Sunrise, by Susan May Warren is one of my most favorite things: a brilliant first book in a new series by one of my go-to writers.

I love when stories take me to places I’ve never been, so this trip to Alaska is extra interesting for me because it’s the only state I’ve never visited (yet). When Dodge King’s father is badly wounded in a plane crash, Dodge returns to run the ranch. This is a decade after he left to join the military, never wanting to look back. Dodge’s heart was smashed when the girl of his dreams, Echo, rejected his proposal.

Echo never planned on staying on the homestead with her father. But her mom abandoned them, and then Dodge left. So her plans for a degree changed, along with her ambition to run the Iditarod race. Suddenly, she’s faced with the worst mistake she’s ever made.

As circumstances throw Echo and Dodge together, both must face their feelings, their hopes for the future and decide who they want to be. The result is a stunning book. I read it fast, then slowed down in the last third because I didn’t want it to end.

As ever with a Warren book, the characters leap to life, the setting plays a massive role and the action is fast paced and compelling. Cannot wait for book two…