Edge of Your Seat

Edge of Safety by Rebecca Hodge (Crooked Lane Books, Feb. 2020)

If you're a fan of books involving natural disasters forcing people to push their limits for survival, books that are full of emotion and heart, or books that are just frankly too gosh darn hard to put down, then you're going to want to put Edge of Safety on your TBR.

Kat Jamison has battled breast cancer in the past. When she relapses, she faces a difficult decision: continue treatment or just find peace in her final days. Her daughter, Sara, wants her to fight, but Kat doesn't think she has it in her. To contemplate her future in solitude, she escapes to a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains where she and her late husband shared memories of happier days.

Solitude is not exactly what she finds.

Thinking that a dog is just what she needs, Sara brings Kat a rescued lab named Juni. Kat resists, but Sara isn't hearing it. Additionally, down the road a bit in two other cabins are Scott and his 12-year-old daughter, Lily and ex-Special Forces soldier Malcolm and his 9-year-old adopted son, Nirav. Immediately, Lily and Nirav become attached to Juni and as the result of unforeseen circumstances and crossed messages, Lily and Nirav end up staying the night at Kat's.

When a lightning strike ignites a forest fire, and Kat and the children are cut off from their fathers, they're forced to escape on foot. Kat must find her inner strength and her will to survive all over again, but this time she's responsible for more than just herself.

Told in alternative perspectives, Kat's and the children as well as the rescue operation set underway by Malcolm, this edge of your seat thriller will keep your cheering everyone on until the last satisfying page.

At first glance, this is a natural disaster survival story. I was drawn to it by comparisons to Gin Phillips's Fierce Kingdom, which I also enjoyed. But there's also an emotional depth that adds a rich layer to something that could just be gratuitous (this book is not. If you're looking for gory survival, look elsewhere). It's just as much about the struggles of parenthood, end of life issues, and the struggle of finding your place in the world as it is about escaping a forest fire.

Hodge has crafted an excellently paced novel and a believable plot that, even though there are a couple "that's really convenient" moments, will leave you pleased by the end. I'll be looking forward to more books from both the author and the publisher.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy for review.