Review: Believing the Hero - Heroes of Freedom Ridge #9

Believing the Hero book cover on blue background

I'm just trekking along with the Heroes of Freedom Ridge series! Believing the Hero marks the halfway point, so I'm getting there 😄 Honestly, these books are becoming a soap opera in my head where I'm familiar with most of the characters now and can revisit them throughout the year. What a fun series to get into where I can see what people are up to a little later in their life!

Book Synopsis

She’s been alone for years. Can this secret agent convince her to love again?

Jan Clark lost her firefighter husband ten years ago. She fills her days running Stories and Scones and doting on her first grandchild. Finding someone new feels like betraying the husband she loved for decades, and the thought of tragically losing someone again is terrifying. But Pete O’Rourke is handsome, charming, and makes her feel young again—and what could be safer than an insurance agent?

Pete moved back to Freedom, Colorado after 25 years as a CIA operative, not that anyone around here thinks he did anything but sit at a desk. Now, he is content with his quiet life as an insurance agent and real estate investor. When he finally convinces the lovely widow, Jan, to give a relationship a shot, everything seems to be falling into place. Until an unexpected visitor from his past arrives in Freedom and threatens to ruin the holiday.

Now, Pete is pulled back into the dangerous secrets of his past. He’ll do anything to protect his town and the woman he loves, but the high stakes could be too much for their fledgling relationship to handle.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

If you like espionage and a sweet story about an older couple, Tara Grace Ericson delivers both in a perfect combination. I truly enjoyed getting to know Pete and Jan's story after some hints of their mutual interest in each other in previous books; getting to see their romance play out over a longer period of time definitely made me more invested in them. I'm also fascinated by stories of people who are a little older than the usual 20-somethings in books as they've seen so much of life and bring a different perspective. I appreciated how well the author delved into the thoughts and concerns of both characters, especially when it came to their past. Jan grappling with fear and Pete grappling with security were good counterparts to further examining what it looks like to have faith in God.

While the suspense plot was intriguing and allowed for some agent tactics to be deployed, I loved how prayer was such a key theme in this book. A man who puts God and prayer first is a man who has his priorities straight. It was interesting to envision how a Christian CIA agent would conduct themself, giving Pete quite the back story. What I've found most charming about this entire series is seeing how people support one another in times of need. Freedom Ridge is a community that cares for each other and makes me wish I could visit (thankfully, I have the second half of the series to go)!