If I Would Ever Leave You

If Ever I Would Leave You – Susan May Warren – Montana Rescue #0.5 – Published October 2016

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Synopsis

If you harbored a devastating secret, had given your solemn promise of silence… what would make you to break it?

Ian Shaw can have anything he wants…

…except the woman he loves. After all, Sierra Rose is his amazing assistant, a woman who helps him hold his empire together, leaving him free to pursue his adventurous hobbies—his only distraction from his excruciating past… until now. But what if she is the one who can finally free him from his regrets?

Sierra Rose harbors a terrible secret…

…the fact that Ian’s favorite niece and ward, Esme, just might elope with her less-than-awesome boyfriend. Sierra’s made a promise to Esme—but her first loyalty belongs to her boss Ian, the man she’s admired for years. But letting herself fall in love with him risks the best job she’s ever had.

When tragedy strikes, sparks ignite…

…because Esme has vanished. Ian fears the worst–has she run away with her boyfriend? Or, has something more sinister happened in the wilds of Glacier National Park? It’s a race against time, with Sierra and Ian caught in the crossfire of secrets, regrets and what-ifs.

My thoughts

I actually read the first book in this series, Wild Montana Skies, before reading this prequel. As I was reading Wild Montana Skies I kept wanting more of Ian and Sierra. I loved their dynamic, the many challenges they face and the complexity of their story. So I was very happy to find, upon taking a closer look at the synopsis, that If Ever I Would Leave You was actually Ian and Sierra’s story (or at least part of it).

If Ever I Would Leave You takes place roughly three years before the start of Wild Montana Skies. Sierra is Ian’s assistant, helping him run his businesses and ranch and generally organising his daily life. Ian is starting to fall for his capable and beautiful assistant, but he’s not sure how to take their relationship of boss and employee to something more. But then Ian’s life explodes when his niece Esme disappears into the Montana wilderness with her boyfriend.

Just like in Wild Montana Skies there is a good combination of drama, tense action and, of course, romance. There is also a bit of the hero physically rescuing his girl (danger-filled first scene for example). But don’t worry, while Sierra sometimes comes across a little damsel-in-distress-y, I found her to be very relatable as a character. She is clever, good at her job, determined, caring and faithful. Her backstory is one of an unusual upbringing and a broken heart. She has scars from the past she doesn’t want to talk about and she certainly doesn’t want to risk her job or her heart by revealing her growing feelings for Ian.


In this novella Ian is referred to as a Tony Stark type. Love that description! And though I’m more of a Captain America kind of girl, I could understand why Sierra is drawn to her handsome but hurting employer, who too has a past that haunts him.

So, do they ever get together? You’ll need to keep reading the Montana Rescue series, starting with Wild Montana Skies, to find out. If Ever I Would Leave You is a fun lead-in to Susan May Warren’s exciting new series.

The author provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

More information

Category: Fiction

Genre: Christian contemporary.

Themes:  Family, missing persons, romance, assistants.

Published:  October 2016.

Format: Ebook.

Find it on Goodreads