Scent of Hope
(Call of the Wild #2)
By Susan May Warren
Christian Romantic Suspense
Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback & eBook, 352 Pages
June 2, 2026 by Revell
Summary
Two broken hearts. One deadly mission. And just one avalanche dog standing between them and a killer.
Harley Tatum made a vow to never return to Copper Mountain, Alaska, where a drug dealer destroyed her family and the man she loved walked away. But when that same criminal escapes and justice calls her name, she has no choice but to face everything she buried.
Jericho Bowie remembers things differently. She left him. And he's spent years wondering why. Now Harley needs his search-and-rescue dog, Orlando, to track a fugitive through treacherous mountain terrain--and Jericho refuses to let her go alone. Not again.
But as they push deep into the frozen wilderness, the hunter becomes the hunted. Old feelings resurface at the worst possible time, and survival depends on two people who don't know if they can trust each other--or their own hearts.
Susan May Warren packs action and heart-pounding suspense from the rugged wilderness of Alaska into a nonstop adventure where the greatest danger might be opening your heart again.
This gripping suspense is filled with pulse-pounding action, second-chance romance, and a heroic K9 rescue dog from Alaska, sure to thrill fans of Lynette Eason, Dani Pettrey, and Natalie Walters.
(Affiliate links included.)
My Review
SCENT OF HOPE is a Christian second-chance romance with strong family and friendship aspects, and danger all set during winter in a small Alaskan town. Fans of the author and genre will find this an adventure-filled escape!
Warren does an excellent job keeping readers engaged in her stories. This one had a lot of aspects that I enjoyed:
- Second-chance romance
- Relatable and likable characters
- An adorable dog that will melt your heart
- Strong family dynamics
- Deep friendships
- Danger and suspense
- Moments of inspiration with themes of forgiveness and trust
This was an easy story to jump right into and keep flipping pages to the climatic end. I liked the characters, the setting, and the sweet romance. I also absolutely loved the addition of a search and rescue dog and seeing how they train. I'm such a dog lover so this was an aspect of the story I really enjoyed!
Maybe I have high expectations for this author, but this book somewhat disappointed me. It might be that she's writing a lot of different books and busy with a lot of projects and so the quality of writing has slipped. Her past couple of series released independently and traditionally haven't had the same quality and a lot of the time the characters' internal voices sound exactly the same, using the same phrasing with the same emotional feel. With these characters I also felt like things happened that shouldn't have with their training and background. It seemed like they weren't maybe very good at their jobs or as intelligent as they were set up to be? I think I was expecting a tighter, smarter story. And when the religious aspect comes in, it's not woven through very well. It's a chapter or two straight and both main characters seeming to have very similar conversations at the same time with different people. It doesn't feel organic. It needs to be woven through better and feel more personal to each character, taking place at different points in the story. Or maybe not have both characters dealing with a faith crisis all the time. It could be one of them or neither, but them having a spiritual experience because of their faith. Having said all that, I do continue to pick up these books because I get caught up in the plot and suspense and enjoy the romance.
In the end, was it what I wished for? If you've been reading Warren's other series, then you should enjoy this one with some cameos of prior characters. If you're a fan of inspirational adventure romance set in Alaska, then you may enjoy this one.
Content: Some brief, mild violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Great Reads Book Promotion, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Warren does an excellent job keeping readers engaged in her stories. This one had a lot of aspects that I enjoyed:
- Second-chance romance
- Relatable and likable characters
- An adorable dog that will melt your heart
- Strong family dynamics
- Deep friendships
- Danger and suspense
- Moments of inspiration with themes of forgiveness and trust
This was an easy story to jump right into and keep flipping pages to the climatic end. I liked the characters, the setting, and the sweet romance. I also absolutely loved the addition of a search and rescue dog and seeing how they train. I'm such a dog lover so this was an aspect of the story I really enjoyed!
Maybe I have high expectations for this author, but this book somewhat disappointed me. It might be that she's writing a lot of different books and busy with a lot of projects and so the quality of writing has slipped. Her past couple of series released independently and traditionally haven't had the same quality and a lot of the time the characters' internal voices sound exactly the same, using the same phrasing with the same emotional feel. With these characters I also felt like things happened that shouldn't have with their training and background. It seemed like they weren't maybe very good at their jobs or as intelligent as they were set up to be? I think I was expecting a tighter, smarter story. And when the religious aspect comes in, it's not woven through very well. It's a chapter or two straight and both main characters seeming to have very similar conversations at the same time with different people. It doesn't feel organic. It needs to be woven through better and feel more personal to each character, taking place at different points in the story. Or maybe not have both characters dealing with a faith crisis all the time. It could be one of them or neither, but them having a spiritual experience because of their faith. Having said all that, I do continue to pick up these books because I get caught up in the plot and suspense and enjoy the romance.
In the end, was it what I wished for? If you've been reading Warren's other series, then you should enjoy this one with some cameos of prior characters. If you're a fan of inspirational adventure romance set in Alaska, then you may enjoy this one.
Content: Some brief, mild violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Great Reads Book Promotion, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Other Books in the Series
(Linked to an Amazon affiliate link.)
