren

Deputy Sam Brooks, a member of the PEAK rescue squad, can't forgive himself for not saving his father from freezing to death--or his brother Pete for his role in their father's death. He's determined not to lose anyone else. He's dependable, solid--not at all like Pete. Sam's just the right sort of guy for Sierra Rose, who is just as responsible as he is. Willow Rose, Sierra's free-spirited, tenderhearted younger sister, knows that Sam and Sierra are perfect for each other, so she's determined not to let her feelings for Sam show or grow. But when Sam and Willow, along with the new youth pastor and a few members of the youth group, are in an accident that leaves them wounded and lost in stormy weather, Sam has to reevaluate who he can depend on and who he really needs in his life.

There's a lot action and adventure in this story. The search and rescue work is really interesting. Willow is totally sweet and good-hearted, the sort of character I just can't help pulling for. Sam is broken and hurting, in ways he doesn't even realize, and I liked seeing his journey toward healing. There is an almost dizzying number of characters, and early on in the book it was a little hard to keep track of who was who and what all the back story was (probably especially because I haven't read the first book in the series), and that slowed the book down for me initially, but things picked up before too long. One thing that bothered me is that we see quite a bit of Pete and Jess, the girl he's falling for, but there isn't any resolution for them in the book--and since the next book in the series doesn't have them as the main characters, I'm a little worried if we're really going to see that resolution in a future book or not!

I read a copy of the book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.