Hero of My Heart (The McRaes #5)

“Hero of My Heart” is book five in The McRae Series. This contemporary romance opens with Navy Seal Will Gerard training recruits in a small African Coastal city when an ambassador asks him to rescue his daughter, who has vanished.

Amanda Warren wants her life to mean something, which is why she travels to Africa to teach. While aware of civil unrest, Amanda never expects it to reach her small classroom, her students or herself. Amanda is terrorized, raped, and held hostage when her classroom becomes the target of an attack. Her rescue comes in the form of a handsome Navy Seal.

Will finds himself attracted to the frightened, vulnerable Amanda, but decides to keep his distance for a time, giving her time to recover. Amanda gradually heals, but finds herself shaken by the Sandy Hook shooting. Despite her fears, she pushes for a connection with Will.

“Hero of my Heart” features the very popular Navy Seal Hero protagonist. That isn’t improbable, but his rushing in like an action hero because someone’s father asked you to certainly is. The narration jumps forward and backwards, making it hard to follow Amanda’s emotional development and healing. The romance between Will and Amanda is formulaic, at best.  No real chemistry between the two - nor should there be, considering what she’s been through.

The tale should please those who like their romances with an action hero and a damsel in distress.  

Caution: Brutal rape, violence toward children, and use of Sandy Hook shooting for commercial purposes.

Morgan Stamm