When the Silence Breaks
(Mercy Ridge #1)
By Elizabeth Goddard
Christian Romantic Suspense, Thriller
Paperback & eBook, 352 Pages
August 4, 2026 by Revell
Summary
A deathbed confession. A decades-old secret. A mountain that holds the answers--and danger closing in.
When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather's deathbed confession connected to her brother's murder, she's determined to protect her remaining family. After further investigation, she discovers the disclosed information points to a decades-old government secret buried deep in the Cascade Mountains. With this knowledge, she looks for a guide who knows the terrain like the back of their hand.
After his father's death in a tragic mountain accident, former Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin no longer guides for the family business. At first, Ryder refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her and can't stand by while someone brings danger to his small-town mountain community.
Ryder and Sarah gear up to climb the mountain in a race against time and a looming storm. When the danger escalates, their search for answers shifts to a survival mission. Their only chance to make it through involves trusting each other and confronting the truth no one wants them to find.
This gripping romantic-suspense thriller set in the Pacific Northwest from USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard is a series opener that will sweep you away in a rush of adrenaline.
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My Review
WHEN THE SILENCE BREAKS was a mix of danger, military suspense, wilderness adventure, inspirational story, and romance. The characters were complex and likable with a slight small-town feel and family. The mystery will pull readers along as well as the danger that hunts this pair from beginning to end. Readers of the Christian romantic suspense may enjoy this one.
I liked the overall premise of this story. There's a long-buried secret or treasure, depending on how you look at it, that some don't want found while other want to find to divulge the truth and other want for their own gains. There are two main characters who are keeping things from each other (one more so than the other) but who are on the same side, and then there are others who are tracking them as they travel through a frozen wilderness terrain. There was a constant underlying sense of danger and suspense that kept the story going. There were also some moments of faith reflection mixed throughout. And then there's the romance that slowly develops from attraction and admiration to something stronger as they face danger together.
I did have a really hard time with a lot of the plot points, choices and reactions of the characters and just how several parts played out. It seemed like the good guys weren't really good or had professional skills for being a Navy SEAL and a CIA operative. I felt like the villains had it much too easy and I would have liked that all more developed to play out on a higher level of skill between the two parties.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an overall entertaining story and likable characters. I'm curious what the author has in store for the next book in this series.
Content: Some violence (military and natural disaster) but clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through JustRead Publicity Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Have you read other books by this author or stories that mostly take place in snowy mountains?
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