Sunburst

I loved Sunrise, the first in the Sky King Ranch series. When a book is that good, you wonder if the next in the series can live up to the high standard the first one set. In the case of Sunburst, the answer is a resounding yes.

Ranger Kingston is on a mission to rescue his brother Colt, who's been taken hostage by terrorists. He doesn't expect to find someone else that he knows among the people they're trying to free. Noemi Sutton was captured when she was on a humanitarian mission. She never thought she'd see Ranger Kingston again, and certainly not in the middle of nowhere, Nigeria.

Ranger and Noemi have a history of mutual attraction, but it ended on a sour note. Now, when they find themselves separated from the rest of the rescue mission, the only way they can possibly survive and get out of Nigeria is to pretend they're married. But when they find Noemi's family on her mother's side—and her uncle is an actual Nigerian prince who wants to do their wedding up right—can they maintain that facade?

Warren does it again. She creates a world where the characters are genuine, the action is enthralling, and the romance is ultimately sweet. Ranger and Noemi are almost maddening at times with their struggles to move past old hurts and take a chance on building a new relationship. But Warren shows us why they struggle, and that makes it easy to have compassion for them. Like any of us walking this earth, they have baggage and issues and fears, and they each have to work through those things in their own ways.

It was quite a surprise to have Noemi's family turn out to be actual royalty! Her uncle and the rest of her family members were just a joy to read about. Warren uses that part of the story arc to share a bit about Nigerian culture with the reader, and I loved it. I know very little about Nigeria, and I always appreciate the chance to learn something when I'm reading. I also loved that they just welcomed Noemi back, no hassle, no headache. She was family, and she was home, and that made my heart so happy!

As always, Warren does a masterful job of making faith an integral part of the story without beating you over the head with a King James Bible. It isn't a blind faith. It's a faith that sometimes wavers. The characters have to wrestle with God and work some things out. Noemi struggles to trust that God is with her, while Ranger wrangles with issues that go to the heart of who he thinks he truly is. But they ultimately find their faith strengthened by the trials they face, and we can find encouragement in that.

You can read Sunburst as a stand-alone; however, I highly recommend starting with Sunrise and seeing the entire story arc unfold. Susan May Warren has written another bang-up good Christian romantic suspense novel, and I eagerly await the third in the series!

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Revell. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.