Stephanie Sullivan: Review - Things You Save in a Fire

August 03, 2021

TITLE: Things You Save in a Fire

RATING: ★★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.

The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because she doesn't fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don't date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously?

Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life, love, and the true meaning of courage.

REVIEW: It took me awhile to get through this one. Like, I read the first couple of chapters in the first week of April, but then I put it down, and I didn’t pick it up again until a month later. BUT...despite a slow start, I finished reading the remainder of the book in one day. I might not have been sucked in from the very beginning, but once I got past the first few chapters I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I love Katherine Center’s writing style. She can be laugh-out-loud funny one minute, and in the next minute she’ll have you crying until you’re a snotty, sniffling mess. That’s what happened to me when I read this book. I won’t give away any spoilers, but the heroine, Cassie, is truly someone to be admired. Her love interest, Owen? Well, he’s everything you look for in the perfect hero - masculine and strong but tender too. Take my advice and read Things You Save in a Fire. You’ll be glad you did.